Biggu

Thanks Brizio and JM …. I am still slowly plodding along here with this but I am patiently waiting for some decals, so I have had to temporarily slow down a bit. But once the stripe decals get here, I am hoping to get going again. It’s probably good to slow this down a bit as last week was a high cuss factor week. I found for some reason the roof of the sleeper was a bear to install and was giving me fits. I finally got it on but am not at all happy with it, but somedays one just has to say ok you win. Hopefully once done it won’t detract too much from the final result …… hopefully. Jeff

A Bison build. That’s one I will be looking forward to. It will be a great companion to the General. Jeff

Niiiiicceee !!! The fleet looks great there. I particularly like the General, it looks very business like with the floats and the dark grille. Top drawer wood working skills too. Love it ! Jeff

Hahahaha. Me too. Those are the ones that are all split up one side and well worn on the other and a struggle to lift ! And don’t have any grease on the hinges ???

Glad to see this one back at the front of the line. I love the modifications. This is a cool build. Jeff

Incredible in such a small scale ??

That sounds like a very viable plan JM. I personally so like an old school approach, and with a modern twist. And I LOVE what you are doing with your printer. Millions of miles head of anything I can do. Keep going. This is good stuff Jeff

Well … the nerve of you taking a week off..????? First off, it is your model and you build it any way you want. I know I build for ME and there is no apologies needed. Now with that said, your printing is very good and you are delving into some very cool subjects . By any remote chance are you going to build this Autocar as an old ‘retired’ hard worker? With some rust and lots of dirt? Personally, if it were my truck, I would sure consider that idea. Have you decided on rims and tires? This truck has almost endless possibilities. I am looking forward to where you take this. Patiently waiting for the next up date…. Jeff

Wow , now that is some fine detail, Fabrizio and 1/64! That is very cool. A great start to a unique project. This is going to be interesting. Jeff

Robert, you absolutely NAILED the drivers door. That is perfect. Your weathering is an excellent tutorial on how to make it look real ! Outstanding. Jeff

Thank you for asking this Steve, I feel your pain … Hank’s site was an absolute gold mine of working iron. I would hate to add up all the hours I spent there. For me what I do at the moment , until something good comes along, is snag any pic I think may be of some use down the road, which I’m sure you and others do as well . And as gorgeous as some of those custom rigs are, they are not the dusty, greasy everyday well used units. And your assessment of Pintrest is right on, I really struggle with that site, click on one pic and I go down some hole I have no idea where or why. Maybe this thread will be a go to place for guys to make good suggestions we can keep coming back to as a photo reference. Jeff

Excellent problem solving engineering, Steve. This is shaping up to be almost a full on scratch build. I really like where this is going. Keep up the great work and keep the up dates coming as well. Really interesting Jeff

Thanks Steve , I must admit I was sweating a few bullets there for a bit. And when the fit wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for the old grey matter between my ears was in full motion , BUT I didn’t swear. ……. Much ??

The sweetest eye candy ever !!! If you want to make it look real, bend the rear bumper, break a few chain rungs or bend them badly at least, put a tandem load of sand on the rear fenders and leave a frozen load in the box !???…. Seriously this is a fabulous build, Brian, so much fun and pleasurable to watch this come together …. Jeff

Ok. I HAVE to show this !! I am just ‘tickled pink’ …… the hood to cab issue with this kit is quite well known as the fit isn’t exactly perfect. So with some trepidation , I installed the hood and it seemed a bit ‘askew’. Not straight against the cab and a bit of in overlap on the drivers side with a small gap on the passenger side. Not acceptable ….. hhhmmm. So I took the hood off, popped off a hinge, and shimmed it with a small piece of sheet. Reinstalled the hinge and crossed fingers??I let it set up a bit and reinstalled the hood….. and this is the result ! I am SO HAPPY. !!! Not sure it gets a whole lot better. At least from my bench ! To tighten it perfectly just a slight push on the drivers side this is how it fits with just closing it normally

Well….. cab installed, hoses hooked up intakes and rad supports. Also added the decals to the A/C compressor and alternator

Well , there is a detail that a lot of guys do that it seems I have missed. Either forgot or lazy. Maybe both. That is the ‘rubber’ under the fuel tank straps. So looking at some real trucks and some builds, I decided on this… some Tamiya tape ‘painted’ with a fat Sharpie and cut to spec. It looks pretty good in real and does convey the illusion of a rubber strap. I think ….

I cheat, Brian. CTM # 24072B Hose Clamps

Thanks fellas , I was hoping it didn’t look like a 4 year old painted it. ?, your kind words keep me going. It’s fun branching out trying new skills. There will be a bit more to come.

Great color choice !

Oh and the detail painting looks way better in real life. These pics seem to show lack luster painting skills, honest it does look better a foot away. Again apologies for the lousy phone pics.

Thanks , Steve and Mike … it is a fun build and I an really stepping out of the regular comfort zone. And have a little update as it were …. Mock up of cab to frame. Just making sure all the gubbins on the engine will tuck in. The good news is , with this engine kit, the radiator was thoughtfully printed just a slight touch lower, so as not to cause any notorious hood fit issues and I an happy to say, upon test fits, ( not fits ??) but a test fit, the hood will be just fine and looks to work quite well.

I’d be proud to be driving a beauty like that down the road! Love the front mud flaps and stout look of the whole thing ! Very well done. Jeff

Thanks Jurgen. The CTM pe is amazing. You should give it a try when you can. Makes all the difference. Wait till you see the steps and deck plate cheers. Jeff

Thanks Gary. Crappy phone pics tho.