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Project X

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Hi all, so i am just wondering about people's experiences with AMT truck kits. Basically, i have gone back to AMT's 1/25 wrecker kit having started it a couple of years ago, i got to a stage with it where i basically lost interest due to making a painting error on rear axles so i put it away and got on with other projects.

Anyway, i have been cracking on with it for the last few months but i am wondering, is it just me, or are AMT instruction sheets piss-poor? They were definitely NOT created by an engineer, and absolutely nothing like Tamiya. I had a few similar issues with fabricating the chassis on Orange Blossom, although that did in the end come out spectacularly (i'll have to upload some pics of kits soon). With regards to the wrecker truck, i have been having one issue after another with putting the wheels together, which i assume will be the same for all AMT truck kits, unless AMT have made the construction process as difficult as hell by design.

Any thoughts on this?

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The directions can be hard to read,its best to test fit parts first,they do have some warpage issues too.I grew up with them as a kid,i have only built 1 italeri kit in my life?..It helps to be able to visualize what the end result is going to look like,i work at Auto Body work so it is easier for me.AMTs wheel and tires leave a lot to be desired in the authenticity department,the tires never fill out to the edge of the rim,they look like they are going to pop off,i used to put the rims and rings together first,then slide the tires over them like you do a real tire,it helps to get the rubber tire warmed up a bit first,makes it easier to slide over.You have to remove any chrome from where you are glueing,nothing will stick to that.. Good Luck   Harvey

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Phil I've got the exact same wrecker kit, I started mine probably 3 years ago, got the chassis together after a fashion and a lifetime of filling and sanding.

The main thing that put a stop to the build was the really poor instructions, parts location is vague at best !.

That being said most of AMTs truck kits originate from the late 60s early 70s when kit engineering and instruction sheets were nowhere near the standard they are at today. Back then kids managed to put the things together !!, so perhaps I need to put it back on the bench and try again lol. 

Edited by Mr Stock
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9 hours ago, 37 caddy said:

The directions can be hard to read,its best to test fit parts first,they do have some warpage issues too.I grew up with them as a kid,i have only built 1 italeri kit in my life?..It helps to be able to visualize what the end result is going to look like,i work at Auto Body work so it is easier for me.AMTs wheel and tires leave a lot to be desired in the authenticity department,the tires never fill out to the edge of the rim,they look like they are going to pop off,i used to put the rims and rings together first,then slide the tires over them like you do a real tire,it helps to get the rubber tire warmed up a bit first,makes it easier to slide over.You have to remove any chrome from where you are glueing,nothing will stick to that.. Good Luck   Harvey

Thanx for the tip Harvey, you know i never actually considered warming a tire up first, although like you say, it isn't needed with the vagueness of AMT wheels and tires. Nevermind, we get through it in the end.

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4 hours ago, Mr Stock said:

Phil I've got the exact same wrecker kit, I started mine probably 3 years ago, got the chassis together after a fashion and a lifetime of filling and sanding.

The main thing that put a stop to the build was the really poor instructions, parts location is vague at best !.

That being said most of AMTs truck kits originate from the late 60s early 70s when kit engineering and instruction sheets were nowhere near the standard they are at today. Back then kids managed to put the things together !!, so perhaps I need to put it back on the bench and try again lol. 

Hi there, so your from Cornwall i see, well that's a lovely place been there quite a lot myself and i met a nice girl down there once! Anyway, yeah this kit, there seems to be a fairly consistent lack of interest overall in building the truck kits, a lot of us start doing some of it and hit blocks and give up for ages and into years. Well i've kept at it this last few weeks, tires and wheels really driving me round the frigging bend to be honest but i now have a nice perfect rolling chassis albeit with one more rear axle to fit. I have already done the interior to near as possible to the factory colours as it would of come, dash is correct, engine is all done, i have built the rear section and prepped it ready for some primer and a few other bits here and there done but still many months of work left. Have another go at yours Gary, a fresh time around seems to work, and we're really up against it too, have a look at this one...

