Bren

Ron is correct - depends on what material is used. Most typical for small parts is resin - and water soluble resin tends to be brittle but sands well and takes putty or paint. The dust is an irritant so use a mask/gloves. However - they are bringing out new resins all the time - and the most popular now are the more flexible/tough ones - which I have no experience printing. I suspect water-soluble resin will improve rapidly over the next short while. Not to hijack Jeff’s thread here, but if you want to see what 3D printed small parts can do for your model look at some of the aftermarket threads in this forum. I posted a bunch of examples of 3D truck parts there.

You are very welcome Jeff, I had fun printing them. I have spoken to Brian, the wizard of CAD who designed the .stl file and he agreed I should put them up on Cults - the 3D website - so that anyone that wants them can download them. I think that’s the tremendous value of this forum- guys working together to provide something we all want/need for our builds. I’m also going to post his hydraulic pump design and dump-truck tailgate latch - I think lots of us could use those for our builds too!

Gutsy move Jurgen! I get it though- if one of my models isn’t right, it just sits there bugging me to fix it! The larger wheels/tires should really improve the look of your KW. I’ll be watching with interest.

Started on the trailer side panels too.

Here are some updates on my slow build🙄. Dolly is almost done - have to add the air tank and plumbing, decal numbers and a few bits. I added the new dolly castor wheel on the front. The crank is scratched. Wheels and tires 3D printed. The break-away hooks were 3D printed with model chain added.

Thanks for sharing your work with us Dan. It is much appreciated. I have found the bunch here to be most supportive and helpful. There are 2 other Payhauler builds going on at the moment - so I’m sure you will have lots of ‘back-and-forth’ with them. I’m printing some 3D parts for one of them - if there’s something you need don’t hesitate to ask and we’ll see what we can do to help out.

Wow! Immaculate build Randy. I always look at several things (Sorry - can’t help myself) as indicators of a superb build - paint finish/borders between colours. Crisp window gasket edges. Everything lines up and is square. Detailing seamlessly fits into the overall model. You hit each one 10/10 - a pleasure to look at. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Yes - they went bankrupt. Interestingly I just read a post by their new CEO promising they are back... so we'll have to wait and see I guess.

Wow! That must have been some printer Ron! I use a Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra - about 500 bucks all up. There are also services who will print stuff for you - bit pricey tho.

Likely Revell - but that's the cool thing about slicers - you can rescale any of the X, Y or Z dimensions - or edit the file in a 3D Editor to conform to what you want. As I said - looks like you've got it well in hand scratch building - but searching a site like Cults can sometimes uncover a usable print file....

Looks like you have things well in hand with your scratch building Ron. Just FYI - this is something that 3D printing can help with as well. This is a file off Cults by a guy called Dud99- he does a lot of truck stuff. I took a screenshot for you from my slicer program. Here's his description: "Here's a request from someone on the site who wanted the extended hood available as an option from Peterbilt. The standard hood measures 119¨ and the extended hood is 127¨. You have 2 files for the conversion: the extension for the frame and the hood. On the pictures you don't have the version with rivets. If you're interested, I've put together a kit for the front extension that includes hood, frame extension, modified front fenders and the 2 round headlight grille. It's a bit cheaper." Photo from his print: Source: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/1-25-peterbilt-359-big-rig-extended

I love this build. One of the few examples of “wintering” I’ve seen that is utterly convincing - and as a Canadian with 11 1/2 months of winter I should know😜! Care to share some of your secrets with us? What did you use for the ice/snow?

Very creative ideas on display here. Crisp, clean build with great use of scratch building materials. My congratulations on an excellent model!

As promised - these are the products I used to get the effect using the method I described above. And yes....just ordinary Robin Hood pastry flour!

Thanks for all the kind comments guys. This forum is so encouraging! This effect was achieved with Vallejo rust (I’ll get the actual numbers for you) over Tamiya primer with alternate flour sprinkled between wet airbrush coats. Gives a nice gritty finish. The chipping is Vallejo chipping medium over rust, with Tamiya acrylic flat white - which is then reactivated with water and chipped. Won’t work with the flour technique though - I just found that out 😳 - but that’s what I did with the wheels. . Then a flat black pin wash to blend everything, followed by a bit of bright rust dry-brushing. The tires are weathered with Tamiya chalk - Scott is right - it is very useful - and forgiving.

Nothing too special going on here boys - but I think it's always fun to see what's on each other's benches (speaking of which - here's my little corner of the world). I'm building a kit that made me drool as a kid - could never afford it - but oh - those wonderful doubles! Just basically stock with 3D printed 2 hole buds/Goodyear tires and a few detail parts like a new dolly drop-wheel, glad hands, electrical junction box and security chain hooks. I decided to do it as a weathered old work-horse. I'm playing with some various rust/weathering techniques. I always like to do up a reference binder to gather all my source photos in one place. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

What a terrific model. You put a lot of work into that and it paid off. Very clean build. Congratulations! If you cared to share any of your tips or tricks I’m sure we’d all love to hear more. Resin parts? Any tricks you learned scratch building? Anything you would do different if you had to do it again?

Wow! I (and everyone else it seems) am running out of superlatives to describe this build Brian. Those tanks/straps are AMAZING! It is an overused cliche - but you could scale this thing up and drive it off the lot. I’ve never seen such a stunning replica. All I can say is keep it up! We’re watching in amazement.

Well blush away Jeff 😳- well deserved. Our little corner of the scale model hobby exists at an interesting intersection between scale cars - with all their flash and chrome - and military subjects - with the accent on weathering skills. Just so no one misinterprets what I’m saying - there is absolutely nothing wrong with a shiny new Abrams tank fresh from the factory say, nor a shiny new truck as the manufacturer built it. But it takes a whole new skill-set to subtly bring the subject to life with worn metal highlights, paint chipping, shading to sun-wear paint and the like. It’s not just hucking glops of mud at a vehicle - and this is a skill I see evolving beautifully in our truck models on the forum here. So keep turning out those shiny new chromed up Petes- but there’s a special place in my heart for the road warrior workhorses with their battle scars as testament to their hard work!

I’ll just add my congrats to the general conversation Jeff. This is terrific! Subtle weathering is an art form - and you nailed it. Too many model trucks look either shiny off the show-room floor - which is cool if that’s what you’re going for, or like they just competed in a mud-bog competition! Nothing shouts realism like mild weathering - the odd paint chip or dusty windshield, greasy engine, dusty tires - you pulled it all together - and has been said - your use of aftermarket parts was tasteful and beautifully incorporated. Kudos my friend!

I killed myself laughing over this quote!! I need to put that in a plaque over my bench “It’s modelling - not defusing explosives!” Love it?

I totally agree Jeff. I have learned so much from the members here - and can always ask a question. Don’t know about ‘banging’ out though ?

Well that’s a surprise! We’re in the same neck of the woods - I had no idea you were a BC’r. If you want me to take a stab at printing your file(s) just let me know…..

And a well deserved award it is too! Terrific build. I know I’m late to the party commenting - but I think I speak for others when I say ‘don’t spare us the details!’ I’m fascinated to know what you did and how you did it. That’s how we all get better here. Where did you source some of the after market parts - and what were they? Did you have any headaches to overcome? What were your fixes? I notice very nice chrome trim detailing - just a steady hand - or did you use a particular technique? Thanks!

Sorry for deluging you with pictures?! But I just love your work and think this could be a helpful addition to your palette. You bet - these were all printed on an Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra at .02 layer height using water washable resin - pretty standard these days - nothing fancy.