highway

The trailers for both of these builds are Moebius' 53 foot Great Dane trailers and I didn't have any issues with them. The only issues I have had with any of the four trailers I have opened was on one roof I originally painted with DupliColor "Chrome" paint, but I think it was more a paint issue that the plastic itself. The "Chrome" came out fine with no issues, but I wanted to change it since the "Chrome" isn't very durable to handling when the trailer was in initial mock up stage and it can't be clear coated to protect the shine, it will turn a silver/grey with no shine. I sprayed grey primer over the "Chrome" and the primer started crazing and cracking. and then tried to repair the damage with Bondo Spot and Glazing putty which also crazed and cracked in the same places I was trying to repair, all the way down to the "Chrome" Like I stated, I think that was more because of the DupliColor "Chrome" and painting over it rather than the kit's plastic itself. The roof of the painted trailer in this pic is the one I tried to repaint and the paint was fine before I sprayed the primer on it so I could use Alclad instead.

I got this yesterday in the mail in a trade with ranma. Now the question is to tear or not to tear the shrink wrap!!!

And you are 1,080 minutes too late seeing the post in the trade section!

Hmmmmm........it sure looks like the scale in the lower right hand corner of the pic Casey posted says 1/25th scale!!

I think by the time I'm finished putting the "lights" on both of my custom project's trailers, I'm going to make sure I have reservations for the nut house! I do have all but the passenger side of the trailer finished because I'm starting to not only get tired but close to losing the little bit of mind I have left LOL!! The two custom trailers will be done the same and here are the stats: 9 lights across the front top, 53 amber 2 red split between the top and bottom of each side, and 9 across the top and 5 across the bottom of the rear equaling a total of 133 lights and if you count the 4 tail lights, a grand total of 137 lights on EACH trailer!!

Well, it's time for an update that I was hoping would be much different but unfortunately issues reared their ugly heads. I was hoping to be finished with this and my custom Ford yesterday for the show in Pittsburgh, but instead some scratch building didn't come out quite right. I made these stack mounts instead of the stainless steel mount I used for the stack mock up pics and somehow after I added a cross brace at the bottom to give the mounts some added support for the monster 10" stacks and the matching straight pipes for the air intakes and everything got shifted to the driver's side. Before I took the mess off the frame I tried to add the passenger side intake pipe (which are also from Ryan Mylnek's Rhino's Custom Model Truck Parts) and it was leaning to the rear and would not fit between the rear cab mount and the stack mounts, and the intake pipes have to be angled between the cab mount and stack mounts or they will be hitting the back of the engine, so a complete redesign is needed. I now just have to hope I can save the mounting brackets that come with the stacks or get more off of Ryan after I build another new set of stack mounts. I also am hoping I didn't mess up these new cab hinges I had to make since both hinges from the kit are one of the multiple pieces that broke because of aged and brittle plastic that I was planning on saving until one decided to do a disappearing act in my model room, so my only solution was to scratchbuild some hinges. Actually Dan, I would talk her into going to Hobby Lobby! The color (topaz) that I got at the same time quite a few years ago at Michael's for the front and side marker lights as the ones I used for the rear lights is no longer offered in the separate packs like the one on the left side of this pic: Michael's only sells the topaz now in a combo pack of 90 stones along with another color called smokey topaz and 3 different (3MM, 4MM, and 5MM) sizes, and it is $9.99 here in the states. The pack on the right is what I got at Hobby Lobby, the color is smoked topaz and they are only $2.99 for a pack of 112 stones. They seem to me to not have as much brilliance as the ones from Michael's, but for as many as I plan on putting on not only this trailer but also the one for my custom Ford, I would have probably had $50 to hopefully have enough! As it is, even with 224 stones in the 2 packs of the smoked topaz I bought at Hobby Lobby, I'm still short 2! This trailer and the one for the Ford will be done the same, and I have started the Ford's trailer. On both trailers, there will be 9 lights across the top of the front above the reefer unit, 52 amber and 2 red along the top and bottom of the sides, and 9 red across the top and 5 more will be added between the taillights on the bottom, because the area between the tail lights just looks bare with the lights already installed along the top of the rear. That equals a total of 131 lights on each trailer, and if you count the 4 tail lights, it will be a grand total of 135 lights each!!

For some reason I'm thinking more along the lines of "Hold my beer...."

Sure thing, because everything online is true! I'm sorry, but I don't consider facelifts and some interior changes significant enough that it makes them different generations, especially when I could use any body or interior parts in my 1:1 from the 16 year time span.

