Chuck Most

AMT tractor kit backdated with quad headlights, grille mounted parking lights, and a little shuffling of lamps and such. To represent the 15,000# front axle option, I modified some Mack cast six spokes. I also used Mack six spokes on the back. Front tires are Firestone floats from an AMT Autocar. Paint is the same Rust-Oleum Satin Moss Green left from the Dodge garbage truck, and the door logos are from a Gopher Racing sheet.

It's amazing how rugged a simple box can look. 😁 Looks like a particularly rough ride but at least it's got a roomy sleeper.

Really love the clean and purposeful, but still classy look you got from this one.

Straps and steps taken care of, and the cab is as aligned as it's going to get.

This *should* be a fairly simple project. The idea here is to take the 1972-ish Diamond Reo kit and backdate it to a 1966 Reo GH. The main cosmetic difference is the hood. Though the shapes and basic cues are similar, the Reo does have a few unique features. Here's an example of a "late model" Reo, just before White Motor Co. merged them with the Diamond T division... REO, very late model by Dick Copello, on Flickr Here's an ad touting the benefits of Royalite with a similar hood but a slightly different grille insert. And here's where I stand with the project so far... The basic hood from the Diamond Reo kit was assembled as intended. I stripped the chrome from the grille and lower fender trim and added that as well- it'll be treated to Bare Metal foil later on. I filed the grille smooth and glued it into place, then created a new grille surround and trim from Evergreen strip. My big problem might be getting the tainty Reo V emblems right.

Old Canadian workhorse that evidently ended up in Michigan at some point. Then, after being retired from road use, became a floral display. Even though the rest of the Canadian market Mercury trucks went away in 1968, for whatever reason the C Series soldiered on alone until 1972. This is the AMT kit with an MPC Wheel Horse tractor with a scratch built wagon, and a bunch of shrubbery from JTT. Originally the plan was for a stack of old truck parts but I went with flowers instead. Markings were done with Gundam markers.

Getting somewhere...

Spare parts tossed into a blender to make a fleet mate for another A64B I built a few years ago. Basic AMT kit with a twin turbo Detroit V12 and Allison automatic from a Bandag Bandit, Revell Bill Signs front floats, old resin front wheels with rusted thumb tacks for hubcaps, and a set of 1928 Lincoln headlights. The headache rack is from a KW Alaskan Hauler and the chassis is capped off with Don Mills treadplate.

Chassis has a few touches of yellow, and is now up on wheels.

Hopefully she'll (finally) be finished sometime today. We'll see.

I've actually been working on this for a little while now, but it's far along enough to at least look interesting. I began with the AMT White Road Boss, and a set of styrene frame rails from TL Model Trucks. So far, here's a tally of what I've done. AITM Autocar hood conversion. I filed away the cast in headlights and will be using the separate bezels and lenses from the WWS, which are still included with the Road Boss kit, despite not being needed. Front wheels, battery boxes, taillights, and (probably) mudflaps from the Autocar tractor kit. I'll also use that kit's hood side scripts rather than the cast lettering on the AITM hood. Lift axle made using spare bits and pieces from an AMT tanker. For power I'm leaning toward a V12 Detroit.... I don't know if I'll go with a resin one or just wait for the Super Boss kit to come back out. Yes, that's right... I said it... it has been confirmed that the Super Boss is making a return trip first quarter of this year. I'm good for a couple just for the engine. I may or may not go with a sleeper- I tend to favor day cabs, but this is kind of shaping up like an old Alaskan or East Coast hauler. For me adding a sleeper would be an unexpected twist. I have decided on a color- Chrysler Forest Green pearl. I may go with some silver or gold accents, but don't hold me to that.

I've been trying to get a few stalled projects either finished or progressing again lately. Since it's been slow at my workplace I've been taking advantage of the couple extra hours I now have at least a couple days a week for that.

Mirrors, door handles, and other such getting taken care of.

Blast from the past! For many years, I've wanted to do a Minneapolis Moline dealer rig. Since White Motor Company owned both Minneapolis Moline and Reo, I thought why not make THIS that project? By the early 1960s, Minneapolis Moline tractors were painted in a combination of "Energy Yellow" and a rather unflattering (to me) bronze kinda color. I didn't want to find a color I wasn't fond of, so I opted for something similar but with a little more pop... Enter Tamiya Copper. The hood and cab are now slathered in Tamiya White Primer, in preparation of what will likely be Tamiya Camel Yellow. I bought these adhesive decals from Bossen Implement years ago. These will not only carry the theme, but enable me to work around the Reo letters and emblem problem... The larger MM letters will go on the hood sides. The White logo may end up on the radiator access panel.

Rear lamps ✔️ License plate ✔️ Mud flaps ✔️ Well, one end of the truck is in the bag.

Cut down the pass through and repositioned the exhaust for a closer fit between cab and sleeper. Yeah... That's better. 😁 Cab clearance lamps are also in place.

