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MODEL OF INSPIRATION

Monte Gould of Coeur d'Alene talked about the model size 1911 Buick that he made as part of his collection of model cars. (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)
Barbara Gerry Correspondent
Monte Gould of Coeur d'Alene talked about the model size 1911 Buick that he made as part of his collection of model cars. (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

There she is, just oozing attitude – a 1911 Buick open touring car. She’s a masterpiece of skill and patience and every inch a classic beauty – in red-hot red with black trim and a cream-colored canvas top.

It took Monte Gould six months to complete it, and all he had to guide him was a photo.

He’s gotta be a can-do kind of a guy. How many of us would look at a photo of the classic 1911 Buick Roadster, pin it up above the workbench, and set out to duplicate it in miniature – from scratch? Indeed, how many of us actually could?

But Gould had all he needed – his inspiration, his fascination and his derring-do. There was no kit with the necessary parts – wheels, spokes, chassis, canvas top, windshield, door knobs, steering wheel. So, starting from scratch, digging deep into the well of his imagination and using masterful strokes of improvisation, plus a few scraps of this and scraps of that, a 1911 Buick slowly took shape.

Gould first makes a drawing, using a 1:16 inch scale. He then starts with the frame – the springs, the axle and the cross members. He then builds the chassis, hand-shaped from brass shim stock. He even fashioned actual, working doors with shiny little door handles (hand-shaped from brass nails.)

The door hinges are so small even Gould’s nimble fingers were no match for the job; he resorted to needle-nose pliers to install them. Finding specialized material for some components was problematic; Gould had hit a wall trying to find some canvas for the Buick’s convertible top. In desperation he rummaged through the house, finally coming up with the perfect material in the form of an unused shoeshine cloth he’d gotten in a Las Vegas hotel many years ago.

Last of all, he tackled the spoked wheels. Gould created them by forming circles of copper tubing and soldering steel nails inside them to represent spokes. Rubber washers, or “O” rings serve as tires. “Making these miniatures is pretty tedious work,” Gould said, “but it’s just so engrossing that two or three hours can fly before you realize it.”

Americans have always been fascinated with cars and one American car in particular – the Thomas Flyer – captured the world’s collective imagination and set it afire when it won the Great Race of 1908, an international 22,000-mile race from New York to Paris. It was a harrowing race that took the drivers across the Bering Straits in the dead of winter.

Excitement over America’s victory in the Great Race created keen interest in the Thomas Flyer automobile. Soon, factories had produced die-cast miniature models of the Thomas Flyer, commemorating America’s victory. This gave a big boost to the popularity of automobile miniatures and soon, detailed miniature replicas of the world’s most beautiful cars were available in stores and catalogues. Sears had a 1912, open touring car replica for $1.29.

Right after World War II, model car kits began to appear on the market, much to the delight of automobile aficionados and model makers everywhere. A major hobby emerged and hit its heyday during the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Gould has assembled around 20 classic, antique cars from kits and currently has a collection of more than 30 classics, including a Franklin Mint Rolls Royce and some Match Box models, too.