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My choice came down to two - an AMT Kenworth K100 Aerodyne or an AMT Pete 359.  I said to my wife "These are the two I have narrowed it down to" and she replied "Build the Peterbilt".  So here is the start of my build thread for the Big Rig Build Off.

I have really enjoyed looking at some of the ideas others have started for this community build, when I have some time I'll have to look through a few more and catch up on the ones I have already seen.

When I used to build these AMT truck kits as a kid they were out of the box builds but I have come a long way since then so this one will be changed around a bit.  How it will exactly turn out hasn't been decided yet but it will have a custom flavour to it with updated parts to improve the fidelity of the kit.  The plan is to put a Moebius 53 foot reefer trailer behind it. Like most of my hot rod models, it will evolve as the build progresses.  This is my first truck model for a long time so I am looking forward to going back to what I started with in the hobby and seeing what I can do with one of my earliest kits now.

Here are a some of pictures of the unstarted kits:

SealedPete_zpsfdzxyn8i.jpg

UnstartedPete_zpssxq0n22i.jpg

Edited by Jim Whalen
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Yes, I can't complain about my wife supporting my model building hobby.  She quite likes helping me plan projects and we both spent some time earlier today looking at ideas for paint schemes.

The next steps are to plan a shopping list for this project and to do some research for ideas and information.

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Jim it is a pleasure to see you on board.  I like your choice of kit , I always liked the decals that came with this one.  I like the idea of  "It will evolve as the build progresses"

Sounds for an exciting project ! ;)

              X's 2

 I also like to build like that . It is also why so many projects stall. lol

 

Jim,

      It is a good thing that your wife supports and assists you with your hobby. She sounds like a smart woman ! My Filipina wife supports my hobby as well, And wants to learn how to build models as well!

 

 

      Be Well

        Gator

 

    

 

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Started some work on the project today.  A few years ago a friend gave me a Revell Peterbilt Wrecker his Uncle had started.  A lot of the parts are unused so I have decided to take a few for this build.  The sleeper and seats will definitely be used, a few other parts may sneak in as well, we'll see as the build develops.  I have started prepping the parts from the Revell sleeper - which is a bit taller than the AMT cab so I'll need to think about which way to tackle the difference.

Sean - the decals are the Midnight Express ones but they are so old that the white is no longer on the pinstriping or the sign-writing.  It is no loss to me as I wasn't planning to use them anyway, I hope you manage to find a good set somewhere.

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Started some work on the project today.  A few years ago a friend gave me a Revell Peterbilt Wrecker his Uncle had started.  A lot of the parts are unused so I have decided to take a few for this build.  The sleeper and seats will definitely be used, a few other parts may sneak in as well, we'll see as the build develops.  I have started prepping the parts from the Revell sleeper - which is a bit taller than the AMT cab so I'll need to think about which way to tackle the difference.

Sean - the decals are the Midnight Express ones but they are so old that the white is no longer on the pinstriping or the sign-writing.  It is no loss to me as I wasn't planning to use them anyway, I hope you manage to find a good set somewhere.

at least it didn't hurt to ask... thanks

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  • 3 weeks later...

An update on the build so far - have been working on preparing parts so far.  I haven't built an AMT truck kits from the '70s for a while so have had to get used to the amount of clean up they needed again (I remember an AMT K123 I have started took me 3 months just to do the basic clean-up!).

I have removed mould lines on the Revell sleeper I'll be using and have glued in some plastic rod into the holes in the roof.  They'll be filed/sanded smooth using super-glue (used with kicker) as the filler.

I've also been having a think about what aftermarket items I'll be getting for it and would like some aluminium pieces for it.  Does anybody know if Mo'luminum is selling parts at the moment?

I've got some photo-etched exhaust stacks for it and have been wondering about a different engine for the truck as it will be mildly customised - I'm open to suggestions or recommendations about where to get something.  I haven't been building rigs for a while so am a bit out of touch with the aftermarket at the moment.

The next step is to clean up all the pieces for the chassis and start planning how much to stretch it and where the accessories will attach to it.

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The only aluminum parts Jamie has are fenders. He does a very nice selection of parts. If you go on ebay, Rhino sells some aluminum, stacks, bumpers, visors and other things. Check in the aftermarket section. There's a thread title current truck aftermarket with most of the people selling truck parts. 

I'm really lookin forward to seeing this project Jim. Are you gonna stretch the frame at all? That would really look cool with that reefer.

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Thanks for the reply Clayton - I'll check out the sources you have mentioned.

I'm not planning to stretch the frame too much, just enough to allow for the bigger sleeper really.  I'm not too crazy on the extremely stretched frames; my plan with this build is my vision of a mildly customised truck that is still fairly practical.  I've really enjoyed building unique models with the hot rods I have been doing for the last few years and am looking forward to making a big rig model that has the approach I have developed to model building since I started back in the hobby in 2001.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Guys,

Some of the parts I have ordered for this project are starting to arrive - the picture below shows the turned aluminium fuel tanks, air cleaner and horns that have come from MCA Model Truck Accessories.  I am waiting for a C15 engine from Moluminium and some rear fenders from P & P Resin Works.

I had gotten some parts from KFS in 2013 when I started thinking about building a model truck again, shown below are some exhaust stacks and a custom photo-etch set that will help to bling the rig up a bit.

I spent some time today cleaning up and glueing together piping for the Pete.  How much I eventually use will depend on how the geometry of everything works out.  I pretty much know how I'm going to build the Pete yet, but still haven't decided what I'm going to do with the interior.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Guys,

Here's my update for March.

Still working on cleaning up the parts; going through the chassis parts at the moment.

Some more aftermarket parts have arrived - some air cleaners from VCG Resins and Aluminum Parts and some aluminium parts from Ryan Mylnek at Rhino's Model Truck Parts (pictures below).  I'm still waiting on parts from a couple of companies yet,  I'll give them a bit more time yet before asking about when the parts were shipped.

The next stage will be to figure out all the dimensions for the chassis once I have all the parts I have ordered.  For now the parts cleanup will continue - not very exciting but essential to a good model.

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   Jim,

        Nice assortment of aftermarket parts !  One thing to remember when ordering stuff from theStates. All packages have to go to New York to be checked for contraband.

It does have the tendency to slow the mail down a bit. I wanted to get a mini saw blade in an order and the Customs people at the post office said it was a weapon ??? Go figure ??

 

 

    Be Well

       Gator

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Thanks for the comment Gator.  It seems difficult to believe a country the size of the United States would send everything through one city that is being exported to be checked.  If you're right it would create a real bottleneck.  How did you find out this piece of information?

Your mini saw blade would be a very fierce weapon indeed!!

I'm almost done collecting the aftermarket parts I need for this build and I think I don't need to order anything more from the States.  Some of the generic stuff like wiring or lights I'm going to pick up from local model shows.

I'm starting to worry about getting this thing done so I'd better up the work rate on it!

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