iamsuperdan

I really like the old ESCI kits, not sure why, as they aren't particularly detailed, and the build quality is just okay. I think it's the subject matter. They seemed to do kits that very few others were doing. Prices are weird. There are some kits selling for hundreds, others barely hit $20. I've lucked out with a couple of the "rare" ones, and snagged them for cheap. I don't have any of the Merc kits though. Yet.

Have they added part numbers on the new kit? I'm building the original issue right now, and none of the sprues have part numbers. It's an interesting build for sure.

Nope! Way more obscure than that!

So I'm a big fan of trying to give everyone of my builds a them. It may be something I've seen or driven, or inspired by a movie, tv, music...It Don't Matter. This one will be my first themed truck build. There will be three parts to this build; the cab, the trailer, the load. This thread is part one. Thanks to Mk11, this old Kenworth kit made it's way into my stash this week, and I bumped it up the queue, turned up CH39 on Satellite radio, and started immediately. First step; is everything here? I think so. I guess I'll find out as I move along. The kit showed up with some extra cab parts. I don't want them to be Wasted, so those are up for grabs, check the "wanted" section for details. Some of this kit has been assembled, and based on the yellowing glue, it was quite a while ago. So right now I'm carefully disassembling some pieces, and sanding/smoothing them. More progress pics soon. And let's see how long it takes for someone to guess the theme and inspiration here. I'll be dropping hints.

I'm digging this build!

Had a great in person trade with mk11 yesterday. Ended up with a couple of kits I've been looking for, and have plans for.

As soon as Gord said he was getting a new truck, wifey piped up and said "more old trucks for Jamie to buy!" Jamie's new Toyota's will diappear as soon as the show ends, or as soon as he starts playing a lesser role on the show. I was more interested in the old Ford deck truck and Austin Healey! We thought it was pretty funny. As soon as we said it looks like the guys are picking up Jamie's new truck, the dude on screen said they had better hide it from Jamie or he'll buy it! I really need to find a wrecker kit to build. The show inspires me.

Thanks guys. The wheels are an easy fix, already have something more correct in the stash. Going to do some more searching, see if I can track down one of these Yodel kits. Or some resin. A lot of the time on EBay, guys won't ship to Canada. So that link above unfortunately has to be left alone.

Question for the resin experts. I have one of the Dukes of Hazard Dodge Monaco police cars. Does anyone make conversion parts to turn this into a Plymouth Fury? Grille, tail lights, etc? Does it need anything different other than the grille? Also, I wonder what the reasoning was for the goofy wide tires in the kit. Definitely fixing that! Want to turn this into the car I learned to drive in.

Ugh. So glad I've never had a rodent problem.

Finally found a kit I had been trying to find for a long time. Or more correctly, finally found one of these that wasn't insanely priced! And the best thing? No shipping. The seller was local, and actually works about 5 minutes from me. Bonus!

I'm mainly 1/24 and 1.25 scale. Having said that, I have a number of 1/32 kits, and 1/35 military stuff, and a 1/12 Ferrari Testarossa. I don't really go for aircraft, but I do have a few in the stash, 1/72, 1/48, 1/32, and a 1/144.

Wow. Some awesome stuff there. Stnadouts in those pics... 71 Chev wagon 74 Ford Econoline Pretty much everything Ted Lear had his name on.

Hmm...no more show after this season eh? Well, prepare for Jamie to buy more old junk. His source for free Toyota Tundras will be going away, so he'll be out buying up OBS Chev/GMC trucks and 30 year old Fords!

Just give up now. That piece has gone the same place my guitar pics go when I drop those. It will turn up years from now, when you've forgotten all about it.

There are so many inline engine choices available, this should be a cakewalk for everyone. At least in terms of picking a powerplant. I'm going to be challenging myself with some scratchbuilding. I have the idea, I have the pieces, let's see if I have the skills to complete the vision.

That would be amusing. Make the truck the stars, and focus on them instead of the operators. I think the last episode was pretty weak. Focused on Jamie teaching his kid how to do the job. I just didn't find that interesting at all. I don't think it matters that the old trucks can do the job, if you want to retain and lure in good employees, old equipment won't do it. That's actually one of my arguments when I'm discussing fleets and leasing with my customers. Old truck or new truck? Well, a new truck is one of those little things that potential employees want. And what about optics? When you roll up to a client's worksite in a fairly new piece of equipment, or a 20 year old unit; what's that client's first impression? Especially if it's a new client you've just won.

There has to be someone around here who finishes something!

Did you ever finish this one?

Yup, like all Meng kits, it's pricer, but should be a very precise, very detailed high quality kit. I'm getting a couple for sure.

THis might be my fav thread around here.

I wonder what Jamie's real motivation is here. He seems to be selling off the equipment that would make him the most money, and then replaces it with worn out old junk. It's no wonder he can't keep staff. And how do you lure in new staff? "Hey, I don't have any modern state of the art wreckers, but I do have a truck from the 70s. She's old, but has real history. And that one over there was a written off rolled over highway truck, that doesn't really do the job, but sure looks good. I love these old trucks." Personally, I would sell off the old stuff, and streamline the fleet down to two or three new trucks with side pullers and all the fixings, and focus on keeping those busy. I'm guessing COlin gets the rebuilt Pete now. I wonder how OH&S feels about a 13 year old kid climbing all over a wreck at a job site.

I have so many words to describe this, and not one of them is appropriate for this board. I love this!

Is that going to be thick enough to support a hoist? If I had a garage that big, I'd be building that into the cost for sure! Would love to be able to get my cars off the ground. Would make it so much easier to change wheels, do oil changes, change suspension and brakes. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

I'd love a garage like this! Nope! Around here anyway, most buildings get the foundations done, then the structure goes up, then the rebar and flooring in. Not sure why, but it's pretty common.