cifenet

Excellent work, nicely done! I didn't realize this till now, you have two trucks with same livery!

Kudos! Super clean build, I really like the details you added to make the truck as close as the real thing. I will say it again, I really like the finish on the wheels!

Thank you, Daniel! Next time I visit my local hardware store, I will look for an aluminum duct tape! I can definitely see the tape being useful for the scale model building! Thanks Ken, appreciated!! Hi Jeff, I have been using CSC (Castrol Super Clean) for years to strip chrome parts without much trouble. Interestingly now it is called "Super Clean" as shown below. I hope the formula is still the same.

More random update today. Two smokestacks are mounted. The visor is mounted good also. Wipers done. I wanted the visor to be shiny as possible and had to re-paint three times. I think it really paid off here, I really like the shine. All of the torpedo lights and air horns are also mounted. The air horn fronts have odd looking half moon indentations. This is how Revell produced them and this is how I built them. I made zero effort fixing these and I may have to regret forever. I also began working on the sleeper again. I didn't like the roof line gap, but this time, I have been putting efforts to repair it. The transition from the roof piece to the wall should be smoother now. Once I repaint this, I will spend some time applying clear. As with all the truck kits, I found out I cannot polish body panels too well due to exposed rivets. Turn signals were painted. This controls the air deflector on the roof for improving aerodynamics. Again, my urge wanted to scratch build the entire piece, but I chose a civilized approach and only replaced the mounting shaft for a small improvement. Constructed two antennas using small aluminum tubes. Detailing intake pipes with reflective tapes. This looked too simple, I decided to add more "volume" to the pipes using various items. Using an aluminum can, I began making hose clamps. This is one way to add "volume". I often use heat shrink tubes to also "decorate" the intake pipes. Same with the lower part of exhaust piping. This is made out multiple parts and I didn't putty all of the seams because I knew I can get away without sanding and puttying. This is one of the techniques I like to use when building race car kits. In truth, this is another lazy method I use. The end result is quite convincing and it improves the look of piping work. Using a normal hair dryer, I apply heat to shrink to the point the hoses (shrink tubes) are reduced to the size I desire. I try not to apply heat directly to the plastic pipes, hence a brass pipe was used during the shrinking process. Then I simply slide them to the actual pipe and add hose clamp details using thin wires. Looks like most of the components are completed on this truck except the headache rack... And I don't want to use Revell's headache rack, looks like I will need to build something more compelling. Thanks for following!

Hahaha, but that dragster is turning into a monster for sure! At the end, this hobby really boils down to getting self-enjoyment out of the activity, pursuing inner satisfaction, and most importantly, spending time on something you take pleasure.

Awesome finish! The paint feels like it is still wet from the factory! Great work overall, I like this a lot!

Great result, nicely executed! And beautiful photography!

Holy cow! The metallic finish came out very well! That is some skill!

Awesome update, Alex! The printed components look fabulous, but I really like the wheels. And they look just like the real thing! ???

Hey Hakan! Good to get some feedback from you. Yup, the gloss coat technique can help preventing the silvering issue. I should have done that, but I didn't. Truth is, I got lazy. I can usually get away with not having the silvering problems without applying something smooth prior, but it just didn't work this time. Hahaha. Luckily, I was able to fix it somewhat. I basically soak it with decal softener and then squeeze "hard" every drop of solution liquid out without tearing the decal. This is my lazy method. But of course, the textbook way would be what you have written above. ? Hahaha, thanks for your encouragement! You have to admit that this WIP could have been much shorter if I stop making mistakes! I am hoping you are progressing well with W900! But of course, you got many things going at the same time, so the context switching and multi tasking is required and that, I cannot do well!

Wow... Things are looking very sophisticated and getting more complex as you reproduce each component here! I bet the model is also getting heavier, I am thinking you need both arms to handle it.

It is great that the 5 spokes wheels allow the calipers and rotors to be very visible! Sweet setup you got going here!

Nicely done! The paint job is top notch as well, very smooth finish overall. Now I am wondering about your next step. What kind of finishes are you thinking for these? These cannot be glossy and shiny, no? Then perhaps some weathering? But I can also see these coming out fresh/clean from the factory with no logos, no nothing. Just like how you have them right now.

