redneckrigger

Very nice work on that build! Love the colors!

One little piece at a time!

A small update on the DM project.............................added a second battery box, steps to the passenger side mounted hydraulic tank, a frame rear towing plate with pintle hitch, a Neway pusher axle, another sir tank and a few other tiny details. Going to use floats on the front and traction tires on the rear drive axles from Jamie Rahmoeller. Haven't had much time as of late, but every little bit counts!

A little update, finally found some time to work on the old dog. Got the chassis finalized using a DM800 as the source instead of the original DM600, added fuel tanks and air tanks, battery boxes, and a V8 engine. Removed the cast on roof marker lights. Narrowed the wheelbase of the rears and added the radiator to the resin cab casting. Did another mock up with rear fenders. Am going to put a winch on the back with a pto chain drive if all works out well.

Very nice build........... have one myself in the "to do" pile.

In a perfect world, we wouldn't need such invasive heavy handed government intrusion. But we all know this is not a perfect world, and we all have seen adults who truly need such management, some even to the point where they should be made to wear a helmet 24/7 because of their inability to navigate life by using common sense and foresight. I am a retired Paramedic and have seen the results of idiots who simply have no concept about how to drive a car without using a cell phone, texting, drinking, eating, putting makeup on, shaving, doing their hair, using their laptop, reading the newspaper, showing off by driving like a stuntman in the movies, watching a video, picking up a dropped cigarette and myriad other issues where they should not have been doing ANYTHING other than driving their damned car. And I have also seen the human carnage they have caused. I have seen seatbelts that worked as designed, and some that horribly went bad and the same with airbags. And as Bill said above, there is NO substitute for awareness of one's surroundings while navigating not only the streets, but life in general. Sadly however in today's nanny state government, they will continue to "take care" of us all.

Thanks guys.............................while I really don't care if someone doesn't agree with me, I do appreciate that some know where I'm coming from. I have many of my father's and both of my grandfather's "things". And they mean the world to me. I am hoping that my sons will follow my wishes to try to get hold of those friends I have made in this hobby, (and I have a list for them), and get this stuff back into the hobby. While my collection is modest by many standards, I would love to think that someone further down the line will get some enjoyment from the stuff I have, much of which came from friends of mine who have passed. As with my gun collection, I do not consider myself the owner of these hundreds of guns, but merely their caretaker. Many were here before I came and all will be after I leave................I also hope that is the same with my model collection. Cheers, Tom

At 61, it's been about 17 years since my 20/10 vision started downhill. I have to wear bifocals now, and use an Optivisor to see small details. My hands don't have the dexterity they used to and I have tremors in them as well as pretty bad arthritis after many years of abuse. But, I still TRY to build and still greatly enjoy it. The other thing that comes with my advancing age is wondering what will become of my collection after I'm gone. My two sons have no interest in my "toys". My 1:1 Mustang GT and '46 Chevy truck and Harley, and my gun collection are no problem as they will split all of that. But, the plastic mountain in my cellar, I fear will be dumped on the curb!

Get well soon, and keep doing what the doc says. I know several people who have gone through this and all with good results. Best wishes!

Incredible rust work................wish I could do that!

Yes, BMF works well, but I can totally understand the leaf alternative. Jimmy has given us a tremendous tutorial, and I for one will give it a try at least once. BMF has in my humble opinion, gotten worse in quality over the last several years. I used to paint cars and trucks in the 1:1 world. One thing we did a lot of was fire trucks and commercial trucks. The smaller departments and owners on a budget, would have us do vinyl striping and lettering, which looked OK, but it was DEFINITELY overshadowed by the traditional hand lettering and gold leaf striping and highlights that those with a bigger budget would have us do. We had a sign painter who excelled in both vinyl and traditional methods do our work for us. Sadly, he was murdered by his stepson, (hired by his wife!!), a couple years after we closed. I am SO glad I had hand striping and lettering done by him on my motorcycle before his untimely departure. There is, again, in my humble opinion, no comparison at all. I hope to see some better photos after burnishing from Jimmy. And I do expect that the leaf method will far outlast the BMF method over the long haul, both as a model simply ages, or when it is handled repeatedly. I am gonna give it a try!

