1/25 AMT Peterbilt 359 California Hauler

[cifenet]

Jeff, again I appreciate you checking on this and providing helpful information.  Right, the detail set is actually very useful and I enjoy using them on this truck. 

I just feel that I should be going through the pain of masking and painting each gauge and such. 😀

Regarding the deck plate, yes, I will try something with screen/metal mesh as the bottom which may also function as storage.  Will need to do some thinking in that direction.

Thanks again~

[cifenet]

Found some time over the weekend to make little progress... 

 

This is my second attempt of building the grille.  This time, I decided to attach everything before painting anything. 

I added my two vertical aluminum bar supports and also glued the photo-etched grille trim  The grille trim actually had the vertical bars as well (three vertical bars), but I cut them off and used my aluminum tubing instead.

This took multiple tries to get that trim piece to stay inside of that grille opening.  And each try, I kept leaving visible glue residue... 

 

Applied a coat of black paint and then I polished the surface and will repeat the process till everything looks smooth.

It is important have smooth base when painting metallic paints as top coat and I exclusively use black paint called "Ueno black" from Mr. Color which is considered a premium paint from Mr. Color. 

I must get the grille and the bumper right so some effort is being spent here to make them look "nice". 

As I mentioned in the earlier post, I want many mud guards throughout the truck, so I also made several of them using simple thin plastic sheet.

 

Before it is too late, I had to confirm if all of the roof components are attaching correctly and properly.  Not too bad, I thought.

Also the kit didn't include fender guards for this truck (somewhat odd), I made them earlier using some plastic sheet and metal tubing.  They are attached now.

 

Mud guards I made were added on the top of the quarter fender and I used metal foil strips to hold them on top. 

Unfortunately, I find the foil strips to be distracting (too shiny with irregular reflections) here. 

I will keep them as is for a couple of days to see if I still like them or not.  If not, I will replace the foil with clear glue to attach these top guards.

 

The bumper has been painted and I also repainted the battery box to be more shiner.   

 

Found an issue with the bumper already and this type of problem really bothers me...  Why didn't I see this before when I had so many chance to rework at it?

Correcting will require some force to take the lamp housing out and gluing back.  I hope I don't create more problems while doing that...

 

[Jürgen M.]

I think it looks great and to tell the truth in reality you'll surely find a lot of such things as lamps not showing where they're supposed to.

Makes it more "alive"!

But I understand that these things can bother a perfectionists eye! I'm the same in these things!

[Rockford]

Try different light angles on the lamp in the bumper, the shadows could be making the illusion of misalignment. 

It looks perfect to me! As does everything else on this job. Makes mine look like I've beaten it with a stick. 

[freightshaker2]

This truck is coming out to be pretty amazing!  Some true craftsmanship for sure!  and seeing these kind of builds makes me want to try harder on mine..  

[Gary Chastain]

Steve, you are really doing this kit justice, well done. 

[cifenet]

On 3/3/2025 at 2:56 AM, Jürgen M. said:

I think it looks great and to tell the truth in reality you'll surely find a lot of such things as lamps not showing where they're supposed to.

Makes it more "alive"!

But I understand that these things can bother a perfectionists eye! I'm the same in these things!

Hey Jürgen,

Yeah, you are right, I might be overreacting on something that isn't critical.

I just went through whole exercise earlier on how everything must line up vertically and horizontally, and yet here I am with crooked parts...

Thanks!

 

On 3/3/2025 at 5:22 AM, Rockford said:

Try different light angles on the lamp in the bumper, the shadows could be making the illusion of misalignment. 

It looks perfect to me! As does everything else on this job. Makes mine look like I've beaten it with a stick. 

Thanks for the encouragement, Steve.  I sure don't want to sound like I am complaining about small things.

Lately though, I have been doing lots of "fix on fix" where rework is getting somewhat tiresome.    

 

On 3/3/2025 at 9:47 AM, freightshaker2 said:

This truck is coming out to be pretty amazing!  Some true craftsmanship for sure!  and seeing these kind of builds makes me want to try harder on mine..  

Thank you, Landon!  I am following your W900 with interest and it is turning out to be one mean machine!

