Chuck Most

HELLO CLEVELAND!!!!

Doesn't Italeri make a few newer-model Scania kits? I'm guessing they'd all be RHD, but it would be a start.

A mere three miles- catch was a few dead trees had to come down. Also had to dig it out of the ground a little- hence having an old Minneapolis Moline laying around was pretty handy. And no, no blue and yeller for this one- though it'll be something loud and irritating- maybe one of the Mopar late '60's 'High Impact' colors.

Who built the not-shiny one? Awesome looking Hornet, Art!

Got this a while ago, but just brought it home today. 1940 Dodge dump, in suprisingly solid shape other than the front fenders and lower door skins. It'll be broken down over the course of the winter for a little refurbishing. That's the plan, anyway.

Very cool! For a Rat Fink decal I'd just suggest finding a suitable one online, importing it into Word and resizing as needed, and then print it out on decal paper. I have a few Rat Fink decals around someplace, but nothing small enough to look right on a 1:25 motorbike! Turns out I had a few Revell motorcycle parts in my stash- thanks to your post I've positively ID'd them as being from the Honda!

It's something to chew on, anyway. I'll have plenty of time to think about it while I'm making the chassis- which will probably be the easy part!

What I have to ask is this- who, besides the folks actually working on this kit for Revell and perhaps Tom Coolidge, has even seen this kit in person? I can see the box art model as well as anyone else, but is that the finalized kit on the box art, or the first, fifth, or umpteenth prototype revision? We all know these things go through a few rough drafts before they actually hit the shelves- how close is that built up on the box going to be to the actual product in the end? I don't know, you don't know, only a handful of people at this point know. I'd agree with Mr. Kourouklis that the main thing to be concerned with is the accuracy of the car as the factory-stock coupe. But, again, I won't say anything until I have my greasy little paws on at least one example. And I WILL be buying a few of these, rest assured.

Really nice! And count me in as someone else who'll be stealing that door hinge technique...

I'm not 100% certain, but I believe it was functional.

Speaking of reference pics, I might also be able to get some for that '57. My father has a '57 T-650 (?) that's in pretty nice shape. (T-Series is an F-Series tandem, by the way.) Another fun fact about those Fords- see that hood scoop on the resin one you pictured? Looks like one of those highly sought-after Pontiac Super Stock hood scoops, doesn't it? That's because it is. Pontiac actually used the Ford super duty scoop on their drag cars- they even assigned it a GM part number so it would be legit with NHRA factory stock rules.

Ah, right- a 500 wouldn't have the wider fenders, just the larger openings. Wasn't sure at what weight class the wider fenders came into play. That being said I'll still see if I can get some photos/measurements this weekend, the guy should have a suitable reference truck out there.

I thought of using the Aussie GMC, but for that price I just decided to go with the Revell cab, since I'd still need to make the fenders anyway. I do want to get that kit and build it as the GMC one of these days, though! Chris- The '50 Ford cab is a little bit larger in pretty much every dimension than the REO's, and has a flat windsheild, where the REO's is a v'd two-piece. Either way it would be quite a bit of work, though I do think you're onto something with using the Ford hood as a base for the REO. It's a lot shorter, but the basic shape seems close enough to be workable.

Well- test fit the CAT into the chassis today- there's actually suprisingly little room in front of the engine considering how long the hood is! And as you'd expect there might be a few ground clearance issues with the oil pan. I'm thinking of rectifying that with a remote sump.

Very nice! This same kit was the first semi I actually finished, and this thread brings back a lot of memories... mostly memories of what I should have done to make my finished one look better! I think if I ever build one of these again I'm going to toss the kit ladders and go with the 'stirrup' type side steps. And yeah- that front plate bracket does interfere with tilting the cab- pulled mine right off the hinges the first time I tried to open the cab.

Wow... that's made up of Lego bricks? That looks so cool! I don't know what else to say but... cool! I wish my kit-based rigs would turn out that nice.

Nice! Blow it up to 1:1 and I'd live in it.

You see quite a few trucks like that in good old Gratiot County- though some have a (usually fake) 6" diameter smokestack in the bed and a chrome plated... ah... reproductive pouch let's call it hanging off the hitch reciever.

I can't say I blame you there!

Alright... time for a mockup, no? All but the last eight scale feet or so of the frame is roughed in- I'll start on that once I figure out what suspension/axles I'll be using. Still may or may not use the Mercury sleeper box, but right now I'm leaning toward using it.

If they're going to do '80's-movie themed Christmas ornaments, call me when they finally do the Eric Freeman 'Garbage Day' ornament based on Silent Night, Deadly Night 2.

You'd also need to widen the fenders- how much I'm not sure, but the fenders on a 500 were also wider in addition to having a larger openings. The grille opening is the same size. I know a guy with a '54 and '55 F-500 (same as a '53)- I'll see if I can get over there this weekend with a tape measure and find out for sure.

I want to do one of those as well- it's that grille and hood I'm worried about. I'm not that good with curves and symmetry- put them together and it's pretty much hopeless. Chassis, axles and drivetrain shouldn't be a big deal- C-channel for the rails and I think if nothing else I can modify a Plymouth or Hudson engine into the REO six if need be. I'm thinking the Chevy cab might be the best starting point- sad thing is even though I had a '46 Chevy right alongside the REO for years, I never got around to measuring them to see how close they were in size.

I don't think I've ever seen anybody model a field sprayer truck, even though I've thought about it quite a few times.

One of these? http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5172/5484928262_638203fc7d.jpg That was the civilian version of what I have.