vincen47

Somewhere, an unsuspecting modeler is opening their kit and asking “Where’s the dash?!?!”

Indeed. I believe Dave from Moebius said that the Lonestar outsold the Prostar 2 to 1. Even then, the sales were not as high as they would have liked.

I think the vast majority of future modern full-kit subjects will be from the small cottage industry, aftermarket resin and 3d printed guys, like A&N, just like today. As tech improves and costs gradually decrease, 3d printing will become the mainstay of our truck modeling world. Being such a (comparatively) niche market, the high development costs of a traditional big rig kit from the typical manufactures - I don’t see it happening very often. Those costs are not going down. Italeri has a decent thing going, (not without accuracy issues) but the European model truck market is bigger than the North American market.

It was huge oversight on behalf of Italeri kitting the 378 over the 379 - the more popular flagship of the Pete line for 20 years…the successor to the 359, and the most popular truck of all time on the show circuit. C’mon! And yes, I believe that if anyone made a decent 379 kit, it would sell well. Most people don’t want to go through the hassle of converting the 378. As Force said above, the only way to have one is the resin/3d print after market conversions. You could modify the 378 hood into a fairly close 379-119 short hood, but to make the more common long nose 379-127, you need an aftermarket hood and to stretch the frame and/or set the cab and sleeper back further and lower the cab and sleeper mounts. In addition to Moluminum, you can find the 379 conversion at ST Supply and on Shapeways. I can’t vouch for either, though. Jamie from Moluminum makes excellent stuff. Gary from GW Trucks made one that was good, but he is sadly no longer around. Also oop, but if you can find the Bill Drennen mastered 379 hood, I think that’s the best 379 conversion to date. IIRC, Jamie has those molds with plans to produce more.

Wow! Impressive.

What a beauty. The first one was great, but the extra touches on this one is even better.

Great paint scheme.

The LTL 9000 is such a good-looking truck. You’ve done a great job.

I believe that if the written names are on public display with the model, (the entry form is usually displayed next to the model) it’s ok. This is only basic identifying information for the purpose of claiming one’s publicly displayed art, or product, under the agreed upon rules and operation of the contest. If personal information, like a home address, is visible, then I would blur it out. However, I can’t imagine that would be the case. The contestant’s hometown would be ok. As again, if the identifying information has been provided by the contestant themself, for the express purpose of identifying one’s own work, (the builder) under the assumption of public display, then it is perfectly fine to publish the photos with names.

It would be awesome having him back in business.

Nice pairing, the first and last of an important part of trucking history.

I’ve always admired the 747.

Superb. Thanks so much for the tutorial. What excellent results.

Nice mod for the grille, and the pipes are sweet. Great build.

Your tutorials with added photos and graphics are very interesting and helpful.

This general guide is useful. I saved it to my photos. I don’t remember who originally posted it here on the forum, but a big thanks to them.

Oh that’s a beauty, alright. I like the single stack, engine swap, and the sleeper - all making for a unique rig. Clever name, too.

This will be another good project. I’ll enjoy watching it come together. Do you plan to open the grille? I totally understand if it’s not feasible.

Received the Aerodyne dashes in the mail today. They are the finest 3d printed parts I’ve seen to date.

CTM also offers a photo-etched upgrade for the wide grille for both the GMC and Chevrolet. I don’t have one, so I wonder about the thickness, or lack thereof, of the grille shroud/bezel. On the 1:1, it looks like it comes away from the cab a bit. This may be something that could be more accurate in 3d resin than photo-etch alone.

The missing grille makes it stand out. Also, how the perfectly rusty frame awkwardly sticks out back further than needed, indicating the possibility that the truck served other purposes in another life. I love it.

Ordered two for myself, but no rush. Glad we finally have a correct aerodyne dash.

Those 1/32 trucks kits should have been made with engines. You’ve shown that a lot of detail can be done in 1/32. Nice upgrade to the kit.

It would be impressive without the lights and sound. With the added effects, it’s spectacular.

Looks like someone’s fun resto-mod project with the single drive and the straight pipe. Something you’d see at the truck show. Nice.