 

On 3/3/2025 at 11:16 AM, Gary Chastain said:

Steve, you are really doing this kit justice, well done. 

Appreciated, stay safe and healthy, Gary!

[cifenet]

Ok, I decided not to repair the light position on the bumper based on the feedback from this forum.

 

Lens covers were added as well as eight bolts to enhance the detail of the bumper.

 

The yellow lights in the bumper are created using yellow beads and UV clear resin as pictured above. 

I find this method both fun and effective.

 

Mud guard/battery box were added on each side.  I decided to go simple, so they are just attached via glue (no fancy mounting bolts and such).  My grille is still not done to my liking here.  This time the finish came out too dark.  Will rework.

 

My intake pipe is add on top of the engine and this little piece took 4 separate painting sessions (four different colors were used). 

I thought this piece is important to stand out, so I spent more energy painting it.

 

I am kept losing small parts while working on the truck.  Very frustrating while trying to make progress as quickly as I can... 

I decided to use clear plastic bags for keeping ALL of the small parts and it seems to help.  

I know most of us use small storage bins, or boxes, etc.  I think this is the one of the quickest methods so far. 

Put something in, and take something out, and I can do it quickly without opening a lid, or opening a box, etc.  And I can see clearly what is in my bag shortening the search time.

 

I think the white truck isn't bad here.  Maybe I will paint the truck white.

I am working on the air canister, but it is also made out of metal pipes... 

The truck is getting heavier and heavier, I am very worried about the front axle which may break! 

 

Should I let it go?   I think I will.  

 

 

 

Edited March 5 by cifenet

[Biggu]

Wow, Steve. You are polishing this into a real gem ! Some of the corrections seem small at first glance but makes a HUGE difference in the long run , this is a real beauty. Your attention to the fine details are paying off big time. Love the updates, well worth book marking for a future build. Keep going. This is great. 

[leafsprings2]

Here is a good shot of the steering wheel and column angle.

[Gary Chastain]

Your yellow bumper lights, are those 1/2 round beads or did you cut a round bead in half? I really like the modern look of that modification. 

[cifenet]

 

 

 

On 3/5/2025 at 9:24 AM, Biggu said:

Wow, Steve. You are polishing this into a real gem ! Some of the corrections seem small at first glance but makes a HUGE difference in the long run , this is a real beauty. Your attention to the fine details are paying off big time. Love the updates, well worth book marking for a future build. Keep going. This is great. 

Your encouragement is both motivating and stimulating.   Thanks again, Jeff!

 

19 hours ago, leafsprings2 said:

Here is a good shot of the steering wheel and column angle.

Hi Tommy, that is a good reference photo of the interior.   Could have used something like.

I noticed the kit's steering sitting quite high so I took some height off from the steering column, but looks like it can go lower. 

The only problem is, if I go lower, the driver's leg wouldn't go under the steering wheel.  😄

To be honest, I think the steering is somewhat oversized in the kit, but that is my feeling for every US truck kit I built so far (both Revell and AMT).  Or maybe they are actually really big in real life?

 

4 hours ago, Gary Chastain said:

Your yellow bumper lights, are those 1/2 round beads or did you cut a round bead in half? I really like the modern look of that modification. 

 

Hey Gary, this is what I picked up years ago.  I think there are other colors also (blue, white, purple) where one side has diamond-like cut and the other side has flat spot..

They can be used for blinkers, driving lights, service lights, etc.   Once you drop a couple of clear resin on top, it really turns these into smooth round circles, but I think you could probably get the same with clear gloss acrylic paint.

 

Edited March 6 by cifenet

[cifenet]

This is another random update before I move my work desk to another place (rooms are getting painted) and I will probably need take a short break. 

 

I try not to show my work desk for obvious reasons, but here is how messy and crazy it becomes...  

And this is why I am kept losing parts and tools, you can never find anything. 

Several times a day, I do try to clean up the work area (especially all the sand dust and plastic wastes), but it becomes messy again...  Not an easy working condition for sure. 

If you have messier work desk, you have my respect!

 

Spent time trying to figure out how I am going to mount the visor correctly.  I can only mount the visor after body painting is done, hence I need to make sure I can "CA" glue it on the exact spot without making any mess.

