BK9300

A lot of elbow grease has been used here - just amazing mirror finish on your paint! Do you ever find paint buildup around your bolt holes to be a problem when you get to re-assembling? Beautiful model.

White is a very difficult colour to lay down well, but you’ve done a very good job - hope no overspray gets on that shiny red paint job behind you!

It’s exciting to see your start on the engine. From the pics there are of the real engine, it looks like it will be quite a challenge to model it - a challenge I’m certain you will meet!

I remember an ad, back in the day, on Speed Channel, that had one of these cars doing a bit of a drift around a corner, and the throat that car had was amazing. You’re doing an amazing job on your version!

Kind of a bonus day - started the morning out looking in my aftermarket parts drawer, and came across a couple sets of CTM, US truck batteries. Too bad I hadn't remembered that a few days ago! I'm going to go with three of these batteries for the truck - lots of power for those cold starts and the demand from all the lights. I started in on converting the battery posts to threaded terminals, by removing the existing posts and drilling holes for the small bolt sections I will CA glue in. Also needed to figure out a hold down mechanism for the batteries. Saw lots of pics online about ways to hold batteries in place; the method I settled on was just the easiest to achieve. Built a tray to set the batteries in, added the brass tubing/threaded end, hold down rods and some Scale Model nuts, to bolt the hold down bar in place. I had previously forgot to cut the openings in the sides of the back of the box, to allow for the cables to pass through, so did that today as well. I will need to paint these boxes, the batteries, tray and hold down bar, before I CA glue the threaded terminal ends in place. Hope to get to a bit more wiring in the next few days. Not much today, but moving forward! Take care.

Yes, they are definitely a step up from some kit parts. I have to go back to your build and see what you used for a fuel tank - I recall that it was a square sided, diamond plate tank in combination with the steps.

Looks good, Brenton - the other chrome parts you have yet to add will definitely add some bling!

Looking good, Victor - almost looks like you've got enough headroom for a sleeping loft!

That looks pretty special, Gary - hope you find the hood you need! Any chance of extending/modifying your existing hood?

So well done - looking terrific in the mockup!

So close to being finished the battery boxes - a little more work, and then paint! I had made the brackets for the upper step a few days ago, and now had to attach them to the box. I'm not confident about the epoxy holding the diamond plate to the covers - a corner of one lifted while I was trimming the lower and back edges of the plate. I used thin CA glue to hold the corner back in place, but not as sure as I would like to be how well the diamond plate is secured. I wasn't going to epoxy the brackets to the diamond plate, or use CA glue because I'd make a mess around the brackets, so I decided upon actually bolting the braces to the cover, like the real thing. Taped the brackets in position and used a 0.6 mm bit to drill through the plate/styrene cover; the bolts and nuts in the pic are from Scale Hardware - Brackets with the bolts spotted in place - With some (lots!) of difficulty, and a pair of tweezers in each hand, I did get all the nuts snugged up into place. I nipped off the bolt ends, and applied some thin CA glue the nuts and threads that should, hopefully, keep the nuts from backing off. Then, I cut a couple lengths of the Auslowe metal steps to fit in the upper brackets. Same problem here about how to attach both sets of step treads. Might rough up the inside ends of the steps, and the styrene perches, and just go with CA glue. Seems a bit of a shame to paint over the metal parts, but the real ones are aluminum so that's what's needed! One more mockup of boxes on truck - Next, to completely finish the fabrication, I need to have a go at those CTM hood latches, for the sides of the boxes, to hold the covers in place. Would be great if I could attach them so they could be unhooked - the rubber latch is a tiny bit stretchy - and the covers remain removable. After that, need to paint, then onto batteries for the driver's side box, then onto the wiring to the motor. Take care!

Thanks, Dan - it's getting there, and quite a few more updates likely needed! Thanks, Gary - thankfully, I've been getting lucky with a bunch of 'firsts' for me in this build! Much appreciated, Francis! About those tools, every time I go to the hobby store, I come back with more paint, and tools, than I intended to buy. If I was 10 (or 15) years younger, I'd sure like to have a try at the type of machining that you're so accomplished at. But, I think I'll just 'stay in my lane' and carry on with tools for styrene! Thanks, Scott, and with posts like yours, I'm continuing to learn about trucks - didn't know about all the different groups of batteries out there for trucks!

I agree with Gary, and your primer laid down very smooth on the body. Should look great in maroon.

Very sad to hear about this. Don’t know him personally, but had a few email exchanges when ordering parts in the past. Hoping for the best for him through this tough time.

I’ll agree with that! Really liking the level of detail - lots to take in and enjoy.

This combo is going to be a sight to see, for sure! Really looking forward the details inside the trailer - wonderful work on it so far, Victor!

Always a treat to follow along on your builds - get to continuously pick up detailing nuggets!

Great looking trio of Mack’s! Your process of designing and printing your own ‘kits’ lead to very unique builds - well done!

That’s quite a combination, Jürgen! Look forward to seeing your post in “Under Glass”.

That’s impressive, Dan. It’s amazing, in real life, how the cars move so little and no damage is done to them while confined in such tight spaces!

Just about there, with the battery/tool box fabrication, and I got to use a new tool today, for the first time! Had this in the cabinet for awhile, thinking I was going to be making a set of the photo etch boxes from I had purchased from CTM - they weren't deep enough, though. But, turns out it was very handy for bending the diamond plate covers. Taped everything down, so I didn't mess up the scribe/cut line on the diamond plate. A few passes and some decent pressure on a fresh X-acto knife blade, and the thin plate was cut apart - I cut a small, test section, to get the spacings right for the bends on the actual covers - scribed a couple fold lines on the backside of the test plate and gave it a try. Test cover held in place with tape Covers bent to shape and held in place with tape. I wasn't sure how much the cover plate length might shorten from the bending, if any, so I left the lower and back edges of the plates a bit long - I'll trim them to their final size before I epoxy them in place. Tomorrow, need to do a bit of clean up sanding on the boxes, trim and epoxy the cover plates in place, make two sets of upper step brackets and steps, epoxy and 'bolt' the upper brackets through the cover plates, and set them aside to let the epoxy cure. Hope to get some paint on them sometime this weekend - take care!

Thanks a lot, Francis - appreciate the comments - and didn't stay awake very long early yesterday morning, so all is good. I am a bit surprised (and thankful!), though, that moments like that often lead me to solutions for problems about how to fix something or make the 'next step' clear!

That's remarkable and very believable weathering you achieved on your 'Mule' - just an amazing job!

Thanks, Jeff, and I’ve appreciated all your observations along the way, from hands-on with these trucks. And who’d of thought that wondering about clearances on a model would wake someone up at night ! You’re too kind, Jürgen. I suppose anything is possible, but there are several other project ideas already in line! Much appreciated, Gary! I sure seem to rely on those templates from my digital model.

Excited to see you’re able to get back at this wonderful project - tremendous amount of excellent scratch building going on!