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Hi all, I'm just getting geared up to start my first semi build since roughly the late 80's. I stopped modelling mostly due to real world trucking, 20 years of jamming gears followed a few driving the original M-1 Abrams, then after all that I did maintenance for a few years before becoming disabled. I'll be starting the AMT White Freighshaker cabover once I finish a tank build. I plan on hyper detailing it and the color scheme will suite my better half once she decides. Between you and me, I'll bet it'll have green in it since it's her favorite color. LOL Not really sure what else to say, just an older guy getting back into a wonderful hobby here Thanks, Clair G

Nothing SPOOKtacular to report on this Halloween day........ Inching closer to completion, still a ways to go.....had hoped to have had it in the model clubs annual show coming up in a couple of weeks, looks like next year. Since the P.E kit that I got from S.T.S came with a radio face, I went all in and scratch built an antennae to go with the radio. Still need to dirty up the front of the cab a little bit as the dirty windshield-clean body look wont pass muster with the judges. Scratch built the hydraulic lines for the front of the packer body, also the electrical conduit for the rear of the packer body (vertical round white piece, Left of center going down into truck chassis) Overhead electrical and hydraulic line raceway going towards the rear of the packer body.

I haven’t posted anything here in awhile, be nice to see some activity again. So here is my latest completion. This started out as the AMT Autocar A64 B tractor kit. Stretched frame, added lift axle, fenders, later model turbo Cummins with larger turbo and plumbed inter cooler, custom mirrors, custom visor, custom dash, some plumbing, hand made exhaust, 10 wheels and on and on.

Thought I would share the W900l (circa '96) hood I am working on for the snap KW. Hopefully I will wind up with something passable. Since the W900L grill is narrower, I cut a section out of the center of the hood and the grill (not pictured). To ensure that the correct width was maintained at the back of the hood a cut a section from the rear of another hood. The rear portion of the other hood was glued to the rear of the hood and the hood sides have been extended using sheet styrene. In the image above, the fenders have been widened using the outer portion of the other hood's fenders, the headlight "pods" have been removed and filled and the raised portion on the top of the hood has been removed. What's left of the original hood and the new hood. Working on the crowned strip down the center of the hood. Thanks for looking! Feedback is always encouraged and appreciated. --Casey

Starting over with #2 Test fit. FrameFF

Thanks for the response!!!! I have had too much outside the hobby room drama going on to maintain the focus and concentration needed...should have knocked this one out a long time ago....so I keep on keepin' on.

One of the most detailed builds of this kit I’ve seen so far. Nice upgrades. I like the scratch built hydraulic lines and the electrical conduit for the rear of the packer body. That’s something I’d forget to add.

...Finally got enough work done on the packer body worthy of posting.... Got the under body control valve assembly plumbed. Used 24 gauge floral wire for the hydraulic lines. I've began some subtle weathering in spots and taped off the areas that need to stay white. All the packer bodies coming off of the Garwood assembly line were painted white, which makes things a lot easier as far as a build goes. Electrical conduit for rear lights on the hopper...located between the hydraulic lines and the under body control valve assembly.....flexible section to be tied in to the trucks electrical system later. Since I am going to be displaying this with the packer body roof off at shows, I added a support rib at the rear of the body to support the race way for the rubber hydraulic lines (3) and the metal electrical conduit. The electrical conduit line is already attached.

Update on the build. Took a ton of time off since my last post. Here it is with the stripes laid down. Then with decaling done, and the frame in semi gloss black.

Finished this one early this year. I started with the Revell/Monogram snapper. Shortened the frame and scratchbuilt a bed.

Rally nice and detailed. FYI the Cummins engines were never yellow. Especially in that year bracket , they were aa light brown in color or they were white sometimes. Duplicolor does make a Cummins brown in aerosol can and very right on to the Cummins brown. Only Caterpillar engines were yellow. Keep up the great work.

All it's missing is some muddy foot prints on the deck plate.

