Chariots of Fire

Hey, Bob. I turned the mirrors from aluminum rod. Just drilled a small hole in the back for a pin and added the arm. The other end of the arm fits inside a small section of square channel and with a pin through both.

Beginning to close in on the finish line. Still plenty to go but many of the details have been added to both the cab and chassis. The wood decking over the gas tank and frame have been added along with door handles inside and out, rear view mirrors and the cab interior is done. The spare tires are mounted on separate brackets that are attached to the frame. Early versions of the U-7144 had steel deck plates but as the war wore on, wood was substituted for the steel. It did the job for uses that did not get a lot of wear. I used some basswood strips to form the decks and retained some of the openness of the grain for contrast. And work has begun on the soft top using two ply tissue with white glue/water mix to shrink and stiffen it. Decals have been added and I ended up changing the windshield wipers. The first ones didn't look that good and fortunately they were easy to remove.

Only one way to find out, Peter! Give it a try and let us know how it does! Most pieces are relatively small and don't take long to do. The only downside is that after a while the erasers get hard and have to be replaced with another pencil!?

Here's a tutorlal on making the foil treadplate. I was asked about it in the build of the Autocar U-7144. You will need the following materials and tools to get it done. A scrap piece of plastic treadplate and a piece of aluminum foil and the part you want to apply the foil to. Also a pencil with a soft eraser, CA or other adhesive that will stick to the foil, a new Xacto blade and a pair of small scissors. In the photo above is a small piece of plastic sheet with some strip stock applied to the edges where the foil will be placed. There is also a scrap piece of Don Mills Models plastic treadplate that is approximately 0.050" thick. The foil is placed over the plastic treadplate for embossing. Align one edge of the foil with the treadplate pattern and lightly press it down to hold it in position. Using the eraser on the end of the pencil, press it onto the foil rolling the eraser as you press down. Follow this process along until you have made an impression that is larger than what you need. Be sure to firmly hold the foil in place or the impressions will become distorted. Go over the impressions with the eraser to be sure that all areas are well embossed. Gently lift the foil away and coat the underside liberally with CA or epoxy. Be careful not to bend or distort the foil and place the part to be covered on the foil making sure that it is aligned with the treadplate image. Let the adhesive fill in all of the indentations in the foil. It will help in retaining the treadplate of the foil when it sets. After the adhesive has set so that the top surface of the foil is secure, gently fold the foil over the edge of the plastic on the long side. Be sure that there is adhesive under the foil and let it fully cure. After it is cured cut the foil adjacent to the corner and fold the foil over on the adjoining side. Do the same thing with the CA here and let it cure well. Check the corner to be sure that it is well covered with the foil. Don't worry about the excess foil until all of the adhesive has cured to the touch. The last step is to take the Xacto blade and plunge it into the excess foil from the front somewhere other than at the end. Let the blade to the slicing of the excess foil against the plastic. Slice away the excess foil in each direction, being careful at the corner. Check to be sure that the foil has not lifted away from the plastic. The results will look something like the foil used in the following projects that have been done. The first is a USN FFN-3 International airport crash truck. The rear step and running board was done using this technique for the edges. Actual treadplate was used in this case for the top surface but the procedure for the edges as described above. Embossed foil was also used for the plate on top of the rear fenders. In the next photo of the CCKW regular treadplate was again used for the top surface of the running board but foil was used for the edge. Sometimes the edge can be a little rough. If needed it can be filed smooth with a fine file, but care needs to be taken not to ruin the raised portion of the pattern. The last example shows the technique used in several places on this Emergency One pumper. It was also used on the top of the cab. Since the foil is very thin it is very useful in this type of application. Try inserting a piece of plastic treadplate in its place. Probably impossible, the surface will not be curved, and the edges will be crudely defined.

I've reposted the tutorial in the tutorial section of the forum.

If you are not concerned about it being permanent, use some contact cement. Spread on the cardboard, spread on the wood board and when both are dry to the touch put them together. They will never be parted again!?

Thanks, Bob for the pix. I saved them for reference. My trailer will be single axle but the details will be very helpful. As far as the treadplate is concerned, I'll do a little tutorial here on it. All it takes is a piece of plastic treadplate, some aluminum foil and a pencil with an eraser on it.

