Force

Reverse engineering has been done in this industry, Revell did that for the Tijuana Taxi and Rommel's Rod, released in 2009 if I remember correctly, the original tooling was missing or destoyed beyond use...so that's for sure a possibillity if one want's to do it. The question is if Round 2 are willing to spend the money to do it...the later original kits (with walking beam) are not that rare yet as the Movin' On W925 version was reissued many many times up until the T600 came, in fact all my W925 kits are different Movin' On issues. I guess you can call it bad management and short sighted because AMT/Ertl didn't do a good job when they decided to take a shortcut and use the very outdated W925 kit as a base for the T600, it's not much in that kit that's accurate for a more modern T600 and they would probably have been better off doing a complete new more correct kit, yes it's more expensive to do but I think it would have sold better than this T600 did...and they would still have had the for W925 tooling intact wich allready earned it's keep to make more money of with more reissues as that kit is quite correct for the period it was made. If Round 2 did a straight reissue of the T600 I think many with me would pass on it, so that kit as it is is most likely "dead". A more accurate T600 would have a more modern engine and transmission as the ones you mentioned earlier in this thread, there aren't many on the road trucks with the old Hendrickson Walking Beam rear suspension anymore so an 8-bag Air Glide 100, 200 or 400 would be more correct, the front suspension isn't correct for a T600-T800 either, the wheels should be one piece 10-hole for tubeless tires and not the old out dated lock ring wheels that's in the kit. As you said Brad, the model kit manufacturers are "biting themselves in the rear end" if they don't do accurate scale model kits, the model builders of today aren't that many 6-7 year old kids who doesn't care if things are correct or not, no todays model builders are mostly middleage guys and gals and we are very demanding and fastidious when it comes to model kits as we have developed an eye for details and what looks right or not, and most of us likes to build correct scale replicas. So if a kit is porly done and inaccurate we woun't buy it, but if they do a nicely done accurate well detailed kit it's another thing and it will have a bigger chance to score a good sale.

I don't know how much the tooling for the W-925 were changed when AMT/Ertl did the T-600 kits but the say is that it's not possible to do the W-925 again without some re-tooling...one can wonder why AMT/Ertl did that in modern time, I thought they had stopped modifying tooling irreversable to do another kit as late as in the 90's. I don't have a clue what a sealed original kit is worth...I suppose it's worth as much as someone is prepaired to pay for it, and we can still get W-900 kits as Revell Germany has one and Revell US has the snap kit, it's only the AMT kits that's no go anymore. For the Tandem Torsion Bar Suspension it's available on the after market, both from P & P Resin Works and Melbourne Model Truck Accessories, and I have seen some on ebay together with a conversion kit with a resin W-925 cab, hood and interrior.

The 10.00 X 20 were used in most of AMT's truck kits and trailers and the 11.00 X 20 tires were used in most Ertl truck and trailer kits, but most of the recent AMT reissues has the larger Ertl 11.00 X 20 tires. One other tire used is the AMT Uniroyal 11.00 X 22 tires from the White-Freightliner and Diamond Reo kits, they have larger rims so the other tires doesn't fit.

There are Frontenac head and speed parts in the AMT 1927 Model T kits.

That I can believe as both are heavily modified, so it was probably easier to start with a Glider Kit than to modify a regular truck.

Nice job Alan. This truck is also on my "build list".

Well it's not only the catalogue number AMT didn't care to change. A Kenworth K-123 COE should have a Dual Drive Timken or Hendrickson Center Point Walking Beam, Rubber Pad Walking Beam or KW Air Ride suspension, with KW Torsion Bars the KW model number should be K-125 and not K-123 so it was not correct there, the KW model number later became correct as the Torsion Bar suspension was dropped and changed to Walking Beam. The W-925 was the other way around, at first the KW model number was correct as the kit originally had the Torsion Bars, but when they changed to Walking Beam the model number should also have been changed to W-923 but AMT didn't care to do it. But as I said earlier, KW dropped the last two digits from the model number in the mid 70's and the model numbers was K-100 and W-900 regardless of suspension type from there on.

Le Mans Miniatures has nice products, I just ordered two of their wheel sets for my Mk I and Mk IV kits, they look a lot better than the kit wheels.

