Lining up the cab for the AMT White Freightliner

[TheSDTrucker]

Hey guys, I am starting my build on the White Freightliner from AMT (dual drive sleeper) and I was wondering if you guys have tips as to how to correctly align the three cab parts?

[tbill]

Careful sanding, and a ton of test fitting...

[gotnitro?]

Glue it up close then sand away those terribly out of scale rivets lol

Now ya have a clean slate imo

[Fat Brian]

Getting the faces good and flat helps keep the seams to a minimum, use a big wide file or you could even lay a sheet of sand paper on a table to clean them up. Use a brushable glue like Tenax or even Tamiya thin, the red tube glue will make a mess.

[Muncie]

everything already said - patience and be OK with sacrificing a few rivets.

[Goodwrench3]

I laid a sheet of 600 grit on a piece of glass and then sanded the mating surfaces on it.  It lined up really well and I didn't lose a single rivet in the deal.

Take your time.  I basically glued one seam at a time (with Tamiya Extra Thin) -- i.e. left, then top, then right for each pair of surfaces.  Have everything rubber banded together and lined up when you do it.  It's a pain, but it can be done.

 

[Oldmopars]

Glad to read this, I just started on the SD version of this kit for the 2018 Cannonball

[TheSDTrucker]

Thank you for all the tips guys. I just finished all the sanding, I just need to get some thinner glue. This went a lot easier because of the help, thank you again.

[Oldmopars]

So, I just put mine together tonight. I did as was suggested and put some sand paper on the table and cleaned up the edges. It all went together fairly well with some plastruct weld. I was able to get the seams really nice, and some light sanding and the seams are perfect. The plastic is shinny on the back and not on the front, so it looks different in the pictures, but in real life you can't even feel the seams. 

 

[TheSDTrucker]

9 minutes ago, Oldmopars said:

So, I just put mine together tonight. I did as was suggested and put some sand paper on the table and cleaned up the edges. It all went together fairly well with some plastruct weld. I was able to get the seams really nice, and some light sanding and the seams are perfect. The plastic is shinny on the back and not on the front, so it looks different in the pictures, but in real life you can't even feel the seams. 

 

Looks great! I'm just waiting for time to get to the hobby store for glue.

[PettyKW43]

As has been posted, careful sanding of the cab components is the best way to get good firmest of the cab shell. When I assemble this cab I do one panel at a time to insure an almost seamless build . As for the out of scale rivits I keep them ! They are all out of scale on just about any scale plastic subject, truck, ship , aircraft etc. I myself like the rivits even out of scale as it gives the eye something to look at. After a coat of primer and then paint they don’t look as bad and there is something to the surface other than plain flat plastic! But it is a matter of what each individual taste allows for!