 

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I'm the strange one. I like AMT truck kits. Yes they do have fit issues, warping issues, and often terrible and even wrong directions, but I rarely build one box stock anyway, and they're easier than working with resin that often has no instructions. I do hate those 10 hole split rims that seem to be on most everything though. Maybe it's the nostalgia of them for me as I built most of them as a kid, but the only kits that I like better are the old Ertl truck kits. Yes, maybe I'm living in the past.:D

I generally try to research several photos of the 1:1 before building, and often refer back to the photos during the build, and make some modifications.

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I like them too.
I built my first AMT truck kit back in the mid-late 70's as a teenager and several more after that, and have allways been able to put them together....challenging yes...but not impossible. ;)

Edited by Force
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On 13/01/2018 at 12:42 AM, Project X said:

Hi there, so your from Cornwall i see, well that's a lovely place been there quite a lot myself and i met a nice girl down there once! Anyway, yeah this kit, there seems to be a fairly consistent lack of interest overall in building the truck kits, a lot of us start doing some of it and hit blocks and give up for ages and into years. Well i've kept at it this last few weeks, tires and wheels really driving me round the frigging bend to be honest but i now have a nice perfect rolling chassis albeit with one more rear axle to fit. I have already done the interior to near as possible to the factory colours as it would of come, dash is correct, engine is all done, i have built the rear section and prepped it ready for some primer and a few other bits here and there done but still many months of work left. Have another go at yours Gary, a fresh time around seems to work, and we're really up against it too, have a look at this one...

 

Well I'm part of a youtube group build for big rigs and I've entered this kit, so I'm sort if committed to getting it back on the bench now.

Sound like yours is coming along nicely!. Cornwall is a beautiful place, can't really imagine living anywhere else to be honest, even if it does seem to rain pretty much all the time lol !!.

That post you quoted....wow, now that's a work of art, really does improve the look by narrowing the wrecker bed, too late for me to attempt that.....already put my bed together, if I can make mine look half as good as that I'll be happy.

Keep us updated on your progress Phil, we can build it side by side lol !

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On 1/17/2018 at 6:45 PM, Mr Stock said:

Well I'm part of a youtube group build for big rigs and I've entered this kit, so I'm sort if committed to getting it back on the bench now.

Sound like yours is coming along nicely!. Cornwall is a beautiful place, can't really imagine living anywhere else to be honest, even if it does seem to rain pretty much all the time lol !!.

That post you quoted....wow, now that's a work of art, really does improve the look by narrowing the wrecker bed, too late for me to attempt that.....already put my bed together, if I can make mine look half as good as that I'll be happy.

Keep us updated on your progress Phil, we can build it side by side lol !

Will keep you updated no problem, i too have the bed together but it isn't painted or anything and i might still break it apart for modification. The instructions say to paint the engine flat white, which i have, but most Cummins engines seem to be red or yellow.

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2 hours ago, Project X said:

Will keep you updated no problem, i too have the bed together but it isn't painted or anything and i might still break it apart for modification. The instructions say to paint the engine flat white, which i have, but most Cummins engines seem to be red or yellow.

On some older Petes and KWs I believe, they painted the engines white no matter the manufacturer. There are a few threads in the truck section going into detail on the white engines in Peterbilts, but as for all the Cummins engines in kits anyway are a sand beige to be correct. 

Cummins-855-Picture.jpg.a13e0e51448bccabc3f6b0daa90f71a7.jpg

Newer versions on Cummins are either black or red, but other than some resin versions there are no newer versions of these engines in any kits that I'm aware of. 

N14-Cummins-Engine.jpg.d2481b56308e7819121552c175d9a93f.jpg

cummins-history--isx15-for-epa-2010-fuel-3qtr-high.jpg.96bd698177dac3aadd761188d085d212.jpg 

Yellow is for Caterpillar

caterpillar-engine-repair-maintenance-02.jpg.84d8e99fb49e719d7e2dd7c6a65af0d0.jpg

I'm not saying that a custom truck couldn't have a custom painted engine, but for stock these are the colors. Other than a custom, about the only other way you would see a yellow Cummins engine is for the ones that have built out of the box for the Can Do wrecker and been painted Cat Yellow to make the incorrect Cummins in the kit appear to be the correct Cat engine that was in the real truck. 

