Aaronw

You know I think that is what I really like about the magazine to, it seems more like a high quality club newsletter than an impersonal magazine. BTW I got mine Wednesday Jan 7th for those keeping track.

Thanks, I just like the SVO, it kind reminds me of Max's V-8 Intercepter from the Mad Max movies. I thought they were neat when I was in high school but the idea of a turbo charged mustang didn't seem to catch on.

I know there was a kit of the SVO at one time, looks like Monogram and MPC each did one. Would one of these kits be more desirable than the other?

That is exactly it for me, if I knew that every model I wanted to build would be easily available when I wanted to build it I could get rid of 1/2 of my stash which are largely duplicates, I have as many as 6 copies of some of my favorite kits. However as most of us know that is not the case, models get issued, they are on the shelves for a while then they get hard to find. Sometimes they get re-issued afetr a couple years sometimes they don't get re-issued for many years or ever and if they do it may not be in the same configuration (stake truck vs tractor, 2 in 1 vs custom only etc).

These trucks were very basic inside. Keep in mind the are truly custom built trucks so there really is no right or wrong. If you wanted hot pink seats, and a chrome plated interior they would take your money and make it for you. Typically what you will find is the body color on the interior with black "accents" (steering wheel, gauge cluster etc), seats are typical vinyl colors black, brown, grey etc. Painted diamond plate was common, but black or body color are not unusual. Memphis and I believe Chicago painted the running boards dark green for quite sometime, as they found the color help up better than others. The diamond plate on the trucks was generally steel, not aluminum so they were painted. You see many of these built bright metal tread plate, the kit even chrome plates the tread plate for you, but this is a case where plain old silver paint will be better than BMF, Alclad, or other metalizer paints. If you really want bright tread plate I'd go for a satin stainless steel or dull aluminium look as these materials were starting to be used particularly on the coast or where salt was used on the roads. It takes a lot of work to keep aluminum shiny (my crew finds this out first hand when they make me mad ). If you haven't seen it I have a website for fire apparatus builders, there are lots of pics of apparatus and close ups of detail. http://www.geocities.com/cnf_e32/index.htm Engine 51 was a Ward LaFrance but this walk around of the engine would be pretty much the same as an ALF. E51 is a nice example because except for the light bar and SCBA mounts it was maintained 95% original to its purchase in 1973 until it was returned to LA County last year. Being a '73 it is right in the period of the ALF in your kit. http://www.geocities.com/cnf_e32/apparatus/E51/E51.htm

Well if he did I'm pretty sure in would be a 1970 Chevelle, with with that well used badly in need of a paint job look. Oh and a bow rack in the back window.

Nobody ever accused of Ted Nugent not saying what was on his mind. I saw the Rolling Stones in the mid 90's (and I think they were in their mid 90's back then too ). I have to say it was impressive seeing them running around on stage like they were 20. I guess it just shows what happens when you take good care of yourself, early to bed, eat right, stay away from fast women, booze in moderation and keep off the drugs... errr, um Rolling Stones, Ted Nugent... well there must be something to be said about being able to afford good doctors.

At least in profile it has a bit of a resemblance to the Studebaker Avanti.

It's a good article. Sometimes I feel a little guilty about my stash, because it is at the top of the stairs and has pretty much taken over the upstairs landing (the upstairs is our bedroom, a bathroom a large walk in closest and a landing hallway) so she has to walk past my ever growing stack o' models. Exhibit A Somewhere beyond that stack of plastic there is a bathroom and bedroom. Amazing to me she never complains except to ask me not to blow my top if someday she bumps the pile and it all comes down. Also to please call the avalanche patrol to help dig her out. She even asks if I need anything from the Hobby store when she goes into town. In honor of her patience I've decided to get a photo of her and make it into a decal so she can grace the nose of a bomber someday.

I do hope this post is made with the same respect to April 1st as your box art posts. If your skills are slipping I can only hope mine will slip so far someday.

