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Hey Dave, any updates on the Great Dane Reefer or Prostar?


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How rare! A prostar that actually looks good!

Now that is one thing I'd like to understand, why is it that most truck (drivers,afficionados,lovers,whatevers...) don't like the newer trucks?

Too many spoilers, fairings, not enough chrome, not enough external components such as air filters and fuel tanks? I know I like the exhaust stack each side of the cab unlike the Prostar and many others. But I can appreciate the 3 styles of trucks. The Conventionals such as the W900, the aeros such as this Prostar, and the cabovers like the Pete 362 or GMC Astro. I think the newer trucks can be pretty stylish, they might be too car-like in their styling? Maybe the nose is droopy? In real life though, getting 7-8 MPG instead of 4-5 can be an incentive to get better aerodynamics.

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The general distaste for newer designs is because they don't have the classic car appeal, think long hoods, big round headlamps, flowing exhaust running down the side of the car. Big and classy cars that make a statement as to the owners status. Think of old cars such as Deusenberg and the like.

Swoopy hoods aren't percieved as 'masculine' by some and look too graceful when they slip through the wind.

Newer designs don't lend themselves well to customization. There aren't a lot of add-ons and changes you can make to the front of a Prostar, T660 or 386 to personalize it. Custom paint is iffy too on these designs if you try to encorporate a traditionally inspired stripe scheme on a hood that slopes dramatically or has shape changes and air cleaner intakes in the way.

Within 5 years all the new traditional styled trucks from today will be 'used' trucks and they will be prime candidates for customization. The new designs we are just seeing will start to be customized - I'm guessing mostly in custom paint and interiors as there won't be much on the bodies that can be changed and you won't be able to do much to the exhaust systems.

Times are a changing.

Tim

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Just like cars as an avid car fanatic. As mackinac said they don't lend themselves well to customizing. As a Kustom designer It is hard to do anything other then wheels and body kits on a new car. You can add chrome but it looks like ass because of the design. Paint helps some. This is why you see the cute little cookie cutter cereal box cars. Let me see what I can do with the prostar on paper and I will show you how hard it is. Give me an older truck and we will do a comparison of Kustomization. B)

Edited by ARTEMIS1759
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I have to agree with you both, there isn't much to be done as far as customizing goes except for paint and wheels. Like TJ said, it's going to go into the paint as well. Classic paint schemes such as the kenworth "Seminole" don't seem to fit as good as on a straight conventional. But then again... Kenworth has a paint scheme that is as classy as the old Seminole, it's similar, (I call it Neo-Seminole...) and looks pretty sharp on a T660. I'll show a couple pics of one later in the 1:1 reference section. I agree with Tim about the classic look of the more traditional long hood Conventional though. Anyway, I have gone on a tangent and wish to say that I am happy to see new truck kits, can't wait to see this Prostar!

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The general distaste for newer designs is because they don't have the classic car appeal, think long hoods, big round headlamps, flowing exhaust running down the side of the car. Big and classy cars that make a statement as to the owners status. Think of old cars such as Deusenberg and the like.

Swoopy hoods aren't percieved as 'masculine' by some and look too graceful when they slip through the wind.

Newer designs don't lend themselves well to customization. There aren't a lot of add-ons and changes you can make to the front of a Prostar, T660 or 386 to personalize it. Custom paint is iffy too on these designs if you try to encorporate a traditionally inspired stripe scheme on a hood that slopes dramatically or has shape changes and air cleaner intakes in the way.

Within 5 years all the new traditional styled trucks from today will be 'used' trucks and they will be prime candidates for customization. The new designs we are just seeing will start to be customized - I'm guessing mostly in custom paint and interiors as there won't be much on the bodies that can be changed and you won't be able to do much to the exhaust systems.

Times are a changing.

Tim

If trucks were cars I could buy into this way of thinking, but trucks are tools use to generate income. Just as old muscle cars may have a nostalgic appeal to some, the old muscle cars are costly and inefficient, even with respect to today's muscle cars.. Dusenberg's were fine cars, but they were costly to operate as compared to the Model A of the day. Even thought the latest long hood Peterbilts, Kenworths, Freightliners and others may have visual similarities to the old (classic) trucks, they in actuality have much more in common with today's aerodynamic models. When the bottom line of profit is involved, nostalgia has little to do with paying the bills!

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Modern aero trucks are like modern cars they all look a like. It is limited what you can do with them. Some extreme customs have been done like the prostar custom called maeyham (it's all over the web I'm not tech savy enough to post pics yet) Even old cabovers can be customized easier (imo). The new prostar kit will still be welcome even so with so many projects possible. Believe or not even the Pete 389 has aerodynics designed in to it. Regardless thanks Dave and Moebious keep em coming. Oh and yes trailers trailers trailers.

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You make a good point Chuckyr but people don't always think with their wallets. There is still a strong market for tradional trucks and old muscle cars as well. No doubt new w9s and 389s as well as new camaros and mustangs are very modern underneath there appeal is still nostalgic. For a good indicator check the resale value between a similarly speced t600 and a w900. Again either way new kits are always welcome.

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Well, i don't know much about trucking but, if I was in the market to buy a new International truck and my money bought the fuel, I'd buy the most fuel efficient truck and make it look as nice as it can. The Prostar posted by Chuckyr would come really close to what I'd like to get. As a matter of fact, I will have at least one or four but much smaller than 1:1 coming the end of this spring! One will be tagged to wear this paint scheme for sure.

