1953 Hudson Hornet Moebius Models Kit #1200 Review

RoR Step-by-Step Review 20111111* – 1953 Hudson Hornet Moebius Models Kit #1200 Review
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Review and Photos by Stephanie and Marty Oberman

The Hudson Hornet was a class act by unanimous consent both on and off the track. Some scale model kits are of the same caliber. This new release from Moebius raises the bar on kit manufacturing and is destined to be a classic in its own right.

For the Modeler: – I finally got my hands on the highly anticipated Moebius Models 1953 Hudson Hornet (kit #1200). After reviewing not only the parts but the instruction sheet (which is more like a booklet) I was pleased with its attention to detail, especially the notes in the instruction sheet. Minor fit problems and construction issues, chrome camouflage, window installation issues. Chrome repair, tab alterations, headlight glue and other tips for making this kit turn out to be your best ever are fully explored in this review.

Fig 000a) – Starting with the engine assembly this is a multi-piece affair with the majority of the components molded as separate entities. The first thing I noticed was the contact points of the parts; they are large and almost cartoonish-looking, but they join together seamlessly and disappear when installed. The fit was snug, precise, and exact. I glued the engine block halves, oil pan, front cover, and cylinder head together to paint as a unit. Checking not only the instructions but the box art photos on the sheet, I decided to include the oil filler tube, throttle linkage post, and fuel pump with the main engine block. My intention was to paint everything as one unit, then detail-paint the oil filler tube’s cap gloss black, and the fuel pump’s bowl aluminum. This worked out well. I then installed the starter, generator, coil, distributor, fan belt/pullies, fan, and crankcase ventilator tube (all painted gloss black). The oil filter was painted red with a black top. The exhaust manifold and extension were painted Testor’s buffing metalizer “Exhaust”, and the intake manifold; Testor’s steel buffing metalizer. In order to differentiate from the engine’s gold color, I painted the carburetors brass. The air cleaner canisters were primed and painted DupliColor GM Bright Red and clear coated.

Fig 001) Everything practically fell together on this assembly, and the engine is almost a complete model in itself! However, there were a couple issues I encountered; the contact tabs for the throttle linkage were too long to seat completely into the cylinder head. I didn’t notice this until I installed the air cleaners. The rear air cleaner would not seat completely due to the linkage interfering with its installation. By the time I discovered this it was too late to remove the linkage, so one air cleaner sits higher than the other, which is forward of the linkage and is not affected by it.

 

Fig 002) The other issue I encountered is the contact points for the fan belt/pullies part, which has an extended tab to insert through the front cover and into the block, while the contact point for the fan is a hollow ring. In order to install the front cover properly so everything lines up (including the generator), the pulley part must be inserted through the front cover once the cover’s initially glued into place on the block. Care must be taken when gluing the front cover in place to allow the pulley to be removed once the glue is dry, otherwise the modeler is “stuck” with the pulley (pun intended) glued into the front cover. I did not wish to paint the belt/pulley assembly gold, so I was careful not to get glue on it accidentally while using it to properly align the front cover during installation.
Despite these minor “hiccups”, the assembly went together beautifully and looks great! I can’t wait to see it installed in the completed chassis.

Fig 002a) After the engine was completed, I moved on to the chassis and suspension assemblies. The front suspension consists of separate lower A-arms, coil springs, sway bar, tie rod, and spindles. I first assembled the wheel/tire assemblies. Moebius scored major points with me by providing wide whitewall tires for this kit. The whitewalls are expertly and crisply painted onto the kit’s tires. The chrome wheels fit perfectly into the tires. The brake backing plates, both front and rear, are keyed to their respective attachment points, so the fit is precise and snug. The front wheel assembly contacts plastic pins inserted into the spindles, while, curiously enough, the rear wheels utilize a steel axle which slides through the axle housing. Nevertheless, everything assembled smoothly and without a snag. All four wheels sit on the ground properly and the stance looks correct.

Fig 003) – The front suspension assembled without a hitch; all parts fit securely and properly. The rear suspension assembly proved to be a bit tricky. The frame and chassis pan (which also doubles as the interior floorboard) mate together early in the assembly process. However, the driveshaft and exhaust system are trapped between an opening in the frame and an upper rear cross-member before the frame and chassis pan are mated, which leaves both the exhaust system and driveshaft “dangling” while this operation is performed. To limit the dangling to only one entity, I glued the completed engine onto the frame and then glued the driveshaft into the engine’s transmission opening. This alleviated half the problem. The good news is, once the frame and floorboard were glued together, it was rather effortless to maneuver the exhaust system into its respective mounting holes on the chassis pan. The rear axle, leaf springs, shocks, and rear sway bar all installed without issue from that point. The brake master cylinder locates toward the front of the underside of the chassis pan. The completed chassis looks great and very realistic.

