Monogram Mack AC Lumber Truck

[Straightliner59]

Most of my working years have been spent behind the wheels of various straight trucks. A great deal of those years were spent in the "board yards". Lumber trucks have long been my favorite work trucks--they're just the coolest! And, I can tell you from experience that one of them, running empty, handles unbelievably well, on a curvy road! I have been planning to build a lumber truck for almost forty years. Given that this model was built from Monogram's 1926 Mack Dump Truck, which already had the hydraulic hoist, I figured "why not?" I simply left the sides and gate off the bed and added stake pockets and rub strips, along with a headboard, and, there I was! My goal with this project was to improve my overall technique, and work on my weathering and finishing skills. Therefore, I aimed to keep it fairly simple. Most of the weathering was done with pastels, although I used oil paints in a few "greasy" spots. The "Howard Lake Lumber Co." livery is fictitious.

Keeping simplicity in mind, I only made a few simple changes. I added ignition wiring, and made the steering poseable. As the kit was designed, the hoist mechanism and the bed hinges were molded in to what should, actually, be wood rub strips, or cushions, between the truck's chassis and the bed. I replaced Monogram's pieces with wood strips. I made the hardware for the hoist and bed hinges from Evergreen styrene stock. I used a doming block and punch to create reflectors for the headlights. Those reflectors make a huge difference in their appearance! I made the hasp for the toolbox from a part left over from one of the hood hinges. I elongated the hole. Then I soldered a tiny brass "u" to a brass plate. I attached it so that the bottom end of the "u" protrudes through the elongated hole in the hinge.

The model is painted with Krylon Sweet Cream. The wheels are painted with a color called "Basil" from Michael's Design Master line. The kit's decals had no usable adhesive left, so I printed new Mack placards for the cab sides. I applied those decals to thin aluminum sheet (tooling aluminum), and fastened them  to the cab with tacky glue. In looking at the  photos, I see a couple of things I want to do, before I turn it over, and add a bit of dust and other smut, to the underside. That said, I could put it in the display case,  now, and be happy calling it done! So, here it is! Questions comments and critiques are always welcome! Thanks for looking!...Dan

Edited April 22, 2021 by Straightliner59

[afx]

Great work Daniel.

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Excellent work! I enjoyed watching this one come together! The weathering looks great! Beautiful build all the way around!

[Dave Van]

Looks great! My grandfather talked about driving one of those in the mountains of WV in the 1930's......

[Jim B]

Great looking Mack.  Well done.

[Straightliner59]

2 hours ago, afx said:

Great work Daniel.

Thank you, JC.

 

2 hours ago, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

Excellent work! I enjoyed watching this one come together! The weathering looks great! Beautiful build all the way around!

Thanks, Brian. Glad you like it, sir!

58 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

Looks great! My grandfather talked about driving one of those in the mountains of WV in the 1930's......

I wonder what that must have been like? Especially with the open cab. The ones I drove were at least a few years newer! Thank you, Dave!

 

31 minutes ago, Jim B said:

Great looking Mack.  Well done.

Thank you very much, Jim!

[Sledsel]

Beautiful build

 

[1959scudetto]

Great looking oldie, Daniel !

[doorsovdoon]

Stunning work. Love these old brass era builds, everything is on display. The weathering looks perfect, looks like the soot that covered everything back then from all the coal burning chimney stacks.

[Dutzie]

Great looking truck. 

[Straightliner59]

14 hours ago, 1959scudetto said:

Great looking oldie, Daniel !

Thank you, very much, Helmut!

 

20 hours ago, Sledsel said:

Beautiful build

 

Appreciate that, Andy!

1 hour ago, Dutzie said:

Great looking truck. 

Thanks, Brian.

10 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

Stunning work. Love these old brass era builds, everything is on display. The weathering looks perfect, looks like the soot that covered everything back then from all the coal burning chimney stacks.

Thank you for your kind words, Gareth. I need to dirty up the underside a bit more, before Saturday. Apparently, there's a contest, not far from me. I will probably grab my camera, and a few models, mask up, and check it out. I won best of show, at the club's last show with my junior fuel dragster--that was over a year-and-a-half ago! I'll likely take that, again, because this is a different contest. The first was their "Show N Shine". This one is "Rumble In The Rockies". Anyway, I'll take  the dragster, this truck, and my Monogram Midget. It'll be fun to be around other modelers for a change.

[doorsovdoon]

Man, I'd love to go to one of those shows but I don't think the UK does them. I usually go to the NEC classic car show in Birmingham and they usually have an autojumble area and a stall selling 1/25 AMT models, there maybe twenty or so built up on show, but that's about it really. Anyway, good luck at the show.

Edited April 23, 2021 by doorsovdoon

[PappyD340]

Awesome!!

[Force]

Fantastic.

[Straightliner59]

7 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

Man, I'd love to go to one of those shows but I don't think the UK does them. I usually go to the NEC classic car show in Birmingham and they usually have an autojumble area and a stall selling 1/25 AMT models, there maybe twenty or so built up on show, but that's about it really. Anyway, good luck at the show.

Thanks, Gareth! It's a local club's show, held in a Hobbytown store. It should be a fun way to spend the afternoon. One of their Facebook posts says they have 40 plaques to award. Maybe I can bring one or two home, with me!

[ChrisR]

Very nice!

[Straightliner59]

39 minutes ago, ChrisR said:

Very nice!

Thanks, Chris!

[David G.]

Fabulous work! I love the weathering and all the added details.

David G.

[Straightliner59]

16 minutes ago, David G. said:

Fabulous work! I love the weathering and all the added details.

David G.

Thank you, David.

[the goon]

Outstanding.

Mark

[Chariots of Fire]

Watched the progress on this build from almost the beginning.  Weathering is top notch and the craftsmanship is clean.  A super job on one of the toughest old trucks around.  Thanks for sharing, Daniel!  Much appreciated!?

[AmericanMuscleFan]

First class build that has already received and will receive many more first places in future exhibitions.  The attention to detail is obvious and the result speaks for itself! ?

Your openness to share your work techniques and your explanations make your projects a must for anyone who wants to get out of their comfort zone!  Thank you for that my friend! ?

[Straightliner59]

15 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

First class build that has already received and will receive many more first places in future exhibitions.  The attention to detail is obvious and the result speaks for itself! ?

Your openness to share your work techniques and your explanations make your projects a must for anyone who wants to get out of their comfort zone!  Thank you for that my friend! ?

I am truly grateful for those comments, my friend! When I began modeling, I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of two modelers who were willing to share their work, and how they accomplished it, with me. It's that openness and willingness to share that make this such a wonderful hobby. I've only run across maybe a handful of guys who kept modeling secrets, and it always left me shaking my head. I always hope that someone will look at something I've done and think "Hey! I can do that, too!" That makes me as happy as anything else in modeling. Thanks again, for your kind words, Francis!

 

On 4/27/2021 at 7:24 PM, Chariots of Fire said:

Watched the progress on this build from almost the beginning.  Weathering is top notch and the craftsmanship is clean.  A super job on one of the toughest old trucks around.  Thanks for sharing, Daniel!  Much appreciated!?

I was happy to see your comments, and to know that you were interested, as I was building this, Charles. That was inspiring to know. Thank you very much for following it, and for your kind words. I enjoyed the project! Thank you, as well, Mark! Thanks to everyone who followed its construction, and to everyone who's looked here. It means a lot, to me!

[slusher]

Excellent build and very realistic!

[Straightliner59]

28 minutes ago, slusher said:

Excellent build and very realistic!

Thanks, much, Carl!