Reasonably new to truck building.

[Guest Markus355]

New to truck building but not building in general (have been building cars for years) and consider myself slightly above average skill

Im looking to get the following kits all from Revell germany

The t900 aussie kenworth, and the w900 kw wrecker and bill signs Pete.

Whats the diff between a t900 and a w? What engines are in either?

What are Trilex rims?

What about parts interchange ability? IE, how difficult would it be to mount the bull bar on the wrecker? engine swaps? etc.

any fit issues?

Tell me allllll about these kits. I really wanna know what im getting into before i potentially drop 100+ dollars on each of these kits

[mackinac359]

Marcus,

Welcome to truck modeling.

Tim

[clayton]

The T900 and W900 I understand there the same kit. One is left had drive the other is rite had drive( steering wheel location). T900 comes with extra parts for the left hand drive(US trucks).

The bull bar Think you would have to triad out the the front cross member or radiator support. Don't think it would be all that hard.

The steering axial need care there kinda week compared too the Revell 359,I've broken a few.Some of the pluming is some what a pain to work with. I would get one.

Edited August 22, 2011 by clayton

[Guest Markus355]

thanks clayton, all pics are welcome too, either instructoion sheets or pics of built ups, or parts trees as well.

[Guest Markus355]

thank you anthony, has anyone built the aforementioned kits??

[blue logger]

well mark all the kits are pretty good 2 build just take the time an read before you build any..dont rush them ..it takes about a month 2 build a truck from start to finsh .me i'll paint everything an let it sit for a week or longer some its dry..if you ever get down 2 the meetins clyde an us guys have .i could show you the kits an build ups i got pretty much every truck kit goin...

[truckabilly]

Hi Mark,

All the kits you have mentioned are manufactured with tools that are 30 years old. Surprisingly, the parts quality is pretty good. I did not find any serious fit issues. But you must be ready to clean almost every part. Unfortunatelly, this applies to some chromed parts too.

Both Kenworths share the same CAT 3408 engine. Peterbilt has the notorious twin-turboed in-line 6 Cummnis. Both engines are very well detailed and there are instructions available on public fotki for making even more details.

http://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thscale/model_magazine_articles/car_modeller/

The actual Bill Signs was powered by Cummins KTA, later replaced by CAT 3406. Also, the kit version is a short hood while the actual truck was a long hood. The RoG made Petes have an issue with the fenders getting in collision with the air filters when opening the hood. This can be solved by changing the pins (pivots) position or enlarging the holes in the hood hinges. The front shocks should be 1mm shorter. The doors are openable but the hinges do not look good.

The T900 "Australia" is completely wrong design for Australian version. The long hood combined with 63" sleeper would be illegal in Australia. That´s why they came up with SAR. The bull bar has a click-clack joint. It must be completely removed from the model to open the hood. The antenna mounts on the mirror brackets get in collision with the aussie style breather. The kit requires a few add ons to look really Australian. The trilex wheels are not correct either. The Australian experts would explain more.

I have not built the KW wrecker yet, but the pictures of the real wrecker show some differencies. The kit is a long hood with round lights.

http://www.truckin24.de/03c1989d840f69e01/kenworthw900wreckeroriginalfotos.html

Even though these kits do not represent the latest technology in plastic modeling, they are very accurate in details. I like them a lot better than the "new concept" by Italeri with one-piece frame and no engine. Building these old RoG kits may require a bit more work compared with the fancy kits of today but they are worth every dollar. That is my opinion and I say: Go and buy ´em!

Good luck for your decision and welcome to the truck section of the forum.

[Guest Markus355]

thanks, the not accurate-for-australia doesnt bother me any, as id be using the LHD dash anyhow. just like the look of the truck

thanks for the info

Edited August 22, 2011 by Markus355

[mistermodel]

Welcome to truck building.I also have those trucks on my wish list.Maybe start out with a amt chevy titan ,or kW to get your feet wet,they build up nice,lower parts count and are cheaper.One thing that makes any truck build easier and its how the factorys did it is to assemble the frame then paint it whole.I prime the parts on the tree first ,then clean the flash and glue joints,glue, touch up the primer then paint.One more thing with trucks almost any thing is correct,unlike automove.

[Guest Markus355]

thats why i said reasonably, i HAVE a transtar reissur very nearly done, and a titan 90 frame (stretched and all) completed, but im on the hunt for a donor body because the kit supplied one got a little "runny" due to some paint incompatibility issues...

[69A-CAR]

Welcome to truck models. I have built all of the kits you mentioned, I like the RofG Peterbilts better, nicer details in my opinion. For an older truck I really like the original Ertl/MPC/General Mills Macks, and Internationals. Those build really nicely, it is hard to belive they are 40 years old.

Whichever you choose, have fun,

Mark