Tyler62990

Thank you! I was kind of bummed about the faint wiper detail, but this was more or less just supposed to be a slump buster so I didn't want to go too crazy with it. Like every other supposed to be quick build, it got out of hand a bit lol.

Sorry for the late reply, and thanks for the kind words guys! Very much appreciated!

Here's one I just finished up. I'm off to a slow start for the year, but hopefully that will change soon. This one started off as the AMT 1950 Chevy 3100. The box was tossed in favor of a stake bed yanked from the Lindberg 34 Ford pickup. Aside from your typical wiring, plumbing, and a good amount of weathering, I kept this one pretty basic. Hope you guys like it!

Thanks again guys!

Thanks a lot guys! Very much appreciated!

So here's my year in a nutshell. I recently decided to take the plunge into the world of model trucks, so in addition to my car stash, it was another year of spending money I probably shouldn't be spending lol. I managed to get 5 cars, two trucks and two trailers finished up, so I'm pretty happy with this years output. Now I just have to get into building more shelves. It was also the year of the build off for me, with only the T-Bird and Roadway Ford being the only models built without the purpose of being in some sort of contest. It was actually nice doing it this way, as having a deadline kept me from getting lazy. Well, here's my year. Happy New Year and see you guys in 2018!

I decided to end the year with another truck build, and two and a half months later, it's done. I started off with the Mack R685 reissue from AMT and their Fruehauf van trailer. Knowing that my company use to run Mack's for the longest time, it seemed like a good way to go. I'm not sure if we ever had trucks with this wheelbase, or if we had bead side trailers, but I'm no rivet counter haha. The truck itself was painted with Valspar paints which for some reason appear a bit off in the pictures. The orange was almost a dead on match for our colors. No crazy modifications were made, just simple things like engine detail, some weathering, and some scratch built airlines/gladhands. The decals were made on MS Word using Testors decal paper, which was honestly the most aggravating part of the build. All in all, it's a great kit with the exception of AMT's poor instructions and long frame rails that are prone to warping. Mine took a little finesse to get everything straight, and I still ended up having to deal with a few issues during final assembly. Still a nice kit I'd do again, though. The trailer was I nice, straight forward build that I decided to complicate by adding some homemade decals and a detailed interior. The sides were warped pretty badly, but the basswood I used for paneling actually helped that situation a bit. Three feet of tape and two big C-clamps helped even more lol. The e-tracks were made using cut down wire ties. The only hiccup I encountered with this one was the barn doors needed a bit of sanding on the hinges to make them operate correctly. After a little reflective Line-O-Tape and a get of gladhands to match the tractor, I loaded it up with some freight I made for my last trailer and called it a day. Well, that about sums it up. Thanks for looking!

Thank you, and sorry for the late reply. With some sanding around the edges, removal of the ejector pin marks inside the tracks, a piece of Gorilla tape across the entire door, and A LOT of patience, it can be made to work rather well. I wish there was a secret, but it really just comes down to playing around with it until it works. The biggest pain is getting everything looking good, only to have it keep binding up on you.

Between the weathering, details, and photography, it's pretty hard to tell this is a model, especially in those black and white pics. Very, very nice job.

Very impressive builds. Those little details on the trailer are awesome

What a work of art. I love everything about this one

Now that's cool! Every now and again, a model comes along that belongs in a museum, and this is definitely one of them. Love it!

Very nice, clean build.

That's just too cool. I really wish they'd reissue this kit. That cab is perfect for a build like this.

Great looking build!

Very nice, clean build. I never thought of these as show-type trucks until now. I always thought they were kind of ugly, which is perfect for a fleet truck or a good weathering project, but this one changed my mind.

