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I was watching large car wrecker videos on YouTube. Not only do I find them entertaining but a source of inspiration as well. I watch Pepe's out of LA, Wilcox Garage based in Willard, Ohio, and Sumter Wrecking from Sumter, SC. Each company has unique operational areas and challenges which makes it even more interesting. Sumter Wrecking in South Carolina has an old Holmes 750 mounted on a 1985 Freightliner they use to pull farm equipment out of the Carolina clay because its relatively light weight means it won't get stuck like a heavier rig might. I decided my fantasy fleet needed a similar unit. Being from an agricultural county here in Ohio means we have lots of farmers with lots of wet fields sometimes. But I wanted my wrecker to be a 6 by 6 on flotation tires to maybe keep it from getting stuck. I started a Holmes 1801 wrecker 25 years ago and never finished it but I did save all the parts I scratch built. According to tow truck operators back in the day they described the pulling power of an 1801 like this..."if you think a Holmes 750 pulls hard, you should see an 1801 at work". STS Supply supplied the C500 hood and the front drive axle which I modified to make it poseable. Not hard to do once you see how STS molded the part. The body of this particular model came from AMT's 'Big Stick' kit. I modified it and stretched it with Evergreen Scale Models styrene sheets and shapes. The '1801' was pretty much done but I did change some minor things to improve its appearance...meaning I got better 25 years later. It's still a WIP but will be done soon as the weather breaks. Queenie hates it when I paint in the house and MomNature hasn't warmed up enough to paint outside....***sigh***.

Very nice build. I like the subtle weathering, and detail on the white engine. Nice photo etched upgrade on the grille. The Moebius tires are also an improvement. One of the best 352s I’ve seen in a while.

Beautiful truck

Such a great build and spot on weathering

That finish is so realistic, very well done.

This is currently my only truck build. It's meant to be a Post Apocalypses RV that was patched together from various bits to roam the wasteland. I started with an Autocar Dump Truck and Italeri 20' Container. Reefer unit converted to HVAC system, Air Filtration, Power Fan, Custom front bumper and a frame mounted generator to name a few of the upgrades. Stretched frame, new wheels and tires, pusher axle and many 3d printed parts leads us to where we are today. Occasionally I add a few more bits to it as I find or design files. Hope you enjoy, I know it's a bit different from what you're used to.

seriously bad ass.....I could only dream of having skills like that. Awesome job

This build looks very realistic, nice touch of weathering

Not much in the past month since I finished the primer and did the latest mock up. But, I managed to start the frame/floor for the stacker trailer. I’ll post an update on that, maybe in the next week or so. Thanks for checking in.

Finished this one in December. I used the US Mail kit with decals from the Mpc DM600. Paint is Tamiya and Krylon shortcuts. I scratchbuilt mudflaps, 5 speed transmission, shifter, and clutch pedal. Otherwise, pretty much out of the box.

You got some serious skills, love this build.

Hey everyone just thought I'd drop in with my latest build. It has some parts from MTB scratchbuilt bumper and outlaw steps, stretched frame to 280 scale inch, aftermarket wheels italeri tires. Removed the bars from the grille and put a single bar in the center. It's a tribute to Rob Spencers black Kenworth. IMT Transport in Iowa (Jeremy Gouge) owns it now. It started with a ROG W900 kit. Thanks!

Finished the trailer today and used another truck build for pics. Now back to finish the 4300.

That's just great, Eric ! I can almost smell it from here. 😜 Johnny

Looks great so far On the fuel tank you'll see three fittings close to the frame on top of the tank that is where the fuel pickup and returns would have gone the larger circle out towards the outside of the tank was just the fuel sending units for the gas gauge and would have had two wires connected to ita ground wire under one of the out circle retaining bolts and a signal wire to the center of the sending units. I didn't get into all the air lines and wiring as you have .but as I spent the last five years of my career as a heavy equipment mechanic I did try to connect as many hydraulic lines as I could . The kit has almost enough hydraulic line to do everything except the over head line front to rear which I did with craft wire ( If l had it to do again I'd have used solder for those instead. I also drilled the tailgate latches and used craft wire to hide them so the tail gate could be opened. I also added the winch cable and snatch block as shown on old purple As you can see I weathered this one up as a fifty year old heavily used unit ( maybe a bit over done) and will be suspended towing it with my already completed AMT Pete tow truck.

UPGRADE Older stretched 1:43ville now with Earl Miller's beautiful airlines. Johnny

The newly issued Pete is out of final assembly. Still needs decals and touch up paint. Not using the kits large strips on this one.

Thanks Doc I put the bed on yesterday

This is a model of my first heavy dump truck I bought in 1977. Worked it to death when the frame broke. Cat power from the Revell KW, Autocar dump body and the load is scale horse dung or in reality my wife's potting soil. .

☹️ Word on the road today is that the Kenworth W900 will cease production in 2026.......