Muncie

Curt Raitz, you can PM him here on the forum, still has the CD with all issues of Motor Racing Replica News. MRRN is well worth having as "An historic racing car journal for model car builders" Published by Mike Quaterman in 1991 to... I think the magazine had about 30 issues. Each issue contains well researched technical text with lots of drawings and photographs of race cars - sports cars, Indy, some are then current, and some vintage. North American, European...

Each time you post the latest work, I look, I close my eyes and chuckle under my breath because this must be impossible... can't be real... I open my eyes and look and still in my total disbelief, it is real!

Agree with your observations about NHRA - they have almost completely lost my interest. I remeber that I could go to a regional race and see competitive local pro-stock and funny cars that were run by people that I knew. Now, it's just two mega pro-stock teams

lots of custom options add to the variety. The older triangular emblem was used all the way up to the change from White Freightliner to Freightliner - 1975ish in U.S. 1978ish in Canada. it was the standard emblem on COE's. The rectangular grille emblem was standard with frontal engine air intake and the triangle emblem was standard with other air intake systems (stationary stack(s) back of cab, breaking air, etc). Or, you could order the frontal air emblem/grille as an option with the other air intakes, until Freightliner made it standard on all COE's - and then no more triangles. Based on the options in the AMT dual drive kit, things like the early design fabricated under door & ladder steps, the initial on the sleeper curtain, and dual exhaust... I believe it was a Freightliner show truck with some pre-production parts to give the customers and dealers something to look at. Such a truck would not have the wedge brakes like the AMT kit, but that was a carryover from the CF single drive.

I remember listening to a commercial free FM station in my younger days - good rock and roll, album cuts and full album previews late at night in the times of LP records - very cool! Not a college station, but they didn't play the same things every other station played. The alternative link. But, it was at a time when not very many cars had FM radios. There are still couple of commercial free FM stations getting by in the area that I can think of.

be slow, careful, and cautious - most lacquer thinner now days is mostly acetone and it will attack the plastic. If it gets too much (any?) on the plastic, it will shrink or leave a mark that will only show sometime after paint... Lacquer paints can be used on a kit if the paint is made for plastic kits (like Tamiya) or a proper sealer is applied before the lacquer (not trying to get into that question again)

AAARGH!, I've been there, too. Might be easier to grind it out and reapply the putty closer to the shape that it needs to be.

If you are looking for attachment/structure as well as shape, consider an epoxy putty. There is a brand, A+B, Comes in two parts in white packages, A on one, B on the other. Unfortunately, it's a large quantity and relatively not cheap. It has many other uses. It will stick to many materials and is darn near permanent when it dries. There may be smaller packages that I haven't found. You tear off how much you need, knead the two parts together until it's completely mixed. It can be worked and molded wet (will even cure underwater). Mix it up, use some water and mold it into shape. You don't get much time and it will dry hard as a rock and ready for primer. Not easy to sand if it's even possible. Best to keep your epoxy a little under where you want it and use a spot putty or thick primer to bring it up to final shape. It's been a long time since I have used it so there may be new products out there. I noticed a two part epoxy putty in a more reasonable quantity at the local hobby shop in the gaming /figures section. I don't know it if works the same but I suspect it will.

In an area like this - recessed with a curved shape and inside corner, it pays off to mold the filler as close as you can instead of piling it on. Just a finger wipe will do and will eliminate a lot of sanding.

Claude, so true, and well done!

My first look, I thought I was looking at different models. These are all very impressive transformations! Very well done.

For sure, there is a lot of commonality between the different Freightliner COE cab models. Freightliner was more of a custom truck builder during these years and their market share was on the low side. Production volume was pretty low. This page is probably from about 1975 before Freightliner dropped White from the nameplates. The 21 Series is probably somewhere shortly after Freightliner stopped building non-tilt COEs about 1958. Freightliner's changes were more evolutionary than following a model year schedule. And they maximized existing tooling instead of making changes that would require a total production line make over. Even the FLC conventional cab that appeared about 1975 is more of a variation to the COE than a unique model.