 

Fig 003a) The interior was next on the agenda. I had decided to paint my Hornet Ebony Black with a Pearl Gray Poly roof and matching interior. Because I did not have Pearl Gray Poly to work with, I substituted silver instead. I painted the floorboard semi-gloss black while assembling the chassis parts in preparation for the interior assembly. The two-piece front seat contains rear grab handles, and the one-piece rear seat fits snugly onto the floorboard. Both were painted semi-gloss black with silver inserts: same with the side panels. The nicely-engraved dashboard was painted black, and detailed with a silver Sharpie. The instrument gauges, radio, heater, and glove box came with decals which applied nicely and snuggled into their respective positions without an argument. The steering wheel and steering column are both chrome-plated, the latter of which I found rather strange. No mention in the instruction sheet is given to designate chrome parts, and as a result I spent a bit of time trying to locate the steering column in the non-plated parts trees before I finally located it on the chrome tree. I think Moebius may wish to indicate chrome parts from non-plated ones in future kits, simply to keep old blind builders like myself from having a possible heart attack thinking we lost a part from the kit. ;c)

 

Fig 004) The interior also boasts a separate pedal cluster consisting of accelerator, brake, and clutch pedals that mounts to the floor. The dashboard itself is trapped between the left and right door panels. Even though the door panels have positive mounting points on the floorboard, it would be wise for the modeler to center up the forward ends of the panels with the front floorboard upright (with the dashboard pinned between them) to ensure a proper fit.

Fig 005) – The completed interior looks outstanding, and the “black and silver” motif (along with the body) would make any Oakland Raiders fan proud! ;c)

After completing the interior assembly, I turned my attention to the body. I wanted an Ebony Black body/Pearl Gray Poly roof combination, but settled on metallic silver for the roof instead. Once the paint/clearcoat application dried, I applied Bare-Metal foil to the side and window trim. The engraving on the body is crisp yet indistinct enough to allow a fine foil application. The front fender ornaments, molded into the body, do not look garish. Neither does the trunk emblem. I then installed the windows, visors, rear view mirror, and dome light, as well as the completed firewall.

Fig 005a) The rear window/rear side windows are molded in one unit, with positive pins located inside the roof interior. I like this aspect, since it should make installation an easy, one-step process. However, the window unit did not wish to seat properly, and kept popping out of its contact points. Again, tolerances on this kit can be quite unforgiving, and the window unit was no exception. I glued it in as best I could with CA glue, and held it down with my fingers until the glue dried. The result was not perfect, but not very noticeable unless someone was looking for it. Everything else installed without issue.

Fig 005b) – Installing the body onto the chassis/interior assembly proved to be tricky. There seemed to be an obstruction preventing the body from fully seating onto the chassis. I noticed the throttle linkage on the engine interfered somewhat with this task, since it’s supposed to rest against the firewall once the body is installed. I carefully moved the linkage out of the way to allow the body to seat onto the chassis, then noticed that the radiator wall molded to the body slides down tightly around the radiator during this assembly. It must slide down at a perfect 90-degree angle over the radiator, otherwise the installation will not be successful without snapping something off. Once I discovered this and re-aligned the body to slide down perfectly over the radiator, the body practically snapped into place on the chassis. In fact, it secured itself so well that applying glue was not even necessary…front or rear! This is where tight tolerances come in handy. ;c)

Fig 006) – Applying the exterior bright work such as grille, front and rear bumpers, hood emblem, backup light bezels and lenses, taillight panel, and exterior mirrors was a breeze. I made sure (and I can’t stress this enough!) to test-fit the parts before finally gluing them in place. I ended up using my Exacto knife to slightly enlarge the holes in most instances to allow the aforementioned items to install smoothly. As usual throughout the assembly of this kit, contact points were copious and precise. I was a bit dismayed though, that the red pigment on the taillights was really weak…it gave them a clear “pinkish” look. No worries, I simply coated them with Tamiya clear red paint before installing them.

Fig 008) – I used Elmer’s clear School Glue Gel, which is tinted a light blue, to fill the headlight buckets when installing the clear headlight lenses into them. This wonderful glue gives the headlights a clear, but slight blue tint, making them look realistic and providing depth. The headlight buckets actually snapped into place on the body, so yet again no glue was required. I was however disappointed with the contact points on the chrome headlight buckets…removing them from the chrome tree exposed bare plastic, which should be BMF’d or touched up with a chrome/silver marker or paint.

 

Fig 009) – My final tasks were to apply the last of the decals; one for the Hudson emblem on the grille, and one for the Hudson script on the trunk emblem molded onto the body. I wish Moebius had provided a decal for the “Twin H Power” script on the trunk lid, since the engraving for it was too fine for me to detail-paint without making a mess. Perhaps I should have applied Bare-Metal foil to it before the body was primed and painted, then polish it out to show through. I’ll most likely do that on my next Hudson. ;c)

Fig 011) – Final impressions: Being a modeler of limited talent and ability, I’ve always dreamed of building a model that would not be a frustration for me in terms of fit and finish and excessive work to make it look half-decent when completed. At first I couldn’t believe the Skill Level 3 rating of this kit, given the fact that contact points and tolerances were so precise and tight. As I progressed into the various building stages I began to realize why it was rated as such; the tolerances of parts fit can be unforgiving at times, and some very delicate parts are attached to their respective trees rather thickly, making the average modeler hold his or her breath while attempting to remove them. Despite the small, niggling issues I encountered during this build, I rate this kit at 4 and 3/4 stars out of a possible 5 stars. It’s that good, folks. I have spoken to one of the consultants involved in developing this kit simply to verify my feelings about it, and I came away satisfied that I wasn’t hallucinating during my build review. This is a NICE kit! If this initial automotive subject matter of a brand new company’s line is indicative of subsequent offerings, such as the ’55 Chrysler C300 due out soon, I will be first in line to get one!

 
Would I build this kit again? In a heartbeat! Especially now that I know what to expect from it, and I’ve already got plans for the second Hornet’s color scheme! Moebius has raised the bar on how model kits should be made, and their subject matter alone will ensure their continued success in this hobby, and we certainly need this valuable hobby to survive

 

Fig 999)

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