1/25 AMT/ERTL International Transtar 4300 Eagle

[cifenet]

Hi guys,

This would be my second attempt at building a semi tractor kit and I am literally craving to build more of these massive vehicles! 

 

Lots of wheels, H frame, big exhaust pipes, and shining chrome parts everywhere.   Having said that, my knowledge is probably basic, but I hope to learn as I build these. 

I have to admit, I didn't even know what "COE" meant till a couple of month ago as I was building Chevy Titan 90.  😔

So please forgive me if I make obvious mistakes in this WIP, I am hoping you guys will go easy on me.

 

   

When I build automotive kits, I usually start with wheels.  While chrome parts from the kit looked reasonable, I wanted darker and deeper metal tone for more realistic feel. 

So I decided to remove all of the chrome here.  I wrote quick procedures on what I do to remove/paint chrome parts in "Under Glass" post below, so I won't repeat the procedures in this WIP:

1/25 AMT Chevy Titan 90

 

I removed the chrome plating and started making engine assembly.  I do not think I am ready to do "full detailing" just yet on this kit because I don't know much about the subject , so I just added simple fuel rails and wiring based on some reference photos.

 

I can see that removing the chrome plating makes the wheel already visually sharper here.

 

I did some research on this kit prior and there are some issues mainly how the front wheels are positioned. 

The front wheels are positioned slightly back from the factory.  This is an easy fix, I simply moved the cross wheel frame ~1/8 inch or so forward.

 

After find adjustments and the wheel geometry looked right to my eyes.  I simply used super glue and affixed mounting pin to help it stabilize the setup.

 

 

The another conundrum is regarding how wide the front wheels are from the factory.  They are also 1/8 wider.  

 

I took a big breathe and chopped each side.  After grinding a chunk of plastic, I attached the pieces back and reinforced with thin plastic strip.  I also had to shorten the tie rod, but gave a slight "toe" in setup.

 

Front sub-frame fastened and I assembled the entire frame.  I  confirmed that H frame rails are straight and square. 

I had to attach the brass beam on one of the rails to keep the frame straight as it had annoying/slight bend which I couldn't quite address.

 

I did a mock build and things are starting to take shape.

 

Whenever I see tube/bar/shaft/pipe parts, I tried to replicate with actual aluminum tubing.  

 

These parts are ready for painting. 

 

For tires, I gave a light acrylic flat coat to tone down the shine.  I gave semi-gloss coat for the frame, E7 Silver Plating for metal parts including wheels, and metallic blue (I mixed some random ratio between metallic blue + blue + silver) for the engine part.

 

This was after 45 min of nonstop painting.... 

 

Engine mounted and now there is no turning back.  

 

I mounted the wheels/tires and confirmed that all tires are touching the ground correctly.  The frame is parallel to the ground, the cab position looks straight also.   

I will start working on the fuel tanks next... 

Thanks for watching!

 

 

[TruckerAL]

This is absolutely fantastic! Not a lot of people rework the front axle width and placement, I'm glad you did. Awesome progress, and welcome to the big rig community!!

[cifenet]

9 hours ago, TruckerAL said:

This is absolutely fantastic! Not a lot of people rework the front axle width and placement, I'm glad you did. Awesome progress, and welcome to the big rig community!!

Thanks Alex!   Yeah, the engineering of the kit is fantastic given the age, but I was somewhat puzzled that they missed the obvious shortcoming. 

I was able to spent a couple of hours to assemble fuel tanks.  I think fuel tanks (one of each side) play an important role, I really think they help the look of big trucks. 

For this truck, I want mine to be shiny and clean.  

Unfortunately, the kit already has details embedded into fuel tanks (foot steps, mounting brackets), I had an idea of build one from brass pipe from scratch.

I quickly gave up that idea thinking I will do that next time (it was late night and I must gotten lazy).

 

I sanded out the rough seams from halves jointing together and ensure that no gap is revealed.  To improve the look of the tanks, I added small details.

 

I initially thought these were called mud guards or wheel protectors, but they are referred as quarter panel guards?  I didn't like the look of the center beam going across the frame, I cut them off and built them to be independent on each side. 

 

 

I started my second paint session.  My main focus was to prime the cab, hood, and sleeper here.

 

Please ignore that orange part, but this is after 30 min of painting.  I shaved and drliled out existing bolts from the front bumper and also took out the integrated "fog lights".  Fuel tanks were given 2 coats of Mr. Hobby's Ueno black.

 

All of the driveshafts will be replace with aluminum tubes.

