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Thank you all for the kind comments. The transporter body was the easiest. That MPC Mongoose kit, however, drove me more nuts than I already am. It is the second "round 2" MPC model kit and found both the same. (Rupp minibike) I don't know what they use for the plastic but both have been almost "gooey"...like the plastic used for action figures or the old green army men from the 60's and 70's. I could bend a sprue 25 degrees or more and it go right back into place. TERRIBLE to glue and paint. Thank you again for the kind words. Peace.

Thanks. Looking really good! Peace.

I am no automotive modeler and "blame" my two bit attempt at an MPC Mongoose kit along with building a transport truck for even looking in this section. Well, as soon as I saw the view and page count on this thread, I bit. Good thing I have hardwood floors...it makes it easier to clean up my drool. So as a lame-brained, glue bomb building neanderthal, allow me to say your masterpiece has to be one of the finest displays of craftsmanship of this sort I can recall. It is absolutely stunning! I hope it will somehow be preserved for generations to come so they can marvel over it. It certainly warrants it in my opinion. Peace.

The US Coast Guard used too (and in some cases still does) paint the lower portion of the stacks and the mast(s) along with cranes with what looks (to me) like almost the same color. It is non metallic and popular with ships and ship modelers. Can't recall the name but do recall Valejo making it. Neat pix! Peace.

I'm not familiar with this kit/suspension (it looks like a Neway from back in the day but wouldn't swear too it). Regardless, I'm curious if there supposed to be a shock absorber mounted on that nub? Most trailing arm rear suspensions have shocks....somewhere in that general vicinity. Not trying to be a rivet counter and again, I don't know this kit. Only saying if ERTL didn't include shocks with the kit and you wanted to add them, half the work is done. Peace.

Is the trailer that comes with this kit worth a hoot/have any real potential in your opinion? Peace

Thanks, RIchard. I'm gonna give the acrylic a try. I just ass-u-me d it wouldn't stick...and cheap-skate here is too much of a tightwad to buy resin ones. Consider it on the docket. Peace.

There is an excellent youtube of a 12V71 361 that would be great for modeling purposes. Just type in Brockway 12V71 and look for the posting by Lindsey Crawford. Also, there is a very active Brockway Owners association with tons of pix/info on their discussion board. www.brockwaytrucks.org Peace.

WOW! Your craftsmanship never ceases to amaze. Peace.

I REALLY like this. The idea of use photos for people never entered my mind. The shop is nice too. Time to recreate some of the old Peterbilt "Class" ads from the 70's and 80's. Might have to try something like the below for a diorama. Thank you for the inspiration. Any suggestions on how to do whitewalls? Peace.

Thanks. I posted some build/tech info to a question along with my usual worthless rambling...under the dragster section. Peace.

VERY VERY long ramps . If you notice the rear of the body, there is a "door" so they "could" slide between the frame rails the full length. That still wouldn't do unless the rear wheels of the truck were put in a hole, the front of the truck jacked up, etc according to basic geometry/approach angles. I'm just going to say the Mongoose crew lifts the front end above their heads while it is winched on. Seriously, I considered dovetailing and ramping the whole thing but didn't like the looks. Functionally certainly would work better but the truck looked like hauling a pizza slice. Regardless, I'm notorious for rebuilding/repurposing stuff after it sits a few months and all the shortcoming begin to bother me too much. That's another reason why I seldom hard glue in major components anymore and use water based paints (Valejo, Wicked Colors, etc). The cab, engine, and body will pop right out sort of like Lego pieces and the frame extension wouldn't take much either. (the driveshaft is made out of drinking straws inserted one into another. 4 drops of CA debond on cheater tabs inside the frame rails will cause the extension to fall right out so it can be adjusted with no problem). The idea of building a early 70's camper body on the back, dropping in a diesel engine and pulling the dragster with a low, flatbed trailer is already bouncing around. Then again....the idea of making it into a old farm truck (my more usual fare) has also come into mind. Who knows.... If I happen across some good decals, its survival chances (of the truck as built) are much higher. The Mongoose itself is pretty safe. Hard to repurpose that thing unless I want to make a make it into a radio tower and put the engine in a race boat. The way I fought that MPC kit, I'm not eager to take it apart. That rear wing gave me fits. If you look close in the second photo, you can see a cheater piece of stock I used on the underside of it. I glued that cheater piece to the uprights and let it dry. By doing so, I could then "trial and error fit" the wing and have the ability to easily shim and adjust it. The obscenities mumbled before coming up with that "brilliant" conclusion need not be repeated. Purists will cry foul but hey, I'm old, blind, shaky, cranky, and want to enjoy messing with these things and simple challenges...not have them cause me grief.

