Rockford

Thanks Jürgen, it's a real contradiction this kit. The box is beautifully moulded but the underpinnings are utter garbage! It's worth the effort though.

You didn't write too much at all, great account of the build, would have been an interesting WIP. You've done a great job on the model, looks really sharp. I think I've only ever built one Italeri kit and that was decades ago but I recall not liking it the experience, I think it was the Western Star kit.

TBH the only compatibility issues people mention are between 1/24 and 1/25 scale trucks and trailers, in that they look disproportionate, actual coupling usually isn't an issue. Anyway the Revell Peterbilt and the transporter trailer are both 1/25 so you shouldn't have an issue in that area.

I bet you're relieved about your built in safety device! I'd hate to see a beautiful build like that ruined.

In the opening shot of your post the stripes do have a green tinge, on the one where you asked what it says on the doors they're pure tan coloured to me. Co.ours can vary so much on film, but I'd lean toward a khaki for the stripe. The twin pup trailers were never 20ft in my experience, always 25-27 feet.

Just remembered another one about a turbo that drove the rear axle to add power, it was branded Turbonique. They tested it under the headline "Turbonique, fantastique or junque?" Brilliant.

I've always found the quality of the journalism in the US magazines superior to UK titles, the tech articles and series on vehicles like the Wilshire Shaker or the Disco Nova were just so well written and photographed. I do really miss the gentle irreverence of Car Craft though, remember the Anti-Tour against the Power Tour of Hot Rod? Cheeky! Some of the articles still stick in the mind now:- "The Car That Put the 'ick' in Buick", "Polishing the Fireturd", "This Car Makes Little Children Cry" - this was about a hemi Dodge that was very loud; they did a photoshoot outside an art-deco ice cream parlour and forgot it was full of children. When they fired it, up the poor kids in the shop wet themselves. There was another article about someone building a car and he had an obscure Eastern European name, it was something like Hrbrzyk, and regardless of the article content they called it "Tom Hybrzyk Can't Pronounce Hybrzyk". Just fantastic stuff. Imagine how pleased I was when I discovered that the owner of Hot Rod, Robert E Petersen was married to a girl called Margie McNally - obviously a distant relative!

After the silent cull of Car Craft, Musclecar Review et al a few years ago I've just learned that Hot Rod magazine has become a quarterly publication. Only found out when no March issue landed. I thought after all the other titles slipped away unannounced HR was safe but it seems not. I've been reading it since I was 16 years old, I'm 60 now. I wonder how long it can survive in this format. Next thing they'll be telling us that they're going to stop making Pontiacs!

You're not fishing for complements but you're going to get some from me. I think the stuff you're doing is amazing and I dearly wish I could do the same. Your so resourceful and not scared dive in and try stuff. I spend three weeks handcrafting a Cummins which was great, but I'd need another three weeks to make another one. Once you've modelled something you can press a few buttons and do another one while you have your breakfast! Vast improvement. Your R series is looking great, especially when you consider what a complex shape Mack cabs and hoods are. Keep up the good work, you're an inspiration mate.

I'm not saying what anyone should or shouldn't do but the fact is that negative camber does have a use, indeed many production cars have a slight negative camber to help the outer tyre in a turn plant more squarely onto the ground. This improves cornering as the weight of the vehicle shifts to the outer side of the car in a cornering situation, however it's only ever a marginal amount of camber because it does have a negative impact on tyre wear and a vehicle spends most of its life in a 'straight ahead' position. Race cars exaggerate camber because they spend much more of their life cornering and at highspeed, (most racing drivers don't take the wife, kids and groceries around the track with them) and tyre life is much less of an issue for them. They subject the chassis to much higher forces than a road car, thus causing more suspension deflection, weight transfer, tyre deformation etc... so the greater camber angle helps to plant the outer, greater weight bearing tyres more squarely on the ground producing more grip and higher speeds. The changes in geometry of a low rider that someone mentioned earlier demonstrates what happens to wheel angles as a suspension deflects, especially a traditional double wishbone with unequal length upper and lower arms. Hope that makes sense.

Unbelievable craftsmanship there mate. Well done. Can you do human body parts? I've a few that need replacing.

That is something else! Utterly amazing.

Found this last night from Overdrive magazine in 1980 and I'd say you're pretty much at the same height!

Looks like a great project. I have a real affection for the kit on the bottom. I intend to do that stripe combo on a 359 one day.

I did, it's not too bad to do. It wasn't too much trouble really, even for a scaredy cat like me! I centered the cut lines on the centre of the locker doors because it let me keep the vents and the holes for the grab rails.

Got this off hype-bay. Paid a little more than usual for it but look at it. It's the original issue kit from 1981, built, and not a speck of dust on it. Just the CB aerials have snapped. They must have built it and put it straight in the box. Never put the decals on it either. I had this kit in 1981 so it's great to see it again. I can't leave it like this though, so I'm going to do some work on it but I want it to look like the original release that it is. Here is mine on the shelf in 1981.

Oh, that IS good. Very tidy. You must be proud of that.

You could move in once you're finished, sell the house. I suppose this is where the car modellers win, you don't need a warehouse to display them.

Well done! I can imagine the hood would be awkward because there's so many different planes you've got to accommodate. I know what it's like from trying to form a sunvisor on anything but a 352 Pete because it's just a straight box cab shape. You cracked it though!

I don't remember this truck but I think I've only seen Convoy once or twice, and it was a long time ago too. It'll be interesting to watch this.

Great looking combination. I do like the classic stripes. Great restoration job.

Impressive stuff!

That is very tidy and very innovative! Well done.

When I looked at this post I found about 30 pictures! Sorry men, I've performed a photo cull. Not sure what happened but I've found Google Photos is bundling pictures in threes and fours and when I've picked a picture to load it's loading the whole bundle. That's my excuse anyway!!!! Acting stupid has got me out of trouble a few times. ?

Just the engine is a masterpiece!