Rockford

They look better than any kit mudflaps because they're self coloured, not painted so they have a more realistic appearance. The tape is 19mm wide which is just right for 1/32 scale, I don't know if wider types are available for you 1/25 lads.

Looking at the AMT Trailmobile, the mudflaps are sooooo thick. They measure 1.5mm which at full size would be 2 scale inches thick! I pondered what I could do. I thought plastic card, at least that would be thinner, but then I hit upon an idea. Electrician's insulation tape. I bought a pack of 5 small rolls for less than £2. I want to use white mudflaps on this trailer but I conducted my experiment with the black. I removed the AMT slab, then cut two pieces of tape, placed them sticky-side together and left a tab of sticky bit hanging over to affix it to the bracket. Once mounted I trimmed to size. Now I have flexible, rubber-like mudflaps, in-scale, that can take a bit of contact without snapping off (I've already snapped one off the Fruehauf). They've even got the little curl the real ones get through sailing in the wind! Don't know why I didn't think of it before, I might have to retrofit some vehicles.

Now the Trailmobile landing gear. This is pretty poorly moulded so lots of cleaning up Himalayan scale separation lines. The crank handle needed major filing to give it some shape rather than the blob it comes as. The triangular shaped braces were just solid pieces and looked a bit characterless in place so I drilled some lightening holes, working up from 0.5mm up to 3.2 to keep them tidy, then a little chamfer on each one. The end result looks much better I think. I like giving these trailers a bit of self respect.

Focusing on the Fruehauf, the most obvious fault is the landing gear. You can have it up or down by snapping the relevant lower sections on but they look terrible. The bottom half is too narrow and there's a huge gap at the top. This should be one solid square steel tube. I cemented them in place. Then added plastic card either side to bring the width up. Then rubbed them down to size. A quick skim of putty. Then wet sand, and ready for paint. I also drilled the mounting tube for the sandshoes, these were just held on with a huge cotter pin at either end. Then a black line around the lower section to replicate the splurge of grease that would creep out through the legs being wound up and down..

Thanks all for your kind comments. I know they're not a match for their 1/24 big brothers with all the detail you can add, but they take up less space and with a little work, can be quite presentable. I'd love engines to detail etc... but how often would I see the finished product? I'll be doing a few other things to improve the look, like improving the appearance of the landing gear, a bit of plumbing, tidying up the rear view of the AMT Trailmobile and realigning its atrocious tandems subframe. I forgot just how bad an AMT kit can be in terms of fit and alignment. Looks like it's been cast in a plasticene mold. The AMT is is below, just looks awful. Mansfield bar doesn't match the rails, the rail ends are so tatty and you can just see that the axles aren't level (nothing's level!!!!). I'm thinking of just using a closing panel across the end of the slide rails.

Thanks Gator. You're too kind.

Thank you sir, very kind. I have to say, I am fairly pleased with it myself.

I can only concur with all of the above.

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Nice combination. Definitely stands out from the crowd.

Looks great. Like it!

Very nice Pete indeed

Nice work

That is some truck! It doesn't have a Salem paintjob it has a Saaaaaaaalem paint job.

i added airlines to the rear of the cab too, Euro Suzie type rather than the straight hoses still in use in USA. Sadly, this is my last Monogram 1/32 Snap kit tractor but I have two trailers still to build.

Can't say this is one of my favourite subjects. It's the beginning of the end of the trucks I fell in love with all those years ago. The chrome and steel of the old trucks is hidden behind the sterile aero kit and it does have exhaust stacks but they're relegated to behind the cab. Peterbilt 359 or KW 925, even LTL9000 it's not! However, it turned out ok. I added brake chambers, top and bottom flanges on the chassis, brake lines, converted the 10 hole alloys to 2 hole Budds on the rear, filled the empty rear axles and fabricated hubs on the rear axles. Tried adding white stripes but the decals turned to jelly when I used setting solution. Looks good with a van trailer but you see how all the aero kit comes to nothing in front of a tank or container trailer.

I added the finishing touches to this kit and posted it in the "Under Glass" section.

Well done Steve, your cars deserve the spotlight! The effort and research you put in is amazing. I think I'm doing ok if I get all four wheels to touch the floor!

Looking excellent. I have one in my stash. The moulding in mine looks pretty poor, in silver styrene. That's the Ford Pinto engine. I think it was bored to 2.3 litre in USA but in Europe we got a 1.6 and a 2.0 in the Cortina then later on a 1.8 in the Sierra. It was a great engine, loved to rev but they were worn out by 100,000 miles. Probably why the Americans didn't like them. I like these Tbirds. For an 80's car they've stood the test of time well. Shame they never made it to Ford Europe showrooms.

Looks like you're altering the steps to the later type...? Any other mods you plan? I know some people move the headlights but if you haven't it's too late, mind you, I've never really seen that they were THAT wrong.

Thanks for the kind comments lads. I'm quite happy with it. The chassis colour didn't need any polishing at all. I'm looking at finishing it this weekend. Was watching the Kenworth W900 and the Freightliner cabover on eBay this week but the prices were too much for me. They were original issues but built and still went to ridiculous (in my eyes) prices. I have my two dry vans to finish after this.

To mix species, your Bulldog is a real chunky monkey, looks great. On a shelf, in your collection that will look as good as anything else. I bought the 1/32 Monogram trucks because I had them when I was a kid and was sorry I ever got rid of them. I find them quite enjoyable and deliver a decent result with a bit of effort. You can't go nuts on detailing because it's not there! I like that you can mock them up without gluing anything so you can finish your day's work and sit looking at it. The size difference makes a difference too. Lot to be said for them.

Like the finish. You must have ironed out all of the flaws in this kit by now. It's years since I touched one of these but I recall the finished result was worth the trauma. You'll boss it mate.

I successfully used methylated spirit yesterday. Took Tamiya acrylic off easily without any plastic damage.