Another random progress update starting with decal applying activities. The sleeper decals are aligned and applied. I will apply multiple layers of clear and then paint the stainless steel trims around the doors. Having these items, I am able to create signal lens around this truck. The first one is actually for adding details for Gundam kits, but I will gladly use them here. Painted clear yellow... I had difficult time attaching these due to tight space, perhaps I should have attached them prior to mounting air filter tanks. I have a feeling this won't be my last Peterbilt 359 build, I will plan it better next time. Minor details were added, but I didn't feel like adding anything on the firewall area... Hmmm. The torpedo lights were dipped. The supplied mud guards were bit thicker than what I wanted for this build. I used thin plastic sheets, added wrinkles, and attached without further detailing. I wanted to have a wider truck by mounting the wheels further apart, but then I forgot it made the bumper narrower. Oops! These 3 piece mirrors didn't appear to be an easy task to build. I had to clean the parts by removing mold lines, injection pins,and also built-in antennas. Time to mount mirrors and I had better success mounting them by not following Revell's instructions. Based on my build experience, I found out that an easier way of building the mirror in this kit was to attach (1) first and make sure it stays perfectly horizontal. I used CA glue for this application. Once (1) is firmly attached, mounting (2) was easier and finally (3) was attached. I hope the diagram above (as if you are looking at the truck's mirror from standing in front of the truck ) helps to visualize how the mirror mounts interact with the actual mirror piece. Mirrors attached! Finally began building the exhaust pipes for the truck. The pipe end was shaved to look sharper. I don't think I will paint these pipes, I think just polishing them should bring out decent metal finish. Exhaust pipes were temporarily mounted to confirm the ideal height. And completed the mounting components to the pipe by building larger radius area and brackets. Thanks for following so far!

Must be slow day for everyone, almost 200 views and we need more feedback! BTW, I didn't realize before, but I see you also replicated an antenna located in near the front windshield. Very cool.

I do like this VIT treatment! I do wonder though, there is always some risk from the truckers (or any mechanics) touching the "upholstery" with oily fingers.

Beautiful work, I can already see how great this will look once everything is put together and painted! Keep it up!

This is looking fantastic! Nicely curve cab front too! Brass work looks awesome, it is almost worth displaying without painting!

That is a good start, Alex! The cab is looking good. I like how everything is proper and flawless. The custom decals match the real thing also. At the end, it definitely looks like an interesting project trying to reproduce this rig for a buddy!

Super impressive! I like how you are focused to reproduce things one by one carefully! And the results are definitely worth the effort here! Nice going so far.

That is a big compliment coming from you, Daniel!

I am getting excited as the truck is looking like how I envisioned before I started the build. The interior work is done and my problem with this decal getting ripped should be solved once I mount the exhaust here. Overall, I wanted to have cool exterior looks for this truck and I tried to focus my attention on components such as fuel tank, wheel guards, and also air intake tanks. The air intake tanks seem somewhat boring as they are, I gave some enhancement by adding this filter mesh. And yes, the mesh material is the same material that I used for the front grille which came from a frying pan splatter guard! After several trial and error sessions adding this mesh, I picked my design that I was satisfied with. I preserved my custom made paint mix pre-thinned, I can always paint the same color anytime. The sleeper painting process has started. I can confess that I did a bad job assembling the sleeper, but it is too late to go back and re-do. As mentioned before, all four side panels don't quite fit well including the floor piece not sitting at the correct level. If I were to make this once more, I will definitely do a better job. I am moving forward. I mounted the air cleaner tanks and exhaust components. The kit only supplied license decals and I didn't like that. So I decided to improve the look by: 1. made two license plate frames using plastic sheet 2. Painted the plates frames with silver 3. Applied the license decals 4. Applied two layers of clearcoat 5. Polished clearcoat 6. Added two stainless pins on each plate to simulate bolts The result? Still mediocre looking license plates. Sometimes things do not come out and planned! Fuel tanks mounted, wheel guards (quarter fenders) attached. The frame is ready! Now testing fitting sessions... Air filter tanks mounted. The front bumper is mounted. And one driving lamp is misaligned. Need to fix it. Air filter tanks, exhaust components mounted. I need to start thinking about what to do for my headache rack (literally). Thanks for following!

Thank you, Bill! Looks like I am always breaking things as I build. And it seems to be a repeating offense for me lately.

Impressive! I like the round front and how you managed to bend the plastic sheet! And it goes very well with the truck, nice work!

These scratch built components are super sweet! The vented brake rotors came out nice too. Great job!