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Kenworth had mostly all engines white up to 1975 and Peterbilt up to 1984, most were white but I have seen engine manufacturers original colors before and white painted engines after those dates...so it's up to the builder what color he want to use.
Original engine manufacturer colors back in the day were yellow for Cat, Cummins were beige, Detroit Diesel were Alpine Green.

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23 hours ago, highway said:

On some older Petes and KWs I believe, they painted the engines white no matter the manufacturer. There are a few threads in the truck section going into detail on the white engines in Peterbilts, but as for all the Cummins engines in kits anyway are a sand beige to be correct. 

Cummins-855-Picture.jpg.a13e0e51448bccabc3f6b0daa90f71a7.jpg

Newer versions on Cummins are either black or red, but other than some resin versions there are no newer versions of these engines in any kits that I'm aware of. 

N14-Cummins-Engine.jpg.d2481b56308e7819121552c175d9a93f.jpg

cummins-history--isx15-for-epa-2010-fuel-3qtr-high.jpg.96bd698177dac3aadd761188d085d212.jpg 

Yellow is for Caterpillar

caterpillar-engine-repair-maintenance-02.jpg.84d8e99fb49e719d7e2dd7c6a65af0d0.jpg

I'm not saying that a custom truck couldn't have a custom painted engine, but for stock these are the colors. Other than a custom, about the only other way you would see a yellow Cummins engine is for the ones that have built out of the box for the Can Do wrecker and been painted Cat Yellow to make the incorrect Cummins in the kit appear to be the correct Cat engine that was in the real truck. 

Thanx Highway, the sand beige engine you posted is the unit that comes in the AMT kit i have, i don't think i have seen that red Cummins engine with that cam cover in a kit. I am going to leave it white but i will try to add some extra detail where i can, i need to get to grips with weathering techniques, i do have a Tamiya weathering sponge brush and a Tamiya weather master snow, soot, rust thing, never used them before, not sure if they are the best to use for the engine and the chassis.

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9 hours ago, Force said:

Kenworth had mostly all engines white up to 1975 and Peterbilt up to 1984, most were white but I have seen engine manufacturers original colors before and white painted engines after those dates...so it's up to the builder what color he want to use.
Original engine manufacturer colors back in the day were yellow for Cat, Cummins were beige, Detroit Diesel were Alpine Green.

Thanx Force, looks like i will have to try and weather the engine block to dull off the white a bit, it's not going to be easy!

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Some newer engines are available from the aftermarket, Moluminum has the C15, Auslowe has both the N14 and a "Signature" 600 Engine,  and  A&N Model Trucks has the later ISX15, as most of the AMT truck kits are from the early to mid 70's these engines are too new for most of them but can be used for later re-power.
Otherwise the newest engines available in US truck model kits are the International Maxx Force 15 in the Moebius Lone Star and Pro Star, and the Detroit Diesel Series 60 in the Italeri Peterbilt kits.

Edited by Force
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To add even more confusion to the engine color question most of these trucks could be purchased as a "glider" without an engine or transmission. When the truck was eventually finished there's no telling what color the engine could be. Also, if an engine is extensively rebuilt enough the engine shop will usually repaint the engine then as well, usually the factory color but sometimes not. When I built a very worn and weary 359 I painted an engine that would have come white as tan to represent it having had at least one major overhaul in it's life. The moral of the story is, you can find a reason for an engine to be just about any color as long as you have a good story behind it.

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Update, well i have once again reached another low regarding AMT wheels, i've basically snapped the end off of the axle shaft that pushes into the wheel hub carrier, the wheel wasn't rotating freely enough so i pulled it back off, that was a mistake. I had forgot to remove paint from the end of the axle, hence the lack of rotation. Now i have an incredibly difficult job of trying to rectify it. Sigh

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I don't care much about the wheels rotating, I want my models to stay put and not roll away so I often glue the wheels onto the axles.
But if you still have the axle piece you can glue it back on to the axle but drill a small hole in the axle and the broke off piece and insert a bit of wire to pin it in place and glue with super glue and it will stay on there better.
I can't guarantee the wheel will roll after this opreation but you can at least get it in place.

Edited by Force
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