I've had the idea of a septic truck rattling around in my head for a while, and recently decided to take a shot at it. I paid the princely sum of 20 bucks for this thing. It had some engine assembly done and was missing the steering column and one cab clearance light, but those were easy enough to work around. Not even the diecast chassis parts could scare me off. The idea was for a truck that was originally painted white then repainted in green later on in life. To that end, the "factory" white was left visible on the firewall and inside. That green, by the way, was purchased specifically for this project. I bought it just because I liked the color, APWA Safety Green from Ace Hardware. But I found out later that color is used by APWA to denote sewer lines. Perfect! You can also see the beginning stages of the weathering with Valejo rust washes. I also used a spare AMT lens to replace the missing cab light. Here the firewall doodads have been added. The maple leaf is from AK Interactive. They're 1:35 scale but they'll work in 1:25 too... not like there's a "standard" leaf size, right? Here some weathering powders and AK weathering pencil action has taken place, along with a few washes. The headlight bezels have been weathered a bit, and more weathering will come later on- mostly some grime and maybe some chipping. I omitted the passenger side seat and filled the void with an extinguisher, tool box, and a hazard reflector. 2mm strips of Bare Metal Foil were used to simulate duct tape on the seat. Vallejo mud cakes the floor, and the entire thing was dirtied up with powders and washes before being sealed with dull coat. Note the white strips on the side panels, again representing the painted metal in white of the truck's "original" finish. That's it for this time. After a few mockups and seeing where things sit I'll get started on the tank and such.

It's had the door logos for a while now... Pump & Dump 🤣 Here you can see the completed battery box. Here we have the fuel tank, but I might replace it with a smaller round tank below the door.

Added the fuel tanks and some AITM tool boxes. Not sure if I'll use the Mercury sleeper or make a headache rack.

Chassis is more or less dialed in. And so's the interior.

Reshuffling things a little. The chassis wasn't working out the way I wanted, and I borrowed parts from the V12 for another Autocar project. So I'm going a bit more basic with a Cummins. Chassis came from a White Road Boss, and it'll have some old AITM one piece wheels and tires.

So, this is a project I've been considering for a while. Just recently, I decided to take a shot at it. 1975 Diamond Reo Rouge. Only about 50 were ever built, during a time when Diamond Reo was in trouble and about to change ownership. It is unknown if any survive today. I'm scratch building one in 1:25 scale, using a scaled down set of body builders drawings purchased from Joe Whitman at T-Line Trucks. The basic cab is cut from .020" Evergreen sheet. I've also made extensive use of my new Tamiya panel scriber. Can't recommend that particular tool enough, and I don't know why I never got one until now. Here's the basic cab shell, shown with the line drawings being used as patterns. Here's a slightly clearer shot of the scaled drawings used as patterns. Again using the scale drawings as templates, and with a steel straight edge and the Tamiya panel scriber, the window openings were scored, then cut out. The door lines were done in the same manner, less the "then cut out" part. The begining of the rockers and fenders. It was at this point I started to realize that the Rouge is a decent size truck. Here's a quick size-up with a Ford C Series. Size wise the Rouge is about in between the C Series and something like a Peterbilt 352. Again I broke out the drawing, ruler, and scriber to create the grille panel. A standard hole punch was used to make the headlamp openings. They'll be enlarged and tweaked for correct position of the bezels, which I'm probably gonna swipe from my stash of spare C Series parts. Here is the grille being pieced together from various plastic strip. And here it is in primer with the Diamond Reo logo in place. If you'll excuse me, after making the outline for the Diamond Reo emblem on the grille, I need to lay down for a couple hours until my eyes uncross.

Pierce Brothers Fabrication in Sickles, Michigan, is known for many things. Orange Dodge trucks and Cummins 6BT swaps. While this Cummins swapped Dodge is not orange, it serves as a test subject and demonstrator for a typical Pierce Brothers swap. Starting with a forlorn 1971 L700, the brothers swapped in a 6BT and 47RH automatic transmission. The hubs and brakes were upgraded with late model Freightliner parts, and the old cast iron wheels were then replaced with Alcoa aluminum wheels and modern radial tires. The brothers left the exterior exactly how they found it, aside from adding their logos to the doors, Cummins decals, and newer mud flaps. The story is much the same inside, although the sears were recovered in blue and white material. Even the aftermarket cassette deck sound system and aftermarket air conditioner were left in place. And yes, it all still works. Model is a Lindberg kit set up on Moebius wheels and tires. Iceman Collections supplied the Cummins 6BT and a Revell Sidewinder supplied the 47RH. My spares box provided the doodads found throughout. Paint is some matte aqua I had handy.

Stevens International reissue of the AMT kit. It was updated to 1982 spec by removing the "Gear and Lightning Bolt" medallion, widening the fender lips, and moving the door lock cylinders. The Cummins 6BT, Allison 6 speed auto, and air to air intercooler are from Iceman Collections , and the sleeper came from Too Many Projects . Wheels and tires are Moebius and the rear air suspension uses modified GMC General doodads. Paint is Colorshot Kale. It was supposed to be a matte finish but it came out a bit glossier that I would have preferred.