Mr. Tom Sehloff - Modern Cast Iron Model Maker

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Mr. Tom Sehloff

Modern Cast Iron Model Maker

    I was writing about the Packard pressed steel toys manufactured by Keystone, when I came across more Packard toys. However, they;re probably called "models" as they are more collector items than "toys". I've had the pleasure to be able to write about modern-era model makers, but never a cast-iron model maker. I haven't written to Mr. Sehloff because it's hard to find him on the Net. He lives in Oregon (USA). I do find"bits and pieces" about him, but I'll keep searching.

    Tom Sehloff's models are produced in limited editions. What I like is when a current toy or model maker starts to have his fine items enter the secondary market.What I mean by that is that someone originally purchased his item,and  had resold it at auction, or to another collector.

   All of his models come in retro-looking boxes. As well,the models have been painted in the bold colours similar to the cast iron toys of the 1920's and 1930's. Also, he's added nickel-plated bumpers, and sometimes even additional nickel-plating to other parts of the car.

  I was able to find a nice collection of his fine works from Bertoia Auctions.  You'll  find that I am continuing to edit the photos (In Photoshop) to place them on white and to have the outer edges go soft.

Please click on this sentence to be redirected to the fine Bertoia website

This travel vehicle is my favourite. I'm wondering if there really ever was such a vehicle, but the details sure gives it that "retro look".

His drivers are not like quite like  the drivers of the  1920-1930's era vehicles,but I like them. In this one for example I really like that fedora (hat).

Check out that  huge spotlight to the left of the driver. Did they really have such large searchlights at that time on cars, and what would someone be looking for with that?

This  car reminded me of a famous expression by Henry Ford, in his 1922 biography.

"Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black."

Talk about ego!

But I love that statement!

I like the inset-style window of the front windshield. You do see this feature on several of the Hubley cast iron cars of the 1920's-1930's era. I just was looking at the paint jobs on all of the models and Tom has done a great job. I know that from personal experience, because it's not that easy!

It's difficult to get a uniform and smooth finish to any model, What's even harder is to be able to paint a round circle such as you see at the front of the headlights and on the sides of the above truck.

Thanks as always for dropping by,

and have a pleasant Sunday, or part of the day,

 wherever you may be.

Stacey