Orphans that begged for a new home from the 3 Rivers Automodelers show in Pittsburgh PA today. The 49 Ford and 1905 Rolls Royce are 1/32 scales, and the small box beside them is a partially built and hopefully complete Borax 20 Mule Team. The Ryder and UPS decals are for my collection of now 4 (with the one today) Louisvilles, and I had some strange attraction to sporty Dodges. Everything is either still sealed or sealed inside with the exception of the Monza and the Ladder Chief, but the Monza is complete. The Ladder Chief is missing a few parts and the cab is warped, but I have a plan that is not going to make that an issue.

I don't really understand why you are calling them all different generations, nothing really changed on the F Series from 80 to 96 except for them getting facelifts, the basics stayed the same.

This is the front axle out of the Revell/Monogram 80 to 86 Bronco with a late 90s AMT F150 frame. As for the "Dust Devil", though I don't know for sure because I do not have that kit, but it SHOULD have the same front axle as the Revell/Monogram Bronco as it also represents an 80 to 86 Bronco. Also, for your F350, if it has the weaker Dana 50 I Beam front axle, an axle from a Bronco may visually look close. If it has the Dana 60 monobeam live axle, then you will need a Dana 60 center from a rear axle and make the axle tubes yourself, as I'm going to do for my build of my 90 F350.

Actually, Miller has the manuals too. On the upper right corner of the page I linked, there is a link to the parts and repair manuals, even the big rotators! And don't worry, you aren't the only one that is planning to cut up a Meng F350!! I actually have plans to cut up two!! The second is a wild idea staying in my brain until I start it, but the other will be a single cab wrecker. I just haven't decided yet if it will be a wrecker or a rollback yet. If you are a little unsure about cutting up a Meng first, try a Revell/Monogram F350 first since they have just been reissued and cheaper than a Meng F350. It isn't too hard to shorten it, I started this one a few years ago to build a replica of my 1:1.

This has been sharing some bench time with my "BJ & the Bear" custom, and sharing some ideas as well. I was working on the monster 10" stacks for the other and found the way to connect the 8" stacks to this one as well. A bend out of a straw fit perfectly into the elbow of the 8" stack, an with a scrap piece of tubing inside the straw bend, it slides nicely over some of the kits exhaust pipes. The "Y" pipe won't be used, but the ends will be cut off and added to whatever I come up with to connect the turbos on the buzzin dozen to the stacks. I first have to make a better rear engine mount to get the big V12 to sit level in the frame, and also a little redesign of the driveline by adding a second carrier bearing and an extra interaxle driveshaft between the transmission and the new carrier, because the original idea of connecting the transmission to the carrier bearing I originally made when I first built the frame quickly went out the window with the V12! After leveling the engine with the rear mount, that will pick the transmission up to a point that would send the driveshaft into not one, but two, frame crossmembers! The big news is that after the engine is installed and connected to the drivetrain, that big Buzzin Dozen will have a load to pull!! The trailer is about 95% complete, I still have some things to add to the rear suspension, and all the lights I want to add. I did start giving the trailer its chicken truck look by adding 3MM craft rhinestones to the top and rear side marker light positions, and 5MM to the tail/brake lights. I'm also impressed with the way the Alclad prismatic chrome turned out, the roof, floor and reefer vents are painted with it to add to the colorshifting of the paint.

Well, the midnight idea of the curved stripe failed miserably, the gold did not stay in place so I corrected the top stripe. I have made some nice progress even though that progress has been due to some short days or complete missed days at work since I have been having some problems breathing for a little over a week and don't know why other than "maybes" and a breathing test on the 15th where the doctor said everything looked normal, but I have been killing some of the time I haven't been trying to make my way through the day at work at the bench when possible. I do have the exhaust almost completed, starting with this pile adding, shaping, and sanding gel super glue then adding the "bendy" section of a drinking straw to the end to make reducers to connect the 10" monsters to the exhaust manifolds and turbos and the rest of the exhaust, and a coating of Alclad Chrome to finish everything off. The biggest part of this update is big indeed, 53' long big!! The trailer is about 95% complete!! I still have the brake chambers and related parts to add to the suspension, as well as the shocks and mudflaps, but the trailer is finally glued together. I also started adding chicken lights to the rear, the small lights are 3MM craft rhinestones and the tail/brake lights are matching 5MM stones. I have some matching 3MM amber stones to do all of the front and side marker lights, but have to hope I can find more of them that match what I already have or find a very similar 3MM amber stone. I only have 42 currently, and going to use the same look on the front as in the back, and possibly use the same spacing for the top and bottom of the sides, so 42 is no where near enough, especially when the Ford's trailer will be done the same!!

Check out Miller Industries website, they have many different brands and styles of wrecker bodies there. http://www.millerind.com/

Not really sure being an original issue if that would help the value or not, but this is what I paid for these the last time that kit was reissued with the snowplow options about 10 years ago.

