Ford AA Recovery

In July 2021 I bought a pair of Ford A cars from a seller in France. One of them was fitted with a crane, and during my summer vacation I fitted a new rear suspension and axle to replace the assembly damaged during shipping.  

The Ford A recovery lorry in mid March. Wheel centres painted dark blue with basic weathering added. The crane assembly test fitted with a few items being tried out for detailing. 

The lorry in almost original state with only the crane detached.

I kept the crane assembly and the rest of the vehicle separate during the next stages in the process of getting the lorry in a condition to serve on my layout. First I removed all unwanted items on the car. The printed markings on the doors were removed with acetone, swabs and a soft cloth. Always remember to test the acetone on the model's paintwork where it can't be seen. One never knows if the paint will stand up to the acetone. In this case I only noticed a slight toning down of the gloss varnish. Then the silver footboard attachments were removed and the holes filled with putty and sanded smooth.

Printing on the doors removed and the holes remaining after the steps on the footboards was removed, filled with putty. The Modelu photographer was repaired with putty from the same batch. Once the two part putty is mixed I try to apply as much as possible to current projects to avoid waste.

The heavily chromed radiator and other parts were either painted over in a more discrete colour or treated with matt varnish mixed with a drop of grey paint. Being an older car in the early 1950's, I didn't want the recovery lorry to look too shiny. Under the bonnet I airbrushed the engine dark grey and added a wash of Vallejo engine grime and traces of rust. The inside of the bonnet was treated to look suitably used. 

To keep the bonnet open during painting I simply used masking tape.

I painted the crane light grey with some of the previous black paint showing to represent paint worn and flaked away. The wooden planks were given a layer of light beige brushed on with semi-dried paint. It's not far from dry-brushing, only with more paint on the brush. The result is a faily good foundation for the next stages in painting and weathering. The battery was fitted with wires and connetions to its terminals. I unwound the thread representing the winch wire and painted it a grey-brown colour with oil paint. The thread was then wound around the wire drum and passed through the A-frame to the top guide wheel, through the lifting hook assembly and finally fastened to the A-frame. The two drawbars were glued in place and and fitted with representations of steel wire used to keep them safely stored during transport.

The small load area behind the cab is being equipped with a selection of small items.Here is an early test wiith oil cans and wooden blocks. The battery has been fitted with wires and a bit of greenish corrosion.

The crane is painted to represent a worn piece of equipment with damaged paintwork. More weathering will be applied.

In the next phase I will finish painting of details and fitting licenseplates as well as applying weathering. I hope to fininsh the Ford before too long, as other projects are waiting.