1959scudetto

The same thing that I thought to myself: subtle weathering (rust, paint chipping, dirt and grime)looks like the real thing!

Superb model of an absolutely great car! Alfa Romeo forever!!!

saw this one on ebay Germany for 89,95 Euros (toys2day) - yesterday there were 33 left, at the moment still 17 are left ... I think they will be sold out tomorrow, if not this evening.

Absolutely - nothing beats the old trucks - yours is the best example.

was a VERY hard decision: further 5 would be: 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 TZ2 1965 Lotus Cortina Mk I 1963 Mercedes Benz 230 SL 1969 Abarth 2000 SE 1957 MGA (Roadster or Coupé)

Top 5 on my list are: 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L 1968 Alfa Romeo 33 Prototipo Pininfarina 1956 Lancia Aurelia B20 Coupé 1966 Fiat Dino 2000 Spider 1962 Kaiser Jeep Gladiator P/U

Well, I cannot say how the hobby is developing in the US, but here in Austria the hobby-shops disappear or they give up model kits (except Revell Germany, which you can find very easily, almost everywhere) - Italeri, Tamiya, amt, airfix, mpc and many others are more or less gone - 30 years ago it was totally different, but today you are forced to order such kits and aftermarket parts online from Germany, USA, Japan etc. I started model building in about 1969, with 10 years of age (1/72 airfix planes sailing ships and 1/32 cars - what I could afford for my small pocket money back then, on birthdays or Christmas I got Tamiya's 1/18 McLaren M8A or 1/12 Lotus 49 F1). I lost interest about 5 years later, then rediscovered modelling in 1982 - as I am a car nut since my early childhood, this time I concentrated on cars and US trucks (amt's 1/25 Peterbilt wrecker enlightened the flame once again) and have not stopped ever since. For 25 years now I'm more collecting than building (2 kids, NO own hobby room) and have more than 370 kits in my stash. I doubt that I will ever find the time to build them all - another problem which I'm not alone with. (When I was a kid, I bought a model kit, finished it, and then bought another one). Well, now I'm 54, trying to get rid off several kits that don't interest me no more (like it has been when aquired them), but at the same time I'm eagerly awaiting the new kit releases. To make a long story short, I have much more ideas than time, space and money. My two daughters are not interested in these things, and sometimes I feel a little bit like some kind of dinosaur. Even if the hobby goes belly up, I will be busy for the rest of my life; I feel like the plastic modelling hobby will die with our generation (similar things seem to happen with railroad modeling here in Europe - when visiting the Vienna modelling fair in October, almost only old man are really interested in that - it is far too sophisticated and expensive to be used as a child's toy).

superb model, Curt !!!

Roy, the 4300 Eagle from amt (former ERTL) is a great kit. While it might not look as spectacular as a Peterbilt 359, it is highly recommended: I built 2 of them almost 30 years ago - one as a daycab with a shortened frame (sorry, no pics) and the other as a Special Eagle (lengthened frame, big sleeper and special decoration, see below): In my opinion, former ERTL kits are as clean, precise and easy to build like Tamiya car kits!

Tulio, this uick just looks fantastic - and to achieve this look within ONE week - incredible! I just wanted to ged rid of this kit (I have it in my stash and don't find it very nice, but your build makes me think about it once more...)

Sure you can - look at this: truck 1/24 (Italeri Freightliner) + trailer 1/25 (amt Wilson livestock trailer)

Jason, this is absolutely stunning! The interior, the details, but most of all the paint job - perfectly suited color. This gives me a great inspiration for my two unbuilt ones (dark blue with tan int.? black with red int.?), though my first one became red with black, I prefer different colors on my Ferrari kits.

Extraordinary model, Jürgen - museum quality !!!