I just seen this in an LHS last week, but I didn't pay attention to the price. It would be nice to see AMT reissue some of their old 1/32nd scale, they had some nice old iron and much better than the Monograms. I'd love to see the old 1/43rd scales too, the molds still live! Heller reissued this one and had the Pete wrecker and the Kenworth K100 pictured on the back of the box about 10 years ago and I found this one on eBay that also had pics of the sprues in the ad, and the Heller is that old kit.

Ryan's stacks are worth looking into, and he also includes these mounts sized to fit whatever size stack you get if you get the full length stacks with elbows. I have a set of his 8" for one build and a set of the 10" for another, and the 10" he custom bent for the cabover they are going on for me, I wanted the elbows at the bottom bent differently.

Yep, just like Clayton said, I remember it just like it was yesterday. I was driving heavy wrecker back then, and was on my way to pick up a school bus in Barnsville, OH to tow back to the International dealer in Wheeling WV when the planes hit. I had just finished hooking up the bus and was starting back to Wheeling when I heard on the radio that the towers fell. After I got back to our shop, I joined everyone huddled around the TV in the shop's waiting room.

Pittsburgh we just have the fun of the Fort Pitt bridge, 300 feet with two interstates (I 279 and I 376) all merging into two lanes to go through the Fort Pitt tunnel. 5 o'clock traffic is real fun and everyone in their little Priuses think they can take on 80,000 lbs. I have had quite a few muscle their way in front of me and almost take my bumper with them! Someone even made a meme about it! The two left lanes are where I 376 come on the bridge and go through the tunnel and the right are where I 279 come on the bridge needing to get into the left lanes to also go through the tunnel, and believe me, some take the "make it happen" part way too seriously! It is very rare anyone is ever trying to exit off the right exit, I'm not even that sure where it goes!

Thank you Gino, and it's that time of the month again, the first update of the month!! The boys in the shop have been busy, especially in the paint shop, but the mechanical shop has been equally busy. The monster 16V92 is painted and likes its snug new home. The driver's side exhaust has just about enough room between the shift tower and the engine, and both turbos just clear the interior and I'm hoping after I rebuild both broken cab hinges they still clear. The exhaust is not staying black, they will be my favorite color, CHROME! The next challenge is getting the exhaust pipes from the turbos to the stacks, and I only have 1/2 inch to connect the two AND widen the exhaust to the scale 10" stacks. The biggest news is the cab and trailer are painted and striped!!!! The trailer just needs a few small brake and suspension pieces painted and it will be ready for something I have not been able to say in many, many years.....FINAL ASSEMBLY! I did notice uploading the pics to the computer, the top stripe has a dip in it I did not intend, but I guess that is what I get for pulling stripes at midnight!! It will be an easy fix though, instead of trying again with the Pactra pinstripe tape I originally tried, and failing horribly trying to paint the stripes to the point the paint on the cab is fresh, I stopped at Autozone and found 1/4" single stripe black and 5/16" dual stripe gold and it has been much easier to work with and to curve. I did do a little modification to the stripes, obviously they are not exact to the real truck, but since this is a custom and not a replica, they don't have to be exact, and that is also why I have the black and gold at the top border as well instead of the thin gold stripe of the original. That is also why the top stripe now curves, I was going to do the angular stripe like the original, but as I was laying the black trying to figure out how look like the original, I experimented with the curve and liked how it looked. Obviously, the cab isn't as close, but I'm hoping next week I might be able to call this one finished, but my big custom Ford needs some attention and bench time too! I'm still hoping the two customs and the other two trucks that also are begging for bench time will all be finished by September 25th for a show in Pittsburgh PA. If and when I do get this finished for that show, as well as the Ford, the only way you will see finished pics of my big, bad customs is AFTER the show! If you want to see them finished before that, you'll have to come to the show in Pittsburgh!

Yeah, same here, especially since I drive through Pittsburgh PA (moron capitol of this area LOL) at least 2 or three times a week!! Stupid drivers are the main reason I bought a dash cam, and I share some of the idiot driving, but some language contained in the videos are NOT rated PG!!!

Even though I know it probably won't happen but I'd love to see all of the American trucks produced, and even a little love to the Aussie K200!! If Italeri would produce all of those, I only have one thing to say to Italeri: SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!! ALL OF IT!!! NOW!!!

And just went back and looked on Tyrone Malone and the Bandag diesel racing team's Facebook page and found this comment: Tyrone Malone and the Bandag diesel racing team Bandag Bandit and Hideout Truck are planned for 2017 or maybe 2018.

I don't know Clayton, but I thought other than the Papa Truck scheduled for release in December, I thought I heard the Hideout Truck and the Bandag Bandit were supposed to be reissued next year.