 

I don't know what color I want the truck to be, but I went on and gave beige interior anyway.  Mistake?...

 

I test fit the tanks here and found no issues.  I will be permanently attaching them in next step.

By the way, does anyone know why the position of fuel tanks are staggered (non symmetrical)? 

Shouldn't they be identically located in opposite side to help the balance/weight distribution of the truck?..  Hmmm.  🤔

 

After a quick application of primer, I noticed some bad sink mark on the back of the sleeper.  I know I am going to add details in this area later on (maybe a tire, or tool shelf, etc), I decided not to deal with it right now. 😛

Thanks for watching!

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by cifenet

[Warren D]

I'd say you have adapted your modelling skills to big rigs very well so far.

[Dutzie]

Great work going on here! Absolutely stunning!

[cifenet]

17 hours ago, Warren D said:

I'd say you have adapted your modelling skills to big rigs very well so far.

Thanks for the kind feedback, Warren!

 

6 hours ago, Dutzie said:

Great work going on here! Absolutely stunning!

Appreciated your comment, Brian!  I hope not to screw things up in the later stage, I am thinking about adding several painting stripes, it can easily turn into nightmare...   😬

[cifenet]

I started to contemplate how I am going to paint the truck.  My initial concept of idea would be that the truck will have a solid color, but with add stripes.

My rough scratch indicates that I have room for two stripes.  For now, this is how I will proceed.

 

I started working on small parts.  Whenever I see pipes, I will attempt to replace them.  It is no exception for this intake pipe. 

 

It is rather crude, but the shape is convincing enough, I will proceed with this by replacing the plastic piece with the metal pipe on the right.

 

I have been using K&S Aluminum Telescopic Tubing (part #3403) for various hobby needs and they are fantastic for exhaust pipes and other similar use.  Sometimes you just cannot beat the actual metal parts for metal parts.

 

The front wheel mud guard was out of scale to my eyes , I cut and replaced the guard with plastic sheet.  The photo does not show, but I gave some wrinkle to add realism.

 

I painted the mirrors and small bolts with chrome.  The small bolts set was purchased from Tichy Train Group.  These small bolts can enhance the details on metal parts (i.e. front bumper)

Since I painted my own chrome, I cannot simply paint the entire grille black and wipe off the raised area since it will also rub off the chrome.

I carefully washed the INTERNATIONAL section on the grille.  

The end result was somewhat convincing, but for some reason, I am not quite happy with how it adds wet look...  Hmmm.

 

Work activities for fuel tank continues.  As I mentioned, I believe these play important role for semi trucks to look great.  I took some time delicately laying out the paint.

 

I screwed up here.  I permanently attached the fuel tanks before finalizing the details on the tank straps.  The easy masking effort just got difficult... 

 

 

I think it really changes the look of the truck based on how the fuel tanks are detailed.  Even thought simple "black" tanks do work for these trucks, I really want mine to be "ostentatious"! 😜

The last detail was to add a lower step plate which to cut off in the previous step. 

Thanks for watching!

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by cifenet

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Looks amazing!

[Rockford]

This is some second project mate! Beautiful work. 

[Chariots of Fire]

That is some fine work!  It's clear that you are an experienced modeler with some exceptional skills!  Will keep watching to see what you end up with.

[cifenet]

Thanks guys for following up this with me.

 

 My work desk isn't pretty at all, but I got everything I need here.  But my wife wasn't too happy that I took over one of the tables in the main floor with this mess and I got sent down to our basement over the weekend. 

Luckily the weather is getting warmer and nicer in Chicago region, I didn't mind the basement treatment.  

 

I continued to detail the grille and I wanted to add some kind of "mesh" or "net" behind the grille.  Usually P/E part could be used, but I took a cheaper solution.

 

It barely shows up from front, but I know it is there and no one can tell if it was just some cheap sewing mesh.

The front bumper details were also added over the weekend.  I have some collections of rivets, bolts, pins, etc., I examined how I was going to add details to the bumper.

 

The Tichy Train Group bolts were the cheaper solution, but they didn't look sharp for my application.  They could be very good for detailing frame or under chassis area, but for the front bumper, I needed something to be more recognized/pronounced.  And that means going with "bigger" stainless mounting bolts.

I also created two driving lights using "light curing clear resin".  I did introduce some bubble during the curing process, but my laziness got hold of me and I allowed myself to move forward.

 

I decided to use these parts.  Scale Hardware is no longer in business, but I really loved their products.  It is shame that they did not survive today.

