highway

Bradley, I can understand your job being very detail oriented, and if I remember reading correctly one time, you said you were an aircraft mechanic, right? I could understand the high level of attention to detail, because a job such as that demands attention to detail. Even though I never had a job like that, I drove almost every form of truck on the road from general coast to coast freight to wreckers and snowplows. I also dabble in mechanics, and I say dabble because I don't have any professional training, but I know my way around everything from a Geo Metro to an 18 wheeler very well. I also have the gift (or curse) of a very detail oriented eye, and all of this started invading the hobby I have loved since I was 8 years old. This invasion began to get many wonderful ideas going in my head, from building super detailed cars like you've described to superdetailing rigs and wreckers to the point my head was going to explode! I ended starting some of these projects, but I would burn myself out sweating the small stuff so much I barely even wanted to work on anything for almost 5 years. I think Mike said it best, and I think he does know you too well, follow his advice. If you don't have any on the shelf that you haven't obsessed over already, go out this weekend and get a snap kit or a simple glue kit, take all your superdetailing tools and supplies off your workbench, and just leave your paints and glue out, and build the kit. No scratchbuilding, no cam gears here and the distributor gear connects there stuff, just simple building and detailing with your paintbrush. I would almost guarantee you'll have fun doing it! Oh, by the way, another thing I learned during my wanting to superdetail phase, don't bring your work home to your model bench!

Brian, you might want to try the Testors Custom Lacquer Hemi Orange for the engine. I used it on the engine for my 09 Challenger and it turned out nice.

It would help if that monster was even built yet!

Well, Jeff, let's see if I can help you out. First off, the one nice thing with Italeri American truck kits is most of them use the same generic frame, about the only exception to this rule is the Peterbilt kits and the newer Volvo trucks. Almost every other kit, regardless of make, builds about the same. I missed the part about the front axle issue when I first read your post, but I think that the tabs on the front axle locate to a notch that is in the leaf springs on the inner side, but I will check on of my unbuilt kits in a bit for you to make sure. As for the front shocks, your shocks should have a hole in the top portion like these that I pointed out with the tip of my knife. These holes will slide over the pins on the frame rail that are at the tip of my knife. This is the inner on for the drivers side shock... ...and this is how the passenger side mount should look. You should be able to slide the top hole in the shocks over those, then I would suggest just let the shock rotate down until the mounting pad at the bottom touches the front axle, and glue it in place. I hope this helps, and like I said, I'll check on the front axle for you, too.

Oh, yeah, Barry, you have pletty of time! I will get you added to the list.

Nice job!

That or somebody didn't use his Spell Chick!!!!

Sure thing Ryan, we have a special Lumberjack breakfast just for the stick haulers at the MCM Cafe! I'll get you added to the list. Stay safe in the snow tomorrow!

I have you added.

Here, try these: http://cgi.ebay.com/REV-MONO-FORD-F-350-DUALLY-PLASTIC-MODEL-KIT-2948-/130456000080?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e5fc89650 http://cgi.ebay.com/FORD-F-350-DUALLIE-P-up-/300495192800?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f6e8c2e0 A quick search of "Ford F350" turned these up for me on ebay! And much better than the one you mentioned at $69.99!

Nice project, Blake. Are you interested in joining the truck community build I have going on? If so, here's a link to it. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=37529 This has always been my favorite truck, it was my first truck I built many years ago.

That's the point, Winston! Actually just as long as I can get from Chicago to LA that's all that matters! This a part of a community build on that "other" magazine's not so great forum, and the subject is a Cannonball Run on Route 66 from Chicago to LA. Oh, and I'm not worrying about an overweight permit for the added fuel load, because I'd like to see the DOT keep up with this truck! Anyway, I'm just sitting here listening to some of my all time favorite trucking songs like the "Movin On" theme and "Roll On 18 Wheeler" among many others and waiting for some paint to dry, so I figured I'd give everyone a little status report. I haven't been doing much more than detail painting and some BMF work, and most of that has been on the interior, which is 99.9% done. That little 0.1% is the turn signal mount that I seen to keep forgetting about! It's all that needs finished, other than the CB, which I haven't figured out where I want yet. I did start painting the signal mount, and waiting for the red I added for the hazard flasher switch to dry. I also have to find a straight pin so I can make a trailer brake arm. I also heated the shifter from the kit to rotate the top around to sit more realistically, and added a bit of red to the range switch to make it look like a 13 speed shifter. I finished up the rest of the pieces with some BMF, I like my shiny stuff! Finally, I also played around with the mural on the computer last night and got it to the final size. It is printed on regular paper for now, and I didn't want to stick it down with tape because I didn't want to goof up the paint, but this will give you an idea of the final look. Well, back to work on it, I have to have it finished by Dec. 1! And you know what that means, too, right? The super secret engine will be reveiled later THIS WEEK! EDIT: By the way, I forgot to mention the red dome light on the roof! I gotta have mood lighting, too!