Yes it's coming out again later this year, and also the Lowboy.

I believe the F-100 is the old AMT kit as it has an AMT number, if it was the flip nose kit it would most likely have been listed with a MPC number as Round 2 release old kits under their correct lables nowadays...not like under the AMT/Ertl and Racing Champions/RC2 time when everything was released under the AMT/Ertl lable regardless of what maker originally did the kits.

The Revell "new tool" Big John Mazmanian, Stone, Woods & Cook, KS Pitman 41 Willys Gasser kits also have a B&M Hydro-Stick behind the 392 Hemi, but the "new tool" Street Rod doesn't as that kit has a Mopar 727. Another kit with B&M Hydro-Stick is the Revell Orange Crate.

My kit is molded in the blue-gray plastic but as I said, my windows are clear with no tint....well it doesn't matter as I prefer clear over the green tint.

They did re-use the chassis several times under their life so it can for sure have been the same, one example is the 68 and 69 LeMans winner cars, they were in fact the same chassis but with different competition numbers, The history of the GT40 P 1047 chassis according to gt40.net is: 06/66 : Le Mans, 3,Gurney/Grant, DNF 02/67 : Daytona, 3, Foyt/Gurney, DNF 06/67 : Le Mans, 57, Hawkins/Bucknum, DNF Reims, 1,Schlesser/Ligier, 1st 07/67 : Mugello, 4, Schlesser/Ligier, 4th 10/67 : Montlhery, 1, Schlesser, DNF Montlhery, 1,Schlesser/Ligier 4th 1991 : auction Paris

In my case I didn't buy through ebay I ordered directly from him, I did pay through Paypal tho' but its 4 years ago so I believe a claim through them might not be possible after so long time. As I said, I didn't get anything for my $62.00...yet.

I read in this thread and on other places that the original issue T500 500 had green tinted windows but the T500 500 kit I have with the first 1969 boxart has clear windows...so if anyone hasn't done anything to it there were appearently two versions. I didn't buy this kit new as I bought it on an auction site a while ago, but it doesn't look like it has been tampered with and the clear windows fits the Unilite "Small Window" cab, so they can't be from the later 1100 cab version. The only other version I know of with the Unilite cab is the later T500 and the T522 Wrecker.

The AMT Kenworth Torsion Bar kit's are very rare. I have never seen any AMT Kenworth K-123 with torsion bar suspension and if any of them had the numbers are wrong. The last 2 digits in the KW model number is the number for the suspension type, in this case the 23 stands for dual drive Hendrickson walking beam, the torsion bar version should have been numbered K-125 as 25 was the designated number for the KW torsion bar dual drive suspension. The numbers Kenworth used to designate the chassis type were: _21 for Single Drive Spring, Torsion or Air Ride. _22 for Single Drive "Monkey Motion" or other tag or push axle setups. _23 for Dual Drive Timken or Hendrickson Center Point Walking Beam, Rubber Pad Walking Beam or KW Air Ride suspensions. _24 for Dual Drive Larger Capacity Timken Center Point Walking Beam or KW "Big Six". _25 for Dual Drive KW Torsion Bar suspension. Later in the 70's Kenworth dropped the last two digits and the models were K-100 or W-900 regardless of suspension type. So the AMT W-925 was at first correctly numbered when it had the torsion bar but it should have been changed to W-923 when AMT changed to Walking Beam, the only kits I know of with dual drive torsion bar suspension was the Watkins and the Challenge Mixer versions. There are a couple of kits with single drive torsion bar suspension, both the AMT Tyrone Malone Super Boss and Bandag Bandit trucks have that setup.

Well anything is possible as Round 2 finds gems in the old AMT/Ertl/MPC tooling bank all the time. Round 2 has appearently found the tooling for the first issue T500 500 Unilite "small window" cab - Detroit Diesel 8V-71 - Western Unit Stabilaire suspension version of the Peterbilt 359, it has never been reissued after 1975 and it's not on their website yet but they are going to do it this year according to our "Peterbilt oracle" Tim Ahlborn.

