highway

Yes, but they did also modify the previously mentioned 500 rear window into the standard rear window.

You and me both! I've got plans in my head for a whole fleet of wreckers, I just have to get the spare cash to get more of the newest reissue LOL!

Is the Boniface unit made by Jerr Dan, Richard? Even though I even drove heavy wreckers about 10 years ago, I've not heard of a Boniface unit. I did find these other pics of Unit 240. I did not know there was a 379 short hood, the only one I knew of was the 378. Thanks for the info!

Glenn, it looked to me like it was mud from the sink hole. If you look closely at one point, I think maybe when they are swinging it over the next door neighbor's driveway, you can see it coming out of the windshield. Yeah, I know Richard, I was talking about the truck in the video!

Oh, and as for my answer to the topic, it really depends on the build. If the build is a big rig or race car, the frame (and rollcage in the case of racecars) go together first then painted as a unit, but many regular builds usually get pieces painted while on the sprue then assembled or like colored parts assembled and painted as a unit.

Yes Cliff, there are. Even if most of the parts are black, Miles, it doesn't hurt to add a little color variance to it by using different shades of black. The same holds true for interiors or anything else that is primarily one color. This is the chassis for my 09 Challenger, and a little careful painting and different shades of color can make BLAH into something that can stand out. The same with the interior, it is mostly all the same color, but I used a semi gloss clear on the seats to change the color effect slightly. Before the clear was applied to the seats:

Dan, if I remember correctly, that kit (and another release in one of the Mach 1 boat sets) do share the same frame as the Sneaky Pete/Midnight Cowboy, right? The only reason I'm asking is because me and a friend were talking earlier today and he's needing a frame and cab for a Sneaky Pete, and I don't really want to break up one of my complete Cowboy kits but have a couple of the stepsides too that I could beak up for him or make one of my Cowboys a regular Chevy wrecker. Now to veer back on topic, I would love to get one of the aqua Stepsides again, I built that as a kid and liked it!

After looking through some pics of Stepp's trucks, I would guess (without actually being able to see the unit number in the video) this was the truck they were using. Regardless, still a nice truck!

Correct, that is not Can-Do. This is Can-Do, which has been restored and updated since the kit was first released, which was NEVER correct for the 1:1 in the first place. The original: Also, I noticed this just a few nights ago, because I have the second pic on my desktop background along with other famous wreckers (Jamie Davis Towing from the Weather Channel's "Highway Thru Hell" and the Mistress from Ohare Towing) and noticed that Can-Do is not a 379, but a short hood 378. Glad I didn't buy the 379 conversion hood to "correct" it!

Since shrink wrap doesn't stay on for 5 seconds after getting home, I don't have this problem! I buy every kit to build, not to collect, and as such, even vintage kits that may be shrink wrapped when I buy them lose it very quickly. Of over 600 kits in my "collection", only three still have shrink wrap on them, and that is because I already have one (or more) of those kits, and they are all I would steal parts from if I didn't keep it sealed. One of them in particular is the 70 Coronet Pro Street, over the course of the years since it's original issue I've had at least a dozen of them, and would at least like to build one instead of stealing the tires and Hemis from it! In my opinion on the kit you pictured, it would depend on the rarity and if you intend to collect it or build it. Collect=keep as is, build=open it.

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!! Of course, that will be once I have some extra! On the Freightshakers, any plans for a Cascadia so I could maybe build my 1:1??

I don't have to, you seem to be the one not understanding. I've seen on forums countless times, even when someone genuinely tries to offer genuine help, builders of all levels, not just the ones that have been building for years but beginners as well, using the "I build for myself" excuse when offered suggestions on how to improve their skills. If one is happy with the level of work they produce, so be it, but don't play the "I build for myself" card.

Well, since it was my suggestion, lets see if I can help out. When you click on the photo you want to post from your album and Photobucket takes you to the screen with the large pic of the pic you selected, you should see off to the right hand side "SHARE LINKS" and "email@im", "direct", and "IMG" below it. The way I do it (using Chrome for my browser) is to left click on the box where the IMG address link then right click and select "paste" here in the reply box and while posting the URL address will show up as plain text but when you post the pic will show up like this: While posting though, it will look like this, just with a set of [ ] brackets at both ends: URL=http://s769.photobucket.com/user/highway76/media/Misc%20Pictures/hero-s60.png.html][/url

Hmmmm,,,,,why should Jonathon have to call out anyone that he has these opinions about of their builds or prove to you or anyone else the quality of his builds!?!? It's his choice to post his work or not, just as I chose to post a couple of my works in progress earlier in this thread, not yours! Of course, looking at your content, 3,642 posts and I DIDN'T see any posts of your work, so I kinda see that as the pot calling the kettle black in my opinion.

Yes, it does fall on on the (sometimes poor) choices of the editorial staff of what DOES make it in a magazine, but also if you happen to be one of those builders that are a regular feature in a magazine, it should fall on THEM to take enough pride in their own work to make each build better than the last. I've never had anything in any magazine, but that still doesn't stop my yearning to improve my skills. I guess, as usual, I'm in the minority here, but in those "developmental years" I looked up to builders in the magazine and know quite a few of the older "big names" from the 90s and 2000s personally and have seen their work firsthand, and have asked many questions to try and learn as much as I could from them. That said, some of the things I see from today's "big names" that should be teaching the new modelers today and featured in today's magazines wouldn't be worth the time to talk to, because some things like the examples I've stated earlier in this thread shows they don't share the same passion I do for the hobby and pride I take in my builds, and in my opinion just show new modelers learning that it's OK to not make something look correct and just use the "I build for myself" excuse.

