So, I started building this beautiful 1910 Ford Model T, and my son walks over to check out what I’m doing. And he proceeds to ask why I’m building the same model again, when I had just built it the other day. I laughed, cause he wasn’t entirely wrong. But then teased him, saying that I hadn’t, as if I didn’t know what he was talking about. But, let me tell you, this 1910 model is quite different than the 1908 model, even if the colors are similar. Of course, I didn’t tell him that, once I get my hands on the Hobby-Town In-Store Exclusive Red 1908 Ford Model T, I will be building [practically] that same model again.

The two models, the 1908 and 1910, do share a lot in common. But at the same time, most of the details are different. But if I took my glasses off and squinted, I might have trouble telling the difference. However, this newer rendition of the slightly-later Model T is definitely not a repetition. There’s a lot more curves in this build. More details to the undercarriage, and in the cars interior. And the windshield… their’s no support bars that try to pull it out of alignment. In fact, the windshield actually tilts back! And don’t forget the nice inclusion of a spare tire. This puppy has got it all, including pedals! And a horn honker thingamajig attached to the driver-side door (thanks AnimateOrange for educating me on what that was).

So, do I like this model? Yes, yes I do. It’s different enough from the 1908 model to feel like quite a different build experience. And there are some things that have become easier with this rendition (such as the collapsible canopy) and some things that have gotten more challenging (I’m looking at you, seats). But even saying that, I think the areas where it increased in challenge are not due to bad design, but a result of additional features / details / improvements. That’s not to say that I didn’t run into any troubles during the build – I almost always do, after all. And I’ll tell you all about it, so you can possibly avoid some of my mistakes.

However, before I get in to that, I want to commend the designers on this build. There are numerous sections in this build where you have to fold a 90 degree angle right along a thin strip / trim / edge (see example with part 3 below). And usually, that is hard to do cleanly. But not this time. The approach to these edge folds was amazing in this model. They folded so clean, here and in other places. Thank you, thank you, thank you! (Said to the design team)

The first frustration I found though, when it came to this build, was determining which tabs I could twist and which I had to fold on all the tabs sticking up through the floorboard (part 1). because there are a crap-ton of slots in that thing! So many, that it’s hard to tell which come up under seats or other things, and which don’t. Cause I don’t want twisted tabs on the visible floor. Thankfully, though, you can actually look at the top, and get a somewhat good idea, based on the etching patterns. But take a look and plan ahead. And by plan ahead, I mean read ahead, so you can figure out where you can simply twist. That is, if you care about twisted versus folded.

The next thing that I put some extra caution into was handling of the pedals on the sloped floorboard segment. The instructions suggest that you can twist these tabs, and it might be possible. But I took the extra precaution to fold the tabs flat after twisting them. Specifically flat in an “upward” direction, or towards the taller end of the pedal. I did this because it seems like there won’t be much room under that angled floorboard when it’s attached.

Now for a lesson I learned by doing something the wrong way, cause I thought it would look better. Learn from my mistake, don’t do it! You can see how it doesn’t quite work by looking at this area in my photos – because I didn’t go back and fix this. Do not try to assemble the side panels (20 and 22) to the back panel (21) with the tabs ending up on the inside. I usually like to do that sort of thing as much as possible. Have as few tabs visible in the end as I can, you know? But in this case… it messes with the geometry. The edge along that corner gets kinda funky if you don’t do it with the tabs ending up folded on the outside. Also, forgive me for the weird placement of the arrows in the middle of the back panel. I wanted to make the direction extra clear, and doing it near the edges seemed to leave it a little ambiguous.

I did struggle a little bit with the trim that goes on top of the side panels (part 24), because I tried to round the folded tabs over, and it just kept trying to mess up the trim. So in the end, I decided to just leave it. Also, in roughly this same section of the build, I was annoyed by the signal indicator that is beside the rear license plate (I’m guessing this is a brake light, since there is just one). I didn’t know which way to align it, as there are two different patterns on either side. I probably should have looked at the 360 view, but I didn’t. And so mine is opposite of what is in the 360 view. But it seemed to make more sense to me the way I did it. So… meh?

