Chuck Most

Could not agree more. I only have two of Tom's castings, both '61 Plymouth Fury hardtops, but they were both very nicely done and cleanly cast, even though they were done at the end of the production run for this particular kit and Tom worried casting quality would not be up to snuff. All I had to do was clean up a little flash, prep and paint them, and I was good to go.

And here's a link to the other 40 or so. http://public.fotki.com/ChuckMost/11-reference-pictures/ithaca-dust-off-sho/

A few of the highlights. Well, what I thought were the highlights.

I'll see about getting it on the bench.

Very nice! Thanks for the tip on using the car antenna segments for smokestacks- I'm certainly going to give that one a try.

No, but I sprayed it with transparent green and that seemed to help. Hopefully (HOPEFULLY!) this one will be in Under Glass tonight. I suppose we'll see.

As long as those two particular 'non-model' subjects are verboten, I don't mind a little off-topic stuff every now and then, too.

'Ere she is. Plan is to eventually hook up an AMT livestock trailer, at which point I'll add the trailer lines.

But the question is... did they finally build a 1:1 version of the MPC Vampire Van for Barnabas????

Well, in the final stretch now, next time you see her she'll be a done deal. Hopefully I'll have some finished pictures up this evening.

Well, cab is installed for keeps... would have been sooner if I hadn't inadvertently broken the right rear cab mount. Added a couple of stone pecks, one of which sprouted a crack. I assembled and painted the air intact ducts, and repaired a hole with an old Hills Bros. coffee can and (you guessed it) more duct tape. Hey, at least the tape is being used on an actual duct for a change! Here it is in place. And here is the hood installed- I did tweak the hinge a little for best possible fit, but getting close now!

Lovely!

I really have to say one thing first- for all that's been said about how unclear the instructions are on this kit (and they are pretty lacking in areas), the kit goes together logically and quite well, once you have it all figured out, especially considering the high parts count! I still would not hand this kit to a novice, but considering I have practically no experience with building semi/large truck models (I can count all of my completed builds of said subject on one hand) this kit really hasn't fought me all that much. Anywho, started work on the cab's finish. I used the salt technique and a little selective sanding to distress it- it still needs a bit of fine tuning, but this is the gist. Oh, those tabs molded along the rockers don't seem to serve any purpose, so I removed them after I snapped this photo. I recently saw an early 1990's-ish Freightliner with a piece of plywood in place of a broken sleeper window, so I cut a few thin scraps of birch to make such a panel for my Lonestar. I wanted to replicate a missing inside door panel, so the driver's side piece was filed down and openings were cut into it as shown. It's not a 100% accurate depiction of the 'nekkid' inner door structure, but it'll do for me. Much of it will be somewhat obscured one installed, anyhow. I stuck a parts-box power window switch onto the door, and used some scrap copper wires to represent the harness leading to the motor in the door. Just like the one in my buddy Matt's '81 Regal back in high school! I borrowed another cue from beaters I've seen and duct-taped a trash bag to the door to cut down a bit on drafts, and cover up the open holes in the door. The duct tape is BMF, while the trash bag is a small piece cut from a real trash bag. Another scrap of birch wood was glued across the top. The interior isn't too badly trashed- it's more or less inspired by the conditon of my cousin's old Transtar Eagle before it was hauled off. The ripped up driver's side bucket seat got a little duct tape of its own, a few old newspapers were strewn about, and there's a box from a wiper blade on the floor, and a case of Bar's Leaks nearby. The interior is also grimed up a bit. Might add a bit more, but those are the main elements. Hopefully I'll have the cab permanently installed later today, I guess we'll just have to see.

Well, what I meant was "Models by Dave" Lonestar stuff. But, yeah, these are cast by none other than Mr. Cargostar himself.

Already looks 1000 times better than where you started! Having seen many of your previous projects, I have no doubt this one has a bright future ahead of it.

I tend to hoarde Satco tires as I find them - the Bridgestone light truck tires are very nice! The line of Firestones previously mentioned were good as well. I have seen the metal soldiers available from Satco, but I'm not at all sure what the story on those was.

Another idea I'm considering. Again, we'll see what happens. Threw a few more widgets on today, and made a few modifications. I removed the driver's side door handle (it was broken, after all...) and made up the 'stamped' detail behind it. If it looks a little mangled, that's okay... the wire coat hanger that will replace it would probably rip up the sheet metal just a little bit. The skirts are on, and I added a little diesel sludge. This lazy truck driver always seems to overflow the tanks, and/or slop some on the skirts when he fills up. And when he leaves, the loose fuel blows back and runs down the sides of the truck. I tried to replicate that by adding a thinned black wash and then using a hair dryer pointed to the rear of the chassis to blow the wash to the back of the truck, and to help it dry faster. And bringing up the rear... I cut off both mudflaps, and made one new one from thinner plastic. The weight is another piece of .020" styrene covered in BMF, and the lady is a Detail Master PE piece. The right taillamp housing was, shall we say, tweaked a bit, and the mud flap on that side is missing. I also drilled out the left hand backup light. The frame had a bit of a warp, but I chose not to fix it, as I doubted a truck this used and abused would still have an arrow-straight frame.

They do some dark and dreary music at burlesque shows. (Yeah, I've been to a few... what of it? ) Another masterpiece, Dr. Cranky!

First off, we have the daycab shell. You've probably seen it, but I think it needs to be seen again. It is a very well done piece. Haven't tried test fitting any kit parts to it yet, but expect a full rundown once I do. Next up, here's the custom grille. This I did test fit, and it dropped nicely into the Lonestar kit hood grille opening, though a little bit of gentle massaging is required to get it to fit flush with the top of the hood. No big deal there, and the Moebius kit grille needs the same treatment to fit the best it can too. Both parts have only minor wisps of flash, and there was no evidence of serious warpage or other distortions in either casting. This was my first time doing business with Dave, but it will NOT be the last time. In fact, I'm buying a second daycab, so I'll be prepared for when the Prostar kit comes out! Grille sells for $10, and the cab is $25, both less shipping and handling. Prices are very fair for the quality, and delivery time was quick. Thanks, Dave!

Well, rolling chassis is pretty much dialed in. Still needs a few tweaks and parts added, but this is pretty much the gist. I didn't worry about the fuel tank seams, as they won't be visible when the truck is built. And I couldn't resist a test fit of the cab and hood, if for no other reason than to see how they'd look on the frame.

Looking good so far. I'll have to look into getting one of those cabs.

You tried? Looks like you succeeded! Very nice little Blazer. I'd hate to own it in 1:1 though... thing would shred the tires so fast your head would spin.

Ah the G8 pickup, which was originally slated to be a GMC offering. Does GM really think there's a market for a 'ute' in North America anymore? Yeah, it looks cool, but it would be my guess the thing would flop harder than the '04-5 GTO, which flopped pretty hard, if you remember. The four door sounds like a good idea, but the G8 sedan was much easier on the eyes, and it didn't sell well either. Sure, the styling is uninspiring, and it's a four-door, but a V8, rear-drive car is always something worth having. Now... could they have given it a better name? SS? I'm not a Chevy guy, so when I hear SS I think 'Schutzstaffel', not 'Super Sport'. Call it a Chevelle or something! Heck, actually calling it the Chevy Something would be better than simply Chevy SS. Guess I have mixed feelings about this...