2023 Group Build - AMT 1/32 W900 Aerodyne

[cifenet]

Fantastic progress and things are shaping up nicely.
Keep up the good work!

Edited May 22, 2023 by cifenet

[Rockford]

Trying to be methodical in my approach to opening the hood. I carefully trimmed the cab mounts I'd fitted until they just sat on the cab floor. I then cut the fronts off and glued the bottom piece to the chassis. This ensured that the cab assembly sat level supported from front to back. I then glued 2.3mm tube in place, two on the hood, two on the chassis, and pinned them together using a large paperclip. 

The theory is, when I part the hood from the cab it should be correctly aligned. It's a bit terrifying but if it goes pear shaped I can always glue it back together and use my Cummins elsewhere. 

[cifenet]

That looks to be a good method. If the hinge mechanism stays strong on the frame and hood, I think you have a good working hood opening function!

[Pete68]

Nice updates liking the hinged hood 

[Rockford]

Terrifying day today, I could not put off separating the hood from the cab any longer. I could ruin my all my work if I get it wrong! Carefully made the cut with my razor saw. I just cut straight because I knew the inserts for the air filters would have to be made up anew. 

I removed the inserts from the hood and, cut new ones from card and attached them to the cab. Added a drip rail to the top of the firewall. I'll have to trim the lower rear of the hood so that it passes the air trunking ok as it tilts. AMT didn't anticipate the hood tilting so the angle is a little too sharp. 

Fabbed some engine mounts and dropped the Cummins into place. Looks great! The hood closes almost perfectly. I might just have to raise one cab nount a touch to get spot on alignment. With the bumper and grille in place the hood tilts to the perfect 90 degree position. 

[cifenet]

This is some tricky work, but very rewarding.  I bet this gives you a good sense of accomplishment.

Extensive efforts going into the truck now. 

I guess the next step would be that you just need to make sure the air filter piping aligns to the engine intake and go from there.  

 

[Rockford]

After all my work yesterday I went to bed and started checking some things on the interwebs and found that I'd made the hood inserts the wrong shape. I'd copied the AMT 1/25 shape but looking at Twinsticks Garage's truck I realised that the line sloping inward is straight. So, 6:30am Sunday morning whilst making breakfast I removed the wrong ones, cut some new ones and got them fitted. TBH it will make shaping the hood easier, looking at the real things there's a gap between the bottom of the hood and the cab. The insert fills the gap. 

Edited May 28, 2023 by Rockford
Added picture

[Rockford]

Today's project:- scratchbuilt a radiator. I used the AMT 1/25 kit for reference, also searched for 1980 W900 radiators for sale and truck auction sites. 

Used plastic card mainly and built it up in layers. Had to notch the bottom corners to get round the hood brackets. Header tank is 4 layers of card with one slightly proud to form the seam. Opened the hole in the fan shroud and inserted the edge of the cowling. Looks ok and the hood still closes. 

[cifenet]

On 5/28/2023 at 1:35 AM, Rockford said:

After all my work yesterday I went to bed and started checking some things on the interwebs and found that I'd made the hood inserts the wrong shape. I'd copied the AMT 1/25 shape but looking at Twinsticks Garage's truck I realised that the line sloping inward is straight. So, 6:30am Sunday morning whilst making breakfast I removed the wrong ones, cut some new ones and got them fitted. TBH it will make shaping the hood easier, looking at the real things there's a gap between the bottom of the hood and the cab. The insert fills the gap. 

 

I see the difference now.  But unless you pointed out, I would probably not notice it at all.

The radiator looks proper to me, and I can see that many pieces were used to create the shape.  I really wonder how the truck will turn out at the end.  Great process so far!     

 

 

[Rockford]

Put the inlet system together. Built a crosspipe between the air filters out of chubby sprue. Used the same with a candle to form two 90 degree bends. Wrapped the bends in 0.8mm square rod to simulate the strengthening ribs and matched it all up to the turbo inlet. Looks ok. 

[Rockford]

Didn't get my full afternoon off today but got a little done. Broke the candle out and bent up suitably sized sprue into a bottom and top hose for the radiator and an exhaust pipe from the turbo. For rubber hose I used some sheathing for household wiring that's sat in my garage for decades. Does the job perfectly. So my radiator is plumbed in now. 

[Bennyg]

This is just awesome. I would love to try your methods with a 1/32 Mack SuperLiner. So good seeing the detail work.

Ben

[cifenet]

Piece by piece, you are systematically connecting all the dots here!  

It looks like everything came straight out from the kit.  But they are not!  

And is that how inner side of wheels are in this kit?  That is some wild design!   

