1:16 Scale 1962 Ford Consul Cortina by FROG kits

[Anglia105E]

2 minutes ago, dodgefever said:

Can you not assemble the body around the bulkhead (using the chassis as a fixture if necessary), then fit the windows, dash and floorpan/interior after painting?   That's the way I'd tackle it.

I have considered doing it that way Stu, as you suggest . . . However, having examined the build only this morning, there are maybe four or five body parts that need to align all at the same time before glue is applied, and to make matters more difficult, the two large side panels that include the front outer wings must be held with strong rubber bands. This is because the side panels are straight, and they need to curve inwards at the front end, so that the edges of the outer wings can attach to the edges of the inner wings. Those inner wings are part of the engine bay part.

Because this is such an unorthodox way of assembling a kit body, I need to think it through carefully !

David

[David G.]

What a delightful backstory, thanks for sharing it with us.

It looks like you have quite a good start on this somewhat unusual kit. I'm very interested to see how you solve some of the issues it presents.

David G.

[Anglia105E]

Over the past few days the interior of the Cortina has been painted, and also the dashboard. The paint colour is Vallejo Prussian Blue acrylic.

Another mock up was necessary to see how the steering column assembles with the bulkhead and the dashboard. I placed the two side panels and the engine bay roughly where they need to be later. The front inner wings being part of the engine bay might be problematic, as they have to align cleanly with the outer wings of those large side panels that run the length of the car.

Two coats of Tamiya TS-10 French Blue have been applied to both the engine bay / front wings and the bulkhead where it becomes part of the engine bay. The paint caps show the difference between the Rust-oleum Spa Blue and the Tamiya French Blue.

David

[David G.]

The kit's engineering is certainly presenting its own set of challenges to address. You seem to be working through them quite handily.

David G.

[Anglia105E]

The steering column, dashboard, bulkhead and steering wheel have all been assembled as one unit, and no issues.

I have discovered that the parts of the FROG kit fit together so well, that I would say they are as good as modern day Tamiya.

Monday turned out to be a very productive day, and I made some really good progress.

The front end assembly was giving me cause for concern, and I was fearing the worst.

I wanted to follow the order of assembly as detailed in the Frog instructions, so I glued the large R.H. side panel in place, which was then followed by the front panel. This proved to be extremely difficult, so I decided to glue the L.H. side panel in place onto the chassis / floor pan, before tackling the front panel. Also, I decided to use super glue rather than styrene glue for the front panel, which turned out to be a wise decision, as I would never have done it otherwise.

Using a lot of patience and ingenuity, I eventually achieved an excellent fit for the front panel.

The next part to add was the engine bay and inner front wings, and this went in surprisingly well, and is not even held in place with glue. The rear panel also clipped in without glue, and the roof section clipped in place without glue. I added the engine part, again no glue required.

The following day saw the rear panel glued in place between the rear wings, along with the exhaust tailpipe which was glued to the floor pan.

Using some green PVC refuse sack, and some orange tissue paper the interior area was masked off, also the the wheels and tyres were masked off.

Tamiya Fine Surface Primer White has been applied to all of the exterior panels of the car, which was two coats with five minutes between coats.

Once the primer has dried over night for 24 hours, the Tamiya TS-10 French Blue will be applied over the white primer.

 

David

 

[gman]

The primer stage is looking promising- I am looking forward to seeing some body colour splashed on there.

I remember these cars. My Dad even had an older model Consul- it had more curves IIRC than this series, likely late 50's. My uncle had a '68 Lotus Cortina briefly, about the time my Dad was driving his new-for-1972 Cortina.

[Bugatti Fan]

This model is really coming together well.

Actually, it is very nice to see a vintage kit like this actually being built rather than hoarded by a collector.

Incidentally, talking of collectors, there is I think I a market for those old kit boxes on their own, so don't throw the box away after it is built as it may be worth a bit on Ebay!

[Anglia105E]

3 hours ago, gman said:

The primer stage is looking promising- I am looking forward to seeing some body colour splashed on there.

I remember these cars. My Dad even had an older model Consul- it had more curves IIRC than this series, likely late 50's. My uncle had a '68 Lotus Cortina briefly, about the time my Dad was driving his new-for-1972 Cortina.

