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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.

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!

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.

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.

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***.

This one gave me a couple issues, but overall wasn't too bad. I scratchbuilt a lot of parts and added Moebius wheels. I planned a matching 27ft trailer, but it's not finished yet.

I have a thing for trucks that 'work' for a living. Not to demean over the road units with all the chrome and flash because hauling 40tons cross country takes a strong rig in its own right. Let's just say I like trucks that get down and dirty when doing their jobs. I also like large car wreckers. I am a retired truck driver with 42 years experience, and I am also a model builder with 66 years of experience. I love to scratch build and modify whether it be a 1/25 scale '58 Impala with a chopped top or a fleet of large cars. I rarely build model cars now because of my love of large cars. I have a fantasy fleet of wreckers that I started several years ago, and this is the latest addition to that fleet. I purchased a T800 resin hood from STS Supply and got started. This model is your basic 4 axle wrecker/recovery unit that is not modelled after any particular manufacturer like Challenger or Miller Industries. I like to use another fantasy company called W.A.G Engineering. The W.A.G. stands for Wild Ass Guess! That means I have a basic idea of what I want to build but with no plans to go by it becomes a build as you go thing. With the exception of the kit parts you see the entire wrecker body/unit were built using Evergreen Scale Models sheet plastic and various structural shapes, all in styrene plastic. I like Testor's in the orange tube to hold it all together. I decided the wheel lift was going to be modelled after a Zack lift unit I saw installed on a 1:1 wrecker. I like all my 'important' parts to be poseable.

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.

Hello everyone, I'm a new member from the United States, Montana specifically. I'm not new to modeling (40+ years) but I'm somewhat new to truck modeling. I've been building automotive models pretty much from the start, so I do have some relevant experience to draw on. I have done 2 or 3 semi truck models in that time. My current interest is likely due to my own acquisition of a Class B straight truck license recently. It was a requirement for a job is wanted to bid on at work and I rarely drive, but exposure to the culture and equipment got me interested. Beyond that I've dabbled in nearly all prominent modeling subjects in my time: military (armor and air), space, sci-fi, maritime, and others. I'm here to learn but hopefully also to teach from time to time, and for the friendship between modelers. Thanks for having me.

IMO, whatever method or material is used, it needs to be easy and easy to sand. For small gaps, I did not like using filler putty. As illustrated above: I sanded the seam on a large flat surface such as a piece of glass or MDF board. To protect as much detail as possible, I taped closely to the cab seam and filled in MrHobby-MrSurfacer 500 primer with a brush. Used as many coats as needed (it took a few). Dry completely. Initial sanding is before the tape is removed, then a careful final sanding. Use tape to protect details while sanding. Then primed with MrSurfacer 1000 or 1500 by air-brush or aerosol can. Since I have not applied a finish paint yet, I cannot be sure of the result. What I am more sure of, is that this is about the limit of effort I am willing to try. Learning from experience with AMT truck models, I have decided to pre-build this and future kits before final paint. Here is a list of found issues for the AMT White-Freightliner A1046-200 DD: 1a) move breather(21) and rocker arm cover(20) to rear of engine 1b) position alternator and belt (14 & 15) close to the oil cooler(7): it may cause interference later 1c) add .010 shim below to air cleaner (28) so that it rests level 2a) glue tires to wheels on final assembly 2b) Hubs seem shallow in final fit (shim out flush to brake drums). 3a) Radius rods(10) will interfere with tires. Install opposite of instruction. Sand to fit. 3b) relieve the front engine mount(4) so that engine sits level 3c) Front axle(8) and Tie Rod(7) too wide by 3/16 " (?) - trim 4) The clear amber & red cracks very easily. Use caution when removing and trimming. Running light lenses{10}(6) prone to breakage 5a) Drill the assembled rear wheels .062 for metal axle fit. 5b) Drill rear brake drum holes for fit. Note different brake chambers(2,1 & 4) for front/rear. Apply only one chamber to the backing plate so it will not interfere with the axle at assembly. 6a) Pre-drill #42 front wheels. Only 2 parking brake chambers (?) when instructions indicate 4. Clearance .092 drill brake drums(7) 6b) Install pitman arm(1) before installing the steering box(2) to the frame. 7a) Exhaust pipe(1) too short. Add 1/8" of 5/32 tube stock 7b) Shift mount(8) too far back 1/8". Part mounting point unclear. 7c) Fuel take (gas cap toward rear) on passenger side (instruction not clear). Other tank goes to driver's side (center gas cap) 7d) Radiator(4) mounting point unclear or aligned with engine fan{1}(18). Install by sight 7e) Lower radiator hose(32) 1/8" too long (trim). 8a) Sleeper wall(10) too far forward. Mount for clearance of seats 8b) Sand sides and back of interior extension(2) to fit, sand lightly front corners of assembled interior(8) 9a) Add 1/8 shims to cab rear panel(1) mounts to level cab when resting on the cab support brackets{3}(17) 9b) Remove the 2 rivets near the side window center pillars if using Photo Etch mirror bracket plates 10a) Cab Steps(3) improper fit. Fill gaps. 10b) Ladders(21) interference fit with front tires. Consider aftermarket parts. Instructions unclear on left side and right side ladders(21). Test fit. 10c) Test fit driving lights(17). May be too big for pockets. 10d) Add a .030 shim to the front bumper(19) inside frame mounting area for alignment with cab. 10e) Remove rivets from underneath the middle running lights bezel(7) As bad as this sounds, the kit does go together with nothing TOO major. I've seen worse. Build quality is an individual decision. Having fun modelling is the most important thing.

