7 replies to this topic

[captin]

Has anyone ever made a topper for the bed of a truck? If so how did you do it ?

[lmtdconnectivity]

I haven't made one but I would start off with some cardstock and use it to make a "template" for the real one. Look online for some pics of toppers unless you have one in mind already for reference. Take some measurements of the bed and how tall you need it and cut out the shapes on cardstock. Then use tape to hold it together and mock it up on the bed. Make any adjustments and then trace pattern onto sheet styrene and cut it out, cut out any windows, add any details and glue it together.

[martinfan5]

One of the AMT Chevy PickUp kits from the 90's can with one, it was a promo/snap kit

[captin]

Cool thanks guys. any idea were i can pick up some sheet stryrene never gotten any before?

[Casey]

Hobby shop, online, eBay, etc. Evergreen and Plastruct are the two main suppliers.

[Tom Geiger]

Evergreen sheet is you best bet. It's nice white sandable plastic.  You want the PLAIN packs.  It comes in different thicknesses and I have the .010", 0.15"  (really thin, almost like paper) and the .020", .030" and .04" in my stash.  You get 3 6" x 12" sheets in a pack, the last one I just bought at a local Hobbytown was $3.89.

 

For a camper shell,  I'd work with .030" for a first project. The .020" can flex if it's not supported with framing from behind on large panels. In the photo below, nearly everything in the photo was made from Evergreen. The body is the .030" and the part of the roof that bends over the top curve was made from the .020".   

 

 

 

Per Shawn's advise above, figure out your piece on card stock. Much cheaper to make your mistakes there! Once you get it mocked up, transfer your work onto the plastic sheet and cut it out. See my photo above to see a mock up. To make sure your sides match, if I was to cut this from plastic, I'd tape two pieces of plastic sheet together and cut them out together. Even the cut for wheel well would be sanded to shape with the two sides together.   

 

Hope this helps!

[captin]

Tom thanks for all the advice this is going to help me out a bunch

[Edsel-Dan]

4 different Toppers/Bed caps have been included in 1/24-25 scale kits

The AMT SnapFast Chevy 2500 Extended/Club cab

Green box art build/molded in green (Not the red/maroon dually)

This is one piece with a separate clear hatch.

 

Gear Hustler, and addition issues of AMT's 65 El Camino include one.

It is 5 pieces, top, 2 sides, front, & rear, plus 2 side & 1 rear window.

 

AMT's 70's F-150-350 Pickups also included a full size cap in Certain issues.

 

Revell included one in their J-10 Honcho Jeep pickup, but ONLY in the Red box art issue

I do not know is the last issue (Highway Wars??) had it, 

 

Also, Since the last 2 issues of the AMT 65 El Camino have the Larger Camper body,

I do not know if they include the topper/cap.

 

Scratchbuilding one should not be too hard due to the size & shape.

 

For a sharper corner with smaller radius than Tom's above, you can glue the sides &

top together square, add Square or rectangle strip stock behind it (It will help strengthen the joint too)

And then when set, file the corner edge to the radius you want.

Use .03 or .04 Evergreen/Styrene with similar strip behind it.

Even on Square corners, I add the strip for stronger joints/additional glue surface area.

 

Not a Cap/topper, but this is what I mean on filing the radius.

The round-over on this cab is filed and sanded smooth

Edited by Edsel-Dan, 21 January 2013 - 06:49 AM.