Chuck Most

I just bought the Diamond Reo reissue, and I'm thinking of bashing it with the plow, dump body, and sand spreader from the AMT Ford Lousiville plow truck when I can get one. But I have a few things nagging me... 1. Would using the parts from the LTN-8000 be consistent? I'm assuming the two kits date from roughly the same era. 2. All of the 1:1 DR plows I've seen had a set-back front axle. I've never seen an exception to this myself, either in person or in an online image search. Moving the front axle and fenders would not phase me, but I'd like to keep the front end of the truck the way it is represented in the AMT kit. Would doing so violate any serious "accuracy laws". 3. If I do set the front axle back, would the hood be the same length? Also, the set back axle trucks all seemed to have butterfly hoods. Was such an option available on the hood style depicted in the AMT kit? 4. Could I keep the turbocharged Cummins engine supplied in the DR kit? I've seen very few turbo plow trucks from this era, though I'm sure there were a probably quite a few around. Leaving the turbo off the NTC-350 would work if I needed to. And last one... 5. I know some DR trucks and tractors had aluminum frames, but were they all aluminum, or was a steel frame also offered? I do plan to weather the truck a bit, and rust on an aluminum frame rail just wouldn't look right! I guess the bottom line is- would the type of Diamond Reo the AMT kit represents even be a good choice to start a plow truck project? I understand I'd need to lose the sleeper, probably shorten the frame, etc.., but none of that should be a big deal. I'd appreciate any answers/tips/insights you guys could provide!

Here's what I have at this point- Glass, mirrors, air cleaners, visor, and lenses are in place, and the cab is permanently mounted. Still need to connect the air intake ducting under the hood, but it's technically a only battery and at least one fuel tank away from 'drivable'. Speaking of, that's the next thing I have to figure out. I don't plan on using the stock aero skirts, so I need to plan out the tank, box, and step setup for each side. I'm leaning toward leaving it a tractor, but I might put a body of some sort on the back. As always, we'll see.

Now imagine it with the grille from the Ford Bronco concept truck from a few years back...

I was there, I saw him do it. I can vouche for this man's wherabouts and actions at or around 1:15 PM Monday, August 20, 2012. Looking sweet! Bed looks awesome. (Heh, heh. Wood...) Is that Scale Motorsport upholstery pattern decal on the seat?

Got a sweet billet steering wheel today- and on that note... the interior is finished! I've also painted the inserts in the seats black, to break up the yellow islands in the otherwise mostly black interior. Hope to have the cab on for good tomorrow.

I was headed up US-127 earlier today, when something in the southbound lane caught my eye. What caught my eye was what a P-series Scania cabover, bright red with a chrome grille, pulling an enclosed trailer. No camo or dazzle paint, no disguise of any kind- this thing was a Scania, plain as day. I know that Scania does sell some product in the US, but I never knew they sold their trucks here. Anybody know when this happened? Or could it be a test rig? I've heard some European truck makers are trying to crack the North American market.

Why, that would be a weather vane. I have one similar to it on the peak of the old barn out back. That particular one could serve double duty as a lighting rod.

Just bought some of this today, and immediately plunked a set of '52 Hudson steel wheels into it. Within 15 minutes, the chrome was disappearing. Moebius doesn't seem to have such a thick enamel undercoat for their plating, so I'll check tomorrow and see if it's gone.

That came out beautiful! Never knew there was a 4200 kit until now.

Minor report... I now have not one, but TWO '52 convertibles in my possession. Hope to have some more substantial updates soon.

And just for fun, here it is in the morning sunlight.

I'll be keeping an eye on this for sure- I'm planning on starting a custom Transtar Eagle once I finish my custom LoneStar. Looks like you are even using the same engine as I plan to use. I'm thinking I might stretch the hood on mine, though.

This or the LoneStar- the cabs are the same on pretty much all of the modern International trucks. I've been toying with the thought of converting one into a WorkStar or TerraStar.

Ah, Rangers! I love those things. Often (literally) to death! That's the thing about them- they don't break too often, but when they do, it's always in grand fashion. I've got an '89 myself that's going to need a clutch pretty soon. But she's 23 years old with 145k, so I guess I can't gripe too much!

If you are in Michigan's UP, Book World in St. Ignace also carries Model Cars.

Yeah, I'm liking the way the grille treatment came out!

I'm not sure how. You'd definitely need to rework the mount. I actually tried a Peterbilt 359 headlight assembly on this early on- I couldn't find a way to mount them without them sitting too high (for my tastes). And now.... Had to get a quick shot of that School Bus Yellow under bright, natural sunlight. You may have noticed the Harley grille already in place, and painted with the hood. Let's just say I've got something a little different than the 'all chrome' grille treatment in mind...

I just love that worn-off brush paint job! I've been trying to duplicate that in scale for years, with limited success so far. This truck's a perfect example of it.

Not a bad price on that one either. Hmmmmmm.....

Second 1:32 model I've finished this year. This is the 1985-ish Minicraft reissue of the old Gowland and Gowland kit from the early '50's. Kind of crude and not much in the way of detail, but a fun little project. I worked on this while I was waiting on paint and adhesives to set up on other projects. Wheels and tires are from an AMT Model T, and I used some leftover 1910 Studebaker wheels and a couple of wooden barrels I found at the hobby shop in back. It was rusted and dirtied up to look like a farmer's beater truck.

Looks great- and love those inner door panels you made- the lack of them is this kit's one and only big downfall.

That's just plain beautiful.

The Monogram Ford Tri-Motor is the only plane I've ever built, and I only built that because (you guessed it) its a Ford. But this one sure came out nice- really makes me want to give one a go... if I can locate one.

Mockup time! The most psychologically satisfying part of any project. Fit looks good, rear lower fenders, hood hinge, and front bumper are permanently installed at this point, and hopefully around noon or so I'll be able to start thinking about paint.

Love the business name! You might still be able to find plain old toothbrushes with clear red handles at 'discount/thrift' places like Dollar General.