Thanks to the feedback/suggestions from this forum, this is how I improved the visor so I can mount via the inside brackets where no glue marking will show.  There are so many different visors, but they seem to have a common feature where multiple brackets holding it in place.

  

The brackets located inside will be glued and will line up the outside to the cab A pillars.  I just want to avoid gluing anything on visor's edge...

 

My next focus is the air canister and I got the length I wanted.  I need to mount this (made of multiple metal pipes) securely and that is my current concern.  This truck is getting heavier.  I am going to weigh it on a scale to see how heavy it is.

 

The A/C unit on the roof was painted with "faded white". 

Photo-etched screens were used and I painted the external screen white to show off mesh details.

 

Edited March 7 by cifenet

[cifenet]

I quickly made latches to enhance the boring battery box look (thin metal wire and black strip tape).   

My front grille is complete and I test-fit the whole setup.  I can till the hood and open also.  No interference with the bumper.

I painted the mirror mount with stainless finish also.

Regarding the front grille, I am not 100% satisfied withe how the grilled turned out.   Perhaps I shouldn't add that photo-etched surrounding trim, but this is at point of no return.

 

Never thought this is going to create a problem at this stage, but it is giving me some headache.  

My front wheels are giving in and the middle frame is bending causing the rear wheels to lift. 

I am going to reinforce the front axle with additional plastic strips and add metal plates on the bottom frame rails in the middle to prevent more warping...  

Silly as it can get here, essentially I am adding more weight to the truck to fix the weight issue.

Lastly, I am having problems uploading articles lately resulting me to either upload in small chunks or repeat the upload attempts.   

Edited March 7 by cifenet

[BK9300]

Steve, really been enjoying your updates, however, I cannot see the three pics in your last post.  Might just be my end, but I can see every other pic you posted, so not sure what the issue is.  Hoping to get to see them later!

[cifenet]

4 minutes ago, BK9300 said:

Steve, really been enjoying your updates, however, I cannot see the three pics in your last post.  Might just be my end, but I can see every other pic you posted, so not sure what the issue is.  Hoping to get to see them later!

Thanks, Brian!  Just had to upload again.  
 

Looks like either my ISP is blocking access or my home internet firewall is rejecting the access.  😕

[BK9300]

16 minutes ago, cifenet said:

Thanks, Brian!  Just had to upload again.  
 

Looks like either my ISP is blocking access or my home internet firewall is rejecting the access.  😕

I can see them now - your truck is really looking good, Steve.  I’m sure you’ll get the weight issue resolved!

[RoninUtah]

3 hours ago, cifenet said:

 

 

 

I try not to show my work desk for obvious reasons, but here is how messy and crazy it becomes...  

And this is why I am kept losing parts and tools, you can never find anything. 

Several times a day, I do try to clean up the work area (especially all the sand dust and plastic wastes), but it becomes messy again...  Not an easy working condition for sure. 

If you have messier work desk, you have my respect!

 

 

 

Actually, mine looks exactly like yours! And it seems that every ten minutes I’m on my hands and knees with a flashlight underneath it, looking for that tiny part I just dropped!

[freightshaker2]

Steve, everytime i stop by to check out this build im just amazed.  I gotta ask though.. where did you get your wheels and tires? I am really digging them! it just looks spot for this build.  And finding the right wheels and tires can make or break the build and the level you want make it.  I'd love to find a set like that for the next build I'm going to start.

[cifenet]

On 3/6/2025 at 8:02 PM, RoninUtah said:

Actually, mine looks exactly like yours! And it seems that every ten minutes I’m on my hands and knees with a flashlight underneath it, looking for that tiny part I just dropped!

Haha, thanks for the support on the topic of having a messy desk.  

I know for sure I wasn’t alone on this, but I just didn’t know how to widely it is affecting others. 😄

12 hours ago, freightshaker2 said:

Steve, everytime i stop by to check out this build im just amazed.  I gotta ask though.. where did you get your wheels and tires? I am really digging them! it just looks spot for this build.  And finding the right wheels and tires can make or break the build and the level you want make it.  I'd love to find a set like that for the next build I'm going to start.

Thanks for the compliment, I am flattered by your positive comment!

