Casey429

I spent some time late on Sunday doing a little more work to my 4270, but am just getting around to getting these photos up. I'm currently working second shift, 4 10s because of how my employer has chosen to handle things during these strange times. So the only time I really have to work is weekend evenings, which I'm pretty ok with. I cut up the cab that was missing the lower front corners and had the extraneous screw holes in it. I deemed it easier to cut this one up to make something out of the glue-infested one. I cut the doors out for practice, as well as providing potential future photo backdrop parts. I carefully cut out the rear panel (which also had a screw in it). I will graft this into the glue damaged cab, which I've already hatched a plan for. The corner of it looks exactly like a truck that's been jackknifed or had something hit it and the dent was repaired hastily. Add in the straight rear panel, and I've got a useable cab. Got the main interior parts primed. I found some paint at my local Ace hardware that is a near perfect match for the gold that IH used during this era. It looks to have a slight greenish tint on the can, but a sprayout matches up to brochure pictures. I've already painted the seats burgundy with a satin clear, but didn't take a picture. I'll either mix up some brush paint or spray the burgundy on the appropriate surfaces too, going for an accurate depiction of International's Deluxe Interior since that's what the kit depitcts. Then I had to just set the parts up, well, because.

Better late than never I suppose, here's my entry into the BRBO 2021. Over the last couple years, I've accumulated an Ertl Transtar F-4270 built up, and the parts of several other built ups, some fresh kit parts and pieces, and two boxes. I've got one chassis, three cabs, three hoods, and multiples of almost everything in between. The only thing I don't have is a pristine front bumper. I have a couple of 4300s to rob parts from if I have to (Thank you, Ollie's) but I'd really prefer to keep this one all 4270 DNA. If anyone out there has a bumper they'd be willing to work out a deal for, please PM me. I think between all that's on my table, I can build a 4270 that's faithful to the original Ertl kit as a whole, and I'm heavily leaning toward box art paint. Here's what I got done over the weekend: Here's my start. A whole bunch of glue-bombed, clean used, and new pieces. I'm going with the logic of real car restorations here, you just can't beat NOS parts. Here's the chassis I'll be using. This originally had a cab and hood on it covered in thick brown paint with silver trim. More on that later. Note the deckplate and trunion from a Paystar logger kit. The interior bits are also from this built up. Looks like Ford Louisville tail lights, and lots of gobbed on paint. Luckily this has already been through the purple pond and came right off. This isn't where the starter goes... The firewall doghouse has been used as the driver's seat base... Cab #1 is trashed. Cab #2 has some damage as well. This cab and a matching hood came in a lot of spare parts I bought. They were screwed together with small machine screws for whatever reason. This is the formerly brown cab from the original truck. It has some damage and glue staining, but nothing like the other two. The hood also has a crack in it, but one of the others I have is absolutely pristine. The first real assembly work I did was to put together the Cummins 903. International painted all their engines red during this era, but I have seen multiple sources that the 903s were black (Also true of Peterbilt and Kenworth, who were painting engines white at the time.) This is 100% NOS parts from the main incomplete kit I had. I wish I had another one of these for a different project, but luckily Auslowe offers it in resin. Just like the other Ertl International kits I've dabbled in, this thing just falls together. Paint is Tamiya gloss black. Next up is likely multiple rounds of glue scraping, filling glue scars and primer. As I mentioned, I'm leaning toward a box art look for this, as Modeltruckin.com makes the decals for this stripe kit. The only thing I'm unsure of is weather to do a solid or metallic blue. I have several metallics, and a brand new can of Tamiya TS-15 I picked up for the occasion. I'm going to use various brands and sheens of black on the chassis, fuel tanks, and etc. so it doesn't all get lost in there. All the chrome, save for the wheels and tanks (which will be painted) is going to be the brand new, NOS stuff off the sprue. Things are moving along fairly smooth, so I'm going to try and stay diligent on this. I appreciate everyone stopping by to take a look!

Sorry, I can't recall too much cause it's been some time since I saw it. But, a quick image search on google turned up some images from when the truck was sold at Mecum Kissimmee in 2010 (no wonder I can't remember what the rear looks like!) but it also reminded me that the real truck had been repowered with a Big Block Chevy and likely matching automatic transmission.

