Wagoneer81

Ok, I'm gonna chime in here while I still can... with the ice that's building here, it looks like we stand a pretty good chance of losing our power. Anderson's right on the forecast line of 1-2 inches of ice and the 6-15 inches of snow so that means it's just gonna get ugly, we're gonna see the best of both worlds!!! If it does, that's ok. We have half a dozen oil lamps, 2 gallons of lamp oil, kerosene heaters and plenty of supplies because I remember the ice storm that hit us in '05 when most of this area was out of power for 3-5 days and with the sheer number of trees down, looked like a war zone. Highway, talking about vehicles, look no farther than my avatar to see the most sure footed vehicle I've ever owned. Yes, it's stock ride height but I love taking it out on snowy days and opening sideroads that the plows haven't hit yet. The slightly overstock tires, tread pattern and the wagon body weight distribution are a good combination and make this a very stable vehicle on snow and ice. ...AND, sticking with the 'big Ford' comment, it does have a Ford electrical system and Motorcraft carb, does that count? Maybe not with the Chrysler engine and transmission and the 1/2 ton Chevy front and rear axles... ohh, and there is the AC Delco alternator... Well, it is an AMC...

OK, my Insane-O-Meter just pegged! Wild stuff, I like it!

Free Hot Scrapple Sandwiches for everybody!!! Happy Birthday you Crazy Ol' Genius!!!

Soooo, you're going to name this one 'The Beast'? 'The Behemoth'? Paint it green and call it 'The Hulk'? Even in mockup this thing looks mean... Do like... Do want!!! Build on!

Sweet! Very nice Classic Freightliner! I like the decals, gives it a good nostalgic look and feel.

Ahhhh, life is GRRRREAT!!! I'm sitting on my couch, curled up under a comforter having what's known in my world as a 'pain day', perusing MCM forum on the laptop and watching the 24hrs at Daytona on 'Speed'. Aside from the lower back and leg pain that I can't seem to 'get on top of', this is a perfect day! The beauty of it was that I had forgotten the race was this weekend until I saw this thread, Thanks a bunch guys, you're lifesavers!

Dude!, Crazy Stude!!! That, my friend is the definition of an insane ride! Bravo, Well Done!!!!

Mick, you're doing a fine job! That looks great, hard to believe it's only your second build. You pretty much hit on what you need to work on and reading the rest of the posta I can only add words of encouragement. You are doing the right thing, concentrating on basic building skills and getting those firmly in hand before moving on to more complex things. You'll take it a little farther with each build, drilling and wiring the engine, adding detail to the chassis...all of that will come in time and you've gotten a great start!

There's a lot of good stories here aaaand... a lot of Bull Scat.... Ok, my turn... 1993, I was a newly minted EMT working as a reserve for the Fire Dept. in the town south of the one I lived in. We had equipped and been certified on Semi-Automatic Defibrilators for less than a year. We got a call about 10:00 PM , Person unconsious, upon arrival found an APD officer doing CPR, took over and had him assist. (We were so shorthanded, he rode to the hospital in the squad as my First Responder). We were a Basic Life Support unit so ALS (Advanced Life Support, aka Paramedic) would respond from Anderson and meet us enroute. Before we met ALS, I had shocked the man twice with our new Defib and had him in a normal sinus rhythm, (Regular heartbeat) and his respirations were coming back on their own as he was starting to struggle against the breathing tube and AMBU bag. He was still unconscious but we timed the bag with his breathing... We got him to the hospital, they transfered him to an Indianapolis cardio-unit and he went home two weeks later. He was 42ish at the time, he is still alive today. Myself and the reserve officer are credited with the first BLS Defibrilator save in Madison County and a man is alive today because of our actions. I served my community from Oct. '91 to late '98 and know that I did some good in that time. The one thing that I have done that was the most fun, at least as far as work goes, was driving a Semi for the Gaither Vocal Band out of Alexandria, IN. I was one of four truck drivers that would tour with the Gaithers and haul their concert equipment. Mine was the lighting trailer... Touring the country with the Gaithers, also with Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, having an All Access Pass to the whichever Venue we were at was an absolute blast, and it paid well. I got to see 38 states in less than a year AND I got to meet some fascinating people in the music industry.

Wagoneer81 is there! I love the steampunk goggles!

I can't argue with that, I have a tatoo on my left calf that I once forgot I had... Greg, that's a nice stripped down streetburner you got there, bud. Ed, just remember, with age comes wisdom!

I love Steampunk! There's just something about brass, leather and exotic hardwoods... I have some ideas for a couple of scale vehicles but nothing concrete yet... I'd love to Steampunk my 1:1 '81 Wagoneer, I mean it's already a dinosaur... Thanks for the videos, it's idea time!

