Smoke Wagon

on my tricycle

Well, you older guys grew up in a time when you could easily find kits of new subjects (at the time, mostly annual kits). Being able to see a brand new car on the road and knowing there’s a pretty good chance of it being kitted is exciting. Compare that to today. New toolings are far and few between compared to back then. And modern toolings are usually kits of older subjects, usually of vehicles is younger guys never grew up with. The amount of kits that are of modern cars and trucks are staggeringly low, and most of those are snap kits. Although a big reason annuals are a thing of the past is because dealerships aren’t buying promos anymore. I agree that we live in a fast-paced and instant-gratification expecting world. I’ve had a couple friends come over to my place and see my kit stash and WIPs, you could see them quickly become interested, but they became uninterested just as fast once they realized that the kits take time and patience to actually look good.

Thanks guys. Got more parts painted yesterday, and detailed the grille and headlights.

Howdy. This started out as the 2013 Expedition SSV issue. I chose to make this truck an XLT (grille lights will just pass as aftermarket fog lights, and some raccoons stole the side trim). I started on it Friday night, and got color laid on the body yesterday. Tamiya Mica Blue over Rustoleum flat black. The wheels came from the first issue of this kit, the interior will be gray. I started plugging the holes in the floor pan where police equipment would snap in, and filled the slot in the dash where the radar gun would go. I might scratch build some side steps for it (I’m not sure why the kit never originally came with any).

Fair enough. One would think it would at least be available in resin. There’s a 1/24 scale 460 in the Revellogram ‘91 F-250, but it’s an EFI engine.

That’s a great project. Another c class camper was done a while back on the forum, but it used a Dodge B van cab and chassis. Are you planning to use the engine that came in the Ford van kit or are you planning on swapping in a 460?

Last week I saw a ‘93-‘95 Ford SVT Lightning on my way home from work.

But why?

Now you’re talkin’! Just maybe not the red Pinto wagon though...

Round 2 threw in a resin Joker figure with the last reissue of the Joker getaway car. Maybe if they decide to do the Bluesmobile they could throw in a figure of Carrie Fisher holding a rocket launcher. ?

That would be cool if they’re doing the Bluesmobile. I wonder if it would come with a microscopic cigarette lighter to throw out the window.

I might get one for the Budd wheels alone.

Thank you for the info on the monster truck kit. I agree that it would be a lot of work, and Revell’s kit isn’t bad, but it might be worth it to have a stock bricknose Ford that’s the same scale as AMT’s 1992-96 Ford. Then again I have enough projects and ideas as is lol.

Great job Mike. It turned out pretty good all things considered.

from Romania, but

And I was

The term ‘Smoke Wagon’ stems from an inside joke I started at a sawmill I used to work at. I would incorporate the term into sentences over the radio, usually while doing a Sam Elliott impression.

Thank you for the kind words. The southwest-style blanket was done by stippling the pattern in with black and brown ultra fine point sharpies. Those markers sure come in handy.

Good choice on the Montone dump body, it suits this rig well. The interior looks great, that faded green really gives it that fleet look. Great work!

or I’ll perish

I wonder if the 1/25 kits depicting an ‘87 to ‘91 truck have a stock-looking interior or at least the stock dashboard. If so then it’s possible to kitbash it with AMT’s 92-96 trucks to get a mostly stock-looking 87-91.

and oversized bugs

Wow. I can appreciate the effort and work that went into this alone, but the result of that work looking this good? Excuse me, I have to pick my jaw up off the floor.

Well done, the paintjob looks great! All you’re missing is some Kool and the Gang on the 8-track lol.

Thank you for the kind comments