doogie7046

My son is working on that same truck. He painted the fenders Star Spangled Blue and the rest of the cab/hood silver and used the kit decals. He complained about the tires pulling away from the rims so I used some superglue along the rim and tires look much better.

Thanks Clayton. I just used some foam board for the base and took advantage of the houses being built down the street for my backdrop.

Thanks for the comments. Its a surprise gift that went to my cousin's husband. He had a excavating company with dumptrucks and backhoes. I already built him a Ford dumptruck and IH S Series salt spreader and this is just another to add to his collection. He loved it. I went to the John Deere dealer and the correct shade of yellow is actually a light yellow but I liked the darker one so I bought the 1995 and newer construction yellow paint. I hope they reissue this kit too.

Just finished up this vintage ERTL John Deere Backhoe. The kit was missing the decals but I had a tight deadline to get it finished as it was built as a gift for someone. Definitely a fun build. ERTL kits just seem to fall together.

If you have the IH mixer kit the other set of frame rails would be for the Mack DM800 mixer. I had a built up DM600 and cut the frame just behind the cab and spliced in the rear section of the Mack DM800 frame rails. I also used some of the extra parts that came in the IH mixer kit for the rear suspension. Unfortunately I never took any inprogress pics. Here is the finished model.

Some of those Ertl Blueprinter kits are my favourite kits to build. I think they were ahead of their time when they were first released.

The Revell Mercedes DLK 23-12 fire trucks had snow type tires on front and drive wheels. They looked thin like the AMT Goodyear 10:00 X 20 so I think they will be too small to fit on the Autocar front rims.

Great looking build. I recently got one for my son, its the rally version. He is going from full 1/32 Monogram snap kits to these simple curbside glue kits. I wish these would be reissued as they make a nice transition kit for young builders and experienced builders can enjoy them by adding some extra details.

Those S Series trucks look perfect with a plow set up. I remember seeing them on the highways back in the 80's. I vote plow with dumpbox.

Cool, Ray is an awesome guy to deal with. Glad to hear you got some trading done with him. You are right, the box doesn't matter its what is inside that counts. Look forward to seeing you build this one.

Awesome score, when it was out on store shelves it was around $100 so you did very well. Where did you find that, at a garage sale?

When I built the box I had trouble with the roll up door so I sanded the edge where it fits in the groove/track and that made it move up and down without binding. It said use tape to hold the sections together so I used regular masking tape. Over the years the masking tape dried up so next time I would use duct tape.

Thanks for the compliments. I know that an unbuilt kit is pricey and hard to come by so you may want to have a look at buying a rebuilder. Only the yellow Ryder was a fresh kit, the others were built up junkers that I restored. In fact I am working on two CO 4070A junkers and two more Transtar Eagles. Until this kit is reissued builtups can be a cheap way to get what you want on your shelf.

Its a great kit, one of my favourites. The only thing I would do is move the battery box back about 1/8 inch or so and also move both fuel tanks back as well to keep them lined up. By moving back the battery box it allows the front wheels to be in a turned position without hitting the battery box. Here are a few of mine. The daycab Transcon is actually the Transtar 11 Eagle just back dated as best I could to represent the CO 4070A

It was worth the drive through 2 hrs of heavy traffic last night to pick up a Revell Bill Signs Peterbilt and a Revell Kenworth Aerodyne Cabover !

That should have said "probuilt"

I have seen prices go way beyond stupid on Ebay, but I think for some it can be an addiction to win that auction at all costs. As for "prebuilt" you ever see what some "professional contractors" try to pass off when doing home renos.

Sorry to hear you have to pack up your hobby area. I've been there and done that. Perhaps you will have an extra rubber maid tote that you can put this baby into until after you settle into your new place. You put a lot into this build and others that you are working on so if you decide not to pack it I'm sure it will go to a good home.

I had that same kit as a kid and once it was all covered in dust I thought I would use a bathroom spray foam to help wash it clean and after the foam dissolved it looked just like your picture. I can't remember the brand of spray foam cleaner but its probably taken off the market now for being too hazardous LOL

Great save on the paint. Its always good to try a new masking tape. Sometimes it will be your new favourite and other times it will just be something to avoid.

I like the way you changed the stance, it makes a world of difference. Nice work on the visor too.

Thanks guys. This was an original built up that I restored and I am happy to see that it was reissued. So many variations you can build with this kit.

I used the Rex Mixer body and spliced in the longer Mack DM800 rails to my DM 600

Just did another awesome trade with MR Mopar Doug Spencer. Awesome guy to deal with, lightning fast shipping and great communication.

I bought several of the Coke version Louisville kits all factory sealed and they all had the 11.00 X 20 inch Goodyear tires. Some of the older versions like the Ryder or Pops Produce came with the smaller 10.00 X 20 Goodyear tires. Those 11.00 X 20 tires were originally from MPC and when ERTL took over the moulds for the MPC trucks they started using that same 11.00 X 20 tire in their kits. When AMT became AMT/ERTL those tires found their way into some of the AMT Kits like the Coke version of the Louisville, GMC General, Mack R Model, etc. that previously under the AMT brand only had the 10.00 X 20 tires but the later reissues of those same kits saw the larger tire. I prefer the fit of the 11.00 X 20 tires on the rears as you had mentioned as they fit without leaving gaps.