I've seen Port Vue's Reo several times over the years on parade duty. Sharp rig. They also have an open cab Mack R model, which is the only one I've ever seen. Excellent work on your replica too.

Ditto what #1 Model Citizen said about me to him. Flawless trade, thanks again!

I bowed out of the 2020 build but I'm going to throw my hat in the ring. I will not be resuming my '74 KW from last year as I've decided that needs to be done on my own time. I'm going to do something a bit less involved (HA!) this time around but I haven't decided what. It'll either be a fresh build of an International 4300 or a glue bomb revival of an International 4070A or 4200. Regardless, it's a Cornbinder for me for 2021!

If I had to take a wild guess, my vote is the all new Western Star 49X. Western Star is hitting the marketing hard, with several die casts in the works and a large scale R/C already out on the market, a model kit wouldn't shock me. There's also a downloadable one for the video game Snow Runner, for anyone who might be familiar with that. Being that Western Star has all this available ahead of the actual truck being on sale, that's what makes me think if there is an all-new tool in the works, the 49X is it. Diecast Masters 1:16 R/C Snow Runner 49X

You are correct in your assessment about the W900 vs W900A. W900 was a narrow tilt hood that replaced the butterfly hoods of years prior. 1967 brought us the W900A wide hood, which was used with minor changes until about 1981 or so. The W900A was also available in two hood lengths, the longer of which was to accommodate larger and high horsepower engines such as the Detroit Diesel 12V-71. W900B followed and is easily identifiable by square headlights versus round ones. The W900B is still in production today, along with the W900L which is the long hood version of the W900B. There's lots of minute details and differences among all the model years, but these are the basic breakdown of them. I'm no KW expert, but they're one of my favorites.

Nice looking rig. What did you do for the mirrors? Are they included with the cab conversion or did you build them? Been looking to do a similar set on a '50s F100.

Another round of successful trades with gbtr6 and dave branson. Thank you, gentlemen!

Just completed a smooth trade with Sam I Am. Thanks again!

I hadn't been through this topic for some time, and despite it being months later, I'm still going to comment on this. That countertop belongs to Auto Models LLC in Greensburg. For anyone in Southwestern PA, you owe it to yourself to go and pay John a visit. Friendly service, awesome selection, and great prices. Disclaimer: I'm an unpaid spokesperson, but I had to give praise for my favorite retailer. These are the guys we keep lamenting we're losing so especially in these strange times, it's wise to pay it forward to the Mom & Pop shops.

With absolutely no help from the US Postal Service, I've managed to complete a flawless trade with Larry Moore, aka larry ray. Thanks again!

Yes, very good point. Revell's rendition of the 429 in the Torino is the most accurate representation of a 385-Series Ford Big Block in scale, and it's so underused being in one car. I'd buy that in a parts pack if Revell ever decided to have another go at those. I also forgot to mention in my earlier post that I'm with iamsuperdan in that Revell needs to document the whole process, and put it on social media. Lots of toy companies make products that encourage kids to take up a career in the STEM fields, so why not show them how they produce them? Plus everyone else posts how-to's on YouTube and the like, so it just goes along with the current climate of "PUT IT ON THE INTERNET!" I'd watch it too, as I tend to geek out over this stuff and it's what I do for a living. Not so much the 3D scanning, but 3D printing/Rapid Prototyping and 3D modelling are what puts kits on the workbench.

Like a couple have already mentioned, I find it interesting that there's a hard split on who's interested. I for one am grateful for a couple things here. First, it's an all new kit tool. Correct me if I'm wrong but the last all-new tool for a Mustang was I believe Revell's S197 generation cars. I've never built a later one to see what parts it shares with the 2006 that was tooled when it was new so I can't comment. Yeah, they did the S550 when it first came along too but we got a snap kit with lame headlights. Second, as many have said here too, this is not my favorite generation of Mustang either. However, I actually like them a whole lot since they were also the last hurrah for performance. The last gasp of breath for a complete base model Sportsroof with a hammer of a 429 Super Cobra Jet paired with a 4 speed Drag Pak car. People like to call them the Clydesdales because of their relative size, but for me that's a term of endearment. I'm of the mindset that in the Mustang bloodline, every generation should get it's due for keeping it alive, even the much maligned Mustang II. If not for them, 4 cylinder Fox bodies, and heaps of V6 convertibles ordered by rental car fleets, we wouldn't be able to walk into a Ford dealership and drive off in today's 760hp GT500, and for that I'm thankful. I'm also excited for this and the variants it has the potential to spawn. Fingers crossed for the aforementioned 429 SCJ/4 Speed Sportsroof with steelies and poverty caps.

