Cornbinder

It had later style rectangular lights on it when he bought it. It was still being used by a local pond digging/landscaping business, who had replaced the frame rails. When it was new it pulled Michigan Gravel Trains. Tim bought it, redid the graphics (twice in fact), put round lights back on it (new fenders) and tore off the big, gaudy light bar it had behind the cab. He says he gets a kick out of modern-day truck drivers complaining about things like their AC going out. He thinks about his Diamond Reo with it's rubber block suspension, 55 MPH top unloaded speed, and nothing but a little fan on the dash and thinks about how guys like that have no idea how good they have it. Here's how it looked not too long after he got it. He says he was actually pretty close to selling it this summer. Then he took his grandson for a ride in it and the kid fell in love with it. So... it's staying with the Gibson family for the time being.

Oh, I forgot, here is his '70 C-11464DB. This one's NOT a model, but he is working on a model of it.

Tim sent a few more pics today. His most recent completions- a Diamond Reo Raider set-back Michigan Special, and an Autocar pulling a gravel train. Apparently his young grandson has claimed the Autocar as his.

Got quite a bit done last night. The crane and the subframe for the dump body are completed (as far as construction), and installed on the truck. I added hydraulic hoses to the crane, and put an amber flasher on the top of the folded boom. The hydraulic tank for the dump body is from the MPC gravel trailer. I may add a few more oil leaks here and there.

It's not so much the price as it is the fact that I only have one. Before the Diamond REO was reissued a few years back, I managed to nab an early '90's reissue for dirt cheap. But even then, I was a bit reluctant to tear into it, because I only had one, and if I messed up, it's not like I could trot on down to the local shop and nab another one that afternoon. And yes, same goes for resin conversion kits. Might be a few months before I can get a replacement.

So do I... I just need to work up the nerve to get to it. This is one model I'd hate to screw up.

