HD F150 Clone new pics 060107

[Harold]

Geologic tine- that's how I describe my build times. Two years ago at Dean's, I bought two bagged glue bome HD F150's. I was able to salvage enough of the HD- specific pieces out of both, and by using the Revell Super Cab and Lightning kits, I now have an HD F150. One of the bikes was glue bombed, and the other is unbuilt. I also have enough parts to build the trailer

This is the remains of both kits. The nose here is the unusable one- the headlights would not come out without a lot of damage to the nose. In a pinch, I could have used the Lightning nose grille surround and the HD bumper, but I was trying to avoid major surgery

This is the salvagable one. I had to grind out the fog lights from behind, and used the spotlight reflectors from a Lindberg '53 Ford, along with the Lightning lenses. The interior was the only assembly that didn't require major restructuring. I did have to use a seatback and armrest from the Super Cab on the driver's seat, and mold the dash pieces together. All it needs is for the steering wheel to be installed. The color is Polly S Steam Power balck, with a drybrushing of Polly S Engine Black.

I used the frame from the Super Cab and the engine and suspension from the Lightning. The exhaust is a combination of Lightning and HD bits, as the HD wasn't built in real life with the blown engine. The wheels and tires are HD fare, and all the chassis needs are the center caps and trailer hitch.

Finally, here we are at the mockup stage. The color is Dupli-Color Universal Black and Dupli-Color clear. I had two decal sheets, and after realizing they were printed by Disint-O-Graph, I shot those with the clear, and applied the markings before the clear coat. If all goes well, the truck will be done this weekend.

As for what to do with the Lightning kit? The engine, suspension, interior bits and bumpers will yield a nice stock truck.

[MikeBoyle]

Nice rebuild!

[Harold]

Okely dokely. Aside from the bike, this thing is finally done. I can't believe all the time I spend playing around with one or two pieces just to actually attach them to the model. Case in point- after marrying the cab and box to the frame, I spent six hours (!!!!) installing six parts and two decals. Jeez!

Since acquiring a really nice display case last fall, I now have to get into the habit of attaching smaller exterior parts, Hence, I actually added the mirrors, wipers and third brake light.

The trailer was built with no mods, except I had to raid some red striping from the sheet in AMT's '66 Mercury, as the HD trailer stripes gave up the ghost, even after a coat of laquer. The paint is the same as the truck- Dupli-Color Universal Black and Dupli-Color clear, worked out with a Detail Master polishing kit and waxed with Black Magic. It's an OK wax, but the cherry smell reminds me of urinal cakes. The treadplate was covered with Bare-Metal Ultra Chrome foil (it was a bear working the foil in around the pattern using a toothpick and my jeweler's loup) before the clear went on. For the bike, I deviated from the intructions. The assembly sequence calls for the rear tire and forks to be trqpped between the frame halves. Instead, I found a piece of brass tubing that fit in the rim, and after gluing the frame together (minus the forks) I drilled a hole to accept a straight pin. The forks were worked into place after the frame was painted and foiled (they popped right in and still steer). The paint is Tamiya Mica Red spray over Testor's Metallizer aluminum. The flames wer pirated from the left and right sections of the sheet in the Street Machine issue of Revell's '64 Thunderbolt. I'm happy with the way this turned out, and glad I was able to actually have the HD/F-150 in my collection, as I missed it when it was first out.