 

The front bumper is complete.  I used Micro Kristal Klear to attach the bolts and lights.  CA glue can stain the painted chrome and the fume can cause hazy surface.  I like using Micro Kristal Klear for this type of application.

 

Test fitting windshield early is always a good idea.  I found that the front windshield did not have the enough angle to conform the body shape. 

I could cut the windshield in the middle and attach left and right separately, but I resolved with "somewhat" less destructive method.  I inserted a brass pin as an anchor which can hold the upper part of the windshield in place.  I can simply use a small amount of glue at the bottom or tape up and it will fit correctly.

 

Finally after giving some good thought, I decided to go with blue with white stripes.  Some gold stripes will be added also in between.  I picked out these colors.

My next truck will be silver for sure.

I masked basic painting livery.

 

\

I forgot to mention before, but I did complete the work of adding the quarter panel guards.  These were positioned just enough to hover the wheels without touching. 

 

For curve lines, a photocopied decal sheet helped creating body conforming masking templates.

 

The initial paint job came out satisfactory for my liking.  I always have to correct paint mistakes afterwards, I usually set my initial expectation low.   The paint line looks rough, but I didn't care. 

To simplify my work, I decided to only deal with the cabin and front hood.  The sleeper will be painted and managed at a later time. 

I guess I can only handle up to two things at a time! 

 

I purchased gold decal sheet from Germany which I plan to use as added stripes.  The metallic shine is what I liked, but I quickly found that this is some tedious work, and not as easy as it seems. 

I saw the decals to be on the "thicker" side and difficult to apply.  A good amount decal solution was brushed on and after 20 minutes, I was only able to manage 3 stripes. 

Including the sleeper, I counted 30+ stripes that I need to apply!  No way....

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by cifenet

[Ace-Garageguy]

Exceptionally fine work...and I'm learning a lot as you proceed too.   

[tractoraholic]

Fantastic Job!  Paint job came out great and I like the aluminum tube idea for various components.

[gotnitro?]

Excellent work 

[cifenet]

Appreciated your support on this so far, I counted the photos I have been uploading here and it is reaching 80+ already. 

If you guys can put up with it, I will probably reach around 130+ by the time I am done with this truck.  

 

Dealing with decals was not fun and I had to alter the original plan. 

I did a quick comparison between the gold decal and gold paint and saw minimal difference. 

                                                                                          

Choosing Gaianote 08 Gold instead of decals was a good idea.  Gaianote shoots smooth and dries quick and hard.  I like using them.  The paint code "Ex-" indicates extra size.

 

I began masking activities.  I found this task easier than cutting the decals straight 1/8th inch wide and laying around the entire vehicle. 

 

The problem of the masking this type of pattern is that, stripes can be tricky to align straight and evenly spaced.  Your eyes can only measure so much and the accuracy suffers as you get tired doing same thing over and over again.  

I decided not to raise my stress level and reminded myself that this is only a hobby.  So I only corrected obvious mistakes and continued making progress.  The pictures show my re-work of painting to correct the stripe alignment.

 

Various masking tapes were used, but I was only able to produce mediocre result.  I see rough edges in various places. 

The biggest rookie mistake I made was that I forgot to sand down the paint edges, the gold stripes reveal paint borderlines between blue and white.  Bad me.   It is too late to fix this and my hope is that clearcoat may help hiding it with some sheen later. 

 

The painting work started on the sleeper section also.

 

While my sleeper is getting painted, I gave a couple of clearcoat layers on the hood and cabin section.  Things are looking better for now.

Polishing is something I think requires good practice and patience.  I do not use  polyurethane clearcoat, so manual polishing is must.  I usually start with 2400 grit polishing cloth and move all the way up to 12000.    

 

When purchasing the gold decals, I also picked this decal set thinking "ARAL" logo would look good on my truck. 

It is a German petrolem/oil company so it won't be correct for this US truck with US registration/plate, but I still thought the design of the logo looks classic and the color matches well.

 

 

                             

I like the front view of the truck, it reminds me of a "security armored" truck that goes around and collects money from banks!

 

Edited April 15, 2023 by cifenet

[cifenet]

Made more progress on the truck over the weekend.  Things aren't going well in the late stage of the build, I am making too many mistakes forcing me to repeat same work multiple times.

 

Starting out with some simple task, the torpedo lights were painted.  After giving a metallic finish on the light housing, I painted the front light cover with a random mixture of clear yellow, clear red, and clear.

 

Instead of painting, I opted for "dipping" method.

By dipping the part into the pool of paint, I get a thicker coat without brush strokes.  I could have cut out the front section and replace them with clear parts, but I just didn't do that for these.

