vincen47

I’ve been looking for one of these for a while, a Flat Top Roof for the Italeri 377 and 378 (and AMT 378 Re-box) trucks. Model Truck Builder is now offering one for $10. The quality is excellent and the service is great. I just got mine in the mail. It’ll work great for a Pete 388 conversion with the 63” Flat Top Sleeper I’ve got planned. It would work with any of the 379 and 389 conversions as well. They have a lot of great parts. https://www.modeltruckbuilder.com/store BTW, the whole MTB site, including the forum, is a great resource for truck builders, I encourage you to check it out.

That’s a rig to be proud of. I especially like the mods/upgrades to the truck like the Cat 3406. The trailer is awesome. A great combination!

Nice looking truck, you don’t see a whole lot of the Aeromax 106 on the forum.

Got a set of Ford wagon wheels in the mail yesterday. They are excellent!

Thanks for the tip!

1/64 scale, right? I would look for DCP tires on EBay. I bought a set for a 1/64 rig that was missing one when I bought it a while back. Die-cast Promotions is a huge line of awesome trucks.

That’s a great restoration job, Marko

I couldn’t agree more! The internet has provided everyone with a voice of opinion that will provide both criticism and praise for anything you build. Anything and anyone can have a following, so even though trends still exist, you don’t need to follow them for inspiration or be in sync with them to be followed.

Looks like it might be at home on the show truck circuit with the clean paint (the colors work well for it) and the custom visor and bumper. It would draw a crowd at the truck show if it were real. But, this model would draw a well-deserved crowd at a hobby show too.

This is truly a fascinating thread, a great discussion topic, even if it does get a little heated at times. That’s understandable when we’re dealing with something so individualistic and so dear to us as collectability and value. I’ve pondered this for many years. What will the future hold in what is generally deemed collectible? It all comes down to an individual connection to the object, either through personal experience (growing up in said era) or taught experience, such as an object handed down through generations, though that doesn’t usually apply to vehicles. When it comes to cars, it’s generally a personal experience, whether you, a friend, or a family member owned one, or you witnessed it going down the road, or a magazine ad or poster that adorned your bedroom wall as a kid. Nostalgia, plain and simple, one of the most powerful forces on earth. That being said, the bell-curve of car collectability is usually centered on what is currently about 50 years old. The bell curve marches forward in time as the clock ticks away, as we humans also move forward into the future. Disposable income plays a huge part in what actually makes it into the garages of the collector, thus the younger end of both collector and collectible is not as easily seen, but nevertheless exists. My dream garage (or warehouse, rather) would have vehicles I think are awesome, and multiple examples from each decade of the past 100 years or more. But, most would be ones I’ve seen on the road or driven. Case in point, I’m 40. I still own my first vehicle (not a daily driver anymore), an 86 Bronco. In the past 24 years, I have witnessed first hand the public opinion of that vehicle change. It has gone from a hand-me-down teenager’s vehicle that wouldn’t so much as get a second glance from anyone, aside from a cliche OJ Simpson joke (there were a lot of them, and it’s not even white in color) to a head-turning, increasing in value, desirable truck of today. During a 2002 basic restoration, I found it challenging to get aftermarket replacement parts. Now, it’s easy. Many of you will never give vehicles of that era a second look, and that’s ok. But there’s a growing population that sees value in that era. It’s all about nostalgia. Model companies would be wise to follow the nostalgia-powered bell curve of collectibility. For the most part they do, but it also requires plenty of new subjects to be kitted and reissued as time moves on.

Czech Truck Model has them, with the slits. You can order direct or from Moluminum. I’ve seen them on eBay occasionally.

That’s a really neat and rare build, great to see it.

You’re not kidding about the clear. What a difference between the interior and the body. But, the result is very realistic.

Museum. Quality. Need I say more?

The color choices really work well on this build. I especially like the obligatory IH red paint on the Detroit.

To add to the OP... Don Mills makes a cast metal 3kw portable gas generator.

I get the email notifications too, and I laughed out loud when I saw that one for a buck shy of $45k. Yes, they quickly corrected the typo to a more affordable $449.99 - but still a ridiculous price to pay. Alas, I continue to wait for a reissue or an actual deal, and that’s ok.

Another beautiful truck! Great color choices.

This is a neat topic, great stories! This was my first vehicle, and I am lucky to still have it, my ‘86 Eddie Bauer Bronco. My father was the second owner, bought it in ‘92 and then it became mine when I got my license in ‘96. It was certainly beginning to show its age. It was my daily driver through high school and college, and my father and I did a basic restoration in ‘02-04 (shown in the photos above) and it continued as my daily driver and then a secondary vehicle for nearly the next ten years. Incredible memories in that Bronco over the decades. It currently resides solely in my garage, in need of major engine and body work, but it will ride again someday. I have plans to replicate it in 1/25 scale, of course.

It would be neat to see Moebius take a stab at the 80-96 generation, especially the 80-86 F series and Bronco. But, because those years exist (though much could be improved) in kit form, I would guess they’d stay away from them for now. However, being the 1:1 73-79 generation is increasing in popularity in the collector market, more and more as time passes, I can see them moving that direction soon, and then eventually into the 80’s. It seems that our present day new kit and reissue market is often a reflection of the current wave of nostalgia for 1:1 classics. That wave is usually centered in whatever is 30-50 years old at any given time.

His product line keeps getting better and better!

Looking good!

This will be a good one to watch.

That’s an excellent combo. A great example of a 1/24 tractor and 1/25 trailer working perfectly together. Love the finish and decals. Nice upgrades to the tanker, and I like it in white. Looks like a restored trailer in its second life with super singles and new paint, and the truck has been taken care of over the years.

This build shows every bit of the potential of these often-overlooked kits. Beautiful.