Unsurprisingly, the fenders / footboards (parts 28/31) on this model will take up a bit of your build time. I’m not sure I got them exactly right, but I gave it my best. And I think the best suggestion I can give you is to do what the instructions suggest, refer to the trim part (29) as you are forming them, and do it before you attach it to the rest of the model.

While I’m looking at this portion of the instructions, I realize you might be amused at something. You see, I looked ahead, and realized that when I formed the signal indicator light at the top of the page, there was a step at the bottom that was identical, and making two of them. So I went ahead and made 3 at this point, saving mental energies. And then I skipped completely over where they are attached, and had to come back later and attach them after much more of the build had been completed. Go me!

Mocking myself aside, the next thing I want to point out is that, at least for me, the wheel treads (part 33) turned out to be a bit delicate. I did fine with the first one I formed (for the spare wheel), but when I got to the final set of four tires, I ended up tearing the last bit of the tire strip half-way off. It broke right at the slot while I was trying to fold the tab over after having seated it. They made these strips so thin that the slots barely fit, leaving some super-duper thin metal on either side of the slot. And unfortunately, there aren’t any spares of this part. Thankfully, it only happened once, and then I was super careful with the rest. And I was able to just kinda pretend like it was secured, and use it anyways. But be careful with these!

Speaking of delicate parts, we’ve come to the front… bumper? I think that’s what this is. It’s part 39, anyways. this part has lots of tiny folds and thin sections. And it’s not really that hard to form. However, I think the instructions left out an indicator for the little strips you fold over at the very top/tips of either end. I think, just looking at the part, that these are supposed to be rolled over a little bit at either end of the strip. So I did. You, of course, can do whatever you like.

But I will advice this… when you attach the bumper thingy to part 37 (the front of the engine bay / front axle / front of everything), don’t try to fold the tabs over. This part is just not friendly with that concept. If you do, it will probably get mangled. Which is exactly what I did. But thankfully (?) I forgot to attach the engine crank (part 40) and had to take it off anyways. So I unmangled it while it was off, then when I went to attach it again, I twisted first, and then very, very, very gently folded it.

Which brings me to what I imagine might be a controversial question. When attaching the front section to the rest of the assembled car, where do those end spurs of the bumper thingy go? Because, according to the instructions, and the product photo, and the 360… they go over the front fenders. Which is what I did. At first. Until it came time to attach the front wheels. The wheels barely fit under the fenders – the fenders were pretty much sitting on top of them. And so… I questioned this. And decided to lever the fenders up and over those spurs, so that it now appears as though those spurs support the fender. And I really think that it’s supposed to be this way. What do you think?

The next call-out I have for you is for forming the collapsed roof / canopy / whatever-it’s-called (part 48). There’s a step to forming this that I feel like the instructions don’t call out very well, or in the usual fashion. Luckily, I’m obsessed with details and noticed it. But in case you aren’t and don’t here’s what I’m talking about:

After that, the final bit of work is fairly straight-forward, but definitely not easy. Forming (and attaching) the tops of the seats. These parts are beautiful in the end. In fact, I think their pattern and form was my wife’s favorite part of this build. But figuring out the correct amount and placement of curvature on the ends of each “flap” of parts 49 and 50 is no easy task. I’m still not sure I got it right. And even, once you think you’ve got that right… then you’ve got to get them in the car. with the slots at the base of these parts, it’s interesting trying to line the slots up with the tabs, as the base of the seats are deep inside the car, so there’s no getting anything down in there to assist or convince those tabs to be where you need them to be. Oh, and don’t be surprised if the tabs end up barely poking through once you do have them aligned – I had to put some extra-convincing-pressure directly on the seat next to the slot to get enough of the tab exposed to fold over.

But once you get to this point… hooooooooiiiiieeeee, this is a gorgeous model (I’m not really sure about that spelling… but I know what sound I just made. So imagine you also know what sound I just made, and we’ll be good). And you are done building it! I really enjoyed this model, and am once again delighted to have received it direct from Fascinations for review. I don’t let that affect what I have to say, as I hope you would know, but it might be hard to tell sometimes. Cause I love building these models. This model took me roughly 4.5 hours to build, which you can verify by watching the silent build videos in the YouTube playlist embedded below. If you are really bored. Or need a visual to help out with a specific part of the build.