Andrew D the Jolly Roger

Yep, I know, I definitely am not interested in the earlier one they used; the later one was used in far more episodes, and just looked sleeker, meaner, much more attractive to me. When I think of "Daisy's car," I think that one. So, the Revell GTX? And the hood, had no idea, huge thanks for that tip! Gotta learn where to find one now....

Ok, so far so good, thank you! Now, what's the best way to do this? Base kit plus modifications?

Fuzzy area for me, is this a '72 Satellite? Have heard everything from Roadrunner to Satellite to GTX. And, what's the best kit to start with to make it?

Thank you all for the kind comments! All the more appreciated considering the AWESOME caliber of builds I've seen in here! ?

Thank you everyone for the wonderfully kind comments! I've been enjoying looking at several in here as well, y'all are rich in imagination and talent! AMFan, here's the completed thread of my GLee, with the engine bay I went a little crazy on: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/125697-my-ultimate-general-lee-in-125/?tab=comments#comment-1825592 Also, for something also very different, my "Lee 1": http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/150471-lee-1-wreck-doh/

Wow, terrific, love it when a buy priced at pocket change turns into a true gem! Did you rebuild the grill with wire mesh?

And she's done! Here's the link to her completed pics:

After several years of scratchbuilding, finally finished! Pretty much everything after the cab is scratchbuilt, plus the entire chassis was rebuilt and the wheel base extended. Only complaint is the door decals are too big, but they're all I could find in years of looking. The build thread is here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/160025-hazzard-tow-truck/

Thanks for all of that! As far as the kit, I started with two junked built kits I got off Ebay, and I do believe one of them was the GMC stepside, or at least part of it....I think it was missing the truck bed, which I didn't need anyway, so it was a win-win. Wishing we had the models from our youths is similar to whenever I watch reruns of Emergency! and Adam 12; all I keep thinking in every driving scene is, Boy, I wish I could get my hands on just some of those "everyday cars" all around them!

Folks, I forgot to mention the Dually wheels are resin items I got on Ebay, which match perfectly those used on the real thing. ?

Thank you for the kind words! I took a look at your D100 and it is absolutely jaw-dropping. I'm pleased with my ability to scratchbuild in plastic, but what you do in metal is just astounding. Closest thing I can think of to match your enginework is what I did with my General Lee engine bay, but it's still a different bit from what you do.

In the episode "Daisy's Close Call" (S6 E19) Cooter is seen using a tool box from the rig. I can't see it in any other episode, so, being Hollywood, it probably wasn't there at any other time, not being a true "working" rig. Still, I thought it would be a great, even necessary, addition. I estimated the size at about 20" x 8" (when he carries it to the truck it is indeed fairly slender). From some angles the grime from being handled by a mechanic is visible. Appears to have a silver or light colored handle. I scratchbuilt it in an evening, primed it and painted it the next day. The same day I scratchbuilt a crowbar, and added a hammer and a wrench that came with the two junkers from which this project began. The wrench was finished in Alclad stainless steel, then grime strategically added. All the tools were made to appear worn and heavily used. Finally all this was added to the wrecker bed, including an extra length of chain visible in the episode "Happy Birthday General Lee".

Thank you Alan, very kind to say! I'm wondering if I should go back and put a box of donuts on the passenger seat.... Okay, almost there...I learned from y'all that the front bumper is probably made from quarter inch steel coated in thick black rubber. I also noticed there were two styles that showed up on the GMC truck in the series, again probably indicating two different vehicles masquerading as one for the filming. One of them was straight and flat, and the other curled around the corners of the fenders. I opted for the curled type. Made it from .020" plastic, carefully curled, then added three wire mounts, disguised from the front as the actual bolts that hold it on. Then added fake bolts for the rest. I tried to match the same pattern I saw in a couple of my photos. Then some drybrushing over the flat black with dark gray. Then the final touches with the antennae. The last one was the one that clips on over the driver's window. The aerial for that one was made from a bit of metal guitar string (the high E-string). The aerial on the tow rig is only slightly thicker, from a B-string. Also used B-string for the four other lengths of thin cable on the tow crane (totally different from the thick, braided tow cable).

Now gotta add the last of the lights. First the tow rig has six small rounded-rectangular position lights. To make them all as uniform as possible I made a master shape from styrene, then made impressions of it in moldmaking material. I made a lot of extras since I wanted a lot to choose from, and would only take the best 6. This ended up being a very wise move. Clear resin was poured into the mold impressions and thank God there were 6 decent ones to use from the resulting blob. They had to be right the first time since trying to clean up and reshape anything that small would be a nightmare. Now the grill/headlight assembly. Chrome was removed by soaking in bleach, and damage done by previous owner/assembler was repaired. Headlights were drilled out completely. Whole thing primed and painted in Alclad Stainless Steel (more of a workhorse appearance than chrome). New headlights fashioned from acrylic gemstones/rhinestones, with the facets sanded smooth and then polished to shine. The result is far more convincing than chrome headlights the same color as the grill & bumper.