Just made great trades with Ken Krawiec, known as BIGTRUCK around these parts and Jack Lira, Screenname Jack L. Thank you fellas!

Based on the information above, the instruction sheet, and personal experience, the rear diff is correct but definitely looks weird. Most of this will be hidden under the fifth wheel, deck plates, and behind the wheels so I'm not too concerned. Plus plans call for a bit of weathering so hopefully that'll distract from some of it's shortcomings. I'm going to reiterate that the part location marks and age and engineering of this kit probably added to it looking funky. Thanks for the input everyone!

Good morning all, here's my slightly productive but short March update! Got started with the first step of any new build, digging into the box. I picked up this original AMT Kenworth kit some time ago, just before the reissue was announced. I didn't pay a small fortune for it like they were bringing for a while, and it's got the Torsion Bar suspension which I needed anyway. Open, sealed contents, and inventoried complete. Basic chassis assembly was up first, and like many on here have mentioned, the rear suspension is quite fiddly to put together. I think it could've been done more simply and still turned out ok, but this is 40+ year old kit engineering here so it is what it is. I got it sitting square and level according to my measurements, so as long as the truck sits level I'll be satisfied. I relocated the mounting holes for the passenger fuel tank to allow for a second battery/toolbox from the junk pile. I'm in the process of modifying a steerable axle from an Ertl 4300 to fit. I'm also going to be using Moebius wheels and tires, and while I previously stated I was going to use a Double Take grille, I've decided against that. I'm going to build the replica with the bug screen showing in the 1980's photo so I won't need it. That's all or now, but I hope to make some good progress in the next couple weeks. I'm working from home in addition to a modified in-office schedule at work due to the current state of the world. The time I get to spend at home should give me the freedom to maintain a good head of steam on this one. Thanks for peeking in!

You are correct. The old F-Super Duty from the late 80s/early 90s (up to 1997) had 10 lug wheels, a beam axle up front and were only available in 4x2, although companies like Quigley and Marmon-Herrington offered aftermarket 4x4 conversions. Today's 4x2 F-450 and larger also use a solid front axle, but it's a tube that allows use of the same suspension as a 4x4 truck, where the 4x2 F-250 and F-350 are still getting by with the Twin I-Beam. There was a period of time in the early/mid 2000s where Ford F-450 and F-550 had what's commonly called a "wide 8" pattern. 8 lug wheels, but bigger lug nuts and studs than an F-350. The standard Super Duty wheel pattern since '99 has been 8x170mm, and the F-450/550 are 8x225mm and have 19.5" wheels like a medium duty. I don't know when the changeover occurred, but today's F-450s and up have a 10 lug pattern. As you also mentioned there are kits and wheel spacers out there to adapt 1 ton lug patterns *(8x170 and 8x6.5") to the 10 lug hub pilot semi wheels.

