Project - Upgrade a 1:43 scale Ertl Tractor 1934 Farmall Regular

Copyright 2022 Nicholas Kalis
1:43 Scale 1934 Farmall Regular by Ertl - Before

Copyright 2022 Nicholas Kalis
Plastic Putty 70.400 (100% Acrylic Resin)
An easy to apply product from Vallejo
Copyright 2022 Nicholas Kalis
Ertl Limited Edition Set for Mid-States

Copyright 2022 Nicholas Kalis
1934 Farmall, dry Brushing Evident
Much of the mud was lost while handling


Project

According to John Wesley Coulter "In the vicinity of the mill are sheds for agricultural implements and tools, for plow-engines, for all the various kinds of machinery used in a large-scale agricultural enterprise. Several plow engines and tractors stand in the open air in spaces reserved for them." Page 60 "The Oahu Sugar Cane Plantation, Waipahu" Economic Geography Vol. 9 No. 1 (Jan., 1933). 
I am guessing that this tractor is representative of the sort of tractor that would have appeared on this plantation in the 1940s. This 1934 Farmall Tractor made by Ertl was part of a special offer package of three tractors and a Woody station wagon packaged for Mid-States in 1989 in a limited-edition wooden case (includes a 1956 Case 600, 1940 Ford Woody and a 1935 Case "L"). 
Presumably my Ertl model is 1:43 scale; I am using it in what is commonly called forced perspective (my layout is 1:20.3 scale) - though this technique is actually "reduced scale" with the term "forced perspective" better reserved for a different effort. Here are eight steps I took to improve the appearance of this somewhat toyish tractor that could have operated on the Oahu Sugar Company plantation.

Step 1 - I have applied gloss cote to the model's rubber tires to secure the red tile grout (mimicking red soil)
Step 2 - I am using this Vallejo Plastic Putty 70.400 to fill the open seam at the differential at the rear axle of this tractor.
Step 3 - I also applied a home-made black alcohol wash to this Ertl die-cast model
Step 4 - I used a small metal file to remove the "Ertl" wording from its metal frame
Step 5 - I also used a metal file to remove "Made in China" from its diecast frame
Step 6 - I painted over the bare diecast metal revealed by Steps 4 and 5
Step 7 - Using a marker, I painted over the hardened Vallejo plastic putty in the differential to make it less visible
Step 8 - I dry-brushed this entire model with a light grey paint using a brush from The Army Painter Masterclass Drybrush Set Product TL5054

 

Copyright 2022 Nicholas Kalis
Used the smallest of these three brushes for dry brushing

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