[Rockford]

12 hours ago, Bennyg said:

This is just awesome. I would love to try your methods with a 1/32 Mack SuperLiner. So good seeing the detail work.

Ben

Thanks Ben.

You can do it mate, just do your homework, get dimensions, positioning etc... and start building layer by layer. I'm not craftsman, believe me. 

[Rockford]

1 hour ago, cifenet said:

Piece by piece, you are systematically connecting all the dots here!  

It looks like everything came straight out from the kit.  But they are not!  

And is that how inner side of wheels are in this kit?  That is some wild design!   

Thanks Steve

It's easier than it looks, otherwise I wouldn't be doing it! 🤪. Yes the wheels on these kits are horrendous but it's all I've got to work with.  They're hidden usually but with opening the hood I've created a monster here. I'm currently working out a fix for this truck. I'm not a 3D printer/aftermarket person. I have to be resourceful [or stupid/stubborn?].

[tractoraholic]

You're truck is really looking good. Great job 

[Rockford]

Now my trailer fix is quelled for the time being (I've just bought two more, what's wrong with me!?), I turned my attention back to the W900. Just did some necessary things that don't really stand out but make me feel better. I added the brace from the firewall to the radiator and the hood supports on the firewall. To simulate the main loom into the cab I bound about 20 lengths of cotton together so it looks suitably messy. Added heater hoses and hoses to the water filter. 

I tried making mirror arms from aluminium wire but they were a mess so I'm going to resort to using the mirror arms off the Snaptite T600. 

[Rockford]

Opening the hood on this truck has caused a lot of work, piping, a whole engine, radiator, steering etc... but it's also made the atrocious Monogram hollow tyres all too obvious. They're normally hidden in the dark under the cab but not here, what to do? I only have one spare Monogram tyre so that's a non-starter. However, I do have about twenty spare AMT tyres. I tested sizes and an idea 💡 came to mind. 

Using a marker pen as a spindle I cut a sidewall off a tyre. It dropped straight into the Monogram piece. With a little trimming it sat down well. 

Then I took an AMT inner and wheel and filed it until the backplate came off and it was just a rim. Glued it all in place. Looks ok. Not perfect but it's better than the original mess. Once painted they should blend in better. 

Turned my attention to the front brakes. Turned a chamber out of chubby sprue and used 0.5mm wire for the clamp ring. Cut a bracket from 90° angle and 2.3mm hollow tube. Shaped a slack adjuster from scrap. Just waiting for it all to set before I fit it. 

[Bennyg]

My current favourite project.

Ben

[J.B. Customs]

Fantastic fix great ingenuity 

[cifenet]

That is simply brilliant!!! 
 

Normally people would expect to have tires to have “both” sides, but the kit challenged you with a problem and you solved it perfectly!    

[Rockford]

Built my second brake chamber and actuator assembly for the opposite side. Fitted them to the brackets I attached to the stub axle. Look ok. Then I realised that I should have just said that this was a 'no front brakes' truck and I could have saved my energies. 

[Chariots of Fire]

Your tire fix is spot on.  I did the same thing with some of the 1/32 scale trucks as well, shaving off the back of a spare Monogram tire and glueing it to the open part of the plastic tire.  Worked like a charm.

[DRIPTROIT 71]

You have done some amazing work on this one! It looks great! The details you are adding really puts this one over the top. Excellent work!

[Rockford]

One of my main worries with this kit has been the mirrors. The kit pieces bear no resemblance to the real thing, just a single arm that connects to the door like a K100, obviously due to its Snap fit design. I wanted to have something as close to the real thing as possible but it just seemed too difficult. I tried paperclips - too strong, copper wire was not much better. I had resigned myself to using the T600 Snaptite ones but they would be a pig to secure and would be too fragile. I saw some 0.8mm aluminium craft jewellery wire on eBay, only a couple of pounds for a roll so I thought I'd give that a go. It's soft and workable and doesn't need painting.

I made a little jig to bend the two arms the same. Then drilled and cut mirror brackets from C-section channel, halved them and slid them on the arms. 

Using pliers I formed the braces etc... and flattened each end into a tab where they connected, just like the real thing, then superglued them together. I drilled holes in the cab for the arms themselves and each of the braces. Then attached a mirror head to the two plastic brackets. 

They're quite sturdy with the bracing in place, possibly a little too long but they'll do for me.

The interior is getting very little attention on this truck as no one will see much. I think I'm at the paint stage almost now. Weather is far too damp to paint just now though, and I can't think of a colour scheme. I've enough to get on with though, as you can see in the background.