Chuck Most

This is just a mostly box-stock buildup of the Italeri kit- the exceptions to box-stock being the headache rack from a Revell Peterbilt 359 and a deck plate from the Revell 359 snap kit, and the .040" styrene I used to block off the sleeper walk-through. Paint is Testors Pure Gold. I figured after finishing the two AMT White Western Stars one after the other, it would be a good time to blow the dust off this one and make it a trilogy.

I've been using LA's Totally Awesome- it makes quick work of the plating itself, and usually does a pretty good job of getting rid of the undercoating, though sometimes it does take a while. I take them out periodically and scrub the parts with a nylon-bristle brush. I've noticed that the stuff Round 2 uses is about the worst, in terms of thickness and difficulty to strip.

Maisto did a handful of 1:24 Harleys a few years ago- now all they seem to make are 1:18 scale bikes. You can still find the 1:24 bikes for sale online though.

SuperCab.... Club Cab is what Dodge called their extended cab. As far as availability- what Mike said. I know Greg Van Sickle is planning on doing an extended cab to go along with his crew cab, but I don't know how far along he is in mastering one.

I got one of the Orange Blossoms a few years ago for $40, which I considered a bargain compared to some prices I'd seen. I'm planning on putting a Revell '41 Chevy pickup body on the chassis.

I've wanted to backdate one to an HB600, but I've never been able to find any good pics of one. Anyway, I might get in on this- I've got the Monogram AC Tanker in the unbuilt pile... no idea what I'll do with it as of now. Like many others, I'm also waiting for the DM reissue.

Thanks guys! For once I'm actually pleased with how one of my models turned out- the fact it turned out as well as I hoped was made all the more impressive considering that I had no solid plan in mind when I started on this one, other than stretching the wheelbase. I knew I wanted to try that, but everything else was up in the air.

Thanks, guys! Now I have to dig out that Loadcraft lowboy, hook it up to the custom green one, and plop this on the back.

You're welcome, Anthony! I agree with your assessment of it being AMT's best truck kit, though I do have to admit some bias on my part.... I grew up in Diamond Reo territory. One of these days I need to build a "nice" one to go with my "crusty" ones.

Sort of looks like a Transformer that got stuck somewhere between auto and robot mode.

I can't take credit for that pic- Tim Ahlborn posted that some time ago, when Round 2 reissued the Dual Drive and discussion turned to how to deal with the mutlipiece cab.

They're in a couple of compartments tucked inside the frame rails and concealed by the deck plate. Theoretically.

Electrifying. There, I said it. And I can't believe I beat Danno to it....

I can almost see the coolness from this oozing out of my monitor. Very, VERY nice job.

Monogram Land Rover Ertl Massey Ferguson 1155 Another vote for the Ertl International S-Series kits AMT '69 Lincoln Continental Ertl International Off-Road Scout (or the SSII version) As for what should not have been reissued... I'm not touching that one with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole...

Just finished both of these up in the early AM. The tractor is the AMT WWS... that crusty one I posted a couple of days ago was built while I was waiting on paint (Rustoleum Key Lime) and adhesives to dry on this one. It's a mild custom- front air dam, 9 cab clearance lights, four horns, add-on AC, and a little custom body work. Engine is a Detroit 8V-71 with straight pipes, but just in case the exhaust note isn't a dead giveaway of what just passed you, the mudflaps bear Detroit Diesel logos as well. A passenger's side fuel tank was robbed from a White Road Boss, and reconfigured to be on the driver's side, so I'd have long fuel tanks on both sides. The trailer is, of course, the Moebius Great Dane, box stock aside from the 2-hole Budds from Class A resin, and decals from Modeltruckin'. This won't be a permanent pairing- the reefer will eventually be hooked up to a plane Jane fleet spec ProStar.

Here it is all finished and temporarily paired up with a tractor... http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=100224

It's decaled now, and the landing gear is on. How's this for an odd couple? ​

Well, after about two years of nothing.... about two hours of effort got me to this... The (unfinished) White Western Star won't be what it's paired up with- the plan was and is to hook the Great Dane up to a Plain Jane, fleet-speck ProStar. Still need to add a few doodads to the trailer and permanently attach the wheels and tires.

This is a rundown old unit- seems like I always used to see rough riders like this being used for spotting duty wherever semi trailers liked to lurk. Or maybe it's used by a farmer during harvest time, or a scrap hauler. It may be a bit past its prime for extensive highway work, but it'll still get the job done. I built this from an original T546 kit, because there's no reason to buy a kit with no intention of ever building it. That version came with skinny Firestone tires, some crappy decals (mine wouldn't even release from the backer after a five minute soak), and the Western Star logo engraved on the mud flaps- the Round 2 reissue lacks all of those things, though the last one is the only real bummer. I used the beefier looking 11x20 Goodyears from a White Freightliner Dual Drive. I also used the rear wheels, hubs, leaf spring suspension, and axles from that kit. Since the original decals were unusable, I robbed from spares from the Round 2 reissue. Like many old beaters, this one has undergone a heart transplant- there's now an early '80's CAT under the hood, swapped in when the original Cummins gave up the ghost. At some point the hood and driver's side door were replaced with mismatched salvage yard pieces. Or who knows? Maybe that old Cummins caught fire, taking the cab and hood with it, and the truck was rebuilt with whatever the junk guy had in stock. Sometimes the backstory is unknown, and the mind can reel when treated to a sight like an old rig in this kind of condition. Somehow in the midst of all this, nobody noticed the broken passenger's side low-beam and the missing turn signal... much less the AWOL fog lamps. The Ontario plate on the passenger's side of the front bumper might be another clue to this old Star's past... perhaps it has passed through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel so many times it could technically be considered a submarine. It was a quick and fun project- I think it'll end up on a flatbed being towed by a much nicer WWS.

Rivet detail is way overdone, as well- That's true for almost all old semi kits, but it's particularly apparent when you look at the roof on that one.

Some guys STILL do. "Why would anyone cut four inches out of the roof of a perfectly good '49 Mercury"....

Across the pond.... I took that to mean "England" or some place in Europe. Look through it... I assumed that to mean the album posted at the link. See some familiar faces.... that I took at face value. Seems like a descriptive enough thread title to me.

5 works well.... right up until you actually do cough....

And- as I found out, they can come undone when you try to install the interior tub. Next time I'm going to reinforce them from the inside with thin plastic strip. Doing so should also help lining them up- built out of the box it's nothing but a flimsy butt joint.