Rockford

Piped up my tandems, did my usual alterations to the landing gear to make it functional and just had to mock it up. I know it's a minor change to the rear suspension but to me it makes such a difference. I'm very pleased with it. Still a lot of work to do tidying up and making things fit but I think I've caught the look.

Colour really pops!

The Kysor radiator shutters were an unpolished aluminium as I recall, which takes on a whitish appearance over time, with weathering, but that would be a difficult appearance to replicate in a solid grille moulding at 1/25 so in 1/32 it's beyond my capabilities I'm afraid.

Which season's truck I'm building has already been decided for me because the AMT kit has the older style, stepped air cleaners with the chrome covers on the bottom. Here's a question Håkan, did the season 1 trucks have the pintle hook on the rear cross member? If so I'll have to build one.

You ARE the authority on this subject Håkan!! I was waiting for you kick into action. Thanks for the excellent information.

I still have considerable work to do on the tractor but I'm itching to start work on the trailer, particularly the suspension. The 1/32 Monogram Fruehauf vans come with the F2 spring suspension that has the wide side brackets. There was another version Fruehauf did, I think it was 'F2 Lightweight' because it had smaller brackets and crossmembers (I've worked extensively on both but never found out why the difference). This is the version Pruitt's truck used. After extensive Googling I established that the kit pieces could be modified to suit, which made things much easier. I took the original pieces and as well as doing my lowering procedure (documented in other builds) I reduced the size of the side brackets and crossmembers. I held everything in line with drill bits while I bored the holes through each set of brackets for the new tubular cross members. Added some 0.75mm strip around the edges to replicate the rolled lip. Results look really good I think.

Very nice. Resourceful stuff.

Brilliant in many ways!

That's something else mate! Shame you're running out of space. I don't think I could part any of my stuff, I'm such a hoarder.

I'm glad someone like yourself thinks along similar lines. I might try test panels on some scrap to see what effect different colours have underneath. I was even thinking of what effect red oxide primer would have rather than grey. ?

That's fantastic! It must be very rewarding to see it all come from your own efforts. Well done.

Here is the truck mated to my Trailmobile dry van. Looks right to me. I want to do an aluminium Fruehauf dry van as you mostly saw it with in the series. Typical that I've got six van trailers and none of them are right for it. Bought my paint. I had to settle for Rover British Racing Green metallic as there just aren't the stockists of automotive spray bombs anymore. Still cost me £22 for primer and topcoat!!!!!! I'm wondering about getting a gold to do a base coat under the green to maybe lighten the shade, knock the blue out a bit. Not sure if it would work though.

Looks great, especially with the trailer you've chosen. Like the sandboxes in front of the tandems too, don't see them very often.

Thanks very much. They do, with the "crooked KW" stamped out of the rear crossmember. The fact that it's the "crooked" emblem dates it to late sixties early seventies (I'm sure someone knows what year it changed). Your build looks great though, I don't think any of us could do a perfect Sundance, there were so many of them used by the studio and they didn't care about accuracy so we just do our best, and yours is excellent.

Got my air filters mounted and made mirror arms from 0.8mm ali wire. I've got to make the braces to the cab roof and scuttle panel but they can be done after paint. I used the T600 kit arms as a pattern and then cut the mirror heads off and transferred them across. Look better than the kit stuff if a little rough.

I haven't built this kit for about 40 years! I'm sure you'll make an excellent job of it mate, you've got plenty of experience with AMT's ways.

Well it looks brilliant from here, despite your confessional. We all do it, so don't get too uptight about it. I look at something and can't remember how I did it, so I try and do it again and get it wrong, which is deeply frustrating.

Nice looking rig.

Gents Could someone please tell me the sze of the "exterior posts" on this kit? I'm thinking of building one in a different scale from 1/25th. Thanks in advance. Steve

This is going to be a beast!

Looking good Jürgen, looking forward to seeing this come together.

Good clear picture that, thanks. You can see from that picture that the pogo stick mount is mounted with the upright facing the back. Not the usual way but Kenworth seemed to do that then, the brochure for the W900 has it the same way, but not as clear.

Very clever stuff, looks great!

I usually envy you 1/25 guys but on this one I'll keep my snappers. I'm sure you'll make a great job of it. It does build into a great looking truck.

Thanks, I'm really nervous about getting it looking right. I'm not going massive on the details on this one (I hope), but the back end is so open to view I had to get it looking right.