Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Old field Kenworth


Recommended Posts

Inspiration seems come from odd things for me. Lately I have been itching to attempt some heavy weathering. I was inspired by an old Kenworth that my grandfather had bought brand new. After a few owners it wound up in the hands of a family friend who had bought it just to use as a parts truck. It has been sitting in a field for many years. My plan is to do a "now and then" build with two versions of the same truck, but I figured I would start with the "now" version.

 

2v2uN7hYhxAC2cR.jpg

 

I started with an AMT K123 kit. I swapped the rear suspension for an air-ride suspension from a Papa truck kit. I always hated the AMT K123 kit cab hinges, so I scratch built some hinges that are more like the real truck. This truck originally came with cab mounted exhaust and intake, but at some point it was converted to a home-made chassis mounted setup.

 

2v2uN7nGNxAC2cR.jpg

 

To mimic this I used some styrene I-beam and shaved the flanges off of one side to create a piece of channel. I cut the power divider off of the front drive axle and drilled some mounting holes around the perimeter. This gives the "parts stolen" look. One air tank was placed across the frame rails behind the rear cab support as well.

 

Next came the chassis weathering. I first painted the whole chassis with rust tones. Next I hand painted all of the aluminum parts. Then I sprayed everything with matte clear followed by a coat of hair spray. Next a coat of red paint was sprayed over the chassis, then chipped away with a toothpick and a wet brush to reveal the aluminum and rust beneath. After some hoses were added a light coat of "dust" was sprayed over everything. I am not sure if I am liking the dust coat, I probably should have left it off, but there is no going back now.

A set of resin wheels were added. Miss-matched tires from the parts box were used. The bottom of each tire was shaved flat to give the appearance of under-inflated tires.

 

2v2uN7hwgxAC2cR.jpg

 

 

2v2uN7hAGxAC2cR.jpg

 

Before I put the air cleaner halves together I used a dremel to grind through from the inside of one half to create some "rust holes". This is the final effect.

 

2v2uN7hcLxAC2cR.jpg

 

I think that is enough work for one weekend. More to come soon.

Edited by KJ790
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly these are the builds I like the most.  Art imitating life.  Junked, or heavily used trucks add some dimension and interest.  They are like telling a story with no words.  It makes me want to get motivated to build a Ford two story falcon that we used on the farm before the W900.  It is sitting in similar condition out in the pasture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys! I managed to get a little paint on the cab this weekend. I used table salt to simulate chips on the front and "sunburned paint" on the roof. I did a thin white wash to fade it slightly and added a few rust streaks.

 

2v2ujsFN5xAC2cR.jpg

 

2v2ujsFrNxAC2cR.jpg

 

2v2ujsF8GxAC2cR.jpg

 

2v2ujsFMnxAC2cR.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

It's been a while since I have gotten to work on this. This weekend I found myself with some time and made a lot of progress. I had to scratch build a lot of the interior since the kit tub was not being used. I managed to make it all fit together (and even added some bird poop inside...). Just a few more details to finish up.

 

2v2J1kpG8xAC2cR.jpg

 

2v2J1kpdyxAC2cR.jpg

 

2v2J1kpy5xAC2cR.jpg

 

2v2J1kp5NxAC2cR.jpg

 

2v2J1kpTqxAC2cR.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...