 

When it comes to painting, I don't do all my painting in one or two sessions, so I always have parts to paint as I progress.  I spent another 10 minutes masking and painting various parts. 

 

The front windshield gaskets were also masked using Tamiya curve tape and painted using gloss black. 

 

And the disaster strikes!  I had to mask sides when painting the front windshield gasket.  The result?  The decals got pulled off with masking tapes!!

 

Looks like multiple clear layers did not seal decals properly. 

I am thinking the decals adhesion had issues here, but I really do not know.  There were other paint chips from normal handling of the body, but it is going to take some time repairing this issue. 

I will basically need to sand the surface down again and re-apply the clear. 

 

Ok, I spent the afternoon correcting some paint flaws and repairing the decals. 

Luckily, smaller decals seem to be working okay with the look, so I will clear the decals and move forward. 

 

As I mention,things are not going well, a CA glue smudge on the front windshield!  Again, I had to buff it off and nothing was going well at this point.

 

Suddenly, I had urge to dress up the exhaust stacks, but only a couple of sections.  For some reason I thought it would look "cooler" and I began my work.

 

This was my initial idea and I continued with painting and mounting work.

 

As I was working on exhaust stacks, I start my work to position exhaust pipes.  Sadly, the fitment wasn't accurate at all.  The right side was flexible enough for me to force the attachment of the pipe in a correct place, but the left wouldn't fit properly. 

It was hitting the fuel tank and I had to sand off the pipe where it was bending around the fuel tank.  

I think anyone makes this kit should either place the left fuel tank 1/8inch behind, or do similar surgery on the piping as I did...

 

 

I painted the inside of the front hood with flat black.  Even a simple task such as this, I faced a problem where the over-spray ruined the exterior panel.  I had to buff it out again

I initially wanted to add some details and heat shield in this area, but due to constant "re-work" of correcting mistakes, I quickly gave up that idea...

 

After attaching the exhaust using the mount points, it became an issue where it doesn't sit straight...

 

I had to cut away both top and bottom mounting points till the stack sits straight.

 

This is after addition of heat shields to the exhausts.  I added some handle bars too, but at the end, they didn't look good at all.  Too fat and too busy for my liking. 

I actually spent roughly 3-4hours building this feature and only to scrap the whole things.

I began my "re-do"...

 

This is my theme for this build, "measure once, cut twice"...

 

While painting was drying on the exhaust stacks, I started my engine details.  Added the air intake and radiator hoses. At minimum, I will add some wiring here and there later.

Thanks for watching!

 

 

[gotnitro?]

Fantastic work! Your dealing w the typical kit issues like a expert builder w years of rig kits under your belt. 

The metal finishes and gloss paint is jaw dropping, so clean w variety to the materials 

Looking forward to more updates

[J.B. Customs]

Excellent paint job and stripes 

[cifenet]

On 4/17/2023 at 7:53 PM, gotnitro? said:

Fantastic work! Your dealing w the typical kit issues like a expert builder w years of rig kits under your belt. 

The metal finishes and gloss paint is jaw dropping, so clean w variety to the materials 

Looking forward to more updates

Thanks for the kind words, I am flattered.    And I am also starting to realize that building these trucks makes you to be humble...   

By the way, some of the boxes does say these kits are for skill level 2 (out of 3) and age 12+.  That cannot be true. 

I can't see 12 years old kids making these till the end, anyway.  They need to warn the builders that "frustration" is included free inside!

 

On 4/17/2023 at 8:04 PM, J.B. Customs said:

Excellent paint job and stripes 

Appreciated your supportive feedback!  But as you can see, I am making many mistakes including the stripes not having "equal" gaps and paint borderline showing up from under coat... 

I'd redo from beginning if I can, but I think I passed the point of no return. 

I just promised myself that my next won't have this kind of problems....

[cifenet]

I managed to wrap up the build over the weekend and here is the update. This would be my last update for International Transtar 4300 Eagle.

I would like to do another truck before I try something less stressful. 

And I have to mention that building these heavy vehicles does reward you with a sense of accomplishment at the end.

 

I added a small support beam (a toothpick wrapped with some masking tape!) so I can insert the intake pipe here as nothing holds this in place. 

I painted and wrapped the intake pipe with metal foil strips.  It is probably the easiest way to detail hose connectors although P/E clamp sets offer better results.

 

My mirrors looked very boring, I decided to add some details.  The kit included two spot lights, but the instructions do not mention where they go.  And they were missing the clear lens parts. 

I used UV resin to clear the lens. 

