The Kit

Rusty Rail has released a 3D printed 1937 Ford Tow Truck.  It is available mostly assembled for you, painted and weathered.   It is available in the following colors black, red or green, and comes packed in a little plastic case to make sure nothing is damaged. Allow a couple weeks for deliver depending on demand.

Being 3D printed I expected to find the lay lines but the surface is mostly smooth.

My sample arrived with the body, auto crane hand crank and cables, bumper and six wheels.  The headlights are separate parts yet arrived already applied to the body.

Detail

The grill has very fine detail and the cowl sides have low cooling gills.  Raised and recessed lines represent doors, handles, and engine cowl panels.  Underneath are drum brakes.  The wheels have open hubs and some tread detail.

The boom is a single piece: frame, boom, winch, pulley, cables.  No hook is provided as it is so small that one can make it with wire.

Instructions and assembly

Rusty Rail provides a simple page of instructions for assembly, with tips about painting and weathering.  Assembly is simple: add the wheels, attach the bumper, and attach the boom.  Bob Smith Industries CA (Cyanoacrylate, i.e., super glue) was used to attach the parts.

I joined the dual rear wheels and set them on the pin on the axle, and squared them up with machine squares.

The boom assemble sets on the flatbed.  A lumber front bumper is included and simply attaches with CA.   With paint on the rods, I see the detachment points from printing.  I need to carve or sand those away, although I never saw them with the naked eye and only after scrutinizing the enlarged photos.

Paint and final touches

The tow truck assembles quickly and paints up nicely.  This is how it looks with a coat of a LifeColor red acrylic airbrushed on, with the tow assembly brush-painted with an acrylic black.

I started to paint the windows the traditional silver color.  You can see my paint was too thin and ran onto the hood in front of the windshield.  More window treatment and touch-ups soon.

Size with a 1/87 figure

Conclusion

Rusty Rail's 1937 Ford Tow Truck builds up into a good looking HO vehicle for the rescue of broken-down or wildly operated vehicle on your layout, or even resting at the service station between calls.   The detail is fine and the casting/printing is, too.  The wheels really look good.  You might need a little cleanup on the support rods of the towing rig.

This neat truck should find a home on dioramas or railroad layouts set on or after 1937.  Recommended.

Please remember to mention to Rusty Rail and retailers that you saw this model here - on RailRoad Modeling.