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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.

I like all those paint jobs, the white, gold and orange is really cool. Not sure what happened, but it’s cool.

4 frames assembled. 1 shortened, 1 extended. Practicing with tape. In the paint booth. Decals did not cooperated. Change of plans. The striping will be attempted without the decals, which didn't even make it off the paper. Good enough. I can clean it up. Catastrophic failure. In a tank of Lacquer thinner it will go for a complete re-start. I really like the concept of #2.

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.

Such a great build and spot on weathering

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

The inspiration for this build came from a real wrecker/recovery Peterbilt owned by a company just a few miles from where I live. I watched the wrecker in action and was amazed at the capability it exhibited. I knew I had to build one albeit on a KW chassis cause in my world there are only two large cars made...KW and all the rest! Anyway, the real rig weighs 102,000 pounds and that's why it has 5 axles. Here in Ohio where I live it has a special permit to operate on highways throughout the state. Since I can be in WV or Pennsylvania in less than 20 minutes I'm assuming the company, Marlboro Towing, has similar permits in those states as well. The model is almost entirely scratch built using Evergreen Scale Models styrene plastic sheets and structural shapes. The only kit parts used were the frame, rear axle assembly, the cab/interior, a few other odds and ends. It's worth noting the hood is entirely scratch built with the exceptions of the GMC General fenders I had laying around. The entire wrecker unit is scratch built. The wrecker rotates and will travel a scale 7 feet on the frame, front to back.

Yes, same paint scheme. Black and chrome. I wanted to get the trailer built and primed so I could paint the RV and trailer at the same time, too.

Beautiful truck

That finish is so realistic, very well done.

This build looks very realistic, nice touch of weathering

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.

Thank you.

Wow! This is an incredible build. What a great piece of equipment. Your scratch-building skills are top-notch. The operating features are equally impressive.

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

I am getting pretty close to finishing this thing up. Color has been applied on to wet sanding, clearing and casting.

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.