1/35 Country doctor

[Frank3k]

I recently got the ICM 1/35 1919 Model T "Doctor's Coupe"



And needed a doctor to go with it. I did an image search for country doctors, and found a photo essay of Dr. Ernest Ceriani (1916-1988) who was a country doctor in the late 1940s:



I have the Masterbox "Civilians, Western region WWII Era":



I've already used the farmer on the left, but the old man on the right looked like a good starting point. I replaced the left arm and both hands, and started working on the head, but it looked too old and too big for the body. I used a resin head instead, and this is where I am right now:



I had to move the bag to the left hand, because I couldn't find a set of resin right hands that had a carrying hand. I found a set after I'd painted and glued the hands, of course:



I added a belt to the pants and jacket and the bag is scratchbuilt from Procreate 2 part putty. I have to go back and clean the jacket and hands a bit and fix the eyes. He looks more like a paranoid bank robber than a doctor.

Here's the original head next to the doc. It's quite a bit larger than the resin head.



I'll place the doctor somewhere between 1918 and 1940. The ICM Model T (like all their model T kits) is an enjoyable and fast build. This kit is all black, with only some minor color variations, so painting should be a breeze.

[Story]

 
He looks more like a paranoid bank robber than a doctor.
 

[kim margosein]

I was thinking Kolchak too.

[Frank3k]

This figure has issues and I'm going to stop working on it since it's reached the point of diminishing returns. It just has generally odd dimensions and shapes that are going to be too time consuming to correct. I didn't do a great paint job, either. Funny, the farmer from the same set is one of the best injected figures I've built. The hat looks small, but it went with the kit's much larger head! It looked like a clown hat.

Here's the Doc on the country road, near the Model T. Now that is a nice kit! Absolutely no issues that weren't self-inflicted:



I agonized over what color of black I was going to paint the Model T. I went with black. The cab, cab roof and engine cover are just pressed onto the chassis. I don't think I'll need to glue them (except maybe the roof):

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Here's the Doc, about as good as he'll get. I may try to lower the hat a bit, but I don't think it'll help much:

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Next I'll detail the Model T (add the windows, missing bits, tire color, license plates and some mild weathering/dust)

[Kerick]

He’s an old country doctor, last name McCoy……

[Frank3k]

ICM is releasing this:



With a doctor in a bowler hat and some farmers.  The doctor's apparel is closer to 1918 than the doc I'm building.

[apophenia]

... The doctor's apparel is closer to 1918 than the doc I'm building.

It is. Although your reference doctor may have been from the '40s, your figure build says '20s to me for some reason.

I'm guessing that rural doctors especially would have kept using practical and economical Model Ts much longer than their urban equivalents?

[Frank3k]

That's what I figure - although the license plate I'm designing is a 1926 California plate.

This Model T is a great little kit; ICM did a great job designing the base Model T and their long line of variants proves it. The kits have very fine details but go together well, with no issues.

I'm almost done with the Doc's coupe (just needs the license plates and some light weathering). The doc has been a disappointment; he's just a misshapen lump (especially compared to the other figures in the same kit) I also haven't been able to get a satisfactory skin tone yet on the resin head.

I did lower the hat a bit. I couldn't go much further without risking breaking through the plastic. I trimmed the top of the resin head as much as I dared. This is as good as he'll get; he may eventually get replaced by another figure (maybe ICM will release the farm family and doctor), because he detracts from the beauty of the Model  T:



The Model T had some of the shine toned down with a satin finish. Oddly, the kit doesn't come with windows in the doors. I don't know if that was a feature of this model or if ICM forgot to include them.:



I have to spray the wall with some satin or matte flat. It's too shiny from some angles. I didn't paint the tires the off white color of raw rubber. I know they were experimenting adding carbon to tire rubber in that era, with a wide variation in colors:

[GTX_Admin]

Looks great

[Frank3k]

Thanks for all the comments! I finally finished both. The doctor figure probably took 60-70% of the build time.

 I love this little ICM kit. Not one problem that wasn't self inflicted.

I think the front wheel toe-in is a bit too much (it should be around 1/4" (6mm) in the real car), but that's where they end up with the wheels flat against the front axle:





The license plate is accurate for California in 1926 (even though it's a 1918 model) 267 is the year and month I finished this. It was probably a valid license plate in 1926 as well, since they changed the format a year or two earlier:





On the road:



With the doctor. He'll be replaced if ICM comes out with the doctor and farmer set separate from the car (I just noticed his head is popping off):

[Kerick]

Boy! That poor guy has issues!
That entire set looks great to me!

[Buzzbomb]

refreshing change of pace here, really nice work 

[Old Wombat]

He ain't no doctor! He's a space-alien cyborg!   

[Old Wombat]

The build & scenery look great, Frank!