Pics with the trailer I just finished.

As of 2023, its been brought to a keen modelers eye attention that Tamiya thin cement and Tamiya airbrush cleaner are 99% the exact same product. Tamiya thin cement costs around $6 for a 40ml bottle whereas Tamiya airbrush cleaner cost about $10 for the 250ml Bottle. So if you bought the same quanity of each, you'd be spending almost $40 more for the thin cement. Proof: the chemical ingredient list shows they only use 2 ingredients for both products. In comparison to each other, there's only a 1% difference in chemical make up. Ergo, same product. Theres some guys who posted youtube videos about it, check them out. In short, you can refill your tamiya thin cement bottle 6+ times for a one time purchase of a $10ish bottle of taimya airbrush cleaner.

Though it’s not part of a completed truck build yet, I think an engine can be a model in itself. I’ve started my next truck conversion, a 1/24th scale black and chrome Peterbilt 379, and I’ve built a Cat 3406E for it's power. The resin engine is from Moluminum. It wears real Cat yellow, and includes several scratch-built extras. Further detailing will be added when it’s in-frame. It represents a ‘99 15.8l E-Model 3406. Producing 600 plus horsepower, the final generation of these 964 cubic inch beasts were the precursor to the C16. This one has been remanufactured and up-fitted with chrome and ceramic parts, to boost the performance and style. It’s representative of the custom engines from diesel shops that outfit gliders and other owner-operator rigs. Big Cats like this are highly sought-after for their power and pre-emissions reliability. They often find a second life in a glider or show truck. it’s coupled to an 18 speed Eaton Autoshift transmission that’s been up-fitted with a trans oil cooler. The build was detailed using Ken Smith’s Car Modeller 3406E article and online photos for reference, many from Kustom Truck, an Oregon-based glider and diesel shop. I hope you enjoy. Next on the bench: The rolling chassis.

I finished the hood and cast the first one a couple of weeks ago only to realize that I made a major error. I somehow managed to make one of the fenders a tiny bit wider than the other. It is not dramatic but is noticeable. Therefore, I decided to start over from scratch. An opportunity to make it better, right? Thus far, I have 3d printed the upper hood, created sides from sheet styrene and have tacked a 3D printed right side fender in place. With not being bound by kit hood top, I was able to add a bit more of a drop to the front of the hood and make the shape of the upper hood more accurate. However, since the kit cab sits about .1" lower than it would for a B model, I was forced to shorten the grill a bit and narrowed it as well to maintain the correct length/width proportions. I was tempted to make it to scale but decided not to because it would force builders to raise the kit's cab in order to achieve the correct fitment and because the rivet counters are likely to be the only ones to notice or care. Ease of use beat accuracy in this case. All in all, I am happy with it and believe that in the end, it will be a much better effort than the first attempt. --Casey

Thanks and yes sir. I'm also going to add the panel below the cab and extend the sleeper sides at the bottom to match. The cab panel and sleeper extension is in the image below along with a Vortex air cleaner that I am working on.

I backtracked quite a bit on the hood due to a couple of issues. 1. Although I mounted them in the same place as they were on the A model hood, they were too high. 2. The headlight pods were not symmetrical. The hood sides were made taller, two 3d printed fenders were added, a 3D printed grill was added and other minor tweaks were made. Here's what it looks like now, almost ready to prime, sand and paint.

I replaced the rear fender section to get rid of the flat spot that the A model fenders have and to widen the side of the fender near the rear. Fill, sanding and fine tuning continues. The trick will be to replicate my work on the other side.

I made a little more progress last night. I made the headlight pod and hit it with a quick shot of primer to see where I am at. The next challenge will be to clan up the underside of the hood and then correct the rear portion of the fender (get rid of the flat spot.) Wish me luck.

If it turns out well, I am thinking of casting the hood, grill, and headlights. I will need a few for some other builds and if there is interest, I'll make them available to others.