As promised, I'd like to elaborate on my build choice. I had mentioned in the official BRBO thread that this past year was eventful. I bought my first house, did some remodeling, and moved in. I've been putting together a new workspace in my basement that's finally coming along. That said, onto my story. As I mentioned above, my Dad bought the 1974 KW sometime around 1982, after he and my mom got married. As some of you may already know, my Dad passed away suddenly, and the 10th anniversary of that is coming up in March. Unfortunately for me and my family, my Mom has also departed this Earth far too soon. I had every intention on starting this build at the beginning of last month, but having to deal with Mom's funeral affairs threw that plan right out the window. I had contemplated backing out of the BRBO all together, but the more I thought about it the more Mom's advice to live life and enjoy it is holding truer than ever. So the reason I chose to build this truck in lieu of the dozen other or so of Dad's trucks I have planned is actually for the both of them. My Dad was running over the road when he had this truck, and the one and only trip Mom ever went on was in this truck too. So while I will probably need right up until the deadline to get it done for various reasons, here goes nothing. Here's a picture of the truck around the time of purchase. There's no date on the photo, but I have some others that might be that I'll dig out. Mom and Dad got married May of '82, so it was some time after that. Even in this picture, the KW is showing the signs of having endured 12 years of PA winters. The truck also turned out to be a colossal pile of you-know-what. On that one and only trip Mom tagged along, they ran from somewhere around home (Pittsburgh Suburbs) to Ft. Lauderdale with a friend of my dad who also had a KW and his girlfriend at the time. I had heard many times about how uncomfortable Florida was in the middle of summer in a truck with no A/C and a 36" crawl through sleeper. On top of that they managed to hit a swarm of mayflies somewhere along the way. Upon returning to PA, the truck was using an alarming amount of antifreeze and it was discovered that it had a cracked block. A replacement engine was put in, dad ran the truck for a little while longer and then sent it on its way. He always called the old KW "The truck that almost took me bankrupt." Fast forward to 2006. Dad, Me, my best friend Nick and his dad Ron are at the ATHS show at Kenworth of PA's New Stanton location. Lots of neat old iron to gawk at in the front lot where the new trucks would normally be, but for whatever reason, the four of us wandered around back to see if there were any more. Dad looks around and says something to the effect of "HOLY (expletive)!" and we all look his direction. Sitting there, looking slightly worse for wear is a red KW A model hooked up to a gooseneck trailer. Dad starts looking it over and turns to Ron and says "This used to be my truck." Ron goes "You should see who's it is and try to buy it back. Dad replied with "No way, this truck almost ruined me once. They can have it." I've seen it at a couple more shows since, but not for several years. The trailer it was hooked to had Autocar mud flaps and there was an Autocar hat on the seat, so I can only assume that's what it was hauling. If anyone from PA or anywhere else close has seen it, I'd like to know about it. That's part of dad in the photo, just to the right of the truck. It should be a pretty straightforward rendition of AMT's Kenworth, with a few things needing changed or updated. I recall him mentioning it having torsion bar suspension, so knowing what I know now, that confirms it as a W925. I thought I had a picture from '06 from the rear, but I can't find it. I was rooting through some old photos the other day and found a whole stack of shots of this truck, but I haven't had a chance to scan them yet. Written on the back of one was "1974 KW, Cummins 13 sp." I remember dad speaking about it being a Cummins Big Cam of some flavor, so the NTC-370 in the kit will do, but I'll swap the 5x4 trans for an Eaton from an AMT Peterbilt. I'll also need to modify the doors for the newer slam lock door handles, fabricate some 5" straight pipes and do some light weathering. I have a 3D printed grille from Double Take that I bought when KJ announced he was closing up shop. I had intended to use it for this purpose all along, but this truck has gone to the top of the pecking order. Looking at the '82 photo, I'm noticing some stuff I either haven't before, or it's just been so long I forgot, like the swan hood ornament and I can just make out a clear or light smoke bug shield. One item of note, I still have the half moon headlight covers from this truck in my dad's toolbox in my garage. If I feel ambitious, I'll try to make those or find some. That's all for now. I plan to provide regular updates once I really get started here. Thank you all for looking, and wish me luck!

Excellent work as usual, KJ. I followed along in the build thread, and I do have one question out of curiosity. Why start with the K100 Aerodyne instead of the already flat top K123?

I still intend to participate in the 2020 BRBO but some things have come up that have prevented me from actually starting. I will elaborate later when I actually have some pictures. I will be using an original AMT Kenworth W925 tractor for its Torsion Bar rear suspension, and I plan on using the chrome from the most recent reissue. Plans call for swapping the 5x4 trans for a 13 speed, modifying the cab for later door handles and a few other odds and ends. The build will replicate a 1974 Kenworth that my dad owned circa 1982.

Gary Wallace of GW Trucks also makes a Western Star daycab panel.

After the mix up with the topic in the Truck Stop that I just discovered (go look in the 53 foot trailer topic, D'oh!) I'm in too. Don't know quite with what yet but I'm thinking it'll either be a Kenworth W925 or one of the many gluebombs I have to rebuild. Leaning toward the KW.

I just picked up the latest issue of the Italeri FLD120 "Special" and upon opening it up, it's got the Stabilaire as Force mentioned, but it also has the correct Freightliner Airliner. The Stabilaire is marked grey on the instructions as "parts not to be used." I don't have any other previous issues to check it against, and I haven't looked online to see if that's the case there as well.