LOBBS

Thanks for the info. There's a place here in Missouri that carries a good chunk of their line. They don't show everything they have on their site and aren't coming to the Heartland Nats this weekend so I'll probably end up ordering directly from Germany.

Beautiful job on Eleanor. How was the Scale Productions stuff to work with? They've got a lot of cool stuff but I've been leary to pull the trigger as I haven't seen there stuff built up before.

Wow, that weathering job is as real as can be.

Stunning paint job and detail.

I know that the Lonestar wasn't necessarily the rig that all truckers wanted tooled up. However, viewing it from a "car" guy's perspective, it's a cool rig and the detail is top notch. I've always wanted a rig and car hauler combo for my diorama/display case race shop I'm building. I picked up a T600 and an old AMT race hauler years ago to fill the need but could never get excited enough about either one so they got Ebayed. The only disappointment I've had in the whole matter is the lack of modern trailers. To get what I want, I've got to either try to convert one of the European race haulers from Italeri or completely scratchbuild a Featherlite. At the glacial pace that I build, there may be someone who finally jumps in and fills the trailer need by the time I actually get my Lonestar done. In any case, this kit is drawing in those in the hobby that may not have ever considered building a tractor. Whether they buy one, two or ten they're still driving sales which increases the odds that more modern trucks will be done. Who knows, the Lonestar may be the only rig I ever build or may be the start of a long line for me. I've seen a lot of cool subjects doing my normal pre-starting a project research that definitely have the wheels turning in my head.

Years ago I made a habit out of picking up a can of clear, black, semi-gloss black and flat black Tamiya every time I went to the hobby shop whether I needed it or not. I'm stocked up until Armageddon if need be.

In any case, I need to get my Nova done so that I've got something to take to the Heartland show next weekend and then get cracking on this kit.

That makes sense. Here in Missouri, I've never seen a truck's grille completely buttoned up in the winter. I do know that they keep them running or plug them in or they're not going anywhere for awhile the next morning.

The main reason I asked was that I see alot of the custom trucks with a solid front bumper even if the stock version originally had holes. I saw a picture of a truck awhile back that had a huge pair of running/fog lights centered in the bumper. I was throwing around the idea of something similiar with the Lonestar (see my post in the Wanted section, the Revell 1/12th Chopper lenses were the biggest lights I could think of). I was looking to fill the center vent and stock fog lights and mount some big ole driving lights in the bumper.

Ok, so it is functional. Breathing through the bumper is one of my biggest pet peeves in modern vehicles. I understand it's a necessity and there are some examples where it's incorporated well into the overall design. Most the time though, it looks like the car was halfway through development and engineering came back and told them to just cut a hole in the front so it could breathe right. If I decide to rework the bumper a bit, I'll just have to remember to allow for airflow.

Thanks guys for all the information. I'm not a rivet counter by any means. I just don't want to a mistake that'd stick out like a sore thumb with truckers but not be obvious to the average "car" guy.

Yep, those are the fenders I'm looking at. BTW, some one parked a house on the frame of that blue truck there. Just thought you should know.

Ok, found the fenders on P & P.

I've never heard of the dipping method, just airbrushing it on.

I'm thinking about doing some customizing touches to the Lonestar and I've got a few questions again. First, do the openings in the bumper play a functional role on rigs? I know on most modern cars and trucks, the openings are actually designed to draw air in for cooling purposes so they're not just cosmetic. I'd like to change things up a bit on the Lonestar but don't want to get called out for something that would impair the function if it were 1:1. I'm also looking to give the truck a standard shave and hair cut. Below the door of the cab, there are two large amber lights and a row of smaller "chicken" lights between them. There are more lights along the aero skirts and lower edge of the front bumper. I know the "chicken" lights are an option from building a Lonestar on the International site but is there a DOT minimum for marker lights on rigs? I'm not a huge fan of a lot of chrome so I'm looking at body color bumpers and aero skirts and redoing most of the chrome with a brushed aluminum look. I've also seen some pics with filler panels in the aero skirts that cover up the fuel tanks which really shouldn't be all that difficult to do. I've seen some trucks with rear fenders covering the drive wheels. Are these available in resin? I particularly like the ones that are flat across the top instead of dipping down between the drive wheels. Alright, I'll quit bugging you guys for now but I'm sure I'll have more questions later on.

Thanks all, back to the store for me today.

Thanks Matthew, that was the one I was leaning towards but didn't buy until I checked it out first.

Was at the store after work and needed to pick up a new bottle of Future. Saw that it's now Pledge(?) with Future shine. To further complicate things there was a wood floor and also a tile and vinyl formula. What's the right stuff for clearcoating called nowadays?

The links as promised: Take a Tour of a Featherlite Race Car Transporter Pt1 Take a Tour of a Featherlite Race Car Transporter Pt2

Got my Lonestar in the mail today and I've been ogling it all night at work. All I can say is wow! It's not just the amazing detail of the new tooling but also the little things like the full-color instructions and the protective slips in the chrome bags. This kit is a without-a-doubt home run. I'm almost ashamed that a ham-fisted ape like me is going to have a chance to build one.

Awesome pics Matthew. I've got a few links to post from Youtube that Featherlite posted once I get back to my computer. It's a two part walk-through one of their racing truck haulers. I got my Lonestar today and have been ogling it all night at work.

There are a bunch of pictures of the contents posted in the Trucks section.

Mine was shipped Monday, can't wait to get a look at this beast. And throw my vote in for some more modern trailers.

Very cool builds, this truck thing may be growing on me.

I've seen the Italeri race trailers and some similiar trailers (race and show) from Revell of Germany. Are these perhaps the same tooling or are they completely different animals?