Bryan H

All very impressive. I'd say the builders all seem to be imaginative. I think it also takes some courage to make such modifications. I know, from experience, it can be disheartening to spend a huge amount of time trying to scratch-build something only to have it not turn out well. I believe practice is the only way to get good at scratch-building though. Bryan

As far as I can tell, the suspension on that trailer looks like it'll be good for a variety of subjects. I'm a fan of Moebius!

I think Moebius Models has the ability to reinvigorate heavy-truck modeling by itself. This is great news!

Looks good Ron. What's your opinion of that cordless rotary tool? Do you find it powerful enough and the battery life sufficient? Bryan

I know a little about machining and guestimate you'd be looking at between $50 and $75 per wheel. Also, at that rate, the machinist would have to agree to do the job for love of the hobby or a personal challenge. After I realized how expensive it is to have custom machining done, I bought my own lathe and mill and derive a great amount of satisfaction producing my own metal parts.

Very nice representation of a TMC truck Tim! Love the wide-base singles and you did a very nice job with the black paint. Bryan

I drove past a Titan the other day. There's something about the height of the cab and their hood that makes them seem extra huge.

Wow! Excellent work! Are these the Bridgestone M843 and R194 tires by chance? Bryan

Superior work Dave! Did you create drawings/plans before beginning to shape materials? Bryan

Very nice Tim. How do you approach paint polishing around rivets? Bryan

I agree. The combination you described would be fantastic! Bryan

Some things I noticed: Great looking wheels Modern north american fifth wheel Tool box is going to get used on several projects U-joints appear very well defined Great looking rear suspension The engine? Oy! Bryan

Very impressive Tim. What size plastic strip did you use on such a long frame? Bryan

What a nice job, Tim! That looks to be a TMC truck. Bryan

Interesting project Dave. I suspect many would like such an engine considering its use in the vintage of trucks represented by available kits. Were there significant physical differences between the mechanical version and electronic version of the engine in question? Bryan

Hey Ben: I thought those wheels looked like your handiwork. Well done. I hope to resume modeling after I finish my Mechanical Engineering degree in two months. Bryan

Romell: What an impressive build you have going! I agree with mountaindewd that the LED brightness could be modified. Here's a link to an interesting read on LED lighting for models. Basically, a resistor from Radio Shack will do. http://www.modelshipwrightsdatabase.com/Articles/led_lighting_for_model_ships.pdf Keep up the good work! Bryan

Hi Kurt: I just took a closer look at the wheels on your trailer. What was your source for those wheels. I noticed the blue Alcoa decal (must not have been Dura-Brites otherwise they would be black). I also noticed the acorn nuts and wonder whether you outsourced those or machined them yourself. Again, truly an inspiring model. Bryan

We have a new winner! I'm certain this is my new favorite of the builds you have posted. I loooove big, multi-axle trucks. I particularly like the detail you put on the fuel tank. The paint looks very nice and smooth as well. Bryan

I suspect the corrosion between lug nuts and wheels may be due to galvanic corrosion. This happens when two dissimilar metals are brought into intimate contact with each other. There's really nothing you can do about it. Regarding the lug nut size, Full scale lug nuts measure 33mm across the flats. This is 0.054-inches in 1/24 scale. It appears KFS uses 00-90 bolts and nuts. These measure 0.078-inches across the flats. You may eliminate the corrosion by using 0.060-inch styrene hexagonal strip (Plastruct and Evergreen offer this) salami-sliced to appropriate length. I don't recommend using superglue on aluminum since a white, crusty substance named "bloom" can appear later, just as the corrosion did on your wheels. Probably best to use Epoxy. Bryan

Straight trucks differ significantly between eastern states and western states. To illustrate, consider a dump truck in Florida and a dump truck in California. In Florida (if I'm not mistaken), a tandem-axle dump can gross 66,000 pounds. To gross 66,000 pounds in California, one would have to use either a combination vehicle (transfer dumps and semi end dumps good for 80,000 pounds) or use a Superdump (66,000 pound gross straight truck with a trailing tag axle that extends the axles' bridge spacing by about 13'). Bryan

Interesting. Thanks for the excellent photos that show how you're doing the modifications. Bryan

Boy, having a load really enhances the model. Bryan

Easy question for me: Kenworth T800 short hood seven-axle Superdump with Maxle trailing axle, three Hendrickson Composilite 8K pound pushers and a Cummins ISM with 9LL Fuller UltraShift Plus. Bryan

Tim, whatever you used for the "aluminum" parts looks quite realistic. Which paint did you use for those parts? Bryan