Years ago I went camping, and the little town near the campground used a siren to call the volunteers. One night around midnight they must have had a call because my girlfriend and I woke up to this gawdawful loud siren and the first thing we thought was its an air raid (not really sure who would be bombing June Lake, CA). A minute later I could hear a bunch of cars racing to the fire station and figured out what it really was. Heck of a way to wake up.

Thanks for the link to Early Years Resin, there are a few things in there I could find a home for.

Some fire engines ran a pump off the front of the motor, these usually have a pump mounted on the front bumper. Many trucks run a power take off but these usually come off the transmission. The boat sounds more likely though.

I think that is the kit I have but its a later reissue (yellow box with a red truck). I did get a little more info over Christmas, it is a 1980 with a Cummins Big Cam. Another thing came up, a lot of his jobs are in road construction, so he usually pulls doubles. I'm not sure what they are called but the trailers are bottom dump and are shaped like a hopper (sloped sides towards the dump). Have there been any trailers like this in plastic? Any good alternatives? I was thinking I might be able to make a couple trailers from dump bodies as an alternative. At least they would still have a construction look to them.

Wow, great job it looks like the real thing but a little cleaner. It almost seems a shame to close that up in a cab and would be a great excuse to make a clear roof like the old Monogram visible B-17 did with the clear side.

Thanks I knew I could find out here. The truck is a single axle so I guess that would make it a 289. I don't know its history as he has only had if for a couple of years and it apparently had been through a few owners before him. I think he has a Cummins in it, which I think will work for the AMT kit, or is that a Cat in there I don't remember. I have the AMT kit already which makes that part easy. So do I sand the rivet and panel detail off the whole cab or just the hood? For the single axle will a swap with the White Freightliner SD work? If so that works nicely since I want to build a W-FL DD daycab later.

This is my Brother's truck, I'm considering building a model of one for him for his birthday. I want it to be a surprise so unfortunately I can't ask him too much about it without giving my plans away. I got my dad to send me a couple of pics of the truck, but he didn't get one from the front. I think this is a 359 but not positive, confirmation or correction welcome. Also if you can tell the approximate year and which kit out there would be my best option that would help as well. Thanks

Very nice, good looking car and nice to see you around again. Were these related to the Sattelite? It has a similar look except of course it is missing a set of doors.

I always mix up the numbers, one of the S series trucks has horozontal grill bars, the other has vertical grill bars. I got both off ebay a couple years ago and they seem to be nice kits. $70-100 seems to be the going price, but that really isn't too out of line with available truck kits. I'm really hoping Round 2 will decide to reissue both of these so I can just buy a couple and build them instead of debating on which one of several ideas I should use mine for.

Exactly, I'll take these old kits over no kits anyday. However I do understand the frustration people have when they don't know better. I mean if you built the '60 Chevy truck which is nicely detailed and then built the '72 Chevy truck which is basically a promo it would make you wonder. The newer truck is an older kit? I think it would be great if round 2 updated the instructions on these old kits to offer the best kit bashes for those who want full detail from these old kits, then everyone wins.

I love the old civil defense sirens. When I was a kid I remember hearing them tested occasionally, it seems like nobody uses them any more though. I hope those guys don't have neighbors, running one of those in your garage is a good way to get you on the least liked neighbors list in a hurry.

MEK is bad stuff, kind of like acetone on steroids, very stinky too. I understand it is used in many liquid model glues and can be used straight as a glue, but be careful with the stuff if you do. The thing I find most disturbing is if you spill some on your skin you can taste it.

AMT/Ertl did an kit that would be similar in appearance (S 2575 or something). It hasn't been available for sometime but they do turn up on ebay fairly frequently. I think it is a dump truck but it should work for you as the base for a grain truck.

Are you looking for cover art or the special effects? I don't know who did the make up for the mummy movies, but Tom Savini is the undisputed master of zombie special effects if that is any help to you.

Gaaah, I don't know how my name got attached to the word expert. I don't really know anything about pulling trucks, I'd just go for what you think looks good, roll bars and such seem reasonable, but the trucks in the pics look pretty standard to me.