redneckrigger

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!

It is a very good kit, and as mentioned above, is hard to find. They are well made, good fitting, and a piece MANY of us would like to see re-issued!

Met Larry and saw the Jeep at NNL East. Can truly say both man and machine are incredible!

Wow...............you are REALLY showing us all how to think outside the box of normalcy! Like Tesla said before, every time I look at this, I see something else that makes my jaw drop. From the chassis details, to the hardwood details, to the shifting linkage, to the exhaust and intake piping, to the doors, to the hinges, to that amazing little ball valve...............................just WOW! It just goes on and on. This absolutely amazing! Keep up the great work..........it is truly inspiring!

Nice weathering! Sure would be nice to see a tutorial on your techniques..............looks so VERY real! Love the two piece wheels.....................are these going to be available on your site?

Ahhhhh.......I see! I now remember that kit. Yes, it looks almost exactly like the Atlas bodies we had. I started to make one by cutting down a Payhauler 350 body. Still needs a LOT of work. May just look for one of those. THANKS!

Did you modify this body from something or scratch build it? Very nice!

eBay right now: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Resin-cast-International-R190-conversion-kit-1-25th-scale-/401110311250?hash=item5d6409a152:g:2eUAAOxyXTRSBUK9

That is a superb build! I love those big Macks. It reminds me of the DM800's we ran as rock trucks with aluminum Atlas bodies with automatic tailgates on them. The bodies looked almost exactly like what you built, but were aluminum. They also had fenders over the rear wheels, exactly like yours. VERY cool!

Looks VERY good so far! Love the tires and wheels. Whose drive tires are those?

VERY nice work. I especially like the little details, like the grille etc. SUPER!