purepmd

Of all things, it was the broom on the back of the tank body that caught my attention. After that, I was enthralled by all of the so well done additions and details. Just excellent!

Thanks for looking and replying, I really enjoy the feedback. Glad I could be of service to your upcoming build.

Monty, many thanks for responding. I value your input and opinions. Working on a Navy blue one I know you'll like!

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate the kind words!

If you have never built one, or even if you have, here is a tip I learned the hard way. AMT set the front axle back about 3mm to far. If you reshape the wheel arch on the leading edge, like in the first pic, and move the front axle forward about 3mm, you get all the clearance you need for the ladder style steps. Makes for a much easier build, and the cab is far more correct appearing. You can see in the second picture how the real cab looks.

Knowing your level of work, that means a great deal, thank you!

That is very flattering! I appreciate your feedback.

I'm glad you like it! Thank you.

Jim, thank you for the compliment.

That is fantastic! Great paint and details make for one excellent looking Chevy!

Excellent work! I ran across the same pics on the internet, and want to build a version as well. The paint job is over the top! Great replication of a tricky factory scheme. Love the detailing. Outstanding!

Off to the races for sure! Well done.

Great looking Pete! Adding a wrecker bed takes it to another level. Makes me think theold dump truck is getting drug out of a pasture somewhere. Very complimentary subject pairing.

It has been a minute since I've had something to post. Always starting projects, never finishing old ones. This was supposed to be just a quick build, box stock, no extras. Well, that is not happening, ever. It all started with an online image search that turned up this picture. I really like the color combination, and had some Testors Mythical Maroon to use for the base, but wasn't sold on the graphics. After some consideration, and dislike of masking, I decided on a decal approximation was in order, with an extra panel above the grille. Some Interdecal orange sheet and Auslowe red pinstripes set things in motion. The headlights were lowered, and the angled part of the cab was correted. The over-sized rivets removed and replaced with Micromark decal HO scale ones. They are a bit too small but still look way better than AMT's carriage bolts on the cab. Some CTM photoetch pieces, a one piece aluminum bumper, aluminum wrapped tanks and boxes, topped off by a set of M&S aluminum wheels meant there was no turning back. Metal exhaust, tinted, flush mounted glass, and a rear mounted air cleaner and inlet round out the exterior highlights. I've seen quite a few pictures online of this vintage of trucks with painted steps and ladders and wanted to try that. A scratch built aftercooler, and a resin turbo add a much-needed horsepower boost. Stabilaire rear suspension replaces the Reyco springs out back. While no where near perfect, it provided invaluable knowledge about working with photoetch parts. I'm already adapting them to another started 'shaker cabover. Thanks for taking the time to check it out and please feel free to voice all opinions! P.S. forgot this pic. You can see the fans you get with the Harold Weber created photoetch frets STS sells on their website. They are excellent.

Same here. Would love a printed top too. Want to replicate a buddy's '75 he had in high school. Keep us posted. Thanks.

No, most of my stuff was destroyed when a water pipe froze and burst flooding the entire basement of my house. 45 years of building and collecting wiped out. Been salvaging a few things.

Got some pretty decent closeups.

My thoughts exactly. The Western Star is a better looking Cabover, a little tougher looking, for sure. I could not bring myself to cut up the KFS kit I had, so I used it for measurements. The Road Boss 2 Integral is the same cab, just about a foot narrower. Here are some pics of the scratch builds based on the White High cab.

Good to be back, and thank you! They are Model Max. I ordered 2 sets, because they are made to fit the FLC single sleeper, I wanted to make them more accurate for a big sleeper Cabover. They were not quite the same color, one to the next. Both were printed on a clear sheet, one with an off white background, the other with a pale blue background. Looked real close, until they hit the dark paint. By then, the commitment had been set. That not withstanding, great to work with. They respond very well to both Testors as well Microscale solutions. It was my first time using them, just wish they were printed over white, like Model Truckin. Stand up perfectly to both Testors one coat lacquer and Krylon Short Cuts clears. Would not hesitate to use them again.

I thank you all for your time and attention. It does make some of the trials of not being able to make oneself build a box stock model. It is like a compulsion, disease, or something. lol Just can't do it. That brings me to Bill's question, "How finicky were the PE steps to assemble?", Finicky is just one of the "F" words that came to mind while assembling those. I cut the sides from K&S sheet aluminum, and used the KFS perforated pieces as the steps. I left myself, in all honesty, much too small of tabs to form the corners. keeping then square proved most maddening, until I made a jig, just for this purpose. The second mistake I made was attaching the tanks, which are 11/8" OD tube, polished, with end caps of K&S sheet, to the frame, and then attaching the steps. I'm not sure they are even level now. You can only re-do something so many times before 'good enough' wins out. Again, you all have my appreciation.

I really appreciate the feedback on this build, thank you for taking the time to look. Well said! There is a ton of mods that I did just to eliminate kit issues; mold seams on grab handles, and mirrors, being 2 of my biggest pet peeves. On all chrome parts, really. I used metal everywhere I could to remedy that. Even the hydraulic rams are self-limiting, so the cab doesn’t rest on the lower grille section when raised. Thank you for noticing these additions.

My thanks to all who looked and took the time to reply. I appreciated the comments. Brian, I will have to take a close up of the a/c unit. I figured out, 1/350th scale, 4 blade ship propellers, look just like the stamped steel fan blades in these units. Also, H-O scale photo etched locomotive exhaust grilles, are a passable facsimile to the debris screens. Viewed from above, there are fans in the unit.

Thank you all for the great feedback, much appreciated. Thanks for asking, going back a good long ways there. They are still headlining my ‘to do’ list. The 352H still will get the 3408, but the ‘shaker will now get a KFS 1693 Cat. I used the 8V-92 in a different project.

Super sharp build! Well worth the effort. Very nice work. Represents the iconic TV truck beautifully.

Clean, tastefully modified, soundly chosen color palette, everything about it is well done.