Thanks Tim, Always look forward to your annual report. Good to see you spent some time n the basement.

I go with what Steve says, what he says is right on about Duplicolor 1699 and it is also my choice. I've learned a lot from his posts. Primer sealer is a barrier layer and will seal color if it has enough coats. I did a not very scientific sharpie test for another purpose. The sharpie bled thru 2 to 3 coats, but 5 to 6 light coats if left to dry properly stopped it. 1699 goes on so smooth that it did not need sanding. (enough coats that you cannot see the color below plus a couple more for good measure.) But if it is sanded, it should get a couple more coats before final color. Basically, it's following the method in the paint manufacturer's instructions that was used for the old automotive primer sealers that I started out with model cars a very long time ago. Automotive primer sealer is actually a barrier between whatever sins or materials are below and the final top coat colors. At one time, auto body shops had to deal with refinishing cars painted at the factory with enamel (sometimes with multiple color replacement panels) using the new lacquer paints. The lacquer could damage the enamel below so Primer Sealer was cheap insurance to having an unhappy customer come back. Ditzler had a primer sealer that you could poor into the gun without thinner, would dry quick, didn't have to be sanded and was inexpensive. Haven't done that kind of project in a long time so I know little about the current materials in the body shops today.

To paraphrase things a bit, land speed cars running at SCTA Speed Week and the USFRA World Finals events have competition numbers and class designations. I think they always have. With several hundred cars at speed week, it would be impossible to sort out the cars without a number. They aren't always easy to see but they are there as required by the rules. The graphics can be the size of a door or as small as a parts decal. Sometimes difficult to find. The only exceptions that I can think of are if the car is just out for a photo shoot before it makes a run or the car is still under construction and not making a run. It is very rare and expensive for somebody to build a car and run it by itself for a record. SCTA and USFRA crews (mostly volunteers) have lots of people that spend several long days preparing the salt and setting up equipment before an event. That would be impossible for a single car unless it was very well funded. If a competition model is being presented without a number, documentation would be a great idea. Documentation is a good idea anyway depending on what IPMS requires or suggests. ,

That's fortunate - A two in one 1971 and 1972 kit with parts for both Road Runner and GTX seems more possible. I prefer 1971 but I'm aware many others would like the '72. Decals for emblems and side marker lights works for me - I would remove them anyway. If it could be a rebody on the 1971 Charger chassis - so much the better. Just spit balling a few ideas...

Are there variations in the interiors for 1971 and 1972?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a thousand pictures worth? doesn't get better than that, thank you for the link.

definitely would like to see a 1971 or 1972, Road Runner or GTX come back. Some chassis changes will also be needed if it is based on something in the current tooling catalog. Over time, the chassis has gone thru several revisions from dual exhaust to single exhaust with a catalytic converter and maybe back again. But I think it would be worth it. Round 2 has been doing a great job on the kits they are bringing back.

Awesome, I can hear it running on Lake Gairdner right now!

The exhaust on a 1957 Chevrolet exits under the rear bumper (or out the side behind the rear tire on a wagon/Nomad). The opening in the bumper end under the tail lamps is filled either with a back up lamp or a trim plate. The black trim under that opening is simply a recess in the bumper end that can be painted or blacked out with reproduction stickers. Somebody could reroute the exhaust thru the bumper end, but it is not a common modification.

absolutely beautiful - great colors, great fade, great paint, well built... love it!

Like the wheels in A, and the meatier rubber in B (but it probably doesn't work that way)

There are some truck kits out there with simplified one-piece drive shafts that would have a mid-ship driveline support in the real world. General rule. the driveline should be no longer than 70 inches between the centers of the u-joints. The drivelines do not go straight thru - there is a small angle between the drivelines so the bearings in the u-joints move to stay lubed. There is a fair amount of engineering in it.

Just a thought - it might be easier and look better to get a sheet of flat Evergreen clear plastic and cut all of the windows. All of the windows in those old White Freightliners are flat glass.