Warren D

Great job, one of the best weathering jobs I've seen yet!

I think they are bank cutters for deep drifts.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm past that point. It's more of a challenge than I thought, I've done at least 6 AITM cabs/conversions and this is by far the toughest!

Great project. I had to move on of those many years ago, always in the way of my locker. Great progress, I admire your skills!

Ok, thought I had read you moved them to the top and didn't see them. Thanks!

Inspiration for this comes from my childhood many years ago. Growing up in the early mid 60's, searchlights were often hired for car dealership's new model year arrivals as well as supermarket and department store openings. My father would take the family out for a drive looking for the origin of the beam of light dancing in the sky. I recall seeing truck mounted searchlights, usually 6 wheel trucks. The searchlight was large, maybe 5 feet in diameter. My research shows they were most likely ex-military. For this build I decided on a concept rather than a specific truck as I have no recollection of specifics. Searchlight will be from scratch and is still in planning. I like the idea of a short nose Reo, seems to fit my memory. I'm going with tandem rears, I like the look. Kits involved so far are the AMT Diamond Reo for most of the build, AITM for the short hood and the Ford COE stake truck for the flatbed. I confess I didn't know what was involved in a short hood conversion. Difference is almost 3/4" and it means the cab must be moved forward that amount. It became obvious the Cummins in-line 6 from the kit was too long. I decided to go with a Detroit 6V-92 from Gary Wallace. I also have a GW Detroit 4-71 for the generator. Turns out the Detroit is too long as well and the interior is now cut up to make room. Next I'll be re-building the engine cover in the interior. The good news is that the rough work seems to be done and now it's finess time. Once I get the cab location finalized, I can fit the bed. Pics show progress so far.

I'm not finding the BRBO thread for voting other than this one.

Excellent!

Looks good, like your color choices. Really missing KJ's tires......

X10!

Thanks everyone. I'm not happy with the exhaust stack so I'm trying to get a new one from Dave. I have an idea that should come closer to the original. I'm also thinking of a visor........

Very well done! The weathering is perfect, not overdone!

Calling this one done....finally. Under Glass:

The inspiration for this build came from a truck show in MA a couple of years ago. I heard the distinct sound of a Deetroit long before I saw the truck. Once I saw it, I liked it! First photo of the real deal. Cab, dump body, wheels and tires from AITM. Chassis was from the Freightliner DD kit, shortened. Rear axle and springs from the FL SD. It has a 6-71 Detroit under the hood. Rear fenders were made the same way I've used before, tie-wrapped sheet styrene to (in this case) a 2" hole saw and dunked it in boiling water for 10 minutes followed by cooling under cold tap water to set the curve. Pics show a couple of flaws I need to fix.....it's always something.

Great job! I've often thought of building some of the other trucks from the movie.

I'm going to run up against the same thing with my next build, a Diamond Reo with short hood. I've got a Detroit 6V92 that I'll shoe horn in.

I use a lot of tape to mock up constantly. I'd tape the front suspension (or use white glue which will dissolve when soaked in water) and check the cab for fit to make sure the front axle will line up right. AITM has a lot of great stuff but it's a higher level than just a straight out of box kit. OTOH, some of those AMT kits don't go together very well.........

Looks great, sadly reminds me I'm old as I remember those on the road.....

I have the Jimmy Flintstone panel but it appeared easier to skin the panels in with sheet stock. That method had a few challenges but I still think it was a better choice.

The Sherman is an RC model, couldn't find a Tamiya at a decent price. Lots of armor in 1/35 not much in 1/24-1/25!

Fresh out of re-hab, I built the trailer originally over 40 years ago. The story here, the M4A3 Sherman tank is fresh out of overhaul and headed for the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA to be part of their tank driving experience. (I drove the real one earlier this year) This tank was featured in several movies, The Blues Brothers and a starring role in "Tank". The Pete COE is also over 40 years old, she's held up well considering time and several moves. The Pete is rattle can paint, airbrushing was still a little in the future. This was also a bit of an experiment with Mission Models acrylics. The tank and trailer are both done with MM sprayed with an airbrush. I still prefer Pollyscale, nothing since seems to have decent coverage. MM is ok, though their flat really isn't. The tank was given several coats of flat and it's still way too glossy. I've had some compatibility issues with MM and other acrylics so I was reluctant to use my old Pollyscale flat over the MM. Decals took a long time to get on as the letters are all applied individually. One thing I learned, MM has a polyurethane additive that supposedly increases the durability but I had 2 bottles that ruined the first try on the trailer. MM coverage isn't very good, many coats required to cover primer.

Thanks, I'll check.

Anyone know of a source for a Detroit 4-71? 1/25 scale Thanks

Well done as usual!

Thanks, I was much younger then, the old eyes today couldn't handle it.