I think everybody has that one special truck or tractor that just jumps out at them. When talk turns to "all-time favorites", we all have one that stands out above all the others. For me, that bogey is the Diamond Reo Raider. While I like both versions of the Raider, I tend to lean more toward the set-back front axle type. There's just something about that broad, tall grille, blunt bumper, and the slope of those square-ish fenders that just "nails it" for me. Think of the Raider as kind of what the International LoneStar is today... basically, the LoneStar is a ProStar with a unique hood, bumper, and more lux features, right? Well, that's essentially what the Raider was. Underneath the skin, it was standard fare Diamond Reo, but offered a unique look and exclusive options. The Raider was the flagship of the brand during the years it was owned by Alabama resident Francis Cappaert, who had purchased Diamond Reo from the White Motor Company in 1971. However, the company soon found itself in financial hardship. Just around the time the Raider was going into production, Diamond Reo filed for bankruptcy. The following year the company was taken over by Pennsylvania's Loyal Osterlund. The Raider disappeared, along with the compact tilt cab Rouge model. Fewer than 50 Rouges were ever built, and the Raider was in production for less than a year. Under Osterlund, Diamond Reo focused on custom-built heavy trucks and tractors, and it was during the Osterlund years that the iconic Giant was released. Some 150 trucks were produced each year, to customer's orders, until 1995, when the Diamond Reo name ceased to exist. Today, when you mention the name Diamond Reo, most people will respond with either a blank stare, or "Yeah... aren't they a country band?" Anyway... back to the story at hand. Like I said, I just love the way the set-back Raider looks. That front end, the classic lines of the Driver Cab (originally an Autocar design dating back to 1950) are great enough on their own, but set it up on spoke wheels and a short wheelbase, and all those traits conspire to create one brutish looking machine. I have only ever seen one Raider in the flesh. It is owned by a local salvage yard- they use it to transport their auto crusher. The owner of the yard had a Diamond T many years ago, and when the opportunity came to purchase the Raider, he jumped on it. This Raider is a typical Michigan Special. Okay.... I hear some of you saying "What is a Michigan Special"? Basically, it is a short-wheelbase tractor, set up to haul heavy loads.... up to 75 gross tons on eleven axles. Years ago Michigan law dictated a short wheelbase for certain applications. Now, there are no restrictions on wheelbase. But during the years of more stringent laws, the short, dual-drive tractors were a common sight. Front axle capacities of up to 20,000 pounds were allowed, so in many cases flotation tires were used on the steer axle. Many had cast spoke wheels and double frames, and more than a handful had hand-painted scrollwork and numbered flags. In fact, I'd be willing to bet quite a few truckers would argue it's not a "real" Michigan Special without such graphics, regardless of how it's spec'd out! Of course, I've always wanted to build a model of a Raider, in set-back, Michigan Special form. I always have an AMT Diamond Reo kit or two on hand, and I recently obtained a very old Frank Gortsema resin casting of a set-back Raider. And after spending a few minutes poking around the salvage yard's Raider, I had a pretty solid idea of what I wanted... I opted not to do a full-on replica, more of a lookalike. The old slush-casting had a weak roof, so the cab was cut away and replaced with an AMT piece. The inconsistent thickness and sheer weight of the hood led me to attach it to the cab, rather than try for a tilting hood. Another detail is the grille- on the real Raider, the grille frame tilts with the hood, while the vertical bars and diamonds (insert) stay vertical, attached to the radiator core support. The casting lacks the holes in the bumper- given the nature of the old, brittle resin, I opted not to cut them into the bumper for fear of shattering it. I think the fact that this was built using the vintage Gortsema castings adds to the overall "feel" of the model... almost like it has a little scale modeling history built right into it. In this picture the "stubby-ness" of a Michigan Special tractor is evident. The kit battery boxes and tanks were used, just re-positioned a bit. I don't recall how much I cut out of the wheelbase- I just eyeballed things and hoped for the best. The front axle was also moved rearward. I robbed the exhaust stacks from an Italeri parts set. The entire model was weathered to appear as a tractor that was showing its age, but had been mostly well maintained. Also note it's wearing three different types of tires... Michelins on the front, Goodyears on the forward drive axle, and Uniroyals on the rear axle... apparently nobody told this Raider's skinflint owner about the dangers of mixing radials and bias-plies! This was done for two reasons. One... old rigs like this never have the same tires- the owner will typically run whatever is cheapest when the time comes to buy a new tire. And because the Michelins are just a bit taller than the kit supplied Goodyears, the middle axle would have been off the ground. This is also why I used the Uniroyals at the rear, they are just a tad shorter than the Goodyears. So, by going from tallest to shortest as I went rearward, I ensured that all ten tires would sit flat, and gave the tractor a slight tail-down stance... just perfect for a loaded trailer! The flags were made from white decal film, hand painted and topped with a dry transfer number. I've had the door lettering for years, the decal graphics came from the original 1999 run of the Revell '41 Chevrolet pickup. Unfortunately, these graphics are not in the current "Trucks" reissue. Killins Gravel Company actually did exist at one time, and I've found quite a few old photos showing the site. No idea if they were still around in the '70's or if they ever had a Diamond Reo, but it's a model, so why can't I suspend reality just a tad? During test fits the cab tilted to the rear a bit. I decided to keep the look- it gives the impression of broken-down cab mounts. I also went with a flat rear frame... the frame just plain ends after the mud flap brackets. It looks a little bare with no trailer lines back there, but I might get to that when/if I ever build a trailer for this. As a Michigan Special, it could pull pretty much anything, from a flatbed full of coiled steel bound for an auto plant, to a pair of end-dump gravel trailers. Seeing as how it's lettered up for a gravel pit, I'd imagine I'll have to gunk up a gravel dump for it. I guess we'll see. Anyway, that's about it, I hope you enjoyed reading all that drivel. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a forward-set Raider I need to get around to building....

I'm with you there. When talk of "best looking tractors/heavy trucks" comes up, it seems like the first thing I think of is a set-back Raider. Set it up on spoke wheels and a short wheelbase and there's no way I can resist.

I won't rule it out. If nothing else I can "borrow" the one I did for my White Freightliner for this one.

Thanks! That means a lot coming from "the day cab guy". I don't typically do day cab conventionals, but I just couldn't resist seeing how that plated Merc would look on this one.

Cab is "glassed in" and only needs a few more doodads to complete. The Republic nameplate was taken from an online photo of a vintage Republic dealer sign. I reduced it in size, printed it on photo paper, then cut it out and blackened the edge with a permanent marker. This prototype was loaned to Outward Bound for research purposes, so that Republic could get "real world" R&D data on the feasibility of offering the Detroit 8v-71 in the CTC-8500 model. It is said that, due to it's low weight and high-powered engine, the Outward Bound drivers quickly nicknamed this tractor the "Hemi Cuda".

First off, a little history. Republic was founded in Alma, Michigan in 1913. They quickly became the world’s largest truck manufacturer- second only to Ford in output. At one point they owned the Torbinson Axle Company, which still exists today as Eaton Corporation. But a series of bad decisions and other factors led to the company merging with American LaFrance to form LaFrance-Republic in 1929. Two years later this company was bought by Sterling, and the Republic nameplate ceased to exist. A parts warehouse existed in town until 1957, and the factory they put up to build Liberty trucks during World War I still stands. While American LaFrance faded away (struck down by Daimler just a few years ago), Republic just burned out. Today, few people in Alma even realize that the city once played host to a legendary pioneer in the trucking industry. But I wondered what a more “modern” Republic might have been. Suppose that merger with ALF still happened, and the “game plan” adopted was that the LaFrance side would continue specializing in the building of fire and emergency vehicles, while the Republic side would focus on the commercial side. Or, perhaps LaFrance decided to revive the Republic name later on for a line of commercial trucks. Working off that LaFrance connection, and having an incomplete AMT kit at my disposal. I figured that Republic would share quite a few parts with LaFrance to cut costs, so the main cab parts and chassis from the ALF pumper would work just fine with a few tweaks. Or more than a few. So… call it a “might-have-been” ’73 model. Call it a prototype. Call it a flight of fancy from a guy with a little spare time and a lot of spare parts. I call it a CTC-8500… compact tilt cab, 8500 series. This would be something that would be comparable to a Ford C800 of the same period. The color scheme will be the “traditional” Republic scheme- yellow chassis and wheels, and a black body, with green pinstriping on both. The interior will be done in green, just because I feel like it. It is going to be weathered- it could be a factory prototype pressed into testing and evaluation duties, or maybe it’s a privately-owned unit that gets a lot of use. It won’t be in shiny, clean, as-new condition. I managed to scare up just enough of a Detroit 8v-71 to fill out the doghouse. The cab won’t tilt on the model, so only I (and anyone reading this) needs to know the parts-box-special Detroit is missing a ton of parts. As of now, the cab sits on the shortened ALF chassis. This pic shows Ford C600 wheels and tires- I'll be using the wheels and tires from a Diamond REO reissue on the final product. I also cut the cab down quite a bit, and removed the canopy to make way for a new rear wall. The fenders were moved forward, and parts of the doors were cut away for new wheel arches. I will probably do a minor "facelift"- perhaps Republic's management would not have wanted their product to be such a dead-ringer for the famous fire truck. I might even add a grille. Quite a bit is still up in the air, but I already have more than a few ideas I'd like to try on this one.

Along with the Transtar, this one could well be finished this weekend. The air cleaners are mounted, and made up some intake ducting to connect them to the turbo inlet. I still might rig up some kind of steering box and shaft, or not. We'll see. The Revell fuel tanks were cut down and painted. I applied foil to the steps, straps, and fuel caps. I also peeled away the lower side door stripes- I wanted it to look like the factory stripes had been peeled away, and an owner had added their logos in their place. The Bloomfield decals came from an AMT Ford C600 stake truck.

