Chariots of Fire

I like those wheels and tires as well! Just might have to pick up a set!

More small stuff being added each day. Today it was windshield wipers, front hood latches, interior door handles and window cranks, clearance lights and cab interior. The engine also needed to have the radiator hose connected now that the cab is permanently attached to the frame.

Nice rig from St. Clair Twp!

Getting there, Dan. One little bit at a time!?

A question Daniel. Does the hydraulic cylinder arrangement pivot on its axis? It needs to in order for the pistons to move along with the body when it is raised. The Mack AP that I did a few years back has the same equipment. Nice job!

Just a little bit more done. Got some decal work done on the hood and it is now attached to the firewall. Dash is finished and awaiting installation. After that is done the steering wheel, shift lever, brake lever, pedals etc will be done. The seat still needs some work but it has been primed and is ready for final paint. Lots of small detail stuff from now on.

Nicely done and well executed!

That's going to look like it should! Would you consider painting the pump panel flat black? If so, before the paint dries completely take a Qtip and go over the major components of the panel that are in relief. It will remove the black and leave the chrome. A VERY small dab of thinner would help. Here's an example of the results.

Here's what the magnets look like. Those are half inch long pins in the photo and a stack of the magnets to the right. I couldn't get the two individual ones closer without them snapping together! In the second photo you can see one of the magnets that have been embedded in the edge of the door.

This has been paint week. I say week because it has taken me all week to get it somewhere near right! My work area is very dry and as a result static electricity really builds up. So after each sanding the parts had to be scrubbed with detergent and allowed to air dry. Then I could paint the pieces. One of the things that always crops up when doing models with opening doors is that paint builds up around the edges and makes it difficult to put the parts back together. I found a solution for the compartment doors that helped some. I sanded the paint off the brass tubing used as the hinge. Using a blue magic marker I "repainted" the tubing to color it with a thin film of color. This made it possible to open and close the doors without rubbing the paint off the hinge point. And I got a bit of chrome work done as well. I used a 2mm Molotow pen to do the headlight trim rings but not the REO letters or hood ornament. Instead I dropped a blob of the Molotow paint on a piece of paper and used a fine brush to apply it. The brush works really well. The two bars at the bottom of the hood were done with the pen.

Daniel: To be in the same category as Joe Cavorley is an honor. I've learned that working with kit pieces sometimes requires some shaving and sanding to get the fit right. The assumption that they should go together without any hitches just is not so. These kits have been around for a while as well and are based on molds that were probably made long before CNC machines and the intricate detailing of today. Trial and error fitting with small adjustments at a time are the way to cure the bad fit. JMHO!?

Hello, Juergen: Will try and explain. Once the window was opened up I placed a piece of 0.020 thick sheet stock on the inside and traced the opening. While it was on the inside I drew pencil marks on the stock and a similar mark on the outside on the body to give me positive location points. Then I drew concentric lines around the outside the thickness of what I wanted the gasket to be and trimmed it to shape. After shaping I rounded off the outside edges and sanded them smooth. Using the pencil locator lines, the gasket is placed on the body and glued all around the outside. See the photo below. When the glue was set I cut out the inside being careful to follow the interior lines and keeping them parallel to the outside. This process leaves a small ledge on the inside of the gasket for the clear window glass to rest against. I use 5 minute epoxy to set them in place but allowing the epoxy to set up until it is tacky before I do. Doing this eliminates the chance of the epoxy running onto the clear window glass. Hope this helps.

It's fun to see things like this come to fruition. It's amazing the variety of parts and details that can be done with a bit of effort. I'll give you an example of a side marker light I made for the Port Vue Reo. I have to take a couple of photos but it was pretty easy to make and now to cast.

The body work is about done. Little places that needed touchup have been taken care of. First coat of primer is on the cab and hood. The blue panel at the right is what the truck color will be. I found a nice shade of blue at Auto Zone that is intended as engine paint but it is close to the actual color on the real truck. It goes on slick. Next up is to fit the small magnets in place on the compartment doors and give them a coat of primer.

