gami8630

This kit I built is the Chevy Race Truck from the DieHard RACE TEAM that competed in the 1995 CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES. The team owner was Frank “Scoop” Vessels, and the driver was Mike Chase. The base kit is Monogram's “#1 DIEHARD CHEVY RACE TRUCK,” released in 1996. I purchased it at the time of release and stored it until now. This time, I basically assembled the kit almost as-is, only performing the additional work and detail-up shown below. ●Body The rear cargo cover was detached to allow opening and closing, providing a view of the fuel tank area. ●Cockpit Piping from the oil tank to the engine was added. Power Slide decals were applied to each gauge, then enamel clear coat was poured in to represent the lenses. ● Fuel Tank Added a homemade fuel pump made from plastic rod, piping, and fuel/vent hoses salvaged from a junk parts box. The body was primed with Tamiya Super Surfacer (Gray) and Fine Surfacer (White), then sprayed with TS-14 Black and TS-49 Bright Red. The decals had deteriorated due to age since purchase. I managed to apply them, but the finish isn't very clean. Still, the fact that a pickup truck racing series is one of NASCAR's three major categories struck me as a uniquely American trait, reflecting just how deeply pickup trucks are ingrained in everyday life.

Thank you for your comment. It took a lot of time due to the many modifications, but building a stock car from this era is enjoyable.

The wheels, disc brakes, air valves, and rivets are products from a Polish 3D printing parts manufacturer, purchased from this company's website. They are reasonably priced considering their high quality. https://scomodels.com/

Thanks for yours reply!

Modifying the AMT racing seat is simple: first, split the racing seat from the center to the left and right sides. Next, glue a 1.5mm-wide strip of plastic sheet between the split sections of the racing seat to widen it.

Thank you for always sending me such kind replies.

Thank you for your kind words. It's very encouraging!

Thank you for your reply. For the roll cage pads, I'm using heat-shrink tubing with a diameter of 1.5mm. I'm thinking of trying a slightly thicker material, such as urethane tubing or silicone tubing with an inner diameter of around 2mm.

Thank you for your reply. It's not such a detailed modification or alteration, but I'm glad to hear you feel that way.

Everyone, thank you so much for always checking out the kits I build!

Following my previous post about Dale Earnhardt's Wrangler Jeans colored Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aero Coupe, I've now built the Wrangler Jeans colored Ford Thunderbird he drove during the 1982 season. The base kit is Revell-Monogram's Thunderbird Legends Combo, and the decals are Power Slide's #208 “1982-84 #15 WRANGLER FORD THUNDERBIRD”. For this build, I assembled the kit almost entirely as-is, with the exception of the additional modifications and changes listed below. ●Body Filled door panel seam lines with putty; enlarged left headlamp cover air inlet and added etched mesh; added vent hose outlet pipe to left rear body panel; added trunk lid seam line; installed homemade rear spoiler made from plastic sheet and embedded 3D-printed rivets; relocated and enlarged fuel filler port; added etched mesh to radiator grille ●Chassis Added safety pads and headrests to the roll cage ●Engine & Drivetrain Added spark plug wires, fuel lines, oil filter, and oil lines ●Suspension & Wheels Added 3D-printed 5-spoke wheels, disc brakes, and air valves ●Cockpit Modified the shape of the kit's window net after detaching it The body was sprayed with Tamiya Super Surfacer (Gray) and Fine Surfacer (White), followed by TS-16 Yellow and TS-93 Pure Blue. After an overcoat with TS-13 Clear, decals were applied. Once the decals were fully dry, another overcoat of TS-13 Clear was applied, then finished by polishing with compound. While the above additions and modifications do not faithfully reproduce the actual car Dale Earnhardt drove, like the previous Aero Coupe, I felt it captured the essence of a NASCAR race car from that era reasonably well. Therefore, I have completed its construction.

Thank you for your kind words. Your replies are a great encouragement to me.

Thanks, Mark W. Images of the NASCAR race cars I currently build can be found abundantly online. While using these images as references to add details and make modifications, I always keep scale and the extent of modifications in mind.

Thank you both for your replies. This AMT kit does such a great job of reproducing the real car's body design that converting it to NASCAR spec was a fun project.

Thank you both for your replies!

There's nothing special about the setup. I just attach it to the roll cage by sticking thin strips of double-sided tape to the top and bottom of the window net. Since it's easy to attach and remove, I've been using this method all the time lately.

I'm always happy to receive your replies.

Thank you all for your replies. I worked hard to build it while looking at many images online.

Thank you for your reply. I worked hard to build it while looking at many images online.

Thank you so much for your kind words.

It's a very beautiful finish !

I built the Wrangler Jeans-colored Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aero Coupe that Dale Earnhardt drove during the 1986/87 season. While Dale Earnhardt's Chevrolet body color is typically represented by black and silver, symbolizing one of his nicknames, “the Man in Black,” I prefer the blue and yellow body color from his earlier days when Wrangler Jeans sponsored him. That's why I built this model in that color scheme. The base kit is the 1986 season Monte Carlo from Junior Johnson Racing, released by Salvinos Jr. Models in 2020. The decals are Power Slide's #142 “85-87 WRANGLER JEANS MONTE CARLO”. The following is an overview of this build: ●Body Rear end of front wheel arch and air dam area reshaped, vent hose outlet pipe added to left rear body panel, hood pin position modified, 3D-printed radiator grille installed, left headlight cover modified, Installation of a homemade rear spoiler made from plastic sheet, embedding 3D-printed rivet parts into the front air dam and rear spoiler ●Chassis Replaced part of the roll cage with a bar featuring safety pads, added and extended the front hoop, added an oil cooler mounting bracket ●Engine & Drivetrain Converted the rear section of the exhaust pipe to dual outlets, replaced with 3mm diameter plastic tubing, added spark plug wires, Added a differential cooler drive pulley to the differential ● Suspension: Changed from twin shock to single shock specification ● Cockpit Replaced bucket seat with a modified, wider AMT GEN4 NASCAR kit part, added a 3D-printed ignition box, reshaped the kit's window net after detaching it ● Body Painting Body was sprayed with Tamiya Super Surfacer (Gray) and Fine Surfacer (White), then coated with TS-16 Yellow and TS-93 Pure Blue. Finished with a TS-13 Clear coat before applying decals. While the cockpit and engine compartment are not exact replicas of the vehicle Dale Earnhardt actually drove, I believe I've reasonably recreated those of a NASCAR race car from that era. Therefore, I consider the build of this kit complete at this point. 2025/09/17 The image has been replaced.

Thank you all for the replies!

Thank you very much. Your reply is very encouraging.

I am delighted that you praised my build with KFC's famous catchphrase!