Moebius Models 1/25 1954 Hudson Hornet Club Coupe Kit First Look

By Jeff Conrad

First Look

In 1909 the Hudson Motor Company was formed by automotive innovators Howard Coffin, George W. Dunham and Roy E. Chapin, and funded by department store owner Joseph L. Hudson.   The hallmark of the company was innovation and forward thinking and by 1929 was the third largest auto maker in the United States, though the depression of the 1930’s hurt the company significantly.  Always innovative, in 1948 Hudson built their cars using unit-body construction making their cars nearly a foot lower than competitor’s models, while improving handling and safety as well. 

Known as the “step-down” chassis the lower pan was recessed between the frame rails, placing the floor boards lower than the door sills, creating a lower center of gravity.  1951 saw the introduction of the Hornet, and with a 308 cubic inch inline six motor with dual carbs, the step-down chassis and light weight, the Hudson’s flagship car quickly became the favorite of stock car drivers and was wheeled to many victories from 1951 through 1954, including winning the 1952 and 1953 AAA stock car championship, as well as dominating the NASCAR circuit with 66 wins from 1951 to 1955.

The 1954 model was the last of the step-down Hudsons, and came out with a new one piece windshield, new lower body sheet metal and modernized interior. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough in the public’s view, as many consumers felt the design had become dated, and with the other auto makers producing newer overhead valve V-8s the flathead six wasn’t desirable anymore.  On May 1 1954 Hudson Motor Company became part of American Motors Corp, merging with automaker Nash and on October 30, 1954 ceased production of Hudson cars on its assembly line in Detroit.

The latest Hudson subject from Moebius is the 1954 Hornet Club Coupe.  The first thing to catch your eye is the fantastic box art, showing what looks like a 50’s era sales brochure cover on the box top.  Inside you quickly find a packed box, with all parts packaged in plastic bags, keeping everything in order. This 130 piece kit is molded in light gray and clear styrene with four vinyl wide whitewall tires. A metal rod is also included for the rear tires to attach to the axle. 

This is a highly detailed kit with beautiful engraving on all the parts, as we’ve come to expect with Moebius.  This kit shares many similar parts with the 1953 Hudson Hornet from Moebius (kit #1200), including the engine and running gear, chassis and much of the interior panels.  What’s new here is the body, lower body pan/interior floor, a new dashboard and no less than three(!) sprues of chrome parts.

Assembly begins with the 28 piece engine, followed by the wheels and tires and chassis.  There is a lot going on here with over 60 parts going into the mix, but the sheet is very clear, with text and diagrams detailing all the assembly steps, their order of assembly and even calling out what each part is.  Next up is the interior, which builds up from the floor pan platform style.  Engraving here is excellent again, with lots of fine detail representing the side panels and seat upholstery. Included is a speedometer decal for the dash.  After installing the engine the final steps involve assembling all the parts that attach to the body, 40 in all.  Patience and following the clear instructions here will result in a fine result.

The body is nicely molded with good detail, including lettering on the front fenders and truck that will benefit from some foil or silver paint.  Very few mold seams can be found, amazing considering how big and complex this shape is. What is there can be taken care of quickly with a few swipes of the sanding medium of your choice.  One interesting thing to note is the texture of the body – it’s got a flat sheen to it, as if the mold wasn’t completely polished. After a coat of primer though I don’t think this will affect the final appearance.  The final two pages of the instructions include suggested paint colors for all the subsurface parts, as well as interior upholstery colors.  Also included are body color suggestions including the color names and, for the factory stock crowd, the Ditzler and Hudson Paint codes if one choses to track down authentic hues.

Once again Moebius Models has produced an excellent model of an iconic automotive subject, and one I am very happy to have available. 

Thanks go to Moebius Models for the review sample.