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Jack Thompson
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Stage Coach (With Apologies to John Ford and “Duke”)

January 14, 2016 · in Uncategorized · · 23 · 2.5K

I had so much fun with, and got such good comments on, my last posting of a model I built (a USMC M50A1 "Ontos",) I thought I'd try another one. This is a really stimulating and worth-while website!


I've loved stage coaches ever since I was a kid. Maybe that's because of the John Ford movie of that name starring John Wayne, or just all the other cowboy flicks I watched on Saturday afternoons showing stage coaches racing around with Indians and/or bad guys in pursuit.

Christmas before last (2014), I gave myself an Artesania Latina kit of a scale Heritage Collection replica of an “1848 Stage Coach” (Kit #20340.) It came in a large box filled with many bits 'n' pieces of stripwood, leather, metal and laser-cut plywood; a 1-to-1, full-sized photo sheet showing the finished model from every conceivable viewpoint; and a big instruction manual with hundreds of well-rendered color photos illustrating each step in the construction process. The instructions are written in eight languages - however, the English version was evidently translated by a person with something less than a firm grasp of the language. (I spent a lot of time scratching my head and saying: “…huh?” after reading and rereading the instructions several times.)

Anyway, after working on it just about every evening for nine months, I finally finished it last September. It's a big model - Length: 15.8 inches; width: 4.9 inches; height: 10.2 inches. I decided to make it a “museum-quality” piece, so there's absolutely no weathering. Everything works as on the original - the wheels, the brake, the doors, the throughbraces, the boarding steps, and even the coach lamps light up (there's a battery under the driver's seat). The “scenes” on the doors are digitized copies of artwork adorning an original Wells Fargo coach. The decals were printed for me by my pal Stan Cedarleaf in Arizona.

I took some photos of the model out on my back deck and have uploaded them hereto for you to see. As usual, your questions and/or comments are welcome.

Reader reactions:
11  Awesome

19 additional images. Click to enlarge.


23 responses

  1. I know this kit. Artesania is better known of course for their wooden ship kits, but this is a cracking project.

    I think it's great that modeller's explore subjects beyond the standard mass market categories. As someone whose managed one timber three-master and will be starting another later this year, I can say a hearty congratulations for the excellent work you've posted here.

  2. I agree with you, Rob. That's exactly why I selected this kit to build and to post the pix here. (There's more out there than "planes, trains and automobiles" - to say nothing of tanks and figures.) Thanks for your comment.

    As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am primarily a large-scale model railroader. My main focus is on Colorado narrow-gauge in 1:20.3 scale (sometimes referred to as "F" scale) of a century ago - in my model world, it's 1916. If you're interested, you can see some of my other stuff here: http://4largescale.com/Thompson/index.htm

    Nevertheless, my next project is going to be one of Artesania's wooden boat models - again, something I've not done before.

  3. Flawless work, it looks like the real thing (from a museum display) beautiful

  4. Jack, That's absolutely beautiful, Very well done.
    I think I just saw it on a re-run of Gunsmoke !, yep, that's Miss Kitties hat box on top !

  5. Stunning Jack! We have an older woman (and by that, I mean she's at least 30 minutes older than me!) who always enters beautifully done models of a similar vein/era at our annual contest, and they are always a treat to see. It takes a lot of skill to handle all of the different media included in a model like this, and you did an outstanding job on it!

  6. You can't fool us for a minute, Jack...you took photos of a real stagecoach somewhere and then tried to convince us it's your model. You better add one more photo to this post - one with a bottle of paint or a hobby knife or sumthin'...this looks waaaaay too real to be a model! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

  7. Wow! that is something!

    I agree with Craig A., are you sure that is a model?

  8. Thank you all for your kind words.

  9. Absolutely stunning Jack.
    Great craftsmanship.
    Well done sir.

  10. Very unusual subject, looking impressive and very life-like, I love it!

  11. Wow, that's something else, Jack, it belongs in a museum.

  12. Thanks for posting Jack. I have seen other builds of this subject which looked fine. But your attention to detail is really magnificent. Now I don't know if Wells Fargo would allow a dynamite shipment. But then I seem to recall the teamsters throwing out lit sticks of dynamite to slow down the bad guys. Now, what movie was that?
    A stunning model.
    California Steve

  13. Stagecoach,an out standing job Jack, and also the movie that propelled John Wayne to stardom. However, I believed that The Cowboys and The Shootist were his best flicks. Really like the detail on this one Jack.

  14. Wow! that's all I can say

  15. California Steve -
    Well, I must admit that the dynamite box was a bit of an extracurricular "flight of fancy" of mine - meaning it was not part of the kit. I got the idea from one of the photos I found while doing my research (see the extra pic I've added to the gallery above.) I guess in those pre-DOT and OSHA days, something like this was less of a concern, shall we say.

  16. Tom -
    All good John Wayne flicks, but, for my money his best was one of the few times he didn't play a soldier, cop or cowboy: "The Quiet Man"

  17. As another fan of the Western and John Wayne in particular, I find your stagecoach a sight to behold.

    It a far better replica than the one I posed by at Goulding's Lodge, Monument Valley, Utah whilst realising some of my cowboy dreams during a driving tour.

  18. You can just about hitch up the horses to that carriage. John Wayne would love it. Well done, and thanks so much for sharing a stunning replica.

  19. Beautifully Excellent

  20. Beautiful work, my friend. Looks incredibly realistic.

  21. Hi everyone.
    This site is a great discovery, and I'm looking forward to exploring. Jack, I'm just starting this model, and your work is an inspiration. This level of ultra realism is museum quality, and it also showcases your photography skills. As an ex-model railroader, I'd like to display this model on a diorama (assuming I can get the horses and figures I need, given the 1:10 scale). I've got some leads for those, but if you've got any sources you can share, It would be great.

    Thanks again for your writing and sharing; it is appreciated by all.

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