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Cornbinder

Tattered LoneStar from the future

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I bought this kit back when it first came out and everybody was tripping over each other to build one. A lot of people went box-stock, quite a few went custom, so I decided to do something different. How might a 2011 LoneStar look sometime around 2031, after it's been through a series of owners and several million miles of (mostly hard) use?

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Obviously there would be quite a bit of grime, and some surface rust on the steel surfaces. I added in a few other cues- the kinked bumper and mis-matched hood suggest a light front end "thunk" happened sometime during this old girl's lifetime.

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The broken sleeper window was replaced with a bit of plywood- actually thin basswood in this case. In hindsight I should have greased up the fifth wheel, but I suppose I could do that any time.

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I've noticed a few LoneStars and ProStars with missing "batwings" on the back of the sleeper- if I built this model today I'd have probably tried to replicate that. Somehow the batwings on this one are intact.

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I was never happy with my weathering job on the passenger's side- the "rust" looks more like primer, but I guess that would be realistic. Note that the passenger's fender is mismatched, and the lens has been fixed with a "Red Green Universal Repair Kit". Looks like Mr. Becker has a habit of overfilling the fuel tanks, too.

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Here's a better look at the duct taped passenger's side lens, the busted-up grille, and the kinked fender. A lot of old trucks in Michigan had a name painted on them somewhere, I decided to call this one "Miss Katie". It doesn't really show in the pic, but there is a crack and a stone peck in the windshield. 

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Here you can see a broken taillamp, and a bent mudflap bracket with it's flap missing.

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The door lettering was printed out on photo paper and glued to the door... it could represent a vinyl sticker or a magnetic panel. A bent-up coat hanger replaces the broken door handle. 

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Plenty of grime under the hood too, and an old Hills Bros. coffee can and more duct tape used to plug a hole in the intake piping.

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It's worn and slightly dingy, but it looks like at least our guy does a halfway decent job of keeping it clean inside, despite some very minor clutter. I didn't want to trash the interior too much, as so little of it is visible once the cab is assembled. If I were to build another one of these I think I'd leave the roof unglued so it could be lifted off for display.

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Inspired by my high-school buddy Matt's '85 Buick Regal... the missing interior door panel was replaced with a duct-taped trash bag. The power window switch was fastened to the door with a piece of aluminum bent into an L-shape and some self-tapping screws. 

So... there it is. Now all I need to do is wait another 20 years or so and start looking at LoneStars in junkyards to see how close I got it! xD

 

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