Yes you are right there, I have gathered everything I have found picturewise and information on internet on these trucks and the Super Boss had at least two paint schemes when Jerry "Tyrone" Malone still lived, they were very similar but not exactly the same, and it has been repainted once more since then, so there has been a couple of versions of this truck under it's life. The Papa Truck, Bandag Bandit and Hideout Truck was also repainted at least once and there are a couple of versions of them too to confuse things. But if one are going to do the model from the time all the Tyrone Malone model kits were out 1980-81 the version with the Bandag Diesel Racing Team badge is the correct one as all trucks from that time had the Bandag Badges on the doors. I have been in contact with Jerry at Modeltruckin' and the decals he has for the Super Boss is for the Thermo King version, he told me he would look into this when he gets the time and hopefully he will do a new set...or even better, modify the one he already has and just add the few decals that differs to the sheet so you can choose wich one you want to build... but he is still busy converting the files he already have to the new printing system so it can take some time. But if and when he does a new set I will for sure buy from him so I can complete the model I have.

I have used a bead blast cabinet with glass beads to knock the shine off kit vinyl tires and it works perfectly, I noticed one day when I did some parts with rubber on them that the rubber was like new afterwards so I had to try on some kit tires with satifying results.

I got my copy in the mail yesterday, nice photos of many old racecars.

I think they are the same as the old IMC and Testors kits.

I have seen some questions here about what headers fits on wich engine or wich intake manifold I can use on what engine. So I have done a little thing that can be of help to see how the intake and exhaust ports are spaced on different engines and what headers/exhaust manifold or intake manofold can be used from wich engine type to do a convincing setup on your model. Because it doesn't look good with evenly spaced headers on an engine with siamesed center ports or the other way around Ford Flathead Exhaust o o o Intake oo oo Ford FE MEL Windsor 335 385 Exhaust o o o o Intake o o o o Ford Y-Block Exhaust o oo o (the center ports are close together but not as close as on a Chevrolet small block) Intake o o (the intake ports are stacked on top of each other) o o Lincoln-Mercury Y-Block Exhaust o oo o (same as the Ford Y-Block) Intake oo oo Chevrolet Small Block Exhaust o oo o Intake oo oo Chevrolet Big Block Generation 1 W Engine Exhaust o oo o Intake oo oo Chevrolet Big Block Generation 2 Rat Engine Exhaust o o o o Intake oo oo Buick Nailhead Exhaust o o o o Intake o oo o Buick Big Block Exhaust o oo o Intake oo oo Oldsmobile Rocket Generation 1 Exhaust o o o (the center ports are so close together so they share a larger port) Intake oo oo Oldsmobile Big Block Generation 2 Exhaust o oo o Intake oo oo Pontiac Exhaust o oo o (the center ports are closer than on a Chevrolet small block) Intake oo oo Cadillac Generation 1 and 2 Exhaust o o o (same as with Olds Gen 1, the center ports are so close that they share the center port) Intake oo oo Cadillac Generation 3 472 500 cu in Exhaust o o o o Intake o o o o Mopar A Polyhead Exhaust o o o o Intake o o o o Mopar B RB Exhaust o oo o Intake oo oo Mopar HEMI 426, De Soto, Chrysler, Dodge Exhaust o o o o Intake o o o o Mopar LA Exhaust o oo o Intake oo oo AMC Rambler Exhaust o oo o Intake oo oo

Yes it's a bit challenging to do. I see you have found Bandag Diesel Racing Team decals for the doors. The other most noticeable thing that differs between the Thermo King and Bandag version decals are a couple of Bandag decals and the siluette of the 3 continents the Tyrone Malone Bandag Circus had been to at that time on the hood sides (Europe, Central America and Australia)...otherwise they are mostly the same.

As Gabriel says, these are very easy to make yourself and the cost is close to nothing per spring. One thing to keep in mind is that springs for carb linkages mostly are pull style tension springs wich are designed to resist stretch, and not push style compression springs wich are desinged to resist being compressed. Both types are coil/helical springs but does different jobs due to how they are designed, the biggest difference is that the tension springs are close coiled and the compression springs are open coiled.

Looks nice Alan. It's a hard model to build because of the all paint and all the decals on the bodywork and wings.