I'll open with this...

Everything I built went on display in my home. Large scale ships got their own wall, cars were grouped together on shelves as was the armor and what few planes I had. I'm working on a couple of shadow-box style bookshelf dioramas for displaying cars and 1/35 scale armor. I build to display and collect. I may not be able to have the real thing, but I can have a nice scale replica. Right now, some are in storage because my housing and living conditions changed back in July but, when I'm in my own place again, I plan on turning my livingroom in to a miniature museum. Right now, I have a couple dozen models on display in my bedroom at my temporary digs. That's basically it.

Well, they don't call 'em 'Fur bearing spaz fruits' for nothing. sorry to hear and see this, glad the damage is reparable. I've had several cats and, luckily, never had one play battering ram with my collection.

Don't we all... Ray, This thing is just mean looking! You've definitely achieved the 'Mean and nasty, don't mess with me, I'll work you into the mud, lemme-at-it' work horse look. Looking forward to more!

Tim, your builds never cease to amaze me, you truly are a master builder! This is a beautiful truck! Where did you source the round headlight buckets. I need a set for a 359 Condo Conversion I'm working on and I need pointed in the right direction...

Dennis ol' buddy! Since you asked for critique, and since I was feeling froggy today, I decided to take a shot at your 4300... I went over your pictures with a fine toothed comb and can say this... Well done! I see no glaring problems or issues with this build. After a few paint issues early on, you laid down a very nice paint job, all the rubber meets the road, it's a well built model by someone who paid close attention to 'Basic Building Techniques' and took it a step further with the visor, bumper and trailer umbilicals. This is a build to be proud of, I know I'd be proud to have it in my collection! The ONLY things that I could see that would enhance this build, Highway and Roy Lingefelt already hit on them, scuffing of the tire treads and the use of a black wash behind the letters on the hood emblems and the grill logo to make the lettering stand out. These aren't criticisms by any means because it is a fine build and I look forward to seeing more of your stuff in the future. For black wash, over chrome, I use Testors Enamel Detail Enhancer, I don't even remember where I got it but it's in a 1/4 oz. bottle, No. 2790... Ohh, and I do like that front snowplow...err, uhh... bumper! I want to make one for a Pete I'm working on.

Danno, I like the black over red combo too. My town has an engine painted 'Chicago Style' and it's one of their sharpest looking trucks. Dave Metzner, First, let me say that in my 37 years, 31 of which I have been a model builder, I have NEVER looked forward to the release of a new kit with the anticipation that I have with this new Lonestar. I build most everything, armor, aircraft, (yes I dabble in the dark arts... ) warships, automotive and heavy commercial... Trumpeters new 1/200 USS Arizona hasn't 'moved me' as much as this kit and that ship holds a special place in my amatuer-historian heart. I just want to reiterate what others have said and say "thank you" for Moebius' bold way of presenting new kits for display, review and the inevitable critique from the mock-up stage on through production. (I watched the Hudson Hornet thread with great interest) I'm excited and look forward to adding the Lonestar and the Hornet and many future Moebuis releases to my collection. Thank you, Dave, Art and all the others who have succeeded in raising the bar and keeping this the best hobby in the world! *This is me wishing for a 'thumbs-up' emoticon...*

I'll be watching this with interest. I always did like these old Louisville's and rollbacks are just cool... Just out of curiosity, do you have any plans for the left over cargo box and rear lift???

SO, buy all the cheap scrub land you can and maybe within the next 10-20 years, the 'big one' hits and it all becomes valuable beachfront property... now that's land speculation.

OK, OK, stop twistin', my arm doesn't bend that way... I guess I can stick around for a bit. I'm not sure how long this will go on, it depends on how the cards fall in the next few months... Winter is physically difficult on me what with a chronic muscle disease AND a busted back causing an inordinate amount of pain and fatigue. Not much gets done by me during the cold months...

Well, I hate to do this, but I have to withdraw from this build... I'm pulling out of this one even before I've really solidified my entry with pictures... Sorry, Highway, life does have a tendency to interfere with a lot of things... Oh, I'll keep watching with great interest but something has come up that will prohibit me from doing anything serious in the way of modeling for the next several months...

Hmm... Snow in Phoenix, a thunderstorm here last night, a 3.8 EARTHQUAKE with the epicenter about 25 miles north northwest of me... I'm about 25 miles northeast of Indianapolis... Things just keep getting weirder and weirder...

Looks great! That's a really nice combo. I remember going on trips with Dad in a Transtar II pulling a new 48' trailer... Big fun for a kid...