Aaronw

I know there are many variables, I was told when our last bid went out for engines that the tie breaker between using an International or Freightliner chassis was IH threw in a cassette player, the FL just had AM/FM. :roll: I am a little surprised to see Volvo so low on the list, but they do seem to be everywhere lately so that makes sense. I don't see many Westernstar trucks here in California, not sure if I'm just not looking or if they may be a regional builder and this isn't a popular area for them.

Great looking truck, nice job. Interesting color choice too, it fits the truck well. I've never had good luck with truck kits tilting hoods or cab, I usually end up gluing them shut or leaving them loose so I can just remove it to see the engine detail.

I've only used ink jet printers, with the ink jet I find it is definaetly worth while letting the ink dry for at least a couple hours if not over night. I have applied the clear coat almost immediately after printing but have had much less trouble with smearing if I leave a good amount of drying time, red seems to be particularly prone to running. I've used Micromark, Testors and Bare Metal Foils decal paper. The Testors is very thin, which makes it good for some applications, their white decal paper doesn't cover that well though if you put it over a dark color you need to double it or paint a white area where the decal will go. Micromark and BMF paper is thicker so the white works better than the Testors, it is also easier to apply but you will probably want to use some decal setting solution if there is detail under the decal (rivets, panel lines etc). I am currently using Micromark and am happy with it, the BMF was fine too, but me LHS changed brands to Micromark. I use the Testors decal clear coat since that is the only one I can find, it works fine with all 3 brands of paper I mentioned. Dieseldoc, I've never used a laser printer for decals, I've heard you don't need a clear coat with laser printers, is that true? I make a fair number of decals, enough that I would consider buying another printer, would you say that a Laser is worth the extra cost in regards to decals or more of a if you have access to one its a little better? I was considering getting an ALPS until I saw that they are not going to support them with ribbons, parts etc anymore.

I'll have a look around for those. Stefan here is a link to the Mercedes Crash truck, it is a TLF 24/50 http://cgi.ebay.com/Revell-Germany-Mercede...4QQcmdZViewItem

It is an airport type fire engine. I tried to find one online to lnk to but can't find one. It is a cab over style truck similar in appearance to the Unimog RW-1 rescue truck but a little different. When I get home I can check the box and find out exactly what the kit name is.

Looks nice so far, I've had my eye on several of those AITM kits, just so many unusual and interesting possibilities. Is that one of the full kits or just the cab kit on a donor chassis? If it is one of the full kits how well does it all go together? I've done resin conversions but never a full resin kit.

Thanks, thats all I was looking for, just a rough guide. I realize there is alot more than just the price paid right now, resale, longevity, maintenance / repair etc, local dealer network, tradition etc. Am I safe in assuming that when GM, Dodge and Ford were more heavily in the commercial truck market that they fell towards the lower middle range?

When I'm choosing a truck to build one of the things I sometimes consider is price of the 1-1. For example when I'm building a Forest Service truck I have to remember the federal government is cheap, I'm sorry, it is "thrifty". Most city fire departments are a little looser but still keep a tight grip on the purse strings and then ironically some of the volunteer departments will be pretty free with the money (when they have it. I guess if you only get a new truck every 30 years you buy the best). It seems to me International is definately on the economy end of the scale, I get this from people I know who have been around trucks a long time as well as looking at what the government and many fleets operate. (I'm not bashing Internationals, I've worked on many and they seem to be good trucks, just have less frills than some). I'm not real sure on the others though I'm guessing the "big 3" auto manufacturers (Ford, GM, Dodge) fell in the middle when they built trucks which leaves the purpose built over the road types (Mack, Peterbilt, Kenworth etc) at the top end but I have nothing to really go on, just making a guess. So in general is there a pecking order regarding price / economy? Not peoples favorites or one is better than another but when price is a factor where do the trucks fall? Which ones make the bean counters happy and which ones are reserved for those more willing to pay? Thanks

Spalding is usually my first stop, I but didn't see what I want this time. One of the KFS wheels might work, was RNK the one that had the old Peterbilts? If so I'm glad to hear he is coming back I really wanted to get one of the 40's petes but when I went to the site to get one his site was gone. Stefan, the Unimog won't work, too balloony but I have a Revell AG Mercedes crash truck, I'll check the wheels on that I forgot I had it on the shelf until you mentioned the Unimog. Thanks

Some of you might already know this but I have a reference site to help building emergency vehicles. Model Fire Apparatus http://www.geocities.com/cnf_e32/index.htm

I'm exactly the opposite, I like this new Challenger but don't like the new Camero, it just looks out of proportion to me and that grill is just odd. I do like the new Mustang though one of the better "retro" attempts in my opinion, the Thunderbird was a dismal failure for me, it just looks like a Honda or something, how can you try to catch the essense of a 50's car without including some sort of tribute to the rocket fin.