I finally finished it...for now... I may go back and touch up a few thing. I built this truck for an online contest over at The Unfinished Big Rig Model Truck Club on Facebook. I didn't fair as well in the voting as I hoped it would. Maybe I'll do better next time. Regardless, it was a great learning experience. The concept was to create a resto-mod COE Freightliner. I started with a fresh AMT COE Freightliner Kit. All other lifted parts were salvaged from the parts box. Chassis: Frame stretch using the rails from an AMT Peterbilt. Air ride suspension from an Italeri FLD 120 Engine: Cummins engine from an Italeri FLD 120 modified into an N14 (new heads, valve covers, fuel pump, etc.). Air to air setup was added to the radiator. Plumbing and hoses were built from the parts box and misc. wire. Clamps chrome sticker. Cab: Scratch built visor. Snap Pete mirrors. Rear fenders: Scratch built. Fifth wheel: ROG Peterbilt. Deck plates and rear light panel: scratch built from styrene Cab Steps: Scratch built. Fuel tanks: Stretched using like tanks from parts box. Air cleaners: ROG Peterbilt. Scratch built piping and parts box plumbing. Stack tops: Tubing wrapped in chrome sticker. Air Lines: Earl Miller. Wheels and tires: Mobius.

I got some more work done on the packer body interior. Filled in the open areas on what is the 1:1 scale hydraulic oil tank with styrene sheet. Did some subtle weathering. For what ever reason there is a notch on both upper corners of the kit ejector blade. I filled in the upper Right notch with a piece of styrene sheet. Filled in the interior wall (Left piece} with styrene strips and automotive glazing and spot putty. Will leave the sanding scratch marks in place on the rear 2/3rd's for metal to metal contact effect.

The Ad Astra Modeling Club here in Topeka, Ks. had its annual show today......got a few truck pictures.... Fellow forum member and member of the Ad Astra Modeling Club, Paul, built this diorama along with fellow Ad Astra member Lamar Johnson. Along with the logging truck diorama, Paul also built this fine looking combo. A lot of scratch building went into this wrecker

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.

Thank you.

Mock-up for fuel tanks and battery boxes.

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

Assembled and in primer.

It was much easier and quicker to use the PE part above than cutting out the grill detail on this cab. This experience will certainly make me think twice before trying to do a whole radiator. The third window is added to a short cab. PE window gaskets applied. Using a sanding sheet taped to a flat surface greatly improved the problematic cab seam.

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.

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. .

Started out as a Paystar 5000. 90% of the cab is modifies from the kit cab and hood. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki