Rockford

Thanks for all the kind comments gents, you are a very magnanimous bunch. I've still got a few things to do before I reach the painting stage. Really wish I had a real one to play with but that's life.

And I thought I had problems with my 1/32 garbage tyres? I feel in good company.

Spent a couple of happy hours on the Pete today. Fitted my brake chambers but I'll have to let them set properly before I start plumbing them in. I drilled my fuel tanks for the fuel lines and added filler necks made from good old chubby sprue. The gearshift linkage looked exactly what it was, some copper wire in a hole. So I took some 2mm hollow tube and cut down into it using a knife edged file, then rounded the edges off and cut it off the piece to represent one yoke of a UJ. Did another three, slipped them onto the copper wire and the result is fairly good. I wanted to do the air intake going through the cab on this truck rather than the snorkel up the back of the cab that comes with the kit. I drilled a 0.9mm pilot hole and worked up to 5mm. I followed on through the cab interior and doghouse. At the top I put a piece of 6mm over the 5mm and tapered it down at the bottom, than added the breather cover from the AMT K100 Aerodyne. Looks right to me but I think my first attempt was too long.

A nice aluminum-sided van trailer would look great behind that!

Me too, very nice

Nice work, bit different, just hope you didn't fabricate a load for it.

Great looking job, I got a bit confused then realized it was a before and after! I'm at that age, can someone tell me who I am?

Looks very good, nice straight build. Well done.

Nice work on the interior. I always thought Astros were very advanced for their time. The way the dash wrapped around the driver.

This is going to be another masterpiece like your green Mack (that sounds like a coat ?). I'm intrigued with the different materials you use.

1970 Mercury Cougar XR7, though I'd settle for an Eliminator and take the spoilers off.

In fact, here's two photos of my bedroom in about 1982. Quite a bit of the stuff I see on MCM is on those shelves, KW K100, Freightliner, Peterbilt wrecker, Transtars, large scale Pete 359, the original Monogram 1/32 Snaptites, a couple of W925s, one as Sonny Pruitt's truck, Astro95, GMC General, tank, flatbed, lowboy and about 4 Great Dane vans. All long gone.

? I'm always open to donations! I suppose I'm trying to compensate for not being able to buy 1/25 stuff. Partly because I don't have the room and also because of the cost. The reissued AMT stuff is £50-60 over here. When I see the prices you guys can get them for across the pond I'm staggered. I can't justify paying that much for a kit, let alone buying them in multiples for certain parts on a project etc... I had about 15 AMT kits forty years ago, Peterbilt Pacemaker included, but gave them all away when I left home. I'll never forgive myself. So, during these cold, damp, no-painting days, I whittle away at my little 1/32s and try to use my experience from 40 years ago to make them look as realistic as possible (except tyres!). Thanks for the positive comments gents.

The tyres are indeed a disappointment. I believe there are aftermarket wheels and tyres in this scale but they're beyond my budget, especially from the States. I have a few AMT kits and the tyres are proper vinyl but they're miles too small. Such a shame. I have to settle for least worst.

Spent my usual Saturday afternoon on my Peterbilt. Wanted to add the classic Pete tank mounted steps, so cut some side pieces out of card stock and fashioned steps out of offcuts from the job. Look ok. Then fabricated a shift tower and installed a gear linkage out of copper wire. Finally, the job I meant to start with today, forming a levelling valve for the air suspension. I just cut a cross member out, added the ride height valve and arm on one side, then the distribution valve on the other. I added the hoses but will have to wait for the thing to set up before I attach those. I know most of this won't be seen once the cab's on but who cares?

Impressive, looks stunning as a shelf model but I see what you mean about the simplicity of the engine etc... The '59 Caddies were rolling works of art anyway!

I saw this on YouTube, might give some ideas for paint schemes. Amazing to see some of the factory schemes that were available then. My favourite is the first one, above, makes the truck look like an old Deusenberg or suchlike. Don't think I ever saw a truck with white walls pulling a load.

Really nice to see another 1/32 kit in progress here. I'm looking forward to seeing it progress. I recall that is an AMT kit isn't it? I can understand why you're going for new wheels and tyres, the AMT ones are unacceptably small. The frame looks good on that though, better than the generic one in the Monogram Snap-Tite kits.

Couldn't resist getting them mounted on the frame. I'm rather pleased with them.

No, he had a prior engagement! He's a busy lad ?

I got the chance to do a little work on the Pete today. I decided I wanted to add the two air tanks that hang behind the fuel tanks. Here they are on the AMT instructions for the 1/25 kit I'm mimicking. I filed a groove down one side of 2.5mm square rod to represent the C-section of the brackets. Then rebated them at the top where they bolt to the frame, but left the full depth where it contacted the tank for strength. Then I used some 8mm round tube to form a pair of tanks. Rounding the ends after I'd closed them off. Then I cut two slots in the tank to accept the brackets. End result is ok. I also fitted my second fuel tank. The chassis is looking cluttered now, just the look I wanted. I'm working out a shift island in my mind now, just so that when you look at the truck from a low angle you can see it under the cab.

Got one of the fuel tanks mounted and then refitted the exhaust bracket into the forwardmost bracket. I fitted the air filter slightly forward of the kit position, level with the battery box on the other side. Using old sprue I cobbled together the intake tract from the filter to the turbo inlet. The exhaust pipe was again sprue but bent up using a bare flame. I just placed it on the chassis to make sure it fitted. I also dabbed a rough steering box with a worm and sector setup and square plates top and bottom for the closing covers and valve body. Then I added a pitman arm, drag link and track rod.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having problems with BMF, seems to have gone west. It was such a good product originally. Don't know what to do without it. Truck looks great though.

This requires dedication! Tremendous work sir!

Very clean build!