Cabover Kits- What's Available and Which One's the Best?

[dmk]

I don't think I've ever built a Tractor Trailer rig and was thinking about getting one. Hopefully someone will come out with a car carrier trailer which I've always wanted. (always wanted to build a car carrier full of Corvettes or classic Muscle Cars)

I've always liked the look of COE trucks, so I'm thinking about getting one of the four Cabover kits that AMT has.

Chevy Titan 90

Peterbilt 352

Kenworth K-123

White Freightliner

Which of these do you guys think might be the better kit?

I'm not too concerned with absolute accuracy, but which of these has the:

• Best overall detail
• Best fit
• Least 'issues'.
• Fewest glaring inaccuracies (stuff that would be real obvious)

Thanks for any advice you have!

[highway]

In my opinion, if this is your first rig build, I'd start off with something easier first, like Revell's Peterbilt 359 or Kenworth W900. They were, when first released, a snap kit and nicely detailed for being snappers. Also in the line of car carriers, Revell of Germany makes a 6 car modern carrier, but it is not a current issue. They are nice kits, and if you can find one for a decent price on ebay, I highly recommend it. Here is one I have on Revell's 359.

It is also very sturdy, all the cars on the lower deck and the middle car on the upper are all diecasts.

If you really have your heart set on a cabover, I would either go with the KW or Pete. The downfall with the Freightliner is the cab and sleeper are two pieces, and I have heard that there may be some fitting issues getting the two halves lined up correctly. I have the kit, but have never started it yet, so I'm not sure how tough it really is to get it to line up correctly. The other two are one piece cabs, so you don't have to build the cab like the Freightliner. All of them, no matter the choice, need to have the frames built unlike the Revell snap kits, and if you get the frame glued together crooked, the rest of the build will be off as well. If you do want to tackle the frame, just have some sort of jig that will hold the frame square as the glue dries.

Other than the frame for a first time rig builder, detail on all is decent, just as long as you keep in mind that all of AMT's trucks were originally tooled in the 70s, so expect some flash and some lightly molded in detail. They may not be modern, but they still aren't bad kits.

[dmk]

Thanks for the advice Highway. I saw your rig in a search. Very nice.

I do have my heart set on a COE. Thanks for the heads up on the Freightliner cab. I'll look into the Kenworth or Peterbilt then.

[Swifster]

There's the Dodge L700 if you want a challenge. This is what I'm starting with. I even have a little history on my side...Chrysler used them to deliver new cars.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Swifster

[highway]

Thanks for the advice Highway. I saw your rig in a search. Very nice.

I do have my heart set on a COE. Thanks for the heads up on the Freightliner cab. I'll look into the Kenworth or Peterbilt then.

Thanks Dave, hopefully someday I can get back to working on it, life has been getting in the way since Dec 2011 and it has went beyond back burner all the way to storage.

Happy I could help out.

[Swifster]

Hey Matt, is that trailer 'adjustble'.

[highway]

The only thing that is adjustable as the kit comes is the rear top deck. It probably (and if I had thought about it beforehand would have tried) would not be too hard to make the trailer racks fully adjustable though.

[Swifster]

Thanks Matt. I wonder...

[niteowl7710]

I don't know if it's technically still in the catalog or not, but finding one isn't very hard.

The best of the old AMT cabover tools that was released in terms of ease of building is the Chevrolet Titan. The tooling it for it seemed to be in the best shape, especially compared to some of the multi-part cabs that have come up since then.

http://www.round2models.com/models/amt/chevy-titan90

Edited July 23, 2013 by niteowl7710

[dmk]

Thanks NiteOwl. I didn't even see that one.

I'll edit my first post to include it.

Edited July 23, 2013 by dmk

[dmk]

There's the Dodge L700 if you want a challenge. This is what I'm starting with. I even have a little history on my side...Chrysler used them to deliver new cars.

Thanks Swifter. That's a cool picture too.

I've looked at the Lindberg Dodge. For some reason, it just doesn't strike me. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it doesn't have a sleeper cab. I also didn't like the Ford C-900 that AMT had.

Edited July 23, 2013 by dmk

[Swifster]

Car companies shipped cars by rail. They didn't need sleepers. Car haulers picked up cars at the rail yard or the assembly plant. And the driver went home at night.

[dmk]

Car companies shipped cars by rail. They didn't need sleepers. Car haulers picked up cars at the rail yard or the assembly plant. And the driver went home at night.

True enough Tom, but I don't plan to build enough of one model year of car to fill the carrier either. It will be cars I've already built, different brands and years, so realism is out the window right there.

Edited July 23, 2013 by dmk

[hotrod59f100]

Im rather new to the big rig world of modeling and am interested in coe's and cab forward rigs. What kits are alvalibe retired or curently avalible in kit ? Thanks guys BTW I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to post this

[Jim B]

The most recent reissued for AMT COEs are the Kenworth K123, Peterbilt 352 & Chevrolet Titan/90 (although the Chevrolet is getting a little scarce). The GMC Astro/95 & Mack Cruiseliner were reissued several years ago, and should still be available on eBay.

[hotrod59f100]

Cool I'll keep an eye out for them

[blazefox]

Found some nice ones from a german company called Emhar. They make some nice 40s bedford right hand drive trucks bit pricey at 60 to 70 dollors but great mold lines almost no flash and doors are not molded to the cab so u can hinge them if you want to

[Casey]

The most recent reissued for AMT COEs are the Kenworth K123, Peterbilt 352 & Chevrolet Titan/90 (although the Chevrolet is getting a little scarce). The GMC Astro/95 & Mack Cruiseliner were reissued several years ago, and should still be available on eBay.

Also, the AMT White Freightliner:

...and the Ertl International Transtar II which was reissued as part of AMT's Buyer's Choice program. Not the cheapest nor easiest to find anymore, though:

[Jim B]

Thanks for adding those, Casey. Forgot about them, and I have both of them. Also, there's the White Freightliner SD, too. Think that was reissued a couple of years ago, too.

[tbill]

the SD and the IH are out there, but can be expensive. the DD, the KW, 352 and titan can be had reasonable, the astro 95 is hit or miss price-wise, some cheap, some expensive, depends on how you find them.

cheapest options are the KW K-123, Pete 352, Freightliner DD, and Chevy Titan 90, all are around the $35 mark as re-issues, all the other COE's can get expensive as it's been awhile since they have been issued. [just my experience]

[hotrod59f100]

Thanks guys that helps a lot

.

[Casey]

Some previous comments/advice regarding cabovers: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=77383&hl=cabover

[hotrod59f100]

Steve They could build up some cool trucks I bet custom and stock

Edited March 7, 2014 by hotrod59f100

[Sergey]

The Ford C600 was forgoten.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Sergey

[hotrod59f100]

I have the dodge cabove lindberg made but heard its a beast to put together ? I know that 50 percent of the kit has rediculace amounts of flash and I really only got it because it was on sale not because I wanted to build it.