Beautiful work! LOVE the dio!

Wow! That is premium work you've done there! I love the two door versions of this truck, and you are dead on with your work! Keep the pics coming!!!!!

Incredible nice work, especially on the weathered Mack. It looks like you know your Macks quite well, as the rust areas are spot on as far as EXACTLY where they like to rust through. WELL done! Have fixed many a Mack truck in those same exact areas!

I met Don and Carol many years ago at the Toledo Toy Shows. They impressed me then as a class act. The sad announcement that they would be closing up shop and the way they are doing so has only, in my mind, reinforced that opinion. I have a few of their products and they are of the best quality I have ever seen. Regarding the probable situation where people are buying on speculation for future re-sale, on the surface, it is business, pure and simple. If those resellers buy and resell as Modelhaus product, well, it is capitalism. I dare say we all have done something along this line, somewhere in our lives, whether it be buying a bunch of close-out kits for resale, taking a risk on a real estate flip, buying a collector car and reselling it for a profit, or whatever. BUT, it is also my opinion that those who may be buying in huge amounts to resell are doing so in a selfish way, in that they KNOW that there was only a limited amount of time to do so, that Modelhaus was going to close, and that their fellow modelers would be scrambling to try to get pieces and parts that they need and procrastinated on. By placing those huge orders, they hastened the closure date, and are hurting their fellow modelers, of whom they obviously don't care. THAT is my problem with the issue, not the fact that they are going to resell. I run a gun shop. I buy and sell guns, new and used. When someone comes into my shop to sell a used gun, I ALWAYS ask what they want for it. Sometimes it is too high and I make a counter offer. Sometimes, however, it is a good deal and I pay their asking price. Sometimes, I even point out that they are asking too little and pay more than their asking price. But, once I pay the person, it is mine, and the whole idea is to resell it for a profit, which I do. Gouging, however is not my style. Back in 2013, just after the tragic Sandy Hook incident, gun dealers nation wide were experiencing problems getting product. Several distributors, (middlemen), were selling their wholesale product at retail or more to dealers who then had to mark up OVER MSRP to make their sales. One of these distributors that we dealt with, was caught doing so by Smith & Wesson, who ended their 50 year relationship with them. I don't doubt that if Modelhaus was selling to dealers who were gouging over the MSRP, that they would have done the same thing. I am sure that Don and Carol know that they are stocking the stashes of those who hope to make a killing on their products in years to come. I also think that they would have announced and handled their closure differently if this bothered them. But I DO still harbor a resentment for those who did order such huge amounts, for resale, because of the fact that they may have prevented those who buy for themselves to build, from getting what they wanted. I wish Don and Carol all the best in their retirement, though I do hope that someone can fill their upcoming void.

Keep us posted! I would want at least two of those beds!

Harry, that is exactly what it is for. These are widely used in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts, as there is very dense underbrush and growth that when on fire is the devil to extinguish. This is a similar idea to the Culin Hedgerow Cutter used on tanks to get through the dense hedgerows in the Normandy area in WWII. These trucks are able to do exactly what you stated. They are true beasts of the Fire Service! I actually built one for the Massachusetts DCR Forest Fire Control years back from a GI deuce and a half................(a real 1:1 version), no where near as rugged as this one but still kind of cool.

Extremely nice work, on both of the Bandit trucks!!!

Love that old dog!!!!! Nice!

We can hardly wait!!!!!!

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As the owner of a 1946 Chevy truck, I can attest to the fact that your weathering is SPOT ON!!!! NICE!

Looks very nice. You are going to make someone very happy!

Extremely nice looking Mack! Well done!

Very nice looking builds..........keep the pictures coming!