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Hey gang,
My first post to the restorations forum so be kind and patient with me! I had contacted the Tinman for advice on stripping paint on this particular model. When I earlier sent him some photos of the finished product he asked me to post some pictures here.
Mostly during the Step-down era (1948-1954) of the Hudson Motor Company, Hudson used one-eighth scale plaster design models for color trials. This past spring I was fortunate enough to find one of these models in the flea market at a regional meet of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club. When the seller acquired the model it had been unpainted. He turned the model over to a younger brother who decked it out in a rather crude coat of paint. This photo shows the model as it was when I bought it last spring. It is sitting next to a Matchbox Toys Mini for size comparison. The plaster model is roughly 26 inches/66cm in length. The model depicts a 1951 Hudson Hornet Hollywood Hardtop. I tried sanding the model smooth but that thick paint was very gummy and quite clearly that was not going to work. It was the trusty Tinman who suggested I buy a gelled citrus scented paint remover product. I loaded it up thick on the model and sat back to watch the ugly bubble up and loosen from the plaster. The silver-trim paint was somewhat resistant to the paint remover but the model was left largely naked and quite smooth. I had something promising to work with. Tinman had also suggested that I use Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 primer for the model. Two coats later it was looking so good I was tempted to stop here! But no, I couldn't stop here. Yet I struggled with what colors to paint the model. In the end I used the model for the same purpose intended by the Hudson Motors designers. I have four Hudsons. These are the two cars Lynn and I have entered in the Great American Mountain Rally Revival the past two Octobers. The car on the right in this photo is a 1952 Hornet Club Coupe. From a distance the Hornet looks OK. It is a solid car that spent it's previous life in California, but it is in genuine need of paint replacement, panel straightening and panel alignment. According to the paint code this car originally had a "Boston Ivory" roof/hood, and a "Texas Tan" body. One of my dad's original Hudsons had been Texas Tan. It is a copper/bronze sort of color. My intention is to have the Hornet repainted in it's original colors. It occurred to me that the plaster design model was a perfect opportunity to see how these colors would look in one-eighth scale! So that's what I attempted to do. Before anyone gets upset about me painting a 1952 color scheme on a 1951 model, take comfort in knowing that these colors also were an option in 1951. So the model is not only useful, but also historically accurate.
So the first step was to mask off the roof for a couple coats of the Ivory spray paint. Next I masked the body for four coats of what proved to be a rattle can quite close to Texas Tan. Then I set about the process of masking things out for painting of the window trim, front and rear grill, bumper, emblems, lights, etc. On to the side trim paint. My son, Ryan wasn't satisfied with the quality of my imperfect circles on the wheel covers and white walls. He did some fine-tuning for dear-old-Dad. And to his credit, it does look significantly better! And here you have it, my first crack at a Hudson restoration! I'm quite happy with the colors and I'll feel very comfortable committing to this color scheme on our 1952 Club Coupe. You guys are the experts! What do you think?

Plaster??????/ Wow I would'nt know where to start on that one...New to me and superb.....Nice one..

Great post Greg and what a fantastic model to aquire for a model car enthusiast. The time and effort put into the restoration was well worth it.

Big thanks for bringing it to the forum and thank you Joe for suggesting it.

Ghosthunter.

That is absolutely stunning Greg, really love the real car as well. Thank you for showing it on here. J