I'm not sure about Jonathon Casey, since I don't know him personally but I do feel he shares some of my same views, and my opinion on this is if a builder is regularly featured in magazines especially, that the work that is featured should be work of a "higher standard" than the normal builder. I know through what could be considered my "developmental years" in this hobby after I joined the local club in my area, reading through the magazines were one of my "studies" on how to build better models. I didn't even know the definitions of such things as "mold lines", "ejector pin marks", and the like, it took the teaching of the elder members of my club to teach me fixing just these "natural" flaws were all a part of basic building skills. I also learned that just because there is a $100 of photoetch and/or aftermarket products in a build, if the basics aren't there, it doesn't make it a good or even great model, just a $100 pile of you know what. I'm no where near a "perfect" modeler, and never will be because there is no such thing, but when I look through the magazines and see builds in there built by easily recognizable names and there are glaring flaws even as simple as seams on tires, seams on the body, or areas that should painted that aren't, it makes me think that today's "everybody's a winner" PC BS crowd just looks and says "OHHHH SHINY STUFF"!. It goes deeper than that, too, just like some very nice builds that just have a glaring flaw, say mismatched or missing cogs on a cog driven belt for example, that also makes me wonder why the builder couldn't have spent a little more effort to make them match instead of having something that just draws the eye from an otherwise nice build. As I said, I'm no where near perfect, but something as simple as that would keep me up at night until I make it right, but I guess I hold myself to a "higher standard" than even the "famous" builders! Yes, as I just said above, look in the magazines! There have been some in features and even show coverage that just make me think "How did this even get in a magazine!?!?" that I feel is just a waste of ink and space.

Nice job. I'm not sure how you could get the arch, maybe a little heat might work, but this one is a little too far along to try that! It might be something to experiment with on a later project though. If you are going with the "heavy load" story, I'd drop that front axle down or DOT will be on you like bears (Pun intended) to honey!!

I like rivets... Hmmmmmm......I guess that must mean I like counting them too!!! I wonder how many are on this trailer, 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...SHOOT, LOST COUNT!!! 1...2...3...4...

Thank you Jonathon!!

Yes, Jonathon, I agree with you 100%, and as I said in a previous post, I'm my own worst critic? WHY??? It's because I ENJOY building each model to a higher standard than the last. I could be perfectly happy doing what I did when I started building 30 years ago and glue stuff together, but I don't. I enjoy challenging myself. I have never had my work published in a magazine, have competed and won many contests, and still strive for more improvement and more challenging builds. That is just like the Ford big rig I posted earlier, it had been a dream of mine for years to build, and only felt my skills had progressed well enough to attempt it only 5 years ago. I can guarantee that the next one will be built to even a higher standard!

Maybe you feel this way, but I don't, just read what I stated in my previous post. I enjoy criticism, and if I accidentally misfired an engine, I'll correct it! Of course though, I take the time to RESEARCH anything I'm going into that much detail with. As I said in my previous post, things like that doesn't take much, if any, mechanical knowledge. If I'm going to wire a 429 in a 70 Boss Mustang, I'll at least take the few seconds to Google the firing order. I'm not sure about Jonathon, but here are a few of mine, feel free to say whatever, I have the you know whats to take whatever you want to say!

I've got my popcorn ready!! Now for my two cents worth on the topic, I do believe that as Jonathan is eluding to, if you are a popular and well known builder (featured in magazines etc.) but also tend to cut corners on details then use the "I build for myself" cop-out, it is just letting readers of the magazines and followers of that builder on forums figure that half-BLEEPed work is fine. I sorry if this may offend some, but I know when I first started building 30 years ago, I was always trying to improve my skills with the next build. After joining a local club, I strived for even more knowledge to improve, and still to this day build with this philosophy. I'm no where near a "perfect" or "professional" builder, and not afraid to post work here and not afraid of any criticism either, no criticism is worse than my own! I make mistakes, but when those mistakes are glaring enough, like mismatched or missing teeth on cog belts for example, I will not be happy until that is corrected. It takes no mechanical knowledge to see something like my example, just some common sense. There are some that may be happy with that, but I would see it and not be happy with it if it was on my shelf. It just blows my mind some of the things I see in magazines and think "how did that ever get in here"!!!

I would have to agree with you Casey, and I'm not even a "hardcore" police modeler. I would jump on this kit even faster when it's released if it were the newer Vic, since they are still a common site, but most of the police kits in my collection are there for one reason, the police equipment. There are even a few I have, like the Exposition and AMT's Camaro, that are there just because they have the police equipment, and some, like multiples of the Lindberg Charger, for the extra light bars. Since I build light and heavy commercial, one can never have too many spare light bars! :-) I even have a few of AMT's Tahoes (and likely this will be done with the Exposition too) that will be getting one of the spare light bars to be made into DOT Motor Carrier enforcement vehicles. After all, someone has to keep my big rigs in line!

I'm not for sure but I'd say somewhere in the early 80s. If I remember correctly, the FLC Revell is reissuing (1:32 snap with reefer) is from maybe 1980 or 1981 and it has the stem style lights and I drove a 1984 that was identical to Italeri's FLC kit with the molded in fender mounted lights.

Oh I get it just fine, I guess I'm just a little more thick skinned than many here and can see things past the end of my nose and more objectively than most.