Jim B

Ok, so now it's really done! Added some quarter fenders from the AMT GMC General & some custom "GMC Trucks" mud flaps. http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc290/jmbongiovanni/1976%20GMC%20Astro/P2200002

De-Elegant used to make a conversion kit of the T2000, but he doesn't sell kits to the general public any more. He'll be happy to build one for you, if you want. Should cost you about an arm & a leg! Here's his Website: http://www.de-elegantmodeltrucks.com/

Thanks, guys. Kurt, unless it falls off a shelf between now and November I'll have it at Fulton.

Looks pretty good. I like your frame & engine details.

Thanks, Mark. You & me both!

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the comments. I think I managed to capture that groovy, factory-fresh 1970s look with this one. Studioman3, I like the wide set stacks on COEs, and with the repop kit the KFS stacks were the only option. All of the parts (except the stacks themselves) were in the box. I think they came out ok. The hardest part of the stacks for me was getting them straight on the truck, and as you can see I wasn't totally successful.

Well, it's finally done. It's your typical gap-toothed AMT Astro, but I like it. I added the PE stacks & wipers from KFS, aluminum horns for Auslowe, and 1/8" screen for tread plate between the frame rails. The air ride suspension is from the AMT GMC General kit (not 100% accurate for an Astro) as are the wheels & tires. The front axle steers. Enjoy!

Sourkraut offers a T800H cab conversion kit from G.W. Trucks. Gary does very nice castings, and the cab is a pre-1995 cab (non-daylight door). You will need the suspension correction as well. I have this set for my T600, and it's quite nice. http://sourkrautsmodeltrucks.com/?page_id=3&category=2&product_id=665 http://sourkrautsmodeltrucks.com/?page_id=3&category=3&product_id=576

Thanks, Tim.

Looks really nice. I like your details. What decal sheet is the PacLease logo on? I could use some for a build I have coming up. I'm planning a fleet truck, and they'd be perfect. Does anyone make Ryder Leasing decals? Again, great job.

Coming along nicely. What did you do to the yellow? In the first photo is a bright, hurt-your-eyes, Ryder yellow; but in later pics it's almost a cream color. Looks nice either way.

That's really nice! I've aways thought the Alaskan Hauler would look good as a logger.

Funny how it's listed as a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am! No it's not even close to the trucks in the movie, but it does look nice. More of a "Smokey & the Bandit" inspired truck.

That's called New Caterpiller Yellow. And, yes, yellow would be appropriate for a 3406. I guess I should have said a majority of the engines were white with some OEM colors mixed in. Good luck on your build, and don't forget to post pics!

Finding information on Snowman's truck is like close to impossible, and what you do find is usually contradictory. You might want to check this thread: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26409&st=0&p=248971&#entry248971 Ben did an amazing job on his Snowman rig. What we do know is that were at least (3) trucks used for the movie: a 1973 and (2) 1974s. The 1973 is the one with the gold grill emblem commorating Kenworth's 50th Annivarsary. At least one was had a tandem torsion bar suspension. (If I ever get off my butt and send the parts to Porkey you'll be able to get a resin conversion for the suspension.) And the trucks were Coffee Brown wth Gold. You should be able to get the decals here: http://modeltruckin.com/store/ once Jerry reopens the store. The kit you picked has a Caterpillar 3406 engine in it, but I think the actual trucks had Cummins. I'm not totally sure on this. If you want to use the Cat, it should be white with a semi-gloss black transmission. Here is a site that has lots of Car Modeler & Model Cars articles on detailing trucks. They're pretty good. http://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thscale/model_magazine_articles/car_modeller/ http://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thscale/model_magazine_articles/modelcars/

Well, what would you like to know? There are a lot of guys here that can help, but we need a little more information first. For starters, what kit is it: AMT, Revell of Germany, or Revell USA? Do you want to detail the engine? Plumb the air lines? Do you want cab painting/detail ideas? Just let us know. We'll help in any way we can.

Looks really nice. I like the black.

That's awesome! A 1978 with 3000,000 miles? Not too bad. Probably like at Peterbilt, Caterpillar was the last one to stop painting them white. Which at Peterbilt was around 1986 or so.

Kenworth stopped painting their engines white in about 1973-74 (give or take a little). After that it was factory color. Even when the color was white, apparently it wasn't uncommon to see tan or green engines in the max.

Looks pretty good, Tim. Nice attention to detail on the diorama.

Thanks for the complment. It's coming along. I really want to have this wrapped up in the next couple of weeks. I think I'm going to use the Aulsowe round air horns as the ones in the kit are pretty bad. I'm not so sure about the "steady hand" thing. I take a lot of Mulligans, if you now what I mean.

So, the last few days (weekends), I've been working on the interior bucket for my GMC Astro. Now that it's done, I figured I'd snap a few shots of it before I put it into the cab. Funny thing, even though this is a GMC; the steering wheel has the Chevrolet Bowtie on it.

Tim, You're a funny guy! I had a good laugh about adding onto the house. Yes, SWMBO probably would be upset if you made a truck room out of your patio. As for your engine, I does look like a Cummins, and the "factory" color would be beige; but blue works for a custom job!. The transmission should probably be semi-gloss black, unless you're going custom there, too.

Glad I could help. Is that the Revell Cummins 855?

I think they're just tires, but I don't really know. Couldn't hurt to email him, I guess.