Now for the rotating beacon atop the rig. Found something very similar from Tony's Custom Squads. Still needed some cleaning up, and the finish redone in Alclad Stainless Steel (although Polished Aluminum perhaps might have been a better choice). License plate was made by cutting a piece of aluminum turkey roasting pan to match the size of the license plate decal. Now for the rear view mirrors. I discovered from my photos that there were two similar yet different styles used, probably meaning two different trucks used for filming the series. I settled on one and started work. Once built and primed, they were finished in Alclad polished aluminum and Bare Metal Foil for the actual reflective surfaces. I definitely should have cleaned them up a bit more after priming....

Thank you! It's actually already finished, I just wasn't going to post photos 'til I was certain this was going to work. I almost gave up on this more than once over the years (yes, years!). By next week the completed photos should be posted ?

Much appreciated! I knew pretty much nothing about tow rigs when I began this, plus the fact that I normally build aircraft, and you can see I was in over my head when I started. Lots of advice from the folks in this forum kept me on the straight and narrow, with patience with all my questions. Without the advice here, this wouldn't have turned out as well as it had. I'm very grateful! ?

Thank you, kind of you to say; gotta say with each vehicle I tackle it just gets more and more fun!

Thanks for the kind comments! On to the actual tow cable. I was first referred to some braided metal cable produced specifically for modelmakers, but it was much too thick, and didn't coil around the spool at all. I found my answer in a picture hanging kit. The braided wire for hanging pictures on a wall was almost perfect in the smallest size, the 10-50 lb strength. I ran it through a candle flame to give it the appropriate worn/stained appearance. Next, some of the most critical scratchbuilding of the project, the sling. I tried various materials to simulate the heavy duty rubber straps, including black duct tape, black latex gloves and even bicycle inner tube. The latter had the perfect appearance but alas, was far too thick. I found the answer in black party balloons. The rounded part had too many curves to use, but the balloon necks had barely enough length of flat material. Add to that the chains on each side and the effect exceeded my hopes. On the end of the chains are hooks; these I made from reshaped sections of paperclip, then attached to the chains and painted worn dark metallic. After this I was VERY relieved and pleased with the result.

Oh man, this is awesome! Totally missed it before....

The red paint on the wrecker was going to be critical. It isn't regular red. Not only is it sort of a brick red color, but it's also stained and heavily sunbleached, giving a chalky appearance. You know, like playground equipment that gets sunbleached and then when you touch it you get white chalky residue on your hand? That's what it looks like. So. How to do sunbleached off-red without making it look straight pink? I started with a mixture of dark red, flat red and rust brown and sprayed everything in a base color. Then I used a mixture I came up with years ago that I call "Brick Red" and went over everything carefully, again. It's slightly lighter than the first color mix. Then I went back over it again with a VERY thinned mixture of light gray/off-white (36622 Camouflage Gray in military parlance, the color of the undersides of US warplanes in Vietnam). Then I went back with a wash of watercolor sludge (after this pic) and the result was almost perfect! Now to add the taillights. I made them using acrylic rhinestones/gemstones. Don't use glass ones, because the acrylic ones can be sanded to remove the facets and make them smooth once polished. Two were done in clear red, the other two left clear.

Thanks for remembering my Lee 1 build! Honestly as crazy as that one was, this one ended up being much more challenging....

Interesting about the automobile club colors, now it makes a lot of sense! Thanks Dave, and honestly now looking at the quality/accuracy of the official CTT kit I wouldn't want one anyway....

Now for some of the lights. First the two rounded-rectangular rear-facing lights on the sides of the crane structure. I used acrylic gemstones, cut to shape, then the facets sanded out then polished smooth. Then the amber lights on top of the cab. I wouldn't mind cutting/sanding to shape some clear sprue for one or two, but there are FIVE of them. Trying to make five all identical that way is too much. So, I made one with scrap styrene, and used it to make a mold. From that I cast several identical in clear resin. Once cured they were cleaned up and painted with clear orange, with flat black at the bottom. Then, mounted on the cab.

Thanks y'all, really appreciate the very kind words! Next was scratchbuilding the sling/cradle structures. Absolutely the best views of this came from the episode "Play It Again Luke."