Anyone know of some tires / wheels for a large truck with an aggressive tread? Preferably an older style tread since I'm going to use them on the rear wheels of an IHC R-190 pumper-tanker I'm planning. I'd like something like the tires on this truck http://www.geocities.com/cnf_e32/apparatus...sh6/BrushZ1.JPG I guess I can use a set from the Paystar but I would prefer something other than that kits military non-directional tread. I've checked STS, AITM might have some but I can't find my MTFAco catalog to check. Thanks

Thanks, I'm planning on doing 2 of these one as a pumper (2 axle) and one as a pumper-tanker (3 axle), assuming the first one goes well. It took awhile but I found an R-190 pumper on ebay that had some shots of the cab interior and motor, the motor was very dirty though so its handy to know they were red, you really couldn't tell in the pics I saw. That website you listed will be handy too, maybe not so much for this build but I've got my eye on a 1-1 1939 International pickup, that site looks really handy if I do get it. I like building the older stuff too, the new stuff is nice but there isn't a new truck that can compare with the trucks from the 40-60's.

If you just want to shrink stuff down you can use Microsoft Word (probably other word programs as well). When I make decals of logos I get a good high res image then make a table in word with boxes of the approximate size. Make sure you go into borders and shading so you can turn the lines off when it prints, that way you just get the decal not the lines. Using the ruler feature you can estimate the size pretty well. Drop your picture into a box, right click and change the size to you desired size. Most fire door seals are 12-14" so I shrink the pic down to about 1/2" or so. Word also works well for text type decals. I use photoshop and Corel Draw to edit the photos then use word to alter the size. All the decals on these were done with MS Word

Not having much luck finding stuff for the R-190. I'm planning on getting a book on old IH trucks but in the mean time does anyone know of a site with some interior pics or know of a similar truck that has some interior shots? Also for the motor all I've found is it used a large (400-500 cid) gas V-8, Since the hood won't be opening I'm thinking about using the engine from a Ford C cab (approximate size and shape?) unless that would be way off. The grill has fairly large openings so I don't want to go curbside on it. Anyone know what color IH used on their motors in the 50's? Thanks

Well its almost there, I was going to put a red stripe down the side but I may leave it off. I'm thinking it looks more like a rebuilt beverage truck without the stripe and the roll ups are proving to be a pain in that regard anyway.

I figured it wouldn't be too hard to make a down and dirty interior but thats actually really nice and seems fairly simple. I guess I'll give it a try, once I get a couple of my work in progress stuff done, Thanks. Now I guess I need to start searching for R-190 interior pics, guess I'm off to Tim's and Hanks truck sites.

I just got a Hendrix resin IH R-190 cab. It's a nice casting but there isn't an interior, not a complaint I knew that when I ordered it. I was wondering if anyone had ideas for the interior, I'm sure I can fabricate something but a good starting point would be nice. Thanks

Thanks, I've been to your site, its a great reference and some fantastic builds. Seems you've got a bit of a Peterbilt thing though.

Very nice job, and I like the colors you used. I have one of these and was very impressed with the kit. Unfortunately I haven't got around to finishing mine.

Nice looking Ford, thats a kit I would love to see re-released. I may look into that hendrix resin kit, thats a good price. Mason City Miniatures has resin kits for the 57 through 60 pickup and panel truck, but they are a bit more $69.95, not sure what all is included though, that might be a full kit.

Thanks for the comments Trailer Mech, the light bar is an aerodynic style that originally came from a police kit (Joker Goon Car / Gothom PD kit I think). I cast some in clear resin awhile back, its a solid casting instead of having seperate base and lenses like the original but I drilled out holes from below to make it look like there are rotators inside.

Well got a little more done, hopefully I'll be getting some decals on it soon.

Thanks, I already have an AMT 359 and wasn't sure if the others were worth looking into, sounds like all have something to offer. I've seen a few of the R-M onea on ebay and they are quite cheap so I was wondering if they were worthwhile or even really 1/25 scale. I guess I have seen the R-G one I just didn't realize it was also a 359. Is the Peterbilt cab used for the AMT wrecker and the R-G fire truck the same as the ones in the respective tractor kits?

I see there are 3 Peterbilt 359's available at tha moment, AMT/Ertl, Revell-Germany and now Revell Monogram has one (re-issue?), they all look about the same and I'm just wondering what the differences are. If they are basically the same truck is one kit noticably better than the others? Thanks