Got a dilemma, Tom. I ordered a Tankograd book for trailers that the Autocar pulled thinking that it would have some photos and details of the fuel tankers. No such luck! The have the open box type trailers in two types, and other rigs but no fuel trailers. So I may end up doing the 25 foot wood sides general materials trailer. They were used in hauling goods from the beachfront to the troops after Normandy. I do have some basic fuel trailer photos but not much of the undersides. May have to wing it! BTW the fuelers were made by Heil.

Here's the latest pics of progress. Some additional details have been added to the cab and the interior is done. Rear fenders are in place along with the 5th wheel and the plates that direct the trailer to it. Tail lights are installed on each side of the pintle hook. Reflectors are on the outside of the frame. Decision was made to keep the cab removable, otherwise the engine detail would never be seen. I jury rigged a stand to set the cab on for display purposes.

Micro Mark items. Think they are actually made for doll houses but they fit the bill here.

Lookin' GOOD!!! Beefy looking rig for sure!

Yes it did!

The elves continue to be busy. The frame and running gear have been painted and the engine is installed. Exhaust has been added. A tool compartment is now behind the air tanks and the fuel tank is on the left side just behind the cab. All of the driveshafts are in position. I was able to get some 3D printed U-joints and put them on sections of brass tubing. They are very well defined and are easy to use. The hand brake is also now behind the transfer case. Got a few details to go on the cab with the air cleaner, fuel pump, 50 cal. mounting brackets, windshield wipers and motors and finishing up all of the details inside the cab. Plenty on the plate still to go!?

When I did mine using the Eishhorn casting all I used was the front. I blended the casting with a kit cab and used the interior from the kit as well.

It looks like it, Greg but unless Jim Eishhorn made some changes in his master, I'd say its a copy or one close to it.

Simple tool. Take a piece of brass tubing and taper the ends so that it is thinnest on the inside. Use a piece that suits the diameter you need. Place it on a piece of flat thin evergreen and hit it with a hammer. You'll have a round headlight cover.

Finally got to the point of adding some paint. The frame has been sprayed with Rustoleum etching primer. Tires are painted with Tamiya TS-82 rubber black. Rims are Testors olive drab. The engine is Duplicolor gray primer which will be the base color. Detailing will bring out the hi-lights. Still have the fuel tank and tool compartment to add to the frame sides but painting it first helps keep the coats of paint lighter.

That's pretty nice, Tom! Great work!

Another experience with Duplicolor is that the more coats you put on, the brighter the color gets. Not saying it should be put on heavy but 3-4 coats is probably a good number. Duplicolor is a very fine spray that allows it to be done that way. Polish out the foggiest after the last coat. You should get super results. Never try polishing it out between coats or you will have a real mess on your hands. The paint will draw and bead up and Duplicolor is a hard paint to strip.

I've had that happen to me a number of times. I just let it set up good and then polish it out. Doesn't ever seem to be a permanent problem. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't.

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Fenders are secure to the cab sides. Lifting hooks added to the front bumper and brackets are installed for the headlights. Lights are there for location but won't be set permanently until they are painted, interiors done with Molotow chrome and covered with a clear lens. Tires were painted with Tamiya "rubber black". Best representation of a rubber color I have found yet.

hey, Bob. I've tried styrene strips a couple of times but you have to roll the edges a little to maintain the look of individual leaves. That is the beauty of the brass in that the sides already have just the tiniest bit of roundness to them. Even painted the leaves still stand out. BTW, soldering the leaves is one of the easiest of things to do. I used a butane torch to heat just the ends one at a time to pull the solder in between them. Start with the shortest pieces first and build up from there. There's no solder in the middle at all. No sorcery in those steering knuckles. They all are made the same. Here's a pic of others that were used on a different build. One end goes into the axle and is secured with epoxy. The other end goes through the wheel that has a bushing in it. The wheel is secured with a small screw and washer. The screw goes into a plastic insert that is drilled out and threaded.

Only downside I see is that the images have to be trimmed right to the edge to avoid the white background. An advantage of using the ALPS and being able to put down a white background first. But this certainly is a good way to go in certain instances.

Resin castings from a mold make solid tires but it avoids what happened here. I note also that the surface is real glossy. A different type of 3D material might be in order.