RoninUtah Posted March 3 Posted March 3 I think I might have mentioned in another post that a couple of years ago, I got a deal on a ton of miscellaneous Revell parts that a hobbyist in California wanted to get rid of and sold to one of my contacts. They were mostly from the Kenworth wrecker kit; he must have bought a dozen of them to cannibalize for parts. There were enough parts for two complete wrecker builds- I built one and sold the other- as well as enough to build another as a tractor. There weren’t enough left over parts after that to build anything complete, but there were plenty to put together a few donor chassis for my 3-D builds. Part of the deal was for another hundred bucks he’d throw in a complete Revell Peterbilt Can-Do wrecker. Sold! It was a great deal, especially considering the stratospheric prices these are getting on eBay these days. The kit sat in my “to-do” pile since then, and I was sort of dreading it since I knew that it was going to be a challenging and complicated build. But I buy kits to build, not hoard, so I decided it was time to bite the bullet and build the damn thing. It took three solid weeks of staying up late and putting in hours in the workshop. It was a challenge, for sure, but like all German Revell kits, this one was well engineered, fit together reasonably well, and the instructions were logical and clear. I knew I needed to just take my time and do it as well as my limited abilities and elderly hands would allow. This is a BIG kit- the instructions have 172 steps, and there are 461 numbered parts! It came together pretty nicely, I think; although a few of the moving parts were designed to such tight tolerances that they needed some work to slide smoothly (and even then, some still don’t). So, here it is. I didn’t really like the kit decals, but I had a couple of sheets of the AMT Peterbilt wrecker details, so I adapted them for this build. I kept the “Can Do” decal for the bug deflector- it has a special meaning for me as that is the Seabees motto, which is where I first learned to drive a truck (now over half a century ago!). The truck is awesome and fun to put together- huge float wheels on the steer axle, opening doors, lots of chicken lights and other custom extras. The only after-market parts I used were the front fender extenders (from Paul at ST Supply). Everything else came with the kit. The truck itself is supposed to be a Peterbilt 379 (it’s actually a 359 kit with 379 headlights, the arched 359 dash is a dead giveaway); it not a true tri-drive as only the rear two axles are drive axles, but this thing is huge. The engine is a Cummins big-cam twin-turbo 475, and I imagine it would probably have had a 10 or 13-speed Roadranger. The wrecker is a Challenger 9909 70-ton rotator, definitely one of the heavy recovery big boys… it makes the Kenworth look puny by comparison. This model is so big I don’t know how I’ll fit the thing on the shelf! So, enjoy, and oh! All those parts included the frame rails for another tri-axle build. I picked up a partly started Revell “Marmon” (The infamous Revell Marmo-bilt, which is yet another Peterbilt 359 but with a Marmon grille, hood and badges) for cheap off eBay, so I think I’ll be starting a Pete 379 heavy-haul tractor in the near future. That one will be fun! First a couple of reference photos of a similar rig: And the model: 7
BK9300 Posted March 3 Posted March 3 Beautiful real truck and well done with your build - it must be very impressive in person! 1
Rockford Posted March 3 Posted March 3 Impressive build indeed! I was looking at it and wondering how on earth you grip the thing to pick it up! 1
RoninUtah Posted March 4 Author Posted March 4 1 hour ago, Rockford said: Impressive build indeed! I was looking at it and wondering how on earth you grip the thing to pick it up! It's not easy! I have to gently reach under it just aft of the outriggers, making sure my fingers reach the chassis, to pick it up. It's a monster.
Dutzie Posted March 4 Posted March 4 Very cool build! What a deal, too! Great work on this one, I like how it came together. 1
cifenet Posted March 5 Posted March 5 What a fantastic build and it surely looks amazing! You got a great deal out of it too. I think just building the regular 359 itself requires some patience, I can't imagine what it would be by adding the wrecker part to it. Awesome truck, good work indeed! On a side note, Revell needs to sell this kit again till no one buys anymore. 1 1
RoninUtah Posted March 5 Author Posted March 5 31 minutes ago, cifenet said: On a side note, Revell needs to sell this kit again till no one buys anymore. Thank you for the kind remarks! I agree, if ever there was a kit that needed to be re-popped, it’s this one!
Scott Eriksen Posted March 8 Posted March 8 Nice! I built that kit when it 1st came out,,,one of the best truck kits of it's time IMHO 1
RoninUtah Posted March 8 Author Posted March 8 1 hour ago, Scott Eriksen said: Nice! I built that kit when it 1st came out,,,one of the best truck kits of it's time IMHO Still is! 1
Perspect Scale Modelworks Posted March 8 Posted March 8 Nice truck but where are the pictures of the model 🤔 😅? Outstanding! 1
Jürgen M. Posted March 10 Posted March 10 (edited) On 3/5/2025 at 7:25 AM, cifenet said: What a fantastic build and it surely looks amazing! You got a great deal out of it too. I think just building the regular 359 itself requires some patience, I can't imagine what it would be by adding the wrecker part to it. Awesome truck, good work indeed! On a side note, Revell needs to sell this kit again till no one buys anymore. Unfortunately, at least in Europe, a guy from Revell told me they're taking the American trucks out of the programme! Im glad I ordered a few spare parts a few months ago. That's over now too! 😢 Edited March 10 by Jürgen M. 1
Bainford Posted March 14 Posted March 14 That's an impressive model. I like the graphics, has a nice clean look. 1
RoninUtah Posted March 14 Author Posted March 14 On 3/9/2025 at 11:06 PM, Jürgen M. said: Unfortunately, at least in Europe, a guy from Revell told me they're taking the American trucks out of the programme! Im glad I ordered a few spare parts a few months ago. That's over now too! 😢 I hope Round 2 will buy them and put them out under the AMT brand!
RoninUtah Posted March 14 Author Posted March 14 Thanks everyone for the kind comments! If you happen to be in Utah this weekend, this model will be on display along with three others of mine at the Autorama show in Sandy, just south of Salt Lake City. 1
Jürgen M. Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Nice! 👍 Unfortunately it's not exactly on my daily route. Last time I was in Utah that was 1993, in Moab!
DRIPTROIT 71 Posted March 15 Posted March 15 First of all, excellent work on this. It looks great! Excellent background choice! The pictures look like the real thing! Beautiful!
RoninUtah Posted March 15 Author Posted March 15 1 hour ago, DRIPTROIT 71 said: First of all, excellent work on this. It looks great! Excellent background choice! The pictures look like the real thing! Beautiful! Thanks, Brian!
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