1954 Maxim 750 Pumper

[Casey]

Looks great, Charlie.

That trick using the (still liquid) resin has saved me from having to sand out some obnoxious ejector pin marks in a recess a few times too.

[Tesla]

The engine and grill look spectacular! Cutting out the windshield and doors makes a big difference.

[beeRS]

Amazing work!

[Chariots of Fire]

More progress on the little things.  Trim is added to the windshield opening.  It is just slightly smaller inside than the original opening so that the glass can fit right against it.  The trim was made of 0.020 sheet stock so it is thin and will represent the rubber gasket.  The engine finally got an exhaust system and the wheels have been painted and trimmed in a gold stripe and chrome lugs.  Still to be added to the wheels are the covers over the screws that hold the wheels on the axles.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Chariots of Fire

[landman]

Absolutely fascinating. By my own estimate, based on the rate of development of my skills, I will be 367 years old when I reach your level.

[Chariots of Fire]

Well Methusaleh lived to be 969 years old so there is still hope!

[Bennyg]

Wow! I feel lazy seeing this. Inspirational.

Ben

[DRIPTROIT 71]

I'm amazed every time I look at this one!!! Top notch work!!

[Superpeterbilt]

Amazing......

[Chariots of Fire]

Began work on the cab doors today.  The outside panels are cut from thin brass sheet stock.  There will be an interior panel similar to the white plastic one to the right in the photo.  I'm working on a mechanism that will be fit inside the door that will allow a latch to work by moving the outside door handle.  Some wire rod, cams and spring will do the trick.  The hinges came from Micro-Mark with half of them soldered to the inside face of the door panel.  The other part of the hinge is glued and pinned to the face of the door jam.  After all the fitting is done a trim piece will be glued to the cab surrounding the door.  Maxim was not particular about the doors having a smooth fit against the rest of the cab sheet metal so they let it overhang the door opening and cleaned it up with the outside trim.

 

Edited January 14, 2017 by Chariots of Fire

[DumpyDan]

Beautifully done, you do amazing work

[Chariots of Fire]

And here are a couple more after both doors have been mounted.  They are still removable by pulling the stainless pin from the hinges.  Once they are painted and ready for final attachment the pin will snipped for each hinge.  020 x 020 plastic stock surrounds each door as well as forming a drip edge at the beginning of the roof curvature.  One additional piece will be added to the rear of the roof beginning at the body and working its way around to the other side.

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Very nice!! That hood looks incredible!!

[Chariots of Fire]

Here's a pic of the inside of the doors.  I made up a mechanism that will move when the outside door handle is pressed down.  In turn the latch moves inward away from the catch in the edge of the door opening (haven't done that part yet).  It's kind of fiddly stuff but fun when it works out!

In the photo the half door is the first one I tried years ago to see if i would work.  The door at the right is one of the doors for the model.  The opening will be covered with 0.020" sheet stock once everything is in place and checked to make sure it works ok.

[Dieselhead]

Dude, that's insane. I'm surprised she doesn't run. Awesome work.

[Bennyg]

Another of the best truck models out there. Easily top 5.

Ben

[Chariots of Fire]

Did a bit of work on the second door today and got the latch mechanism finished.  Just have to do the catch for the door opening.  After that was done I made up a front bumper and the two door handles.  Of the various options open to me for making the bumper and door handles chrome I settled on plating with nickel solution.  I picked up a plating kit which includes the solution, a power supply, wand and a clip to attach to the bumper and door handle pins.  The bumper and handles were made from brass, filed smooth, sanded, polished and then plated.  It was a pretty simple process and the results I think are better than Alcad, Bare Metal Foil or chrome paint pens.

Here are the results.

[redneckrigger]

ALLright.....................I'm calling you on this..........................There is NO WAY that you can do what you do without divine intervention, a deal with the devil, or maybe BOTH! How the heck to do you manage to do such incredibly TINY and fine work without doing the Fantastic Voyage style microscopic shrinking machine????? Huh???? Spill the beans!!!!

All kidding aside, I am not only amazed, but made jealous by your imagination, mechanical ability, model building ability, and also being able to do such small work! I have a hard time picking up a common pin with my fingers, and you are MAKING pieces SMALLER than common pins!!!!   Wow.................keep it up, just LOOKING at your work in pictures makes me feel younger!

Edited January 19, 2017 by redneckrigger

[Chariots of Fire]

Ok, Tom!  Ya got me!  I try to be on the right side of divine intervention even though I know I truly fail at it all the time.  Thank God for His generous mercy!  As for the devil?  No way you can serve both at the same time!  I have been accused of having a shrink machine but there is no truth in that rumor either!

There is no big secret to making things that are small.  I've been blessed with a steady hand and reasonably good eyesight even for an old timer like me!  Working with brass is a big help but it is nothing I could have accomplished early in my modeling career.  They say that experience is the best teacher and I buy into that.   A pair of mini vise grips is very helpful in holding pieces of brass while I am working with them.  Definitely not possible just by holding it in my fingers. 

The other part of it is just that I enjoy working with different mediums to get the final result.  Nothing sacred about any of it other than if it works, use it!

I'm glad if it makes you feel younger!  Maybe I could package it for sale!

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Wow!!! Oh, I meant to say WOW!!! Very Impressive!!

I wish that I could say that it makes me feel young though. I shake and can't see like I used to, maybe I'm getting old.

Keep up the incredible work!!

[Tesla]

Your modeling skills never cease to amaze me...BRAVO!!!

[landman]

Here's a pic of the inside of the doors.  I made up a mechanism that will move when the outside door handle is pressed down.  In turn the latch moves inward away from the catch in the edge of the door opening (haven't done that part yet).  It's kind of fiddly stuff but fun when it works out!

This is getting into Roger Zimmerman's level. This is where we all get out the little stand to put on the desk to hold our jaw. Absolutely fascinating.

 

[Chariots of Fire]

The fiddly stuff is sometimes real tedious like the headlight pods and bezels.  I made the pods from Renshape and epoxied them to the fenders rather than with superglue.  That way I could adjust the location while the epoxy was setting.  With the superglue it would have been one shot and that's it.  Too critical to take that chance.  And one of the bezels is now done using the brass tubing in the photo.  After the bezel was shaped and cleaned it was plated.  There is still a hint of the brass showing through so I think it will need another soak.

[towman1271]

Simply amazing...

[Chariots of Fire]

After working on several detail parts, I did some priming and lots of sanding of the completed cab and body.  This is one time that it's all incorporated into one.  The hard part was knowing that inside that rear bench seat area I needed to still paint it red.  Rather than try and spray a lot of paint around inside I opted to paint with some Model Master Insignia red that is a close match.  It is a flat color and goes on good with a brush.  That way any overspray from the outside will blend with the part inside that is already painted.  I may add a bit of clear gloss inside just to take the curse off it but all in all it looks ok.  The photo shows the work to date and is a lot like the real rig might look having just come out of the paint booth.