Fat Brian

These are what I'm wanting to replicate. http://flipacars.com/photos/GMC/87/a8/10748_flickr-the-gmc-chevy-generals-bisons-astro-titans-crackerboxs.jpg Bill, I'm wanting try to build something like that tubing bender you have but that will make tighter radius bends. I wonder if I could find solder big enough to fit in a 3/16 or so tube?

How do you bend aluminum tubing without it kinking? I need some 45 degree bends and they're flattening out really bad. I'm thinking about making a wooden form with a deep groove in it to keep the sides of the tube from spreading out but I'm not sure it will work.

I've got a few of these too, they're alright with a little TLC.

Michael, on a two stroke Detroit the supercharger functions a little differently than it does on a car. These engines don't have traditional intake valves in the cylinder head, the air comes in through holes in the cylinder wall that are uncovered when the piston is at the bottom of it's stroke. The supercharger actually pressurizes air passages in the block and the air rushing into the cylinder pushes the exhaust out instead of the piston rising again. This is called uniflow scavenging since the air travels in only one direction. These engines can't draw air like a four stroke because the only time the piston moves down is after a power stroke. The engines that only have a supercharger are considered naturally aspirated because the supercharger doesn't build boost and only supplies what would be atmospheric pressure inside the engine. It's a very interesting design for sure.

That's the old IMC trailer, the tanker is the same way and can be built in a long or short version. These were done a long time ago and don't really represent any specific model of trailer and were long before lengths really got standardized. It was intended for the Dodge L700 kit which is a medium duty truck.

I have to agree with what others have said, you can respect the technique and skill required to do a build while the results not being your personal taste. In modeling a finish like Blair's is far more difficult than a shiny one and the skills needed to get it that good are quite impressive so we it tends to draw our attention even if we wouldn't want one in our driveway.

The Madd Mudder kit has a beer keg converted into a fuel tank, it's much bigger than the small drag tanks you usually see. The kit its very expensive but someone used to cast the tank, maybe post a thread in the resin section about it. The Ninja Turtles and Jurrasic Attack monster truck kits also come with a modern fuel cell that woud be appropriate for this build.

A replacement replacement set?

The biggest thing that stalls my builds is overreaching and geting stuck when I can't make what I've done so far work. I can't seem to leave a kit alone so every one gets half it's parts from somewhere else and needs parts special made and sometimes I just can't figure out how to do it so it goes back in the box for a few more years. If I could ever build one with just the parts in the box I'd get a bunch done but it never seems to work out that way.

P&P used to do one but it's long out of stock, I asked if they were going to make more but didn't get a reply. I've seen one turn up on ebay but it was very pricey.

If it's a current issue AMT or Revell kit I get it a Hobby Lobby most of the time. For Moebius I get it at a Hobbytown that carries them locally. Otherwise I scrounge around ebay for deals, sometimes you can catch everyone sleeping. I'm not opposed to paying good money for what I really want but I try not too.

Of those two and without serious modifications the Diamond Reo is closer to a potential heavy haul truck. If you want to use the Pete scratch building an auxiliary gearbox would be a step in the right direction, this would give the lackluster power a gearing boost. You could also add a turbo to the engine to make it an 8v-71T which did make a bit more power. You could also straight out swap the motor from the DR into the Pete. If you could manage to pick up one of the Revell snap kits you could swap the 3406 into the Pete, the motor is a bit newer than the Pete kit but would be a viable swap for replacing the original Detroit in a 1/1 truck. The 3406 is a 425hp B version that is all mechanical and can be turned up to over 600hp with a few mods, this would be ideal for a heavy haul truck.

It's a 12 valve 5.9 Cummins like in a early nineties Dodge truck.

I like the 55, 56, and 57's, your 62 is amazing, and then I really like the 69's like this one http://www.ha-ims.com/vehicle_images/4-6572.JPG and 70's like this one http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/4/583/2969/38956484001_large.jpg

Another tool I've found indispensable for work like this are the photoetch saws made by The Model Car Garage, they look this this http://www.michtoy.com/HmichtoyTOYsoldier.php?michtoyPROD=michtoy2010/products/Picture_mcg2238.jpg&geurlar=390&teurhau=300 You put them in your #11 Xacto handle and then just saw through the plastic. I just started using them and they are incredible.

Yes sir, there's going to be a lot of ramen eaten and overtime worked this year. I'm running out of places to hide new purchases from my wife too.

I usually open them in the parking lot just to make sure nothing is missing before I leave the store. I used to open the bags of the regular plastic parts too but I've stopped doing that to help the resale value if it ever comes to that.

The AMT Sock it to Me Vette that's out now. I bought it and opened the box and was so disgusted with it I had it traded in a week to someone who knew what was in it. I'm not the biggest early Vette fan anyway and that box full of mishapen plastic blobs just wasn't worth my time.

Once stripped those engines are really great, they actually make perfect sources for some interesting diorama pieces like the bellhousing in the pic you posted. I believe the 283 has some very neat cylinder head detail if you wanted to have the head on a work bench or something.

Probably the best truly Buick engine to date is the 425 from AMT's 66 Riviera kit but it's a little past the glory days of hot rodding.

I want one of the Raider kits from AITM one day. http://www.aitruckmodels.com/pages/ck78raideraxleforward.html

Some are things I've seen in person, some are customs I've researched, but most are just the way I would build it if I had the money.

I've built the Monogram and AMT Challengers, both are pretty straightforward. You are right about the 340 being vastly out of scale, it's almost as big as the 440 in the 70 GTX kit. The good thing is that the Hemi from the 71 Cuda and the aforementioned 440 are easy swaps. The AMT kit seems more true to scale and is an equally easy build, the only drawback is having to glue the top on for a hard top version.

You can build the frame from Evergreen strips and make it much stronger than kit parts. The C-channel they make is too thin but you can make your own to the height you need.

They didn't use the chassis from the Monogram 71 Cuda for the new 70 kit or any parts from the 69 Camaros or 68 Firebird in the new 67 Camaro kit. I can't imagine them using old parts for a new kit, especially 1/24 Monogram parts in a new kit wearing the Revell name.