Regarding the wheels/tires, they were actually 3D printed by me, but I got the original work in STL file from an online 3D community place a couple of years ago.  

I just modified to fit 1/25th scale and the ratio I wanted to have for the trucks I am building.   

 

[cifenet]

Found some time this weekend and made more progress. 

I paused for a week getting away from modeling (scale) activities and now I seem to lose interest and motivation. 

This happens often, but I really do not want this build to stall now...

I haven't decide which color I want to paint the truck, but I envision this would be some kind of two tone paint job (white and something else).

 

For the color, I started with white base coat first.  This is an initial coat, I will probably add two more additional coats.

I used a panel scriber to enhance the depth of door edge lines and I am happy how they came out.   

 

Then I started to experiment "the other color" that will make up the "two" tone paint scheme. 

Ever after spending a couple of hours mixing and painting, I still haven't decide which color I would want to use.  This whole situation is both tough and disappointing for me.

 

Lately, I found myself struggling to paint metallic finishes and I wanted to go back to basic and see what I am doing wrong (my grille was an example of bad paint work). 

At the end, I think I found out my problem and it wasn't what I was doing wrong; the main problem was how I was storing some of the metallic paints.  I had several pre-mixed bottles from last year and I think they became "bad". 

As soon as I started to paint with fresh bottles, I was able to lay down decent paint layers. 

While I am on the topic of metallic finish, these are my two favorite metallic paints: Alcad Polished Aluminum and Finisher's Chrome Silver.  These paints require some preconditions to be laid out nicely, but they do bring out good finishes!

 

You can polish this paint by rubbing the surface lightly too.  And I use Tamiya's X-22 to protect the surface (only loses slight shine) from rubbing off.

 

My focus has shifted to assembling the exhaust pipes and I decided to build my own using various aluminum tubes.  Having telescopic pipes, I can actually build the size (radius) I needed quite easily.

 

For the heat shield, I will be relying on this photo-etched part.  I just need to figure out how I am going to attach all of these to the truck...

 

I am still bothered by the grille especially where I added photo-etched trim piece around the opening.

Then I saw certain trucks use these attachments to block the grille opening to operate during the cold/windy winter months. 

 

Maybe I can make this one to hide the messy trim piece, so I began making my prototype.

 

Here is how I am thinking the front grille is going to look.  Convincing enough for me for now, but I may just scrap it later....

 

Lastly, it doesn't show (shouldn't), but I added two brass rods in the middle of the chassis to prevent the truck's frame being sagging.

Luckily, the truck's frame doesn't sag anymore and it seems to help putting the real wheels down flat.  I still haven't done anything for the front wheels yet though.

 

My next task is going to be painting small parts and this is where the process becomes tedious/boring...

 

Edited March 17 by cifenet

[BK9300]

You pay great attention to parts detailing and to prepping your truck for paint - I'm certain it will turn out as you expect and will likely look amazing!

[Biggu]

What a great up date , Steve. I’m thinking I need to get new glasses , as I sure don’t see the oddities you do, the whole build looks great to me and the improvements you are making is turning this into a spectacular build. 

[freightshaker2]

Steve,   Brilliant idea on the grille... and your bug screen/cold weather front looks great! The whole truck looks great and the burgundy color looks amazing too. What a gorgeous truck!! You're making great progress. I'll be standing at the finish line waiting to see this! 

[leafsprings2]

The front end looks great, never seen such painstaking work done to them, with your attention to fine details are really paying off. Really enjoy your build thread. One little comment on the wheels, I've been doing a Budd steel wheel thread pointing out differences in wheel design types, but, your running aluminum Alcoa type which I haven't covered in the thread. Your rear wheels represent modern solid 1 piece aluminum 22.5" wheels on tubeless tires, however, your front wheels represent the older 2 piece  Alcoas, (very common in most AMT kits) which are 20" and have those lock rings for tube type tires. Your 20" front wheels might be fitting a little loose in the larger scale 22.5" tires. You could use the AMT Freightliner 22" lock ring Alcoa's for a better fit or use 22.5" one piece Alcoa's, very nice versions are found in the Ertl IH cabover or conventional kits.

Edited March 16 by leafsprings2