Thanks Greg . . . The body colour should be going on today, all being well.

My Dad hired a Ford Consul Mk 2 for a family holiday trip to Wales back in the day, which was a 1959 car I believe.

The '68 Lotus Cortina would have been a very sporty car to own at the time, and still is today as a classic.

I did drive a 1972 Ford Cortina MK 3 to Devon during the early '70's, and I liked the American body style.

Having driven MK 1, 2 and 3 Cortinas when I was younger, I didn't drive the MK 4 or 5 . . .

David

[Anglia105E]

3 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

This model is really coming together well.

Actually, it is very nice to see a vintage kit like this actually being built rather than hoarded by a collector.

Incidentally, talking of collectors, there is I think I a market for those old kit boxes on their own, so don't throw the box away after it is built as it may be worth a bit on Ebay!

I do agree with you Noel, as regards keeping a rare vintage kit in the original box as a collector's item. Personally, I would much rather build this 60 year old kit, very carefully and with respect, than hoard it away out of sight. Very often I see an item listed on Ebay, which appears to be a low price . . . and then when I read further it states ' Box Only ' ( no car or parts inside the empty box ) . . . I never throw my kit boxes away, and this FROG kit box is in quite poor condition, but I shall still hang on to it. I wouldn't consider selling a ' BOX ', but then again I can't put it in the bin either !

David

[David G.]

Fabulous work getting all the body panels to align properly. The rest of the build should be easy by comparison.

David G.

[Anglia105E]

50 minutes ago, David G. said:

Fabulous work getting all the body panels to align properly. The rest of the build should be easy by comparison.

David G.

Absolutely !

It was indeed very tricky, but all looks good now.

David W.

[Bugatti Fan]

I often wonder what happened to those Frog car kit moulds. Did they go to Novo along with some of the other Frog kits?

Apart from the Cortina, there were a few other 1/16th scale kits in the range. I seem to remember a BMC 1100 (not sure if Austin Morris of MG version, a Vauxhall saloon possibly a VX490 and a Dennis Ambulance that I once had and sold on. Cannot remember if there were any more in that particular range.

Did Novo ever repop them if they got the moulds?

[Anglia105E]

4 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

I often wonder what happened to those Frog car kit moulds. Did they go to Novo along with some of the other Frog kits?

Apart from the Cortina, there were a few other 1/16th scale kits in the range. I seem to remember a BMC 1100 (not sure if Austin Morris of MG version, a Vauxhall saloon possibly a VX490 and a Dennis Ambulance that I once had and sold on. Cannot remember if there were any more in that particular range.

Did Novo ever repop them if they got the moulds?

Yes Noel, the five Frog car kit moulds went to Novo, and the kits that they produced were nowhere near as good as the Frog kits for quality.

There were only five car kits . . . one was the E-Type Jaguar, one was the Morris 1100, one was the Dennis AV Ambulance, one was the Vauxhall Victor Estate, and then the Ford Consul Cortina . . . By far the most rare of these is the Dennis Ambulance, and if you still had that one it would be worth a lot of money today ! Occasionally, and not very often, the odd Frog car kit does appear on Ebay and the prices are always high. The Vauxhall is almost as rare as the Dennis and will fetch a big price at auction.

Working on this Cortina kit, I have discovered that I really like 1:16 scale, even more than 1:24 scale !

David

[Bugatti Fan]

Forgot about the E Type. Had the rest sort of right from memory!

[Maindrian Pace]

This is one of the coolest kits that didn't know existed, from back in the motorized era when you spent a significant amount of time crafting an accurate replica, and then they expected you to play with it like a toy (Which I did a few times). It's coming out great, too.

[Anglia105E]

48 minutes ago, Maindrian Pace said:

This is one of the coolest kits that didn't know existed, from back in the motorized era when you spent a significant amount of time crafting an accurate replica, and then they expected you to play with it like a toy (Which I did a few times). It's coming out great, too.

Thank you Mike . . . The whole concept of carefully assembling and painting a precise scale model of an actual car, only to release the model into oblivion by actuating it's electric motor, sending it into reverse at high speed, as it launches itself off the end of the table is beyond my comprehension . . .

