Rbray47

I was never a Focus fan, but still, the demise of any car takes just one more option away from those of us who hate the current suv trend, where most of them are shaped like a deformed computer mouse. I blame the soccer moms who think they need awd even though they stay home when it snows lol. I drove a XJ Cherokee for almost 20 years. It was great offroad but was subpar at everything else. Bad mpg, questionable reliability, and very little cargo space. And rust. Lots of rust. I figured out that if funds allow, having a car for comfort, driving enjoyment, and good gas mileage, while also having a truck for truck things is the best of both worlds. Of course, thats not doable for everyone.

I use Tamiya white primer under Tamiya Pure red to get the brightest red.

I may get the Taurus, assuming it ends up at Hobby Lobby. If I remember right, it went together pretty good, but the chrome headlight lenses looked horrible.

I've built 3 of these kits. They're a little fussy. Could be something I did wrong though. On the last one, I switched the 250 for a 350 and that created a whole new set of issues running the intake out behind the cab.

My carpet is gray. Everything seems to blend in, especially the shadowy areas under my desk. On Thursday, the carpet is getting ripped out and laminate flooring going in its place. Modern problems require modern solutions.

I used the block from the MPC Ram 50. I had to scratchbuild the head, valve cover, and intake. A sbc long tube header hooked right up.

Finally a new (old) truck kit.

Pretty easy. I ground down the Aoshima mounts until there was just a shallow 1mm or so hole and glued styrene rod to mimic Tamiya wheels. The rod (I don't know the size) acts the same as Tamiya, so everything lined up and went in perfectly.

I bought this from ebay a couple weeks ago. It was listed as "new in bags". Not quite. I didnt study the pics well enough. Someone primered the body parts and sprayed a parts tree black. The bumpers were attached and a couple of glue fingerprints had been primered over. Easy fix, but a little annoying. Oh well. After realigning the bumpers and sanding everything smooth, I painted it Tamiya coral blue over Mr Hobby gray primer. I scratchbuilt several engine bay parts, like the ABS module, overflow tank, Perrin style intake pipe, AC lines, and clutch master. I converted it to left hand drive using parts from an Aoshima BRZ. The dash, firewall, and cowl fit pretty close as is, but the Aoshima console didn't. I ended up cutting both kits consoles apart and playing with pieces until it fit and covered the hole in the tub. I also made a muffler, bash bar, and used Aoshima 19" Advan T61 wheels.

I forgot to update my build thread, but here it is all finished. Cab is completely scratchbuilt out of styrene sheet. So were the mirrors, bumper, cab steps, and various small parts. An Amt Alaskan Hauler donated it's grill, headlights, and chassis. The interior was made from Freightliner interior tub parts and styrene. The dash, seats, shift tower, and windshield were all modified from an Amt K123. Not too sure about accuracy, but the engine is a Cat 1160 with a 5 speed transmission that hopefully looks like something that should be there. I also used Vallejo washes and Tamiya weathering powders.

Garwood body is painted and mostly assembled. Weathering started.

I mix Tamiya paints for Chevy orange and Detroit green. I don't even measure. I add the colors into a bottle lid a little at a time until it looks close enough.

That's an awesome build

The wheels are mounted, along with exhaust. I used Vallejo washes and Tamiya weathering powders. I purchased these 3d print wheels on ebay. There were no "inner" rims. All 8 drive wheels had lug nut detail molded in. At first I was a little disappointed but then I realized that's actually a feature. I only used them on the "outer" wheels and used a couple unchromed 10 holes on the inside. The brake drums and the mounted tires hide what they are. Now I have more for other builds. Not sure these trucks were offered with a Cat 1160, but it's all I had that would fit. I did take off the Allison automatic and attach a 5 speed. Speaking of shifting, I may redo the shifter. Its a bent piece of .030 styrene rod. It wont stay in shape well and interferes with the cab closing. Hopefully metal wire will work out better.