Below you can view more photos of Augie Hiscano’s award winning models. Click on images to enlarge.
1932-1/2 Roadster
This is Augie’s award winning 1932-1/2 Roadster. With the body removed, some of the frame and suspension components on the Roadster are revealed. Note the engine detail, and working front suspension.
1932-1/2 Roadster
This photo from the rear shows the details of the Jaguar independent rear suspension. Over 100 parts make up the rear suspension alone.
1933 Ford Roadster
A bottom view of Augie’s Roadster shows complete undercarriage detail down to the brake lines.
Scale Model BMX Bike
This tiny BMX bike shows another aspect of Augie’s skill. The frame is gold plated, and a dime in the foreground shows how small the whole thing is. This project was a fan favorite with the kids.
14-Cylinder Radial Aircraft Engine
When Augie attended a show for vintage airliners, he wanted to take along something the people at the show could identify with. He built this extremely small 14-cylinder radial aircraft engine, like the one used in a DC-3 of the 1940’s. In the foreground is a dime to illustrate how small it really is. The bolts used on the cylinder heads are M.5 size (about 0000-160), and made from stainless steel.
14-Cylinder Radial Aircraft Engine
This view of the 14-cylinder radial gives a good sense of scale.
1/25 Scale Chopper
One of Augie’s more recent projects was this 1/25 scale all-metal chopper. It’s pictured here on its building fixture. A dime shows the scale, and sits where the V-twin engine would soon sit. Note the aluminum 3-spoke wheels, front disc brake rotor, and rear drive belt hub. The extensions on the fixture are for holding the front and rear hubs in various positions while the frame was being worked on without wheels.
1/25 Scale Chopper
The “picture” side of the chopper (meaning the side that will have chromed exhaust pipes), which is the side of a V-twin bike that’s usually photographed for magazines.
1/25 Scale Chopper
A rear view shows the custom flush-mounted gas cap on the tank. The hole pattern in the rear brake rotor shows up well in this photo, too. Augie enjoyed this project because, though small, the cycle allowed him to employ just about every tool in his shop. He used his lathe, mill, rotary table, and a number of other accessories—not to mention hand tools like files.
1/25 Scale Chopper
Finally, the chopper was finished and ready for display. Augie painted it a mica mist purple metallic. The exhaust pipes are formed from nickel silver wire, with a hollow section attached at the rear. The material bends smoothly, can be silver soldered, and takes chrome plating like the real thing.
1/25 Scale Chopper
Unlike the guys you might see on the Discovery Channel who “build” custom choppers, Augie actually made every part on this bike himself, except the rubber tires. No sending out for someone to make the wheels, and someone else to do the chrome and paint. He did it all. Also, unlike the budget for building a full-size chopper, the materials involved here cost only a few dollars. Although, the amount of time involved might be even more. Augie spent over 300 hours on this 3″ long model.
1/25 Scale Chopper
This view shows the iron cross logo “stitched” into the seat. Since the leather seat is actually brass, the logo was machined and then trimmed off in wafer-thin form. It was soldered to the seat, and then hand sanded to round the edges, making it look as if it were sewn in. The black paint actually has a leather texture. The spark plug wiring can be seen in this view as well.
1/25 Scale Chopper Wheels
A dime shows how small the wheels really are. The drilled brake rotors can be seen here, too. On the wall in the background is a poster, which is a miniature version of an actual magazine cover featuring a photo of one of Augie’s contest winning hot rods.
1/25 Scale Chopper
The painted frame with the motor set in place rests on a miniature workbench for this photo. The front forks sit on a stand in the lower right corner.
1/25 Scale Chopper Engine
The Harley V-twin engine, drive belt, and toothed drive socket now sit on the workbench for display. The engine actually bolts into the frame with tiny threaded stainless steel bolts, just like the real thing. Augie said the fit between engine and frame is a tight one—only a few thousandths of an inch.
Unpainted Scale Model Chopper
Another project that was shown for the first time at the York show is this unpainted chopper. The previous purple chopper was often mistaken for a plastic model, and Augie wanted people to see that the parts were all machined from various metals. Note the iron cross on the seat that looks like it’s stitched into leather, but the whole seat is made from brass.
EMD 567 Prime Mover Engine
While attending a model train show, Augie decided to take with him a model that showgoers could appreciate. He chose to model GM’s ElectroMotive Division 567 “Prime Mover” engine in HO scale. Known as a diesel/electric system, the large supercharged diesel runs an electric generator which actually powers the electric motors of the real life engine. Engines like this are what moved the world out of the steam powered era in railroading.
EMD 567 Prime Mover Engine
Anyone superdetailing the dummy unit of a diesel/electric “F” unit from EMD would be proud to pull off the shell, and have one of these sitting on the platform inside. This is the type of detailing that separates a kit builder from a master modeler.
EMD 567 Components
Here Augie has broken down the parts of the Prime Mover model into subassemblies. Some of these have been left on the raw material stock so that a novice can see the various parts involved, and how they are made. The look of screen material on the air filter was achieved with the use of a knurling tool.
1/15 Scale Browning M2 Machine Gun
These were the first shots of Augie’s project for late 2004—a 1/15 scale Browning machine gun. It would be shown for the first time in January, 2005 at the Prototype Modeler Show in Coco Beach, FL, and then at the Cabin Fever Expo in York, PA the following weekend.
1/15 Scale Browning M2 Machine Gun
The machine gun is made up of 125 separate parts machined from brass, aluminum, and steel. The rivets are all real.
1/15 Scale Browning M2 Machine Gun
The gun is about 4.5″ long, and has an adjustable tripod, opening receiver, and cocking bolt.
1/15 Scale Browning M2 Machine Gun