Thought I'd share. Mongoose is a box build MPC kit...my first dragster kit. Normally I do semi's, ships, miltary or machinery and beat them up. Truck kit is Dodge L700 Lindberg. Frame stretch and truck body are scratchbuilt from balsa and plastic. Decals on the truck were very old and therefore filled with cracks/patches...once some new ones come my way, they will be redone. Mongoose signage on truck is from box art applied just for a trial. More pix in the under glass section of big rigs. Decals on LHS of Mongoose obviously not complete at time of pic. Virtually all chrome (less wheels) on Mongoose is redone using a Molotowe chrome pen. Peace

Providence has provided access to a computer and the net for a while so I figured I'd post another creation while the chance presented itself. Based on the Tony Ivo rig inquired on about a month or two ago, this resulted. Body is scratchbuilt with balsa framework. Winch and compressor are odds and ends cobbled together from the abundance of spare parts that come in an Academy M1 tank kit done years ago. Truck frame stretch was made using the "extra" frame rails that came with the tanker trailer kit (see no frill R Mack). Mirrors are made from wire. Grille was hollowed out and screen applied. All were chromed with Molotowe. The cab door opening system was modified greatly. If you look close, you will see a straight pin used running the full length. This way I can take the doors off and eliminate the sweating bullets using the Lindberg system. I made new "brackets" and mounted them to the interior door panels and then hung/aligned them. Only after everything else was pretty much done, did I then glue the outer door skins to the interior door panels. That way I could mount the mirrors and not botch things up as much. Given a "do over", I would do the same thing on the cab hinge pins. As it stands, the cab isn't glued to the floor pan (nor is the body) as I want to be able to "pack up" things in the event of a move and not have it break into a million pieces. The decals (from a Revell Snap 359) were probably 5 or 6 years old and junk. I shouldn't have but tried to make them work. Bad mistake. Arms length they look alright but up close you can see the cracks/patches. If/when another set of decals comes my way, these decals come off and will be redone. "Mongoose" signage on the truck is simply taped on from the box art as a trial. "Diamond plate" decking is simply cheap, plastic netting glued with diluted white glue on top of plastic sheeting. I picked up a 200 ft roll at Hobby Lobby for around $2. It works good enough. The rail is the stock MPC kit. This is my second MPC kit and (once again) foundthe plastic in their kits has something in them soft/sticky. To get any paint to dry (lacquer, enamel, water base) and harden required placing it in the oven on "warm" which is risky. This rail kit of theirs is a REAL challenge for those so inclined. Patience is a MUST. I think every piece of chrome in this kit was stripped and Molotowed other than the wheels. Peace

Mr. Moto, you have put me on the floor laughing. Then, to top it off, I notice you are in "home turf" for riverboats. Your correction(s) are accepted without any sort of challenge! As my lame excuses, the Missouri River didn't handle big stuff real well in Montana. And heck, I'm so stupid on boats, I had to look up port and starboard to figure out which was which. In all seriousness, thanks for the info. It is neat to know there actually were 3. You've successfully sparked my curiosity as a result. It would be neat to see a "real one" or at least read a good technical book on them. Thank you. Peace

