vincen47

Jaime at Moluminum has a photo etch set for the dozer, including the open grille screen. Moluminum.com - email him, it’s not listed on his site.

“...because, well, Jerry has a flair for the dramatic.” You, my friend, have the gift of hilarious story-telling, and a truly unique eye for the unexpected in model building.

There’s a guy on shapeways (gmphnd) that makes the hood, bumper, headlights and grille to convert the Italeri 378 to the Optimus Prime Peterbilt 389. I’m sure you’d also have to extend the frame. To be more accurate, he also has the cab and sleeper you’d need. I found it by searching for 1/24 Peterbilt. Shapeways search function leaves a lot to be desired, so here’s a link to the grille: https://www.shapeways.com/product/WCNLTCMEU/1-24-optimus-prime-grill-part-italeri-peterbilt?optionId=61182443&li=marketplace The parts are not cheap, and they certainly may come with the downside of 3D printing, so I’m not sure how smooth of a finish you’d get. However, you may be ok with the more expensive (smoother) materials, along with sanding and filler primer. I don’t have any experience with 3D parts myself, except for small detail parts. Some guys have used them to make resin masters, and had successful results making good resin parts in the end.

From a design perspective, I too agree this was the best generation of GM trucks. The design was clean and well-proportioned. You could easily dress it down or up and still look great. The extended cabs, crew cabs, and dually versions also had great proportions and didn’t throw the overall design off balance. They looked good right off the assembly line.

That’s absolutely awesome! Love it!

Looking very nice!

If you emailed Jamie at Moluminum jlrahmo@aol.com I bet he’d point you in the right direction. He is a great guy, and he’s very helpful.

I’d post this in the truckstop section, you’ll get a lot more views from the truck builders, and I’m sure they’ll have more info for you.

Neat model. Really cool to see all of the extensive, and accurate modifications done to cars to make them derby-ready. It would make a great load on a trailer, headed to the county fair. I love the foam and the torn up seat. Great details!

I agree. This should be the box art model, not that ugly green monster.

Wow! That’s gorgeous!

I forgot about that one, and yes, this would be the best route. As a bonus, it comes with the cab mounts.

Making one wouldn’t be too hard, but if you’re looking to buy one, Italeri has one in their latest edition of the 378. I’ve seen that particular Italeri part and aftermarket ones on eBay. P&P resin made a 377/378 day cab insert too, still listed on their website for $7, it may still be available. ppvintagekits.com

Nice work!

Plano Model Products may have what you’re looking for. Yeah, using the search function isn’t always helpful. They mostly do model railroad stuff, but they have a section called “scratch builders materials” that is of use to 1/24 and 1/25 truck builders. http://www.planomodelproducts.com/scratch_scq.html