Warren D

Picked up a First Gear Int with lowboy for an excavator I purchased. Sadly the excavator was mis-represented as 1/25 scale when it is in fact a Newray 1/32. It was detailed and with a little work should be rebuildable into a medium class excavator in 1/25 scale.

Well, it's 1/1/2020 so I'm off! Got all my resin parts washed, need to do the log trailer but have time for that. Chassis is from AITM, Mack with 80,000 lb rears. Cab is also AITM. Still have a few parts coming, post office says by the weekend. Still working on the Love Machine Mack when I have time, not sure if I'll get that finished before I start in on this build.

I think I've decided to do a Mack B815 logger. Haven't decided if it'll be a trailer or straight job.......probably the trailer. Too many ideas rolling around in my head.....someone make it stop! ?

Seems like it might be short?

Count me in though I'll have to figure out a worthy project. Got too many of them but I also don't want to take on too much. The Rubber Duck Mack was over a year......but the Autocar DK was only a couple of months (though I was sick for 3 weeks which gave me plenty of build time).

Reminds me of some of the goodies in the NJ DOT storage garage in 1978. Too bad I never took pics.

You're now a home-moaner!

One man's art is another man's garbage........

Ya gotta give the guy credit, it's a pretty trick rig!

Probably not, there are much better choices. The Lindberg Dodge frame is very short, is kinda flimsy and from a build point of view, the parts don't fit well and the frame twists if you look at it wrong. It also drops at the front. The White 3000 cab is a good fit but that's about it.

Plans? We don't need no stinkin' plans! ?

To be honest, I built more than a few kits in the 70's, the KW with torsion bars, KW Aerodyne, Pete Long Hauler, Autocar dump, etc and don't remember this much trouble. I still have many of them that are slowly being rebuilt or used for other projects and they all sit flat on the ground, all 10 wheels touching. This Cruiseliner needed major surgery to come anywhere near close (frame was square before suspension) and I haven't even gotten to the little tweaks yet.

Very realistic looking!

Oh great, I have one of those in the stash.....

Starting my next project, will be a companion to my Rubber Duck Mack. Running into issues already, I don't remember a plastic kit that was so hard to build. Parts fit is questionable at best and instuctions, well, being a family friendly forum, are garbage. The A64B I just did went together better, even with the resin cab. In some ways the resin cabs need more work but the Autocar DK was less difficult by far. Maybe I remember wrong from 30 years ago, maybe I didn't care as much. Engine is done, needs paint, chassis is in the works, but need to get farther along to be sure where certain things go. Front engine crossmember will get located when I get the engine/rear suspension ready for install. I guess I'll work it backwards. Rear cab support, same thing, once the cab is together I can be sure of it's location. It'll be harder to paint but I can't figure it different. A lot of the parts are best guess, no accurate numbering between the sprues and instructions and instruction diagrams leave more than a lot to be desired. I seem to do well with the AITM resin kits, maybe I'll go back and do some more! ;^)

Hoping someone can help clarify a couple of assembly questions. Instructions are really BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH, funny but back in the day (30+ years ago) I don't recall having any trouble. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out the correct location for the front engine crossmember and the rear trunion. The trunion has 2 posts sticking up, do those go inside the trunion mounts or hang down underneath? I may have more questions later, but that's it for now. Thanks!

Great idea! I only remember seeing them when I was a kid. By the mid-70s it seems Blaw Knox were taking over, and the tracked machines never gained traction here. Haha see what I did there?

Great idea!

Calling this one done:

Calling this one done. AMT Autocar A64B engine and chassis with AITM DK cab. Tag axle by Gary Wallace, wheels and tires from Moluminum, except the tag axle which came from the Lindberg Dodge. Dump body cut down from the MPC gravel trailer, dolly from the leftovers. Gravel trailer nearly stock MPC with the forward axle removed as triaxle trailer dumps are rare in these parts. Paint is Testors Aztek Gold pearl metallic and a custom mixed Dark red pearl metallic. As I've seen, the pics don't capture the depth and flake in the paint.

It was never my intent to bash your father's memory, it's great that some of his stuff survived and that is more important than historical accuracy. I was merely pointing out that it was a "home-made" critter and not something that was purchased and disassembled.

Great project!

Snow plows are known for knocking over mailboxes. Actual plow hits are rare but most people see the plow go by and their mailbox go down. Usually the weight and impact of the thrown snow that does it.

There was a similar beast made in HO scale, IIRC it was made by Walthers and called Oscar.

Interesting loco. Looks to me that someone many years ago scratch built it from a few different parts. The body looks like a switcher that had the hood radically shortened and the truck looks like it was from under a passenger car.