I didn't rack my brains out trying to identify paint colors and didn't spend days seeking a "definitive" source. All "roofs" are done in satin black. Had they been textured for wood planks in the kit, I would've done them like the main deck (other than the bridge). The next attempt at one of these kits (besides more work on the trim) might involve either a thin balsa or decal over plastic on those surfaces. One thing that really helped (in my less than humble opinion) was "trimming" the ROBT. E. LEE lettering on the side with gold. It doesn't show well in the pix but made it look far more "classy"..ditto the gold trim on the bridge. I also did the "rings" on the stacks initially but that seemed excessive. Thanks again for all the kind comments. Peace

thank you for the kind comments. it was a challenge and really enjoyed it. compared to some linberg kits purchased before, the quality of this one pleasantly surprised me. maybe a second one will be attempted in the near future...maybe add some smoke generators and a motor to rotate the paddlewheels. far more attention paid would be paid to the railings and trimwork...thats for sure. now being a little more familiar with it, flip flopping the assembly order around might help with that. peace

this was my first attempt at .a kit like this. its a very challenging little kit to try and pull off with any sort of cleanliness. my suggestion is to prime it heavily and trial fit everything about a dozen times beforehand. the kit comes molded in a red that will bleed through. the other thing is to used ca type adhesives for everything and have a good assortment of drying speeds along with lots of clamps. the chrome quality is very poor. i used a molotowe chrome pen to redo everything. peace

figured it was time to try something different instead of a semi. nice kit from lindberg. other than flash, by in large everthing was good quality with minimal warpage. eyes and hands couldn't handle the string rigging so brass wire was used in place. this was my first attempt at something like this and look forward to doing another. lighting is a cheap string of battery powered lamps from dollar general. peace

well, call this a teaser. over four years and countless miles/moves. while there are still seats to fabricate along with engine intake and exhaust piping, from an external point, it is pretty darn close. the hood, cab and sleeper are designed to be dropped into place using a pin and socket system sort of like lego's made from plastic sprues and drinking straws. the idea is that when the next move comes, it wont be as much of a problem. also, it will help as this thing has been designed to be continually upgraded and reworked for the most part so it will never be completely 'finished'. i do need to straighten out the air cleaner but that wont be a major problem. the search is for some micro connectors so that the hood and cab can have the lights plugged in and activated but keep those assemblies remain removable. until then, no functioning lights four years...wow. in terms of greatest developments that have come along since starting this, it would be the molotowe chrome pen. in terms of things that will bug me to no end on this thing was not addressing the frame rail issue from day one. as a reminder, it came from a kenworth and therefore is dropped in the front instead of straight. perhaps in time, more pix will be posted but my little camera is dying along with my laptop. replacements for both are very low on the priority list at this time. take care and thank you all for your encouragement and assistance. peace

Thanks for the kind words. Reworked/rebuilt to rectify the problem. Good thing I use liquid glue and could basically pop it apart. Cab mounts scrapped and engine shoved forward. Trailer is a Lindberg. Nice trailer. Chrome quality is excellent. Modified it. No frame, fenders are from "snap" KW W900's and added tool boxes. Much better. Tried to turn a lemon into lemonade. Might try to make some decals since it is the lemon juice hauler. Peace

Thanks for the feedback/corrections. We'll have to see what kind of junkyard finds I happen across. FYI - look close on engines. If I'm reading correctly, the L700 shows 185 hp diesel available. Peace

Picked up one of the Lindberg L700 Dodge's the other day. I'm toying with the idea of adding a tandem rear and (if possible) want to shoehorn a V8 diesel in it. If I read it right (debatable) a 555 Cummins along with tandem drive could be ordered from the factory. Regardless, has anyone ever tried dropping a diesel engine of any type in one of these? I'm thinking something like this. No plans to really start on it until the 1/16 Bison is finished. Peace

If you happen to reside in the mid-Atlantic states, check out "Ollies - Good Stuff Cheap". They are much like Big Lots and buy up closeouts. Anyhow, they have what appears to be every Linberg model kit right now. I found numerous versions of the Dodge L700 kits including the chrome tanker trailer...CHEAP! I'm not saying they will have the kits in all locations nor for how long but if this is on your list, and an Ollies is close by, now is the time to snag 'em. Peace

VERY nice job. Your "shop" is great too. That's something I'd like to try....one day. Any suggestions on where to find that kind of "stuff" but not have to shell out an arm and a leg? Peace