Tyrone Malone ramp kenworth .

[Mr mopar]

Nice save Ben.

Tom: Both race trucks were built from W 900 Glider Kits.
The Super Boss race truck is a 1974 KW W900, the hood and grille is mostly stock above the bumper but instead of a bumper it has an airfoil/spoiler, it has a wing on top and winglets on the sides above the fenders and a scoop on top.
The Bandag Bandit race truck is a 1978 KW 900, the grille is stock but it had square headlights that looks to be from a 1977 Buick Regal, the same type spoiler instead of a bumper as the Super Boss and scoops on top and on the sides.
It looks like the cab has been changed to a much earlier cab sometime on the Bandit because on the earlier pictures it has the low mounted paddle latch type door handles that came in 1972 and a white, blue and yellow interior and on later pictures it has the older high mounted door handles and a black interior
Both trucks had the same style rear body except for the rear panel/tail lights and a large rear wing.
The most challenging would be to replicate the small front wheels if you want to do a correct model in 1:16

wasn't  the Bandag Bandit in the big fire a Mr Melones shop and they rebuit it?

[scummy]

Here is the info .

 

[Jim B]

I'm not totally sure from the wording, but it sounds like they're either going to supply both decals in the kit, or there are two trucks in the kit.  Two trucks in one box!  Wouldn't that be something.  They are also calling them "drag car transporters", so there doesn't seem to be any possibility of the Super Boss or Bandag Bandit being reissued.

[Force]

wasn't  the Bandag Bandit in the big fire a Mr Melones shop and they rebuit it?

Yes there was a fire in the Malone shop in Bakersfield, CA and most of the trucks were more or less damaged, the Bandit was inside the building at the time and might have needed another cab after the fire and they used an older one than it had from the beginning.
The Boss Truck Of America were started to be rebuilt but was never finished and most of them got new paintjobs after the fire; Gary Reis from Minnesota now owns most of the surviving Malone trucks except for the Bandit wich is owned by Bridgestone who now owns Bandag and is on display at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop Museum.
 

I'm not totally sure from the wording, but it sounds like they're either going to supply both decals in the kit, or there are two trucks in the kit.  Two trucks in one box!  Wouldn't that be something.  They are also calling them "drag car transporters", so there doesn't seem to be any possibility of the Super Boss or Bandag Bandit being reissued.

Well the future will tell, I think they they most likely will do a kit with a decal sheet to do both of Malone's transporters, I would be surprised if they  did a double kit with two complete trucks.
There are most likely as much hassle with the licenses to be able to do the Papa Truck and Hideout Truck as for the Super Boss and Bandag Bandit,  if the transporters are correct mostly all brand names are used on these as well as on them and if they didn't get all licenses the trucks will not be right.
I also don't think the transporters will sell as good as if the race trucks also were reissued so lets hope they will do them too.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Force

[lapazleo]

Gary reis also owns the fiberglass mold for the rear part of the bandit/superboss.

[Mr mopar]

This looks like to me the kit will only be available in Australia only !

[Mr mopar]

Here is the info .

 

[kilrathy10]

To see this kit even as just a generic setup with NO decals would be just as cool for me.....I would imagine they could keep the price down and completely open it up for the aftermarket.....I just want the truck.....Decals....I can take 'em or leave 'em....BUT...A double decal sheet would still be cool....

Edited September 18, 2015 by kilrathy10

[lapazleo]

Apparently the molds still exist.

[scummy]

This looks like to me the kit will only be available in Australia only !

No , what they are sayin is we have another supplier of amt kits here because they are so expensive here suppliers come and go . You can pay between 50-60 dollars for a kit but the rude thing is for another 20 you can a truck kit ?

[Bennyg]

What magazine is that from Scummy?

 

Ben

[scummy]

Modelart , ben its in the newsagent in the hobbie section mate .

[Bennyg]

Cheers Scummy.

Ben

 

[Ben]

wasn't  the Bandag Bandit in the big fire a Mr Melones shop and they rebuit it?

I don't think that one was in the fire. I know that it is in mint condition right now in the hands of a collector. The Boss Truck of America was in the fire and is in really bad shape right now! I save every single picture I can get my hands on dealing with Tyrone Malones trucks.

 

http://public.fotki.com/lotso/tyrone-malone-truck-pics/

 

[Ben]

 

I would jump on that! But I think I'm good for now!

That is, unless they issue them where there are two kits in one box! I would have to have those for sure!!! :)

 

Edited September 19, 2015 by Ben

[Ben]

To see this kit even as just a generic setup with NO decals would be just as cool for me.....I would imagine they could keep the price down and completely open it up for the aftermarket.....I just want the truck.....Decals....I can take 'em or leave 'em....BUT...A double decal sheet would still be cool....

All of the decals, for all four trucks are available from Modeltruckin.com

[tbill]

Ben, nice 'hoard'

[Force]

I don't think that one was in the fire. I know that it is in mint condition right now in the hands of a collector. The Boss Truck of America was in the fire and is in really bad shape right now! I save every single picture I can get my hands on dealing with Tyrone Malones trucks.