You guys may or may not remember seeing the Roadway C Series Ford I built earlier this year. The pics on that post were long lost to Photobucket's new sharing policy, so I'll post the whole thing here in addition to it's freshly completed trailer. After struggling with decals, warping, that overhead door, etc., I decided to put it off to the side and focus on some other projects. Well, something got the fire going again, and got me to complete this in a much shorter time frame than expected. This was my first venture into the world of building rigs, and despite the moments of impatience, it was a really fun, rewarding project. So rewarding that I'm putting off a hotrod build in favor of the Mack R685. That's a pretty big thing for me lol. Well, enough of that, more about the truck. The build started off with the truck. It was an old, used kit to start, so various repairs including fixing the window posts and taking care of some warp issues were in store. After getting everything straight, the cab got a coat of MM Go Mango and Rustoleum Classic Navy Blue, the decals from the MPC Mack DM600 were applied. After weathering the frame, engine, and cab with some Tamiya powders, a generous coating of grime and grease was applied by mixing various craft acrylics with baking soda. The engine and wired and plumbed along with the brake system. Jumping into truck building with this kit was a blessing, as I got some experience with rigs, but wasn't overwhelmed by my limited knowledge of diesel engines. The gas powered Ford big block was just like detailing a huge car engine. The final touches included scratch built lines/gladhands and a catwalk made from wedding tulle and sheet styrene. A mount for a hand truck on the front bumper was also made, leaving the hand truck removable if I ever want to display it with the cab forward. The trailer was supposed to be a simple build, but it just never seems to work out that way. Since I spend every day at an LTL company, I know what these trailers look like inside and out, so I became determined to make it as realistic as I could. It started off with the floor being painted with Rustoleum Nutmeg, then being treated to a dry brushing with some flat black enamel stain. The walls were warped almost into a U, so they needed a good straightening. After that was achieved, they were spayed with some Rustoleum Aluminum. The interior walls were then fashioned from some basswood and styrene strip for the runners. My first idea for the livery was to make decals, but after three failed attempts, it looked like painting was the only way to go. The trailer sided were sprayed with the Rustoleum Navy, then masked off using a stencil I cut from some Tamiya tape. After a couple coats of the aluminum, I removed the tape and wondered why I didn't go that route in the first place lol. After assembly, the trailer was weathered using Tamiya powders, some mineral spirits for streaking, and some acrylic paint to beat up the door a bit. The lenses were also a bit bulky for my liking, so some window maker glue painted with stoplight red and turn signal amber took their place. I also like the option to display the trailer with or without a tractor, but the kit gives you a one or the other option for the landing gear. I like having cake and eating it too, so some holes were drilled through to allow a pin to be inserted, allowing me to swap up or down landing gear as I please. The final touches include airlines, scratch built hazmat placards, and a full load similar to what I deal with on a day to day basis. Well, that wraps it up. She isn't pretty, but then again, neither is any fleet truck in the Northeast from November to April. All in all, I'm pretty happy with this one, and I can't wait to tackle that Mack R and Freuhauf van that's staring at me. I may have found a new modeling obsession outside of hotrods lol. Thanks for looking!!!

Thank you! The caps were leftovers from my first attempt at toning down kit chrome using Tamiya Smoke. I remember the can sputtering and leaving that nice blotchy pattern you see here. It's a lot harder to see in person, a little easier to see on my phone, and plain as day here. I'll have to switch them out the next time I crack open a Merc kit.

Sorry for the late reply guys. I really appreciate the kind words! Thank you!

Thank you for the kind words, and good eye! The only things not out of the box are the shift linkage, headlight mounts, rear radius rods, decals, and the obvious things like wiring and plumbing. The frame was z'd using pieces cut out in the process (gotta love recycling), and the front suspension is just modified from the kit. Even the suicide perch was made from kit scraps lol. It's entirely possible to build something very similar to this with nothing but the kit. You just gotta know where to cut.

Thanks! I used the rusting set from Sophisticated Finishes, dabbed on with a sponge brush. Sometimes it can dry a little to uniformly, so a little touch up with some Tamiya weathering powders, some acrylic paint, and some India ink can help.

Thank you! I didn't even notice that until you brought it to my attention. I guess some things just get past you sometimes. Now that I see it, I have to clean it up. It's driving me nuts now lol

Sorry for such a late reply guys. Thank you for all the kind words! I really appreciate it!

Very cool build. The new elements mixed with the old really make for a neat little hotrod. Great job!

Absolutely gorgeous. When I saw your name, then started reading before seeing any pics, I thought to myself "No way Tulio would build such a thing". Thank god I was right lol. That 80's-90's look stays in the history books where it belongs, woohoo! As much as I love your stock models, I'm really into the occasional hotrod that comes off your bench. That nice, sleek, subdued style is where it's at in my opinion.