average_joe

That looks beautifully done! I wish my best work was half as good as your "not best work."

That's really amazing work, however (in my useless opinion) the wheels are an unusual choice for something so weathered.

Thank you all for the feedback and encouragement so far! I haven't made a great deal of progress as in the past 2 weeks I had to travel out of town for 2 funerals. But the body is painted, the chassis completed, and I'm working on the interior now. Hopefully I don't have to travel any more for a while and can get back at this one in earnest.

Please be gentle as this is my 1st Workbench build. ? O and I'm trying to learn how to use my camera properly. Anyway, this is the Aoshima 104 Toyota Hilux Surf SSR, which I am building as a US-spec 1991 Toyota 4Runner. Exterior color is Duplicolor Toyota Red Mica over a black primer, which in retrospect may not have been the best choice as it's a bit dark. Interior will be "shades of grey." I've spent way too much time on the chassis and am still not complete with it. The only modification is I cut off the molded-in plastic springs from the axle (which imho looked awful): I made the top spring isolators from some 1:10 scale rc parts, then found some plastic-covered silver wire. I wrapped this wire around a drill bit to form the springs. I'm going to mount the spare tire under the body, as was the custom w/ US models. Really taking my time on this one to try and do it right and hone my techniques. Any suggestions, constructive criticism, mocking is welcome. And more later!

That turned out great, looks like a real resto-mod!

That turned out beautifully, so clean - awesome work!

This is awesome, thank you very much! I'm new to all of this (well, returning after 40-some years) and gems like this are incredibly helpful; also, I do appreciate your feedback on the Meng kit as I was wondering if their kits were any good.

That is truly amazing work, Tom - I want to jump in and go for a tour! Beautifully done and the details are outstanding!

Enjoyed the initial build, and really liking your refinement on it, Michael. Sorry you had some setbacks but you seem to have easily overcome them. Looking forward to the (re)finished project!

Michael, thanks so much for the insight on these kits! I've already seen some of the crazy prices on a few, when I can find them. The lack of interior detail is pretty disappointing, but might make for some interesting work to try and detail them (again, if I can actually find the kits for less than a mortgage payment). A reissue would be so nice too.... I think I might give the Meng VS004 a try, it's clearly a 1/35 79-Series Cruiser; and it's affordable enough to spend time on. Thank you again for this!

Sigh, my Google-fu was lacking. I've now found: ESCI 3027 - BJ44 ESCI 3028 - Phillippines Taxi ESCI 3030 - Savannah Master Italeri 6352 - Armed Pickup Now, if only I could actually find them for purchase....

Now I see the ESCI Phillipines Taxi BJ-44...

I am a Toyota Land Cruiser fan, and am aware of and own the 80 and 100 Series kits from Tamiya, Fujimi. I have been looking for other models as well, but haven't run across any. Is anyone aware of any 40, 60, 70 Series kits? I'm shocked there are no 40 Series kits out there; the 60 I can kind of understand; and I'd buy & build every adaptation of 70 Series. And a 55 Iron Pig would be amazing too! If anyone knows of any, I'd love to hear about them!

Hi Michal! Thank you very much for the pictures! I am new to all of this, haven't built any since I was a child, so I very much appreciate you sharing your technique here. I will have to give this a try on one of my upcoming builds. Which beer did I like best? ALL OF THEM! (except Budvar) You have a great selection of excellent beers, and of all I tried I think my favorite was at Hotel Pegas in Brno - they brew on the 1st floor and have a restaurant, with the hotel above. My wife and I have to visit Praha! I arrived and departed via Vienna, took either the student bus or train to Brno; I did get to spend time in Vienna which blew my mind, I bet Prague is even better!

Ahoj! You really have a talent for weathering, and this one looks fantastic! Do you have any threads with photos of your process? (I've been fortunate to spend time in Brno, always loved visiting!)

Followed along on your Workbench thread, this one turned out fantastic - very nice work!

Very interesting build, and that is some crazy flex! Following along for more updates, and looking forward to seeing the front suspension. Will you be installing a panhard bar for the rear?

Really beautiful work, and a great story! The staging is also great - very well done all the way around.

Thank you all for the welcome! This forum has been extremely helpful already, and I'm going to start my first build post here this holiday weekend. I've had some minor successes with paint thanks to reading here, so I'm sure w/ practice I'll get better.

HI All, I've been checking out the forums for a while now as I'm getting back into modeling after a 40-year layoff, and I've already learned a great deal - hope to be able to contribute something soon! My wife and I live in the Raleigh, NC area. My primary modeling interest is Japanese 4x4's and older Toyota cars. To ease back into building, I've already ruined a Tamiya 80-Series Land Cruiser, and got an AMT Scout II from HL for $7.50 to play with. Skills and techniques are improving already... I've owned a 1994 Toyota XCab 4x4; 1995 FZJ80 Land Cruiser (triple-locked); 2004 Tacoma; 1971 FJ40; and currently a 2007 GX470 (Toyota Prado outside of the US). When we first started dating, my wife had an '82 Tercel that was indestructible, and the hooks were set... I think I'm decent at parts prep, but still working through painting techniques and decaling. As I mentioned, this forum has already been a huge help and I look forward to learning more - thank you all for your willingness to share your knowledge!