 

http://public.fotki.com/lotso/tyrone-malone-truck-pics/

 

The Bandag Bandit was in the fire, in fact it was inside the shop when it burned as you can see in this picture (click on the link).

http://public.fotki.com/superboss1/tyrone_malone/fire-at-the-shop-15.html

The Boss Truck of America truck and Old No 8 truck was also damaged in this fire together with some more of Malones vehicles and trailers.

http://public.fotki.com/superboss1/tyrone_malone/fire-at-the-shop-17.html

Many of the surviving Tyrone Malone trucks are now owned by Gary Ries and his Stage Coach Diesel Racing Museum in Minnesota, as far as I know Gary owns the Super Boss, the Papa Truck, the Hurricane, the Defiance and the Smokey Bear Corvette, he also bought the Hideout Truck, the Boss Truck Of America, the Old Blue whale truck and a couple of the trailers...but he does not own the Bandag Bandit, that truck is owned by Bridgestone who owns Bandag Retreading and it's on display at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop Museum.
All this according to what I have found out on Ken Harris Tyrone Malone Bandag Diesel Racing Team facebook site https://www.facebook.com/Tyrone-Malone-and-the-Bandag-diesel-racing-team-189062841121878/timeline/
Check it out if you haven't, you will find lots of pictures and interesting stories there as well as on his fotki albums http://public.fotki.com/superboss1/
Ken worked for Malone and drove the Papa Truck transporter at the European Tour in 1989.and I have been in contact with him a couple of times in my research on the subject.

 

All of the decals, for all four trucks are available from Modeltruckin.com

Yes Jerry has decals for all four trucks...I have bought all of them, but he only has the earlier Thermo King version from the late 70's with the Thermo King Diesel Racing Team on the doors for the Super Boss, not the later early 80's Bandag version, the other three are the early 80's Bandag versions with Bandag Diesel Racing Team on the doors...he even has two decal versions for the Hideout Truck.

[Ben]

I thought there must be two different decal sheets for the Super Boss! I have noticed them built with a slightly different decals. The one im building now has the countries on the side of the hood.

[Mr mopar]

Ben there is two different decal sheets for the SuperBoss the first ones are  thermo  king  the second ones are Bandag race team the map of countries on the hood! All I know is that in the early 80' I had a ride in the SuperBoss and a ride it was.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Mr mopar

[Truck parts]

I hope they do come out .

[anarximis]

i wish i had a stash of trucks like that

[Force]

Yes AMT did two versions of the Super Boss, one with Thermo King Diesel Racing Team markings on the doors and no map outlines on the hood sides from 1978ish and one version with Bandag Diesel Racing Team markings on the doors and the map outlines on the hood sides from 1980-81, the other three trucks became available around the same time as the second version of the Super Boss, after the racing trucks were done as model kits by AMT Malone added "Super Boss AMT Hobby Kit" and "Bandag Bandit AMT Hobby Kit" to the side plates of the rear wings.
The map outlines on the hood sides on the Bandag version of the Super Boss were starting from the cab, Europe, Central America and Australia and it was the parts of the world the Super Boss had been to outside of the US, Malones first European Tour was in 1981 and he came to Sweden that time, unfortunately I was too young and had no drivers license (you have to be 18 to get a drivers license here in Sweden and I was only 17 at the time) and it was too far to go there from where I live but I've got a couple of Swedish magazine articles from the events.
Malone did another European Tour in 1989 but Sweden was not on the visiting list that time, the Super Boss had been repainted with a new slightly different paintjob at that tour with five parts of the World painted in blue on the hood sides (USA, Canada, Australia, Alaska and Europe) and a yellow and chrome metal Bandag badge riveted to the doors (it was decals or painted on before), different lettering and less other sponsor decals, and the "Super Boss AMT Hobby Kit" on the wing sides was gone.
The transport trucks also got new slightly different paintjobs and tubeless two hole chrome rims instead of the Truck Mate five hole split rims they had before, they together with the other trucks also had the same Bandag badges riveted to the doors as the Super Boss.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Force

[Force]

Sorry to dig this old thread up but it has just become actual again.
 I just read on the Tyrone Malone And The Bandag Diesel  Racing team Facebook site that Round 2 has confirmed the Kenworth W900 Super Boss race truck is to be released sometime in April and potentially the K100 Papa Truck later in the year, like August or something like that.

Here is a copy from the facebook page posted 11 hours ago.

""It is with great pleasure that I can say that I have been given permission to let you all know that Round 2 Models will be releasing the Super Boss as a Retro Deluxe kit. The kit will be released as AMT930 with a tentative release date of April 2016. The molds have been verified for everything except the tires which have not been found. Round 2 made the decision to make new tire molds for the kit however they have been changed to smooth sidewalls with the white lettering tampo printed on. The decal sheet is also being expanded to include both versions that AMT originally released, the Thermo King version which represents 1976-78 and the Bandag version which represents 1979-1988. Papa Truck is tentatively scheduled for release in August 2016 as kit AMT932, however all of the molds for Papa have not been 100% verified yet. I have been a fan of Super Boss since I first read about the truck in a magazine in 1976 before it had even set its land speed record at Bonneville and have spent years studying everying I can about Super Boss and Papa truck. Special thanks go to Tim Ahlborn for putting me in touch with Round 2 to assist them with this project, to Ken Harris for use of his extensive photo collection and knowledge of the truck and to current owner Gary Ries for allowing me to see the truck in person and take pictures of how the truck is now.

Bandag Bandit and Hideout Truck are also being considered for future release by Round 2, but will not be released in 2016.

---Aaron Hartley""

Edited January 8, 2016 by Force

[Bennyg]

I'm pretty happy with this. I'm a Mack man but have never seen a super boss model in the plastic before. Makes you wonder what else they're thinking of.

 

Ben

 

 

Edited January 8, 2016 by Bennyg