International Transtar Eagle "Hidden Agenda"

[Cornbinder]

First off... sorry for the poor quality of these pics. The overhead light fixture in the hobby room crapped out, so all I have to light the work area is my halogen drafting lamp!

Anyway, this is something I've been messing around with for a couple of months now. 

Looks like a basic buildup of the old Ertl kit. Okay, so I added some Moebius wheels and tires. Wait... is that a rear air suspension? That doesn't really look like a Transtar chassis. Well, there's a simple explanation. It isn't. This Transtar will sit on a shortened Moebius LoneStar chassis. 

It's kind of a "resto-mod" theme- classic vehicle with modern underpinnings. You can have the look of a cool old Transtar, but you'd be able to use it every day, because you could still get parts and service at any International garage, because all the "dirty bits" are 2011 LoneStar. Which will be a nice thing to have when that Maxforce engine gives you trouble... and it probably will. But hey- at least they'll have stuff for that in stock! I doubt the same would be true for the original V800.

Here's a mockup...

The plan as of now is to go with a plated Mercury sleeper- this non-plated one is just there to see how everything will fit. I don't know if I'll use the LoneStar quarter fenders or go with the ones from the Transtar at this point. The idea is for the tractor to look like a nicely restored and lightly accessorized unit, until you take a closer look or crack open the hood and see the newer drivetrain and chassis components. 

Edited October 19, 2015 by Cornbinder
Pictures not showing for some members

[Joris]

Nice project!

[Cornbinder]

A little bit more progress.

The engine is mostly done- it needs a little detailing and paint touch up. I used DupliColor Chrysler Intense Blue for the engine block... in person it's a few shades darker than in the pic, and looks like a decent match for the blue used on Navistar engines.

I cut off the LoneStar's mud flaps and modified the Transtar's to fit to the LoneStar mounts/taillight housings. A "Scout" decal from an AMT/Ertl scout was used. I need to touch up the IH logos and clean off some fingerprints on some of the chrome, but these pieces are pretty much done. 

[Casey]

@‌‌Cornbinder

What happened to the images in the first post?

 

 

Edited October 7, 2015 by Casey

[Cornbinder]

I don't know- I can still see them.

*Edit* I THINK I know what happened, and I think I fixed it. 

Edited October 8, 2015 by Cornbinder

[Cornbinder]

The power went out at work, so I found myself with an extra hour to burn this afternoon. I fiddled around with the Transtar a bit. Chassis and engine still need some detail work, but the basic paint work and assembly are done. Chassis is Harvester Red, of course.

[Joris]

Looking sharp there!

[Cornbinder]

Did some work on the interior, the cab and hood are now in primer.

And my decals from Modeltruckin.com showed up... this style in red.

[cunuk truckbuilder]

• so far so good

[Cornbinder]

Threw some paint on it and got it decaled. I also took the liberty of making myself the driver, courtesy of the Chuck decal from the AMT White Road Boss. Still a way to go, but inching ever closer.

[Cornbinder]

No photo, and maybe it's just me, but I've never had good luck with the windshields in these Ertl IH conventional kits. The angle of the "v" in the glass is too shallow to match the inside of the cab. Laid inside the cab, the center of the windshield doesn't even come close to touching the divider. So, I cut the windshield vertically down the center and installed the two sides as separate pieces, just like on the real deal. Fits much better now! I think for the next one I build I'll go with .010" clear styrene instead of the kit "glass". 

[Casey]

Looking real nice!  Pretty flashy for an old Transtar!

[Cornbinder]

Inching closer to the finish line.

The engine bay is pretty well dialed in. I modified the Transtar air cleaner assembly to fit around the engine and radiator. I also used the Transtar kit's oil filter. Both it and the side cover of the air cleaner housing were left chromed. 

The grille and hood are installed for keeps- on this kit you cannot install the grille until after the hood is on the chassis. I also cut away the thick molded front mud flaps and replaced them with some new ones cut from .020" styrene sheet. I've since painted the roof light lenses and added the mirrors. I still need to gather up a few doodads here and there, but this one might be finished here pretty shortly. 

[Cornbinder]

A few more things to show, weather permitting I should be able to take some pics of the finished product this weekend.

I added some small number boards to go underneath the Mercury sleeper. Some guys would add these to have a place to put their permit stickers and such, and to fill in the open air under the sleeper. The AITM tool box was installed underneath. Again, it's there to fill in the open air on the passenger's side of the Transtar. Also, I think it looks cool.

I used both plate frames at either end of the bumper. I added a shim to push the bumper out forward, and beveled the top edge to clear the grille. These things were done so that the hood could tilt further open without fouling out on the bumper. This looks better to me than the other solution, which would be to mount the bumper a bit lower on the frame horns.