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Most of my working years have been spent behind the wheels of various straight trucks. A great deal of those years were spent in the "board yards". Lumber trucks have long been my favorite work trucks--they're just the coolest! And, I can tell you from experience that one of them, running empty, handles unbelievably well, on a curvy road! I have been planning to build a lumber truck for almost forty years. Given that this model was built from Monogram's 1926 Mack Dump Truck, which already had the hydraulic hoist, I figured "why not?" I simply left the sides and gate off the bed and added stake pockets and rub strips, along with a headboard, and, there I was! My goal with this project was to improve my overall technique, and work on my weathering and finishing skills. Therefore, I aimed to keep it fairly simple. Most of the weathering was done with pastels, although I used oil paints in a few "greasy" spots. The "Howard Lake Lumber Co." livery is fictitious. Keeping simplicity in mind, I only made a few simple changes. I added ignition wiring, and made the steering poseable. As the kit was designed, the hoist mechanism and the bed hinges were molded in to what should, actually, be wood rub strips, or cushions, between the truck's chassis and the bed. I replaced Monogram's pieces with wood strips. I made the hardware for the hoist and bed hinges from Evergreen styrene stock. I used a doming block and punch to create reflectors for the headlights. Those reflectors make a huge difference in their appearance! I made the hasp for the toolbox from a part left over from one of the hood hinges. I elongated the hole. Then I soldered a tiny brass "u" to a brass plate. I attached it so that the bottom end of the "u" protrudes through the elongated hole in the hinge. The model is painted with Krylon Sweet Cream. The wheels are painted with a color called "Basil" from Michael's Design Master line. The kit's decals had no usable adhesive left, so I printed new Mack placards for the cab sides. I applied those decals to thin aluminum sheet (tooling aluminum), and fastened them to the cab with tacky glue. In looking at the photos, I see a couple of things I want to do, before I turn it over, and add a bit of dust and other smut, to the underside. That said, I could put it in the display case, now, and be happy calling it done! So, here it is! Questions comments and critiques are always welcome! Thanks for looking!...Dan