Chariots of Fire

Cheap pin vices are junk. Get a good one with interchangeable collets. Should go to 1/8" diameter. The top should spin free so you can hold onto it. I have a variety of drill bits that are carbide with 1/8" shanks. They are brittle in the smallest sizes but are sharp as needles.

Those are brackets meant to mount the frame for the 50 cal machine gun should the truck have one. Not all did but the mounting brackets were there anyway. Same for the bracket just ahead of the windshield on the right side.

Got the frame painted today and made final adjustments on the hood sides, fenders and hood. The cab is almost ready for paint but it needs a couple more details added. Headlight buckets are resin castings made from a turned aluminum master.

Note the dolly wheel behind the cab frame. That part of the truck could maneuver on its own into the aircraft since the front axle could drive. They only had to steer it on board with the dolly wheel. Interesting stuff. The rest of the truck was crated.

That frame isn't actually split. I just looks that way. The solid roofs went away as the war went on and only about 30% of the trucks were transported by air, I think for possible delivery to the pacific theaters of operation. But it is a unique feature that won't be on many models so I included it. Right now I'm trying to get the hood sides adjusted to where the cab can be painted. Lots of little fiddly things to do so that when I attach the fenders things will be right.

Been busy doing a lot of little things since the last post. Here is where we are as of today. Thres and wheels are painted. Although not in the photo, the trim rings are also in place to finish off the tires and wheels. Fenders are ready for placement but they need some fine tuning first. The cab is essentially done except for the interior. The windshield is done except for the glass and wiper motors. They won't go on until the painting is done. Hood sides are in position with tape for now. The Deuce has 12 grill slots and these only have 6 since they came from the 1-1/2 ton Chevy so the 6 were sanded off and a decal has been made to show the placement of the new pieces. They can be glued on right over the decal and then the hood sides can be painted locking them in place. The cab is secured to the frame with small pieces of angle stock and screws. The hood hinges are done and have temporary pins to help locate the hood for accurate placement of the hood sides. Lots of little stuff but fun detailing it all.

The only kit based piece is the Jeep MB. The Diamond T is scratch built. The deuce and a half will also be scratch built although there are a couple of resin 1/25? scale kits out there.

Looking real good, Jeff! Are you going to letter it?

Thanks, Jeff. Here's the finished build.

Just a suggestion for the roof. Unless you plan on removing the roof to see the interior I would suggest that you use plastic strips laid side by side from one end to the other. Why? Because plastic sheet will tend to dip in the middle and unless you can pre-form it over a buck to soften it there will be too much stress in the plastic. You might be able to use very light gage aluminum for the top but again bending it will be a chore. Using the strip method you can lay one strip down over the ribs, glue it and lay the next one to it and glue it as well. When it is all done, sand the edges until the joints disappear. There will be no dipping in the middle and the roof will be strong. You can do this while the inner ribs are temporarily in place and then lift the whole thing off for painting. If you want a smooth interior, when the roof is finished mix up some two part casting resin and pour it in and let it cover the whole inner surfaces in a light coat. When it hardens it will be smooth as silk. Here's my M-725 USAF ambulance that has this method of roof construction over the cab doors. In the first photo you can see the strips that are laid crossway and the filler that was used to smooth it out. The strips were 030" x .125" if memory serves me right. In the second photo the underneath has been coated with casting resin to smooth it out. The piece in the middle is just a support but it really was not needed. Hope this helps!

Excellent work! Love scratch building! Archer may have gone but Micro-Mark has sheets of rivets (#84985). I use the HO size. They come in a variety of patterns so there's plenty to choose from.

I've got the tech manual as a PDF but it does not have a lot of build info like some others. Either of you want it I can forward it to you.

Got the frame up on wheels tonite, at least temporarily. Mostly to see if the frame would be level with the ground with what has been done to date. So far so good. Working on the torsion rods for the back now. Two done, more to go.

USA!! USA!! Well done!!

If your Willys is 1970's or so it may have had the Hurricane 6 or possibly the Tornado 6. Both were overhead cam engines so a flathead would have to be altered a bit on the top. Here's a look at one I did for an M-725 USAF ambulance.

The elves have been working hard to get some parts built up and prepared for the frame. Here's a look at what is on the work bench today. Resin castings, brass springs, 3D printed masters and a few kit parts are all part of the mix.

I've had mixed results. I used Duplicolor gray primer on both yellow and red plastic from the 1/32 scale Monogram Snap Kits. I think it has more to do with the plastic than Duplicolor. Sometimes the color showed through and on others it did not. It was strange.

I agree. Preparation is necessary but that begins right at the beginning after opening the box. Not just for paint but for all aspects of any build. Try covering up a blemish or poor gluing, not removing parting lines, etc and it won't matter much how much prep goes into the rest of the project. I try and think of each task as just as important as the next and make all of the build a fun thing to do.☺️

Thanks, Bob. Here's a little one to go with it! Finished it about 3 weeks ago. Working on a CCKW (deuce and a half) now. Frame is coming along.

? Right you are. The only way they could get them inside a C-47 was to cut them in half and transport one half in one plane and the second half in another plane. Even at that they had to unbolt one front spring to lower one part of the cab so it would fit into the cargo bay.

The next build is started. It took a while to find the right information to begin the frame. Three books of photos did not have the necessary look to identify what I was after. Searching on line, I found a side shot of the truck with sufficient detail of the front of the frame for it to be copied and resized to 1/25 scale. So the frame rails are done along with two fishplates that will be added to the center of it. Some of you probably know why but for others, I'll let you ponder for a while and see if you can come up with the answer. ?

Agree what everyone else said. Color is great and the wrecker GMC combo is just right.

Nice stuff, Greg! I have those LA County decals. When my children were growing up that was a Sunday nite fare to sit and watch Emergency! before they went to bed. The show was pretty close to being responsible for the development of EMS services we have today. I just may have to build the rescue! I did Engine 51 a few years ago.

Hey Brian. I'd check to see if the Rustoleum and Duplicolor paints are compatible before putting them on that nice cab. I don't have any experience with combining them to see if one is hotter than the other.

Tamiya putty in very thin layers works well. Mixing superglue with sanding residue works also but the difficulty with using CA as a filler except in cracks is that it is much harder than the surrounding plastic. As a result it is very difficult to sand it smooth with the surrounding plastic unless great care is taken. Sanding sticks are a must.