Now that's scratch building!

I agree. Wrap some thin sheet stock around the rim and build it up so that the tires fit.

I tried very hard to make sure the joints are well filled in but they just don't show up sometimes. I did something else with this build as well. Inside the body at the corners I poured in some two part resin and let it set. It made all of the inside corners nice and smooth and sealed up a lot of places besides. In the photo below on the right inside those upper corners are nicely rounded with resin.

I scratch build the chassis. No problems!?

Just when you think you have things under control you decide to add primer and this is the result. I washed the body in soap and water to get all of the finger prints and dirt and dust off. Primer went on great. But there is a nice line just above the body windows that needs filling and the corner is not round. Primer brings out all of the little flaws that you think are not there! And there's a spot on top of the rear fender flair that needs attention!?

Weather the sides of the cab where they would have been scrubbed by dirty shoes getting in. Also along the beginning of the curved part of the cab where it would get touched by hands. Some of the Tamiya bare metal weathering material put on with their little sponge tip would do the trick. To Robert; I think is is a matter of test fitting these pieces as you go and making sure that all is square. The least bit of raw plastic where the sprues attach can be the cause of a lot of grief if they are not sanding off well. Just a thought. I've done a couple of these and the fit can be tough, especially with the hood so it takes a bit of tweaking.

The construction of the doors for the body is now done. Each one is hinged and with a bit of effort I'll add some tiny magnets to each one to keep them closed. I'll have to craft an opener for them after the compartment bottoms are added as they are then completely closed. Got some equipment to stow in them. Openings are all cut the doors are trimmed to fit. The small door on the end is made slightly different with simple notches to put the stainless pin after painting. Once in place the small cuts will be filled in to hide the pin. On the right is the stack of small magnets that I'll use for holding the doors closed. They are really strong for their size. Across the top of each opening is a strip of brass angle to act as a drip edge. The doors open easily on the tubing and pin hinges. The trick will be to keep them opening freely after painting the body. I'll have to do it in steps, first by painting the body, fitting the unpainted doors and then again after the doors are painted. I'm expecting that there will have to be some sanding to shrink the doors down a bit so they will not bind. All the doors are open. Don Mills Models square slam locks will fill the openings in the doors in the rear and in the front of each double door at the front of the body.

Thanks for posting Matt Leese's website. He has made tires for me before. Now I have his info saved where I can get at it.

It comes from a guy locally who had a booth in a local flee market. But he does sell from home as well. His e-mail is psme@psmescale.com. The PSME stands for "Precision Scale Model Engineering". He also has a website. www.psmescale.com. Tubing is 0.80mm diameter and the stainless wire is 0.18mm and just fits inside.

Welcome, Gabriel! Nice to have you aboard. There is no cure for model building but there may be for getting one finished! Take the time to think of all of the great things you can do by building one section of the model at a time. Make the time count. They when all of the sub assemblies are done put them all together. ??

With the body work basics complete work on the compartment doors commenced with the cutting open of the rear ones. While the real truck has piano hinges but there is an alternative to a piano hinge. (Wish they were still available but they are not). The rear door has been fitted with a small section of brass tubing on the left side. It was glued to the door with CA. After the tubing was set additional CA was put along the seam on both sides and then wiped clear. The surface was given a light sanding. This fills in the very small area between the tubing the the flat surface of the door. Notches were made in the body, both top and bottom and similar small sections of tubing were glued in place. A piece of stainless wire is run up through the bottom piece, through the tubing on the door and into the upper small tubing section in the body. The door swings easily without binding. On the right of the door is a chrome slam lock from Don Mills Hobbies. A rectangular opening is made in the door for the back of the lock. Now the door opens. In the foreground is a piece of the stainless wire that is used to pin the hinge pieces together. It's small stuff but it works. Once painting is done and final fitting of the doors is complete the pin is installed and given a small drop of CA to secure it so it won't fall out. Note the putty at the top of the door. That is where the small piece of tubing is. When all is sanded smooth the tubing will not show, and will be locked in with CA and putty. Now on to the rest of them!