 

Antennas, electrical/communication cables, and spot lights added.  The pictures doesn't show, but I added reflective tapes to simulate the mirrors as well.

 

This is how the truck looks after completing the engine details, exhaust stacks, and mirrors. 

 

Mud guards were also something that I wanted to improve.  The parts from the kit were too thick and stiff looking. 

Initially, I wanted to just add support brackets using the P/E fret (L shape area) portion, but I gave up that idea quickly since things were getting laborious. 

Instead, I rebuilt the parts using plastic sheet and plastic rods.  Definitely easier to work with.  

 

Simple, but I think it should do the trick. 

 

I still do not know why some of these trucks has staggered fuel tanks setup.  They are not symmetrical in terms of the left and right position. 

My common sense says they can disturb the weight balance in a bad way, so why this setup?  Could someone educate me, please?

Because of this setup, the area pointed with the red arrow (above) feels "empty". 

 

My internet search reveals that certain trucks mount an "extra" fuel tank or a tool chest in this area and some has this step ladder mounted (see red arrow) for the sleeper.

 

I decided to go with the step ladder setup and simply made up something that looks "functional".  I also started working on storage shelf that sits on the frame.

 

I bought these the other day and my wife laughed at me so hard.  She thought I was going to use these on my nails.  

They may not work as is, but once you add clean resin to round the diamond cut, all of sudden, these can be very useful for replacing side markers and turn signals. 

 

I used these to replace my torpedo lights on Chevy Titan.  They looked very convincing.   I will be using them to represent side markers for International Transtar 4300 Eagle.

 

Another painting session, I actually enjoy airbrushing as long as the part counts stay low!

 

I gave yellow coat for shocks.  Bilstein shocks, maybe?   I gave exhaust smoke stain on the exhaust pipes also. 

 

After giving some stains and washes,  I had odd urge to wash more.  I gave dirty wash on the sleeper, but it didn't work for my taste and cleaned off some. 

I will see what direction I want to do with this.

 

Added the mud guard and shocks.  From this point, everything is going to be attaching various parts...

 

I feel like I can add more stuff for the engine, but I got lazy and wanted to just finish quicker.  My engine work is done for this kit.

 

I wrapped the blinkers with metal foil strips hoping to improve details.  I don't think this is correct in terms of the real thing though.

 

I permanently attached the bumper and grille. 

Once you attach the grille, you cannot detach the hood anymore (you can still flip it open). 

The hinge mechanism requires you to spread the front part of the hood so the attaching pins can come off, but attaching grille will prevent the hood to be flexible at front.

I painted the sleeper boot that connects to cabin also. 

 

I am also thinking about adding these lane guides (is that the correct term?), but they interfere when the hood flips open.  I will need to further implement this so everything works.

 

I think the truck is 95% done! 

The sleeper needs work, still needs attachments, and bit more polishing left. 

I started building this three weeks ago and I totally enjoyed the building experience. 

My execution of the build wasn't satisfying and at times, I was kept making silly mistakes which dragged on the progress. 

I am sure the way I built this truck isn't correct in terms of the actual vehicle, but this is what I could only accomplish knowing (or not knowing) the subject.

I certainly would like to give another truck a try, but perhaps I will need to do some reference studying first. 

Thanks for watching!

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by cifenet

[Rockford]

You've had a steep learning curve on this job but it looks brilliant from what I can see. I suppose it's the age of the kits and the scale of them that generates so many issues. You've got the skills to sort them though. Well done so far. 

[bigred63]

Wow, what a great looking truck! Your color combinations is out of this world. Thanks for all your tips that you used on the build.

 

[Rockford]

I notice you asked why the layout of the fuel tanks etc... aren't symmetrical on the chassis. There's more experienced people than me on this forum but I'll try to explain.

There's a few factors involved. Trucks aren't like cars, they're working vehicles so appearance isn't everything, it's function that counts; symmetry isn't really a consideration. Weight is a factor, any extra unladen weight eats into payload so you only build what you need. Cost too, to an extent. The balance isn't really a consideration. I've seen some trucks with a load bias to one side that carried an extra spring leaf on that side but they're a rarity. You then have to think about the 2nd and 3rd owners etc... who make their own changes to the truck (sometimes on a shoestring) and you can see some fascinating combinations. 

I suppose that's why we like building them. The possibilities are endless. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Rockford
Text editing

[tractoraholic]

Very nice work. That is one sharp looking International. That's one to be proud of.

[Gary Chastain]

Outstanding build, you definitely have demonstrated your craft.