Gary Chastain

That looks really good

The colors and the decals work good together, gonna be a looker.

Wow, well heal up quickly

Yes, kinda agree with you, thought I would let them sit and see what I think in the am. I would like to have three hinges per side, so making them a bit smaller would keep them from dominating the doors. See where this goes. Do appreciate the feedback, thanks.

Yes sir, I will try that first, if that fails, then recreate from scratch

The detailing is addictive and hard to say when you have enough. But wow it pays big when the build is complete.

Wow, that looks outstanding, well done. This one is gonna look really good on the shelf.

Thanks, but you should see the box of junk I have tried to make, even a whole truck that is just too messed up to finish. Been stealing parts off it.

Think I will be building barn doors for my box with a cart ramp between the frame rails. Seen one today at the gas station setup that way. Spent a couple hours making different hinges for the doors. They need more work, but not sure I like them. also have a set off door locks but they are too long, maybe an idea will hit me to build my own.

Thanks Jeff, I have never used the weld line, but when I build fuel tank, the filler neck should have a weld line around them. Might have to get some and experiment. Thanks Charles, also got a belt/disk sander combo to fix up as well. Just can’t find the odd size belt length

Great video for installing Archer rivets and details.

There are several builds going on right now on this forum that just make you want to try more details, more fab work and more pushing your skills. Really great fun.

You guys just keep raising the bar on quality builds, love it.

Your skills are top notch, impressive

The rest of the Archer rivets came today, so I started the layout. Wall studs are on 16 inch centers, .64 scale inches, 15 studs total Wall sheeting is 48inches, 1.92 scale inches, 5 rows of rivets .78 spaced rivets, G scale Non seam of two sheets is 10 rows of rivets 1.85 spaced rivets G scale Floor cross members are on 12 centers for 20ft box, 16 inch centers on shorter boxes, 12 inch centers is .48 scale inches, O scale rivets All radius seams (silver corners) will be O scale rivets, .55 spaced rivets plastic strips will be added to replicate the raised portions of the bottom aluminum and edges of the radius corners. example below need to do a bit of body work and finish/attach rear door section before layout/application of rivets. But got a plan and material gathered ???

I have been into motorcycles most of my life. This is my 1980 Kawasaki Z1R, motor is an 1175cc, mostly fiberglass body, magnesium wheels and a heavily machined transmission shifted by air. Raced this from 1980 thru 1983. My recent bikes KTM EXC 300, Kawasaki KX 500, and last sold , my Honda CRF 450 with street legal kit.

???fingers crossed, right

Back on the fuel tanks

Old repaired tools on the bench, ready to go.

I think when you add the weight of the tires/wheels and the complete cad, it will level right out. The frame rails are pretty flexible.

Looks really good

Today I spent time modifying a Dremel scroll saw and a small drill press that I inherited from my dad when he passed a year ago. The snap out center section of the scroll saw had way to much clearance for the small work in modeling, so I bought some 1/8 inch sheet aluminum and made a minimal clearance plate and it works well. The drill press had a wood working plate with a huge hole, so I used the left over aluminum and made a new work plate for small parts.

The moisture effect is over time (every thermoplastic has a different absorption rate), so the time lapse of building is really in-material, it’s long time storage or in a really high humidity area. Ever start a build, set it aside for a year or two, then start the build again and wonder why the parts don’t seem to fit now, they did at one time? But this does bring value to keeping a dehumidifier in your modeling room. And again, big parts demonstrate the warping because of size, small parts less.

I spent the last 30 years teaching plastics, so , some interesting details that many of you already know. Plastic is hydroscopic ( draws moisture from the environment). This absorption causes the plastic to move or find a state of less stress from the injection molding process, hence, warping. This is noticed for us truck builders as our parts are larger, frame rails(length) and large cab/sleeper bodies. Heat can also create a similar response to the plastic. Putting your built kits in an area where they are exposed to sun can also create problems as well, there are no additives to prevent degradation from sun/atmosphere in our plastic. Keeping your parts in sealed bags is actually a bonus in protecting the integrity of your parts. I have read where some builders actually open the original packaging, separate the parts then install the parts in a lunch ziplock bag. This effect on small parts is less noticeable. Polystyrene is a very low cost material with very little molecular structure, hence way we can scratch a line in sheet Polystyrene and snap it at the line. Nylon plastic will not snap at the line as the molecular structure crosses that line and it just bends. Buying an open kit off the internet can raise the risk of warped parts if the bags have been opened and parts are laying loosely, not that this is a deterrent, just got to work out the issues.

Yes sir, a lot of work, not sure I would do this again. Besides the cost at about 25 bucks per package. Yes they have a texture and yes based on size or diameter/scale you can vary the finish. My rear door will have the smaller rivets, the sides of the trailer has larger ones and also the spacing between rivets changes based on the construction.