Chariots of Fire

The hinge you are using is very similar to the one I used on the Maxim project. I left the hinge pin just a bit long and made up two small pieces of brass strip stock with a hole in each one that was the same size as the pin. I notched them into the radiator shell and firewall so that they are barely visible and so that they line up with the hinge pin when the hood is in position. When it is ready to install the hood in its final position after painting the pin ends will be given ever so slightly a drop of glue to hold it from sliding out Maybe you could do the same thing here.

Ok, Tom! Ya got me! I try to be on the right side of divine intervention even though I know I truly fail at it all the time. Thank God for His generous mercy! As for the devil? No way you can serve both at the same time! I have been accused of having a shrink machine but there is no truth in that rumor either! There is no big secret to making things that are small. I've been blessed with a steady hand and reasonably good eyesight even for an old timer like me! Working with brass is a big help but it is nothing I could have accomplished early in my modeling career. They say that experience is the best teacher and I buy into that. A pair of mini vise grips is very helpful in holding pieces of brass while I am working with them. Definitely not possible just by holding it in my fingers. The other part of it is just that I enjoy working with different mediums to get the final result. Nothing sacred about any of it other than if it works, use it! I'm glad if it makes you feel younger! Maybe I could package it for sale!

Did a bit of work on the second door today and got the latch mechanism finished. Just have to do the catch for the door opening. After that was done I made up a front bumper and the two door handles. Of the various options open to me for making the bumper and door handles chrome I settled on plating with nickel solution. I picked up a plating kit which includes the solution, a power supply, wand and a clip to attach to the bumper and door handle pins. The bumper and handles were made from brass, filed smooth, sanded, polished and then plated. It was a pretty simple process and the results I think are better than Alcad, Bare Metal Foil or chrome paint pens. Here are the results.

That's one of the BIG boys! That is going to be super! Will be following along here without a doubt!

Here's a pic of the inside of the doors. I made up a mechanism that will move when the outside door handle is pressed down. In turn the latch moves inward away from the catch in the edge of the door opening (haven't done that part yet). It's kind of fiddly stuff but fun when it works out! In the photo the half door is the first one I tried years ago to see if i would work. The door at the right is one of the doors for the model. The opening will be covered with 0.020" sheet stock once everything is in place and checked to make sure it works ok.

Let me see if I have a spare one.

And here are a couple more after both doors have been mounted. They are still removable by pulling the stainless pin from the hinges. Once they are painted and ready for final attachment the pin will snipped for each hinge. 020 x 020 plastic stock surrounds each door as well as forming a drip edge at the beginning of the roof curvature. One additional piece will be added to the rear of the roof beginning at the body and working its way around to the other side.

Began work on the cab doors today. The outside panels are cut from thin brass sheet stock. There will be an interior panel similar to the white plastic one to the right in the photo. I'm working on a mechanism that will be fit inside the door that will allow a latch to work by moving the outside door handle. Some wire rod, cams and spring will do the trick. The hinges came from Micro-Mark with half of them soldered to the inside face of the door panel. The other part of the hinge is glued and pinned to the face of the door jam. After all the fitting is done a trim piece will be glued to the cab surrounding the door. Maxim was not particular about the doors having a smooth fit against the rest of the cab sheet metal so they let it overhang the door opening and cleaned it up with the outside trim.

That's looking right fine! How would the tank from the AC Mack or Opel Blitz fit? You wouldn't have to worry about the shape with either of them. Minor adjustments would take care of dated things like the fill covers on top.

Well Methusaleh lived to be 969 years old so there is still hope!

More progress on the little things. Trim is added to the windshield opening. It is just slightly smaller inside than the original opening so that the glass can fit right against it. The trim was made of 0.020 sheet stock so it is thin and will represent the rubber gasket. The engine finally got an exhaust system and the wheels have been painted and trimmed in a gold stripe and chrome lugs. Still to be added to the wheels are the covers over the screws that hold the wheels on the axles.

Awesome! What great building info that is! I just might save that for a future build I have in mind! Also an R190!

Wow! That's as good if not better than Alcad!

Things are continuing to move along with some additional progress on the cab and hood. Openings for the doors are done and reinforced on the inside. The spaces under the floor are for tools on the left and for batteries on the right. Hood sides were opened up as well and photoetch mesh was soldered to the inside.

Looks like real progress is being made. What did you use for the rear step? Looks nice!

Thanks, Dan. Opening up the doors now and will begin the work on the cab interior.

Progress continues with the small side windows being cut out. Running boards are taped temporarily in place and some detail features on the front fenders where they mate up with the grill. Next will be to open the doors. Then the floorboards can be set in place. Doing that will really stiffen up the inside.

With the frame done and the pump in place it finally came time to paint the frame and install the engine. A bit of minor tweaking was essential to get the body to sit on the frame with everything permanently set. Two blades of the fan had to be sanded down ever so slightly so that it fits better next to the radiator. The hood needed a bit more adjustment as well including a touch of solder on one edge to square it up. Nice to have the windshield open now. Begins to look more like a truck than just a blob of plastic! It is nearly impossible to get a nice smooth surface to the inside of the cab roof so rather than try some two part resin was mixed up and poured in just enough to cover the joints. Now it is nice and clean and extra strong as well.

That is going to be really nice, Jacobus! Your work is exceptional and I look forward to checking out your progress.

Yes, I solved the uploading of pix problem. Doing it through Photobucket url. Definitely the grill was a "grilling" task! There is still a little work to be done. The vertical trim pieces will be done in aluminum stock so that I can polish them out. So much nicer than trying to BMF the little pieces. The top piece I will put BMF on but it will be done prior to final painting. That way I can gently rub the paint off the BMF underneath and have a nice neat line.

We'll try a few more photos from Photobucket. The grill is now finished for placement and looks pretty good. With the engine now set for location and the Hale pump made up I concentrated on the drive shafts. I used Shapeways universal joints and brass tubing.

Going to try and post a couple of more photos, this time from Photobucket. Maybe it will take them. I was just copying from my files before so that might be the trouble. Let's see! Ok, it worked! Here is the front of the Maxim with a piece of Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland photoetch mesh for the grill. The marks are on a piece of clear tape that is holding the grill in position. When finished there will be a chrome trim around the top and sides and several vertical trim pieces on the mesh itself. Lots of fitting to be done here!

Hey, John! That's some neat work!! What's going to pull it??

Casey what size photos are you posting? I'm having some trouble getting mine in for some reason.

Here's a look at the finished engine. Color is Krylon satin black. The heat exchanger and transformer are medium blue. Distributor caps are rust red. Wiring is from Michaels craft store. For some reason there are limits on posting my photos so I will have to do them in individual postings. They have been reduced for posting and are no different than before but with the new limits they are too big.