I woul like to show you a truck model that I was first given by my father in 1966: The Matchbox Major Pack # M9 "Interstate Double Freighter" which is a Hendrickson Coe hooked to 2 double axle-trailers running for Cooper-Jarrett of Chicago. While I lost the original about 40 years ago, I happened to find one last year from an Austrian ebayer in good condition at a fair price (with box). So I bought it as a nostalgic flashback to my childhood. Interesting thing is that Matchbox choose this one, because only 2 were custom-built by Hendrickson in 1960 for Cooper-Jarrett, equipped with 12V-71 Detroit Diesel engines intended to pull double 40 foot trailers on the Ohio and Indiana turnpikes for only a few years, then they were sold by CJ (Info from the books of Ron Adams) Matchbox issued the model in 1962 and produced it until 1966 - Not a very popular choice of truck -anyway, I've been impressed by this one as a 7 year old boy, and still am. Someday I will build it in 1/25 (plans have been drawn 10 years ago): I've got 2 amt exterior post vans, a double-axle dolly from RoG's Australian Trailer kit, an old built up ERTL IH 4070-Coe which will spend frame, axles and interior parts and a resin cab of IH Emeryville Coe which will be modified into the "Route of Relay" 10-wheeler with some scratch-building. Model is in about 1/100 scale (in my rememberance it was bigger!):

Though I'm not into truck die-cast collecting, I bought this from an American ebayer. I would have preferred the yellow Coca Cola or the blue Ideal version, but this one was by far the cheapest available. It is a simple curbside and not very much detailed, but the proportions look right to me and it will make a great addition to my plastic truck and trailer kits. It brings a certain nostalgia feeling into my collection - at the moment it is the only truck from the 50's. At first, I wanted to dechrome and repaint it as a McLean version, but now I will definitely not put my hands on it and leave it as it is (it cost me enough money) - it has too much chrome for a working truck of its era, but in my imagination it might be a show truck of the Budweiser company which is used on certain events, shows or parades. What do you think of it?

and Welly has a die-cast early DS cabriolet in 1/24 scale (as a compagnon to the limousine): The windscreen looks a little bit chopped and too flat but otherwise the model is quite nice for € 12,95: For a non-Italian version of the limo you would have to rework the rear chrome trim - only in Italy it looked that way - was necessary for their square license plates. The chromed rear end should look like the cabriolet's but with the rear lights from the 4-door.

Great weathering, Arnd! grase and oil on engine and transmission, road grime and dirt on the frame and wheels, rust almost everywhere... looks like a neglected old workhorse on a farm in the midwest... Very convincing!!!

Very nice KW, Roy! It has got the 70's look of the independent truckers - great looking paint scheme. For a classic Peterbilt 359 I would also recommend the Revell snap kit. It looks good and has a very nice CAT engine. I built mine in the late 80's (first issue) - the multicolored stripes, Melton logos and mud flap decals came with the original kit. Unfortunately they are gone! The kit came molded in red, frame and axles were black, so I simply clearcoated cab/hood/sleeper and added the headache rack from amt's Alaskan hauler KW in an attempt to partially hide the snap tongues on the back of the sleeper. Anyway, highly recommended (this is how mine looks):

another candidate for reissue (I forgot it before): Autocar dump truck (this one built in 1984 OOB)

I built 2 of these amost 30 years ago: one has been converted to a 282 model: shortened frame, 2 axle version, hooked to a trailmobile moving van; the other one has been disassembled and will be restored as a 352.

I think of using/modifying the grill, bumper and sun visor of Italeri's Ford LTL 9000 for this Coe in addition to modifying the Astro cab as you did back then.

Absolutely - the 60's - though very dangerous for the drivers - had the best looking race cars of all time - F 1 and sports cars alike !

Nice model of Jim Clark's first championship winner!

What I would like to see reissued: ERTL International Transtar II Coe International C4070 Coe (moldings altered for the Transtar II ???) Great Dane Reefer Trailer amt: Peterbilt 359 "Little window" (moldings altered for laterversion 359 !?) Wilson livestock trailer Let's hope that there will be again some re-issues (like there have been several over the last years).