AMT Peterbilt 359 - Finished

[Old Buckaroo]

I picked this kit up off the "bay" for $23.00. Kit was complete but engine had been previously poorly assembled (gluebomb)

Before I get into the assembly I want to show you something . The worst part of a truck kit for me is the tires. I hate scuffing tires. My method up till now had been a small piece of green scotchbrite and a sanding stick.

Tires shown left to right - Left tire ,Black and shiny out of the box, Middle tire scuffed with scotchbrite took me about 10 minutes, still has shiny spots in low areas, Right tire took less then 15 seconds to scuff.

How did I do this so quick and thorough ? Simple with this.

That mini sandblaster had been collecting dust in my hobby room for almost 10 yrs now. I had bought this years ago when I was custom painting "Brass Locomotives" for model RR guys back in Southern Nevada. Fact is I was considering taking it to Goodwill.

The drawbacks - Dusty and safety equipment as eye protection and a dust mask is a smart idea.

I am excited though as I have been dragging out this project for over a week dreading the tire and wheel assembly.

Edited May 31, 2014 by Old Buckaroo

[alangarber]

Sean,

That looks like a great tool. I never knew you could get something like that. I wonder how it would strip paint off a model

[Old Buckaroo]

Alan - the abrasive is Aluminum Oxide. I was super for cleaning tarnished and green crud off brass.

Never tried it on plastic yet.. But I was wondering the same thing, I need to find a test subject that does not matter. It most likely will eradicate the detail or soften it. But I am curious.

On the tires I sprayed them over a plastic coffee can-(?) to catch and save the abrasive.

[clayton]

On plastic,you think backing soda would work. Maybe there is something out there for that.

[tbill]

if it's low enough pressure it might work, but the media hitting the plastic creates heat, so it may deform/dis color it. but then again at too low a pressure, you won't get the paint to strip [possibly].

tires look great by the way

[Tesla]

Sean thank you for sharing this. What a great idea!

[Old Buckaroo]

Thanks guys for looking and commenting.

Tom - heat is the concern in the back of my mind also .

It looked like the sun was almost going to make an appearance today (rare for the PNW)

I did get a few pics outside with some natural light.

I am really excited how great these look and how easy it was. I am thinking some ground pastels will really bite onto this surface to simulate road grime .

Edited March 26, 2014 by Old Buckaroo

[trick my mixer]

Thanks for all the great tips. the tires look great.

[Tesla]

Sean today I went to Harbor Freight and purchased an air eraser-similar to the Badger. With a 25% off coupon, I paid 20 bucks. It works great!

Once again thanks so much for this tip.

[Force]

I have used a bead blast cabinet with glass beads to knock the shine off kit vinyl tires and it works perfectly,

I noticed one day when I did some parts with rubber on them that the rubber was like new afterwards so I had to try on some kit tires with satifying results.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Force

[Old Buckaroo]

Does anyone remember the Magazine article many years ago on building a simulated air ride seat base ? The "Tire balancer " pedestal in the kit just does not work for me.

[Mr mopar]

Have a look at model truck 25 there is an article on doing a 1/16th air ride seat.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Mr mopar

[truckabilly]

http://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thscale/model_magazine_articles/car_modeller/cm12_mar_1992_air-r/#media

Is it the one?

[Old Buckaroo]

Yes, that is the one. Thank you for the help guys.

[Old Buckaroo]

The frame is waiting for the wheels and tires. I need to put this build in High Gear as my wife has decided it is time to move from Washington to Montana.

Thanks for looking in.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Old Buckaroo

[tbill]

send me all your kits for safe-keeping

best of luck with the move.

[Old Buckaroo]

send me all your kits for safe-keeping

I would have to hand deliver them, as I dont trust the Postal System for that many

[Old Buckaroo]

Getting some color - The light in the spray booth makes it look way lighter then actual.

[kilrathy10]

Looking good....Frame and cab are real nice...

[Truck parts]

Looking good, I will be following the build as you go on.

[Old Buckaroo]

Unmasked the fenders and sat the cab on the chassis to motivate me to get on with this project.

Before I painted the hood I took some "Elmers" white glue and covered the Peterbilt emblem so it would not get loaded up with paint. Took a toothpick and lifted the edge of the dried glue and peeled it right off.

Thanks for looking in,

[Jim B]

Looks nice. Interesting trick with the glue in the emblems.

[Tesla]

I second that!

[Scalper]

Nice work so far. Nice job on the wheels.

[bandit1]

Nice job... If you want to just send me what parts you dont use from the amt pete 359 kits thanks...

The revell SNAP sleeper would look cool on that cut down to fit... Im doing just that to in one of my many of threads.