I've got you updated to the K series Nick, and good idea for the wheel lift. Modern cars would fall apart on a sling!

Well, this wasn't a weird load, but it was the weirdest thing I ever encountered during my driving career. I was dropping a trailer in a dock outside St Joesph, MO because I was picking up a load of pork bellies and the dockworker told me they had to put paper on the walls of my reefer before loading the pork. I wound the dolly legs down, pulled the fifth wheel pin, and started pulling out. I noticed when the trailer came off the fifth wheel, it rocked a little and leaned to the passenger side and I thought it was just settling in a hole, just like I'd seen many times before. I didn't notice the trailer was sitting on the drive tires though! After the trailer cleared the drive tires, I seen the trailer REALLY lean, and I thought the trailer was going on it's side! Here I didn't know that a bolt had broke in the crossbar going from the gearbox for the dolly legs to the passenger side leg, and that leg never came down. The trailer dropped on the still up leg and left the trailer sitting at about a 30 degree angle in the dock with the drivers side trailer tires about three feet off the ground. The moral of the story, I never dropped a trailer without checking that other leg wasn't down again!

Looking good Ernie! As for a headache rack, would this work? I'm by no means a professional caster, but I made a mold of this one I modified from the headache rack in Revell of Germany's Pete 359 kit. I made one for another member here, and here's a link to his build he used it on. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31022&st=0&p=306848&fromsearch=1&#entry306848 If you're interested in one, PM me.

They sound like a good start, Skip. I've never modified any diecasts myself, but I've been watching DanielG's "Trans Am Sport Truck" diecast conversion, and he has been using JB Weld for his metal to metal parts. Here's a link to it just in case you haven't seen it: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35611 Also, from the various threads I've read here on the subject of putties, it seems from what everyone has said, the two part "Professional" Bondo Glazing and Spot putty is a very cheap alternative to Evercoat. I have also used regular Bondo on one of my current plastic projects with great results. You also can't go wrong with the Duplicolor paints, I use those on almost all of my builds and have used them for many years with great results, too. I would suggest that maybe for your first coat of primer, use their Sealer/Primer so that if the two part Bondo Glazing and Spot putty is a reddish color like the one part counterpart I use, it will give you a uniform barrier against any possible bleed through later. Then finish it up with the Duplicolor filler primer to take care of any sanding scratches or slight imperfections you might have looked over in your prep work.

That's why that Heller kit I mentioned looked so familiar! Mine is not one you mentioned though, it is a Pete 359 with I believe a reefer trailer, and truck and trailer have "Navajo" markings.

The Shockwave Pete was a 1/32 scale kit, but still a cool subject!

I had a few back in the 90s and I thought they were not bad kits. I just wish I could get some again! I have a Heller kit that is a 1/43 scale, too. It is a Peterbilt 359 and dry van or reefer trailer. It's been a long time since I seen the AMT kits, but I believe this Heller kit could possibly be the same kits, as the few trucks are the same as what AMT offered.

I haven't been having any problems with it either, but I'm not a big fan of the changes, too. The biggest change I've found so far I hate is before the update, you could lock the codes under the pic in the album instead of having to mouse over the pic and have them drop down. Now with the update, it appears they did away with that option, unless I just haven't found the correct place to change it back.

You're welcome, I'm glad I could point you in the right direction! The truck is looking very nice.

Very nice work, Chris.

If the convertible you are thinking of is the Trumpeter kit, Trumpeter also made a coupe version of that kit. EDIT: Oh by the way, it is a completely stock car.

Thanks to both of you for correcting me. Here I thought all three cars were the same platform. I'm correct that they did have basically the same interiors as the T-Bird and Cougar, right?

Now come on, Nick, you know I'm an ex wrecker driver and I have many wrecker builds planned. NOW YOU'RE GIVING ME IDEAS!!!!