Now Radio Control would be a very different matter . . . but a simple battery operated electric motor with a couple of plastic gears . . . No control !

David

[Anglia105E]

Having attempted, and failed, to print a 1:16 scale road tax disc for the windscreen (road fund license), I decided to cut out the one from the decal sheet and glue it on the inside of the screen, using Crystal Clear glue. These decals are 60 years old, so I didn't want to risk the water slide decal not working. My HP printer cannot print anything as small as a 4.7 mm diameter paper disc.

All the external body parts have been given two coats of Tamiya TS-10 French Blue over white primer, and allowed to dry for 24 hours. Today I removed all of the masking material to reveal the paint surface. The following photos show the Cortina with the roof, bonnet and boot lid resting in place, so nothing glued yet.

I am generally happy with the result, and I do like the colour. There is quite a lot of work to do yet, which is mostly chrome work and further detailing, including bumpers, number plates, lights, wipers, bonnet and boot hinges and window glass. The sliding driver's door window will be in the lowered position.

David

[cobraman]

Lookin' good !

[Anglia105E]

56 minutes ago, cobraman said:

Lookin' good !

Thank you kindly, Ray . . . Happy days at the workbench !

David

[gman]

Looks great- clear coat, or polish?

[Anglia105E]

4 hours ago, gman said:

Looks great- clear coat, or polish?

Once the the paint finish has been allowed 4 to 5 days to cure, I shall apply the three grades of Tamiya Polishing Compound, Coarse, Fine and Finish.

For this Cortina build I am keeping to Tamiya products, right through from primer to polish, with lacquer in between.

David

[David G.]

Beautiful work on this David!

In the photos, that color looks very rich and saturated. It should look gorgeous when polished.

David G.

[Anglia105E]

21 minutes ago, David G. said:

Beautiful work on this David!

In the photos, that color looks very rich and saturated. It should look gorgeous when polished.

David G.

Thanks David . . . I would say the photos (my camera) tend to show the colour as being too rich a blue really, although I do like it.

I shall be happy if the paintwork looks polished, but not necessarily the ' showroom ' look. Probably just after my Dad has washed and polished his car on a Sunday afternoon . . .

David W.

[Spottedlaurel]

I've been enjoying watching this come together over the last week or two, I wonder if any have been built before with such care and attention?

It appears to be nicely proportioned and definitely captures the look of the original. By the time I really started noticing what was on the road in the '70s many had already ended up in the scrapyards, but I recall the odd daily driver hanging on into the '80s. Our neighbour had what I remember as a tidy, pale green 2-door which replaced a rotten Mk3 Cortina around 1980.

[Anglia105E]

3 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

I've been enjoying watching this come together over the last week or two, I wonder if any have been built before with such care and attention?

It appears to be nicely proportioned and definitely captures the look of the original. By the time I really started noticing what was on the road in the '70s many had already ended up in the scrapyards, but I recall the odd daily driver hanging on into the '80s. Our neighbour had what I remember as a tidy, pale green 2-door which replaced a rotten Mk3 Cortina around 1980.

Thank you Nigel . . . I haven't been able to find many articles or photos of previous Frog Cortina builds, and yet there must have been large numbers of these kits produced at the time. Over the past seven years I have been concentrating on 1:24 scale builds, also collecting 1:43 scale diecasts, and building the odd 1:12 scale model, as well as being heavily into 3Dprinting until my printer exploded. The diorama work in both 1:24 scale and 1:43 scale has kept me very busy, so the 1:16 scale has largely gone unnoticed until now.

As you mentioned, the early MK 1 Ford Consul Cortina's were prone to rusting away, as were the Ford Anglia 105E's, but surprisingly there are many still on the road even today, This is largely thanks to the Cortina Owners Club and also dedicated enthusiasts who take their cars to the shows. Mostly they tend to be Lotus Ford Cortina MK 1's, and Cortina GT's, usually having full restorations and modifications, not always original !

Any kits that you can find, as well as the diecasts in different scales, plus a few resin cast models of the Cortina MK 1 are always the 2-door version, so the 4-door version is much harder to find. I considered myself very fortunate to win the Ebay auction on this kit, and it is not widely known that the box art of the Frog kit shows a 2-door car, while inside the box there hides the sought after 4-door body.

David