Cornbinder

Dave recently re-released the AT64F, so there goes 80 bucks. I have the notion to do that one up as a wrecker.

Today's update... The chassis for the Raider is now "powered", I stuck with the kit engine and trans. I did use some chrome rocker covers just to jazz things up a tad. I also paid a little attention to the GATR truck. A roll bar was made from round rod, and the fuel tank was moved behind the cab. The fifth wheel was solid-mounted to the frame. I couldn't find the spacers for the front spindles, but I had some backing plates and drums from a WF DD, so I used those. I also made a stand pipe from aluminum tubing- straps and hardware will come later.

I might go with a similar stripe pattern to the white one on this. I'm not going to do the "fadeaway rainbow" things you see on Raiders quite frequently- they just ruin the look of the truck for me. Might just go with solid blue, too.

I'm hoping to get one. May need to reinforce the trailer to support it, but that's all part of the fun.

Got this e-mail earlier today... Good afternoon all, This is a general e mail to all customers with a KFS Michigan L190 kit on reserve & is to let you know that production casting has just begun. The kits are expected to start becoming available at the end of June with production of the entire run completed by the end of July. As the kits become available all reserved customers will be contacted in numbered order, by e mail, to arrange payment. The kit is priced @ £195.00 for UK & EU countries including vat & £162.50 ex-vat for export outside the EU (Australia, NZ, Canada, USA, Norway, switzerland etc) Shipping will be Signed For or Tracked Air in all cases. Shipping costs will be notified once the first phase of production is complete & the kit can be weighed & priced accurately. The usual credit card or PayPal fees will apply. There is no need to reply to this e mail unless you wish to CANCEL your reservation or have ANY QUERIES about your kit reservation or the kit itself. Best regards & thanks......Howard @ KFS Kit Form Services, 7 Horbling Lane, Stickney, Boston, Lincs, PE22-8DG, England. Tel / Fax 01205 480766 (UK) 011 44 1205 480766 or 0044 1205 480766 (Overseas) kfs1@btinternet.com

Did a little work on the Raider hood. More specifically, the grille. This older casting had the insert and surround done as one piece. As I understand, the castings you get from AITM now have the surround molded to the hood, and the insert is separate. That's a better way to do it anyway- on the 1:1 Raider, the insert is fixed to the radiator supports and stays upright, while the surround tilts with the hood. In any case, the casting of this one was rough- air pockets inside the grille bars had caused many of them to break off and disappear. So I carefully cut the insert from the surround. After that was done, the surround was glued onto the hood, and I did a little sanding to blend it all in. The insert will be replaced with a new one made from plastic strip. That done, I turned my attention to the nameplate. It had an incorrect curve to it (likely a warp), and the logo is a little distorted. So the resin nameplate was cut free. Then, the nameplate from the kit grille was removed. A little trim and fit, and I had this... DISCLAIMER- Please note that I'm working with a casting from the early to mid '80's here. The products AITM casts now are of much improved quality. Don't base your opinion of their entire product line by this particular 30-year-old casting! Modern AITM stuff is top-shelf stuff.

All I will say for now is... keep an eye on the Model Truck Showroom section.

Agreed- and that is indeed the eventual plan for the Raider. The Road Boss is going to end up with a lowboy as well- I might scratch or kitbash a detachable neck unit for that one. I'm thinking the 4300 will end up with an old Fruehauf van.

Couldn't resist hooking it up to a few other tractors sitting around.

Could have been a lot worse. It's still at the shop, but if it were still at my place it would mean I'd be attempting the repair in this