A little while back, I built my first Peterbilt. I figured I’d need to build a Paccar companion for it at some point. So... here goes. The model is a hodge-podge of several kit manufacturers parts- the chassis is the Revell snap kit, the cab and interior are AMT. The Cummins NTC-475 came from an old Revell Pete, and an AMT Diamond Reo donated the Gunnite rear wheels. The Ertl Transtar coughed up the front wheels and all 10 tires. Better wheels and tires improve these snap kits pretty greatly. The wet tank came from the MPC Gravel Trailer. Might be an Italeri part or two on there by the time it’s all said and done. I cut out the part of the frame with the sleeper floor molded to it, and added some length back with plastic strip and a couple of spare frame rail sections from the parts box. Paint will be Chrysler Intense Blue Pearl, and I may use the snap kit's factory white stripe pattern. Here's a mockup of the tractor, with the AMT cab in place. I did have to trim the molded cab floor on the Revell kit to fit the cab, but it will sit on there. The Revell hood lines up fairly well with the AMT cowl. I'm also planning to use the straight bumper from the AMT kit. This is the painted chassis- eventually the entire mess will get some weathering here and there. Note that the cab is not level in this pic- I may add some shims because there's just enough room for "up and down" movement of the cab that it might cause problems later. I'm still not sure if I'll use the snap kit's side steps or go with the AMT step/battery box on the driver's side and a single fuel tank on the passenger's side. The Cummins fit into the KW chassis like a glove- I did need to glue an L-shaped strip of plastic to the existing front crossmember so the front of the engine would have something to sit on, but it fit great. I didn't even need to mess with the kit exhaust piping too much to get it to line up.

A few more things to show, weather permitting I should be able to take some pics of the finished product this weekend. I added some small number boards to go underneath the Mercury sleeper. Some guys would add these to have a place to put their permit stickers and such, and to fill in the open air under the sleeper. The AITM tool box was installed underneath. Again, it's there to fill in the open air on the passenger's side of the Transtar. Also, I think it looks cool. I used both plate frames at either end of the bumper. I added a shim to push the bumper out forward, and beveled the top edge to clear the grille. These things were done so that the hood could tilt further open without fouling out on the bumper. This looks better to me than the other solution, which would be to mount the bumper a bit lower on the frame horns.

First off... sorry for the poor quality of these pics. The overhead light fixture in the hobby room crapped out, so all I have to light the work area is my halogen drafting lamp! Anyway, this is something I've been messing around with for a couple of months now. Looks like a basic buildup of the old Ertl kit. Okay, so I added some Moebius wheels and tires. Wait... is that a rear air suspension? That doesn't really look like a Transtar chassis. Well, there's a simple explanation. It isn't. This Transtar will sit on a shortened Moebius LoneStar chassis. It's kind of a "resto-mod" theme- classic vehicle with modern underpinnings. You can have the look of a cool old Transtar, but you'd be able to use it every day, because you could still get parts and service at any International garage, because all the "dirty bits" are 2011 LoneStar. Which will be a nice thing to have when that Maxforce engine gives you trouble... and it probably will. But hey- at least they'll have stuff for that in stock! I doubt the same would be true for the original V800. Here's a mockup... The plan as of now is to go with a plated Mercury sleeper- this non-plated one is just there to see how everything will fit. I don't know if I'll use the LoneStar quarter fenders or go with the ones from the Transtar at this point. The idea is for the tractor to look like a nicely restored and lightly accessorized unit, until you take a closer look or crack open the hood and see the newer drivetrain and chassis components.

Inching closer to the finish line. The engine bay is pretty well dialed in. I modified the Transtar air cleaner assembly to fit around the engine and radiator. I also used the Transtar kit's oil filter. Both it and the side cover of the air cleaner housing were left chromed. The grille and hood are installed for keeps- on this kit you cannot install the grille until after the hood is on the chassis. I also cut away the thick molded front mud flaps and replaced them with some new ones cut from .020" styrene sheet. I've since painted the roof light lenses and added the mirrors. I still need to gather up a few doodads here and there, but this one might be finished here pretty shortly.

Maybe. Might be a while.

No photo, and maybe it's just me, but I've never had good luck with the windshields in these Ertl IH conventional kits. The angle of the "v" in the glass is too shallow to match the inside of the cab. Laid inside the cab, the center of the windshield doesn't even come close to touching the divider. So, I cut the windshield vertically down the center and installed the two sides as separate pieces, just like on the real deal. Fits much better now! I think for the next one I build I'll go with .010" clear styrene instead of the kit "glass".

Nicest Astro I've seen in a long time. Any more pics?

Threw some paint on it and got it decaled. I also took the liberty of making myself the driver, courtesy of the Chuck decal from the AMT White Road Boss. Still a way to go, but inching ever closer.

Did some work on the interior, the cab and hood are now in primer. And my decals from Modeltruckin.com showed up... this style in red.