iamsuperdan

Excellent work!

I actually moved the whole cab/sleeper assembly forward. The firewall is actually touching the engine, but there's still a gap. Ahh well, it's not that noticeable as it sits.

I saw that one. Ugh. My first car was a metallic brown '78. This is probably my holy grail kit, but I just can't bring myself to spend that much on any kit, no matter the subject. Hoping to see a build thread on it here soon!

Looks great! Reminds me of the truck in Christmas Vacation. Which is actually the same truck used in They Live. And is actually the same truck used in Overboard! Not just similar, but the exact same truck in three moves. Anyway, that's the first thing I thought when I say your build. I like it!

It's there! Although I thought about making a reasonable facsimile, an old toy ukulele did just fine.

Well, my first completed build of 2021. Wish I could say that I was happy with it, but right now I'm just happy that it's done. I started this one in 2017, with an idea. Went hunting for a kit, and found this one. It's an original issue of AMT's W925 kit. The box was a little worse for wear, but the kit appeared to be complete. I said appeared to be complete, because I soon found out it was not. But it did have some extra parts from a Pete kit. Had to scrounge and trade to find some detail parts. Never did find headlight lenses, so I left them. Typical old school AMT kit. Instructions are incredibly vague and reference part numbers that don't appear anywhere on the trees. Not that it mattered, as most of the parts were no longer attached to the trees, so it was a guessing game most of the time. Especially for me, as I'm no truck expert. Anyway, apparently the original issue kits are somewhat hard to find and somewhat desirable because of the torsion bar rear end that was changed for later reissues of the kit. I've also heard that the torsion bar set up is challenging. Well my meager skills managed just fine, as the kit sits level, everything lines up, and all wheels sit on the ground evenly. I finished the wheels before I learned about the window backer rod trick. Nothing to really discuss regarding the engine. I didn't do any additional detailing on it, and there were a few pieces missing, so I pretty much just assembled it, sprayed it, and stuck it in place. Strange issue with this kit though. The hood appears to be too short. I lined everything up, installed everything, and everything seems to fits, but the hood is a few millimeters short. I double checked where the engine mounts, the cab mounts, and the hood hinge pins attach, and it is indeed a little short. Luckily, painting it black hides it, as does adding the air cleaners. I've since touched up the wipers with a Molotow chrome pen. Also added a trailer to this one. Super easy to put together, again, just wanted to get it done so I didn't go too hard with detailing. And here's the finished result. Want to guess what my soundtrack was for a lot of this build? At the end of the day, this was not a totally enjoyable build for me. The fit issues bug me, and the constant hunting for parts just sucked a lot of the fun out of it for me. Still, even the poorest of kits are fun to put together, and I learned a few things for the next one. And it looks okay on the shelf. As long as it's at the bottom, in the shadows. lolz. On to the next one...

That is a fantastic build. Excellent work.

Well, I suspect it will be a few weeks before I get started on the kits, so I figured I'd at least get started on the build thread. I'm building Italeri's Volvo VN780 and the relatively new AMT 40ft Container trailer, which I believe is just a reboxed Italeri kit. The truck will be built pretty much box stock. I will be attempting to make the trailer more North American, as opposed to the Euro-spec it seems to be. There's a container yard a few minutes from where I work, so I see these trucks daily, and will be stopping to see if I can take some pics for correct detailing. I have a couple of ideas for the paint & decals, just figuring out which will be easier to make myself!

Now this is a good idea.

I don't typically plan ahead. I just grab kits from the stash as they strike my fancy. Having said that, I have a few goals. Volvo VN780 & trailer - BRBO 2021 build Everything that has already been started! Includes a couple of trucks, a bunch of cars, and I do want to finally finish the horrible AMT Superstones kit that I put in a box in frustration a few years ago. I also have a Superbird that's been stalled for at least a year, that I should be finishing.

Awesome to see what you're turning this in to! Not bad for a snap kit eh?

Thanks again for pulling this together this year Jeff! Lots of great entries this year!

*opens can o' worms* Yeah, but manufacturers building cars that all look the same is nothing new.

I would like to get a new TRX, but it won't fit my budget! Truck's looking good!

Looking good so far!

Agreed. Carl / Slusher ships super-fast and securely packaged. Will gladly trade again!

Perfect amount of tint. Dark, but not black-out limo tint.

Such good news! If you check the CS facebook page, Jeremy does very briefly explain why he shut things down for a while. Seems to back up and running, and is slowly getting back to normal. Which is great, because I need some engines and stuff!

If you want to take part in BRBO 2021, here's the link. The voting thread for BRBO 2020 will be up before the end of the year. gotnitro? is compiling the pics and info and putting everything together now, so watch for that!

Only a week left and 2020 keeps on taking. He's been in declining health for a number of years now. So although this is most definitely a loss, it's not an entirely unexpected one. Not for me anyway. I did throw a little Mountain into my Spotify listening last night.

Hmm...thought I had more trucks completed. Guess not.

If I wanted simple, I'd just go buy diecast. Personally, I like the challenges of building something. And even though I will curse up a storm and swear that I'll never buy another kit from a manufacturer, I even enjoy the "bad" kits. Yeah, they require a lot more work to get them presentable, but it does feel pretty good when I finish fighting some awful kit, and I look at it on the shelf and think to myself, "Well, that's not bad." Then I curse and swear and say never again and then go build something that fits a little better and requires less cleanup. The only kit I've ever given up on because of the quality is the AMT Superstones Ford kit. Nothing fit right on that one. It's currently sitting, about 3/4 done. I'll probably finish it one day. Probably.

I think I'm picking up what you're putting down. Myself, I have never been a big fan of Japanese cars, or Asian imports in general. I mean, they make some nice stuff, but nothing that I've ever gotten excited about or given any thought whatsoever about putting in my garage. One exception. I would do many illegal and immoral things to find a clean and unmolested 2nd Gen RX7. I love how they look, I fit, and they drive great. Very 80s, and not a thing wrong with the car at all. I'd leave it bone stock and would enjoy the f out of it.

Guys, let's keep it civil okay? Knock AMT or any other company all you want, but directly insulting members is a big no. Some of you should know better. Anyway... Although I'm not going to disagree with any of the OP's original points, I'm NOT going to say that AMT kits suck. Two reasons. First, they just require a little more work to get them looking good. You want a kit that goes together easily and clearly? Look to the Japanese brands. Tamiya and Fujimi will almost never cause headaches. However, this brings me to my second reason. AMT have subject matter than no one else does. You want to build a Kenworth 925? or a Pete 352? Your options are basically AMT or AMT. So with a little patience, a little extra work, and some google image searches, you can build some pretty nice stuff out of an AMT kit.