KJ790

I need some suggestions on the best way to strip rustoleum enamel from a plastic model? I didn't like the color of my current project after painting it and I want to start over. I have read on here that Purple Power works well, but I have soaked it for 2 days in that and it has not touched the paint at all. I have read that brake fluid works, but I have also read that it can damage the plastic. Is this true? How do you get rid of the brake fluid when you are done using it to strip paint? Thanks!

I'm in the same boat right now. I didn't like how the paint came out on my current project, so I'm soaking the cab in some degreaser to get the paint off as we speak.

That's funny. I know that they do have a couple trucks still running around. After my family sold the company they moved to Westmoreland, NY and downsized quite a bit. They have become mostly a brokerage company and are almost entirely an owner-operator fleet these days.

Another great looking truck! I passed one of Clinton Collision's trucks just the other day. It was pulling a bus into the Detroit Diesel shop in Syracuse when I went by. I love the pinstriping. Did you print the decals yourself?

Amazing work! Love the details!

Not yet, I actually just got into modeling seriously less than a year ago. Someday I will give him one.

Man you're on the ball Justin! The red one was actually #70, #69 was a dark blue. If I head up to Fulton, I think I will bring this KW I finished a few months ago if anything. I am planning on building old #29 in the near future, I believe your father used to drive it back in the day. That one was always my favorite truck when I was growing up.

Hi Justin, welcome to the forum! I like your avatar pic. I'm glad you joined the forum, I have seen your models around for a long time and you do amazing work! Looking forward to seeing more.

Maybe, I'm not sure that anything I build is really show worthy. I would like to make it up there this weekend for a bit though.

Got a little more done tonight:

I started this guy on Friday. I started with a white freightliner kit and made a few changes to upgrade it to an early 80's Freightliner. I'm adding some light weathering as if it has been worked for 10 years or so. I tried to make the pinstriping a bit faded and washed out, I think I might do a wash on the whole cab ro age it a little. Here's were I am so far:

Exactly. I realize that Hollands are still used today, but the Jost fifth wheels have become pretty common as well in the last 15 years or so. I agree that the Holland style fifth wheel holds tighter than the Jost. I've found that it is easier to make sure a Holland is locked after hooking up when you shine a light up the back of it than a Jost.

There are different types of sliding fifth wheels. The type you are describing has become more popular in recent years. Most model kits come with a different style that was common through the 70's, 80's, and 90's. For the most part, the fifth wheels that come with the kits aren't too bad, just have to add a few details.

Thanks guys, I have started working on a white freightliner COE to pull it. I am updating it to an early 80's model right after freightliner branched off from white. I am also working on a late 80's freightliner FLA with square headlights and different grille.

Finished up the air lines tonight and posted some finshed pics over in the "under glass" section. Nothing too exciting.

I think I'm finally finished with my 70's style Great Dane Reefer. I started with an AMT Great Dane dry van, added some 2 hole steel wheels, scratch built carrier reefer unit and fuel tank, then took a stab at weathering. Here is the end result. I hope to get some shots outside in the daylight eventually. Thanks for looking!

If I'm completely done with it I might head out there. I can't find any information on that show this year. Can you pm me any information you may have?

Added a few mode details to the front:

Thanks a lot guys! Made a little more progress today, just a few more touches left. Here's what I quickly learned about weathering on this project: 1. A little goes a long way (I actually ended up doing more than I wanted to, but you don't realize it until it is too late) 2. After painting everything and before starting to weather, I sprayed everything with a matte clear finish to take some of the shine off. 3. For an overall aged look, I went with a watered down dark acrylic wash. I moved my brush up and down on the sides so any streaks would be vertical, as rain and dust tends to streak vertically in real life. 4. For rust streaks I started by dry brushing an orange streak vertically from the "source" of the rust. Then I mixed a little brown with the orange and dry brushed that color over the orange, keeping the darker color closer to the "source". Then I added more brown to the mixture and continued this process a few times each time layering a slightly darker color on the rust streak. 5. I found out rather quickly that many very light coats of slightly different shades of grey, brown, and orange gives a much more realistic look than slathering on thick layers. In the tires I did a quick white wash followed by a light brown wash to make the tire tread pop a little more.

Still have to plumb all of the air lines, add some lights, and add the spare tire carrier, but it is getting closer.

I'm actually R.B.'s grandson. I grew up right in the center of the business. My father and my two uncles took it over when my grandfather retired, and then they sold it to an investment group a few years back when the three of them wanted to retire. The company is still going, but it has decreased in size a little bit over the last few years. My uncle was the last Humphreys to work there, but he left around 2005. I grew up hanging out in the shop and worked there turning wrenches and changing tires for a few years through high school and college.

Here's the rear doors so far:

A couple days ago I started a new build. I started with a Great Dane dry van and added a scratch built a 70's style Carrier reefer unit. This trailer is going to be my first attempt at weathering a model. This is not going to be a show truck, this will be a working trailer that is nearing retirement. Here's the front end so far:

Rick just dropped a bunch of these parts off and they all look great! Nice and crisp with very little clean up needed. Great parts and great guy to deal with. Can't wait to get these on some trucks. Thanks Rick!

I finally hooked my scanner up so I can scan some of my old photographs. Here is a scaned photo of the truck I was trying to replicate: