Jim Whalen

You're at a stage I'd be pleased to be at in July or August - and it is only February! I really like what you're doing with this Pete. Keep up the good work. This Big Rig Build Off has really started well, I have already begun thinking about what I'd build next year if Clayton runs the competition again.

Hi Guys, Some of the parts I have ordered for this project are starting to arrive - the picture below shows the turned aluminium fuel tanks, air cleaner and horns that have come from MCA Model Truck Accessories. I am waiting for a C15 engine from Moluminium and some rear fenders from P & P Resin Works. I had gotten some parts from KFS in 2013 when I started thinking about building a model truck again, shown below are some exhaust stacks and a custom photo-etch set that will help to bling the rig up a bit. I spent some time today cleaning up and glueing together piping for the Pete. How much I eventually use will depend on how the geometry of everything works out. I pretty much know how I'm going to build the Pete yet, but still haven't decided what I'm going to do with the interior.

Nice collection of cabovers - thanks for sharing them with us. I also started doing a Cruiseliner with a big bunk but it never got finished (must see if I still have the pieces lying around one day) so it is great to see one that has been finished as nicely as yours. I'm working on a conventional truck at the moment but have quite a few cabovers in the stash, posts like yours provide inspiration to get one out and enjoy thinking about the trucks I used to see on the New Brunswick roads in the 1970s.

I should be at the show in Hinckley with ASVC Wombourne - looking forward to having a chat.

Hi Simon, Welcome to the forum - you'll find it is a really good one. I'm not too far from you as I am in Wolverhampton. The East Midlands Model show is next month in Hinckley on the 13th, it is usually quite good (LE10 0JR).

Thanks for the reply Clayton - I'll check out the sources you have mentioned. I'm not planning to stretch the frame too much, just enough to allow for the bigger sleeper really. I'm not too crazy on the extremely stretched frames; my plan with this build is my vision of a mildly customised truck that is still fairly practical. I've really enjoyed building unique models with the hot rods I have been doing for the last few years and am looking forward to making a big rig model that has the approach I have developed to model building since I started back in the hobby in 2001.

An update on the build so far - have been working on preparing parts so far. I haven't built an AMT truck kits from the '70s for a while so have had to get used to the amount of clean up they needed again (I remember an AMT K123 I have started took me 3 months just to do the basic clean-up!). I have removed mould lines on the Revell sleeper I'll be using and have glued in some plastic rod into the holes in the roof. They'll be filed/sanded smooth using super-glue (used with kicker) as the filler. I've also been having a think about what aftermarket items I'll be getting for it and would like some aluminium pieces for it. Does anybody know if Mo'luminum is selling parts at the moment? I've got some photo-etched exhaust stacks for it and have been wondering about a different engine for the truck as it will be mildly customised - I'm open to suggestions or recommendations about where to get something. I haven't been building rigs for a while so am a bit out of touch with the aftermarket at the moment. The next step is to clean up all the pieces for the chassis and start planning how much to stretch it and where the accessories will attach to it.

Very, very impressive build. Excellent fabrication and it oozes character. I've got a soft spot for where you live as well - I was in Ottawa from '77 until '85, great city to grow up in!

Very nice - just how I like hot rods! Revell really hit the ball out of the park with this kit. I like the picture of it on the mirror. To answer Del's question about headlights I use white glue (e.g. Formula 560 Canopy Glue by Zap) put around the rim as a small bead on the inside of the headlight buckets for the lenses themselves, but I suspect he may have been referring to glueing the headlight bar to the fenders. The picture below shows how I make a better fitting - I drill small holes in the fenders and the end of end of the headlight bar and glue plastic rod into the ends of the headlight bar, at a slight angle. If you get it right, it'll stay in place without glue.

Your mock-up looks promising, the Papa truck chassis saves a lot of work - result!

Good choice with the Pete 359, lots of people were very pleased when it was reissued recently.

That engine does look good, I haven't heard of Clearly Scale before - I will have to look them up. If you get the hinges on the hood just right you'll be able to get it to open and close and stay open without a prop. If you knock the dashboard assembly out of place when installing the interior it is possible to re-install it through a side window (that's what happened to me). Don't worry too much about the horizontal seam on the engine - it doesn't show on the completed model. The exhaust header tends to come off the engine when you're assembling the exhaust so changing the attachment slightly might help. I like the sound of more VW and Porsche builds!

Sounds like you have some good ideas for the build - I wish you well!