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Thanks Mr Smithfor those pics. Aerodynamics are important to fuel milage but the biggest factor is still the nut behind the wheel. A good example a company I had my trucks leased to was exclusivily w 9s when fuel hit close to 5 bucks a gallon they bought a couple t2000s speced identical to the w9s . The t2000s surprising to everyone got nearly identical mileage to the w9s maybe a tenth or two more at best.

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Currently im truckin with a pete379 127"hood im getting 6-7.5 mpg which aint bad its all about pride i dont think ill ever go the areodynamic route not a fan but they do make great models will post pics of 1:1 truck soon for all u pete fans

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Let me rephrase what I said. The trucks are hard to Kustomize because of the design but I guess Kustomize to me goes beyond just adding off the shelf. I know truckers are proud of their trucks and should very well be. A flashy truck always snaps my head but not as fast as a classic cruiser. But Kustomizing to me is going the extra mile to make your vehicle different. Similar to Mayhem. Any truck is actually hard to Kustomize compared to cars and pickups, but newer trucks take a little more thought. I drew a remake of the "Duck" from Convoy using a 1997 Mack and that as simple as it is took a lot of thinking to just get the correct look.

Edited by ARTEMIS1759
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Agreed Mayhem is certainly one of kind which is the point of customizing but unfortunatly it is pushing the limit of practicality. Traditional trucks are better suited to cusomizing and still being practical but there is a limit. Mayhem is a breath of fresh air though. It's a nice change from all those cookie cutter 379s. The 379 Pete has been done to the point they're boring I appreciate the hard work and money put into them but it's to the point they all look a like. The same thing happened to motorcycles, choppers have been done to the point they all look a like same goes for hot rods. It's so hard to build something nowadays that stands out. Anyway since we are getting way off topic here keep them updates coming Dave and again thanks. Oh and nothing against Petes Tim I still like them.

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Look at my collection, how many typically customized 379's do you see? One or two. I'm just not into the full-on customizing scene that you see most 379's built as. (model wise). At a (real) truck show there will be 15 custom 379's and they all look the same to me (even though they are each unique). Same for a jazzed-up 359. It might be a classic, but all the doo-dads and funky modifications ruin what I like about the design. The ones that catch my eye are the subtle design and customizations that retain the as-designed look. I will gravitate to a 20 year old bone-stock 379 over a tricked-out one everytime. The 379-127 represents the perfect combination of Peterbilt classic styling based on the old model 351. All the aero trucks deviate from the 351 (the archetypical design). Wanna see me flip for a truck? A real paint scheme, not murals or "Calvin peeing on something" artwork or vinyl stripes and swoops. Holy cow am I rambling.. I shouldn't have taken that afternoon nap.

As for the new designs.. and future designs, the traditionalists are gonna have a cow. The lovers of aero and smooth shapes and contours are going to enjoy the trucks to come.

Tim

"..a nice change from all those cookie cutter 379s. The 379 Pete has been done to the point they're boring...

..Oh and nothing against Petes Tim I still like them."

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Totally agreed Tim. There is a saying in the motorcycle world "the rarest Harley Davidson is a factory stock one". There was a mid sixties Peterbilt at GATS in Dallas a year or two ago that was modernized with a late model Cat engine Alcoa wheels nice but simple paint and some full fenders but it retained it's 5x4 twin sticks factory sleeper single headlights and pretty much everything it came factory with. There were many well known show trucks surrounding it but it stood out like a beacon. I like your builds because they capture the real world so well.

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The copper colored, Grey and silver ProStar is one of the two Maxx Force 15 ProStars that Navistar had on display at the Midwest Trucking show at Louisville last year.

That is a special show truck paint job. That's a handsome paint scheme..

The Blue LoneStar show truck that was mentioned here was in the Navistar Booth at Louisville.. I have pics of it somewhere, If I can work up the ambition I'll chase themm down and post them..

The first test shots of the Great Dane arrived yesterday - been working with them - Got one almost complete - need to see how it looks behind a tractor... I hope to have photos to post in the next day or two..

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Here is that custom LoneStar from the Midwest Trucking Show last year - It's called Blade.

To me it's cool but probably a useless vehicle - I can't imagine that anyone's going to hook a Reefer to that thing ad make a cross country run with it!

Just cleaning the wheels on that thing would be an all day job!

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Dave

Edited by Dave Metzner
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Here is that custom LoneStar from the Midwest Trucking Show last year - It's called Blade.

To me it's cool but probably a useless vehicle - I can't imagine that ahyone's going to hook a Reefer to that thing ad make a cross country run with it!

Just cleaning the wheels on that thing would be an all day job!

DSC05784-M.jpg

DSC05785-M.jpg

DSC05837-M.jpg

Dave

but probably a useless vehicle
:D
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The copper colored, Grey and silver ProStar is one of the two Maxx Force 15 ProStars that Navistar had on display at the Midwest Trucking show at Louisville last year.

That is a special show truck paint job. That's a handsome paint scheme..

The Blue LoneStar show truck that was mentioned here was in the Navistar Booth at Louisville.. I have pics of it somewhere, If I can work up the ambition I'll chase themm down and post them..

The first test shots of the Great Dane arrived yesterday - been working with them - Got one almost complete - need to see how it looks behind a tractor... I hope to have photos to post in the next day or two..

The paint scheme on the copper/grey truck should really be made optional by Navistar, it fits this truck to a T. Just like the Seminole stripes used to be on a W900.

I'm excited to see how that test shot trailer is going to sit behind the Lonestar...

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