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1976 Matlack Mack Cruiseliner


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So, what do you do when a paint scheme that you picked for a model has got you totally psyched out? Pick another paint scheme, right? No, of course not. You build another truck! And here it is: a 1976 Matlack Mack WS686S Cruiseliner!

03RoadSide.jpg

The build is box-stock with a couple of adds. I started with the Stevens International reissue of the AMT Mack Cruiseliner, swapped in some Plaskit Mack 6-spoke wheels, replaced the 11:00x20 tires in the kit for some 10:00x20, added a fifth wheel release handle made from a straight pin, added the 1/4 fenders from the parts box, converted it to a single exhaust, added the roof marker lights from the AMT Ford LNT8000, added the Matlack decals that I got from another modeler, and added a 1976 Pennsylvania license plate to the front bumper. That's really about it. The frame is Dupli-Color Semi-Gloss Black, the cab is Tamiya Racing Green TS-43, wheels are Testors Gloss Yellow 1214, the tanks are Dupli-Color Aluminum, and the engine/transmission is Tamiya Gold Leaf X12.

01Engine.jpg

05Front.jpg

06Rear.jpg

Looks like my pogo stick is a little bent; have to remember to fix that.

Hey! Who let the Dogs out?

07Dogs.jpg

Edited by Jim B
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Thanks, Mark.

I actually have a AMT tank trailer done up in Amoco colors.

DSC00667.jpg

I was thinking of taking it down to snap some pics with the Cruisliner, but everytime I touch the darn thing something breaks. Currently I don't even think the tank is cemented to the frame. It broke apart during the Fulton show last November!

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Thanks, Mike. Unfortunately I didn't take any pics of the interior before I put it into the cab. Probably should have done that. I'll see if I can get anything throught the windows.

Yes, the 1/4 fenders are from the AMT Kenworth K123 kit (I think).

The gaskets around the windshield, door vents, & sleeper vents is Polly Scale (ex-Floquil) Grimy Black. I used it on the mudflaps, too. Looks like black rubber to me.

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Спасибо, Sergey. It's not the "Love Machine", but I'm happy with it.

The information that I have on the Cruiseliner, that I got from someone who knows a lot more about Macks than I do, has the Cruiseliner debuting in 1968. Apparently there was a little overlap with the F-Series COE. I think the square grill (similar to the Superliner) was used on only the V8 Cruiseliners initially; then in 1977 or so it was used on all Cruiseliners.

Edited by Jim B
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Спасибо, Sergey. It's not the "Love Machine", but I'm happy with it.

The information that I have on the Cruiseliner, that I got from someone who knows a lot more about Macks than I do, has the Cruiseliner debuting in 1968. Apparently there was a little overlap with the F-Series COE. I think the square grill (similar to the Superliner) was used on only the V8 Cruiseliners initially; then in 1977 or so it was used on all Cruiseliners.

O-key then. I respect your work.

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Nope, I typed 1968 on purpose. I said that's the information that I have, I didn't say it was right. :)

Edit: Now I did a little more research and I discoverd that in 1975 the Macungie plant opened to build the Cruise-Liner series until 1983. So, I guess the Cruiseliner debuted in 1975. Also, much of the information that I got for this build came from a 1977 Cruiseliner brochure, which would have hit the shelves in late 1976. I'm going to ask a Mack Expert I know just to be sure, though.

Edited by Jim B
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Ok, here is some information that I received from a guy who know a heck of a lot more about Mack than I do: "The first Cruiseliner (W series) came off the line in 1975, the last came of in 1983. There was and few years overlap with the Mack F model. Which confuses people to extend the Cruiseliner back farther than it was made. The AMT kit is a 1976 or 1977."

You'll note I changed the title of this thread to conform to this new information.

Edited by Jim B
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  • 1 year later...

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