Background

One of the most numerous and famous cars in world history was the Model T produced by the Ford Motor Company. It became the first mass-production car and was affordable for middle class. The first examples of the Model T were built starting on October 1, 1908. It had a four-cylinder engine of 20 hp. The mass production was launched at the Highland Park Ford Plant, Michigan beginning in 1910. There were 16.5 million cars produced between 1908 and 1927. Model T cars were produced in different types, like the 1912 Light Delivery Cars.

The Light Delivery Car version is another of ICM‘s excellent series of 1/24 scale Model T kits. Other 1/24 scale Model T kits released by ICM include:

• Model T 1913 Roadster, American Passenger Car 24001
• Model T 1911 Touring 24002
• Model T 1914 Firetruck 24004
• Ford Team Model T 1913 Roadster and 3 figures 24007
• Model T 1911 with American Mechanics (1910s) - 3 Figures 24010
• Model T 1913 Speedster 24015
• Model T 1912 Commercial Roadster 24016
• Model T 1914 Fire Truck with Crew 24017
• Gasoline Delivery Model T 1912 with 2 Figures 24019

ICM also produces 1/24 scale figure sets that can be used as accessories with the Model T kits:

• ICM Models Henry Ford & Co. – 3 Figures 24003
• American Firemen (1910s) - 3 Figures 24005
• American Fire Truck Crew (1910s) - 2 Figures 24006
• American Mechanics (1910s) - 3 Figures 24009
• American Motorists (1910s) – 2 Figures 24013
• American Sports Car Drivers - 2 Figures 24014
• American Gasoline Loaders (1910s) - 2 figures 24018

ICM also produces Model Ts in 1/35 scale, including a 1917 Ambulance, LCP Australian Army Car, 1917 Utility Australian Army Car, 1917 Ambulance (Early), and 1917 Touring WWI Australian Army Car

ICM Light Delivery Car Kit

This is an excellent kit with very nice detail and nice fit of the parts. The Delivery Car kit comes on six sprues of light gray plastic, two clear plastic sprues, four white vinyl tires, and a small decal sheet. The plastic parts have nice, crisp detail, and no flash is apparent. The kit includes 108 parts. With this release the brass parts of the car, sprue D, are molded in gray plastic. Other releases of the Model T provided these parts with a brass plating. Molding them in gray plastic and painting with a brass paint like Alclad looks better than a heavy brass plating and allows cleanup of the mold seams.

Instructions are in a 16-page stapled booklet with 58 assembly steps. The instructions include a brief description and technical specifications of the Delivery Car. Colors are called out in Revell and Tamiya numbers. Illustrations of the sprues are included to locate parts and indicate which parts are not used with this version of the car. Assembly steps are in exploded diagrams that are very clear and include detailed paint callouts. There are a few mistakes in the instructions as noted below.

Assembly

Assembly begins with the Model T engine, which is made up of 12 parts. The engine has nice detail and accurately represents a Model T engine. Steps 8 through 10 assemble the radiator and front axle and install them on the fender assembly. The kit doesn’t have a separate chassis frame, just two rails on the underside of the fenders. The front axle gets assembled to the radiator which then assembles to the fenders. This complicates assembly as the front axle can’t be installed separately to the chassis for leveling. Step 11 shows installation of the headlight brackets on the chassis, but I held off until later to get them squared up correctly. The brackets are mis-labeled as D9 and D10 but should be D12 and 13.

The engine gets installed to the chassis in step 12, followed by the radiator hoses, driveshaft, and rear axle. These all fit nicely together. When installing the rear axle make sure that it is in the same plane with the front axle so the vehicle sits squarely on the ground.

The muffler, tailpipe, and exhaust header are installed in step 18. The exhaust header does not install as shown but feeds from the underside of the chassis alongside of the transmission. Likewise, in step 20, the front axle sway bars, part B7, does not install as shown but installs to the bottom of the engine block.

The tires and wheels get assembled in steps 22 through 24. The one-piece wheels slip inside and are centered on the white vinyl tires. The tires have nice detail and color.

The truck floor, firewall, and interior transmission cover get installed in steps 25 through 29. When installing the firewall, make sure it is the correct distance from the radiator so the hood parts fit tightly. Installing the interior transmission cover part C2-5 was difficult as both the cover and the truck floor were slightly warped so I had to clamp them together while gluing.

Steps 30 through 31 install the windshield and braces, and steps 33 through 38 assemble the interior controls. Steps 42 through 44 assemble the truck body which fits together very nicely. The rear doors can be posed open or closed but need to be glued in place so they are not movable. I am going to pose the rear doors in the open position, so I painted the interior of the truck body in a wood panel finish. I primed the body parts and assembled them before applying the finish color to the truck body. The finish color was sprayed after assembling the body panels but before assembling the body to the fenders. Installing the body on the fender assembly proved difficult to slide the body over the floor. I ended up breaking some of the cross-rib body joints to get the body to fit over the floor. Check this fit before finish painting the truck body.

I painted the kit to resemble a Model T Coca-Cola truck I found online built by Richard’s Custom Designs of Battle Creek, Michigan. Custom made decals were used to decorate the truck body. The interior of the truck is painted to resemble wood paneling. ICM’s American Gasoline Loaders (1910s) are posed with the Delivery Car loading Coca-Cola cases.

The last few steps install the brass lanterns, headlights, and horn.

Summary

This is a very nice kit that builds into a nice representation of the model T delivery car. The fit of the parts is very good and assemble simply enough so it is not a difficult build. The kit could be assembled by beginning modelers with a little experience, and provides a nice model T for more experienced builders.

Thanks to ICM for producing this and the other 1/24 model T kits and figures, and for providing review samples to IPMS.