I've built two of the ROG Mk1 GTIs - they're nice kits. Watch for mold lines at the bottom of the windscreen pillars and the top of the hatch. There is also a horizontal line on the front fenders (just below the hood) that shouldn't be there. When inserting the interior don't follow the instructions - attach the engine and interior to the chassis and insert both together like you would do normally for a car kit. Also, scrape some of the paint off the hood hinges and open up the holes a little bit in the body for the hinges. Mine have been built to European specifications so I can't help you too much with some of the differences the North American version had but any general questions you have about the car or the kit I should be able to answer. Here are the two that I have built as U.K. cars: I've got the cabriolet kit as well but haven't built it yet so don't have any tips for building one at the moment. I'll be watching how you get on with yours - I've definitely got a soft spot for the Mk1 Golf/Rabbit.

I know the feeling about paintwork - one of my builds was successful on the fifth attempt! I like what you're doing with this, it should turn out as a nice rod.

Hi, I think you may find you can't use this kit as it is a snap kit. However, if you're planning to do a lot of modifications you might be alright - check with Clayton.

Excellent idea for the B.R.B.O. - like most ideas, it had already been done by someone else, but I am sure you'll come up with a good take on it. You have made a nice start to the project, I'm looking forward to watching what you do with this one. You've already given me some ideas about how I can improve the two AMT K-100 Aerodynes I have waiting to be built in my stash.

Really nice build of a famous K-100 - probably one of the best examples of a cabover truck design ever. I've got two AMT K-100 Aerodynes to build, I hope they come as nicely as yours has. Will have to look into one of those grilles and your build thread.

Started some work on the project today. A few years ago a friend gave me a Revell Peterbilt Wrecker his Uncle had started. A lot of the parts are unused so I have decided to take a few for this build. The sleeper and seats will definitely be used, a few other parts may sneak in as well, we'll see as the build develops. I have started prepping the parts from the Revell sleeper - which is a bit taller than the AMT cab so I'll need to think about which way to tackle the difference. Sean - the decals are the Midnight Express ones but they are so old that the white is no longer on the pinstriping or the sign-writing. It is no loss to me as I wasn't planning to use them anyway, I hope you manage to find a good set somewhere.

Nice project - you're putting us to shame with the speed at which you seem to be getting on with the build. I was quite happy to have decided what I'm going to do before the end of the third week in January! Will be very interested to see how you progress with this one.

Yes, I can't complain about my wife supporting my model building hobby. She quite likes helping me plan projects and we both spent some time earlier today looking at ideas for paint schemes. The next steps are to plan a shopping list for this project and to do some research for ideas and information.

My choice came down to two - an AMT Kenworth K100 Aerodyne or an AMT Pete 359. I said to my wife "These are the two I have narrowed it down to" and she replied "Build the Peterbilt". So here is the start of my build thread for the Big Rig Build Off. I have really enjoyed looking at some of the ideas others have started for this community build, when I have some time I'll have to look through a few more and catch up on the ones I have already seen. When I used to build these AMT truck kits as a kid they were out of the box builds but I have come a long way since then so this one will be changed around a bit. How it will exactly turn out hasn't been decided yet but it will have a custom flavour to it with updated parts to improve the fidelity of the kit. The plan is to put a Moebius 53 foot reefer trailer behind it. Like most of my hot rod models, it will evolve as the build progresses. This is my first truck model for a long time so I am looking forward to going back to what I started with in the hobby and seeing what I can do with one of my earliest kits now. Here are a some of pictures of the unstarted kits:

My first model truck was the White Freightliner single drive cabover that was built largely by my Dad. The second model truck I had was bought with my pocket money and was an AMT Kenworth K123. I painted it orange using Testors paints. I would say it was '74 or '75 that I started building models and, apart from the usual breaks, I have been involved in the hobby ever since. I worked my way through most of the AMT truck kits and have a few in my stash now to build. I have two AMT Kenworth K100 Aerodynes that I am looking forward to building as I have always liked that particular truck and I haven't yet built a model of one. Since I started building again in 2002 I haven't done any trucks and have been mainly doing hot rods and drag racing. I will be starting a truck project this month as the Big Rig Build Off which has just started on this forum has provided a nice motivator to get back into doing a truck. I'm just deciding what I am going to build, and the style of the project, before starting my build thread. I have enjoyed reading people's stories on this topic; it has certainly brought back a few memories about getting into the hobby when I was young.

Very nice model! One of my favourite trucks and model kits, it is nice to see one put together so nicely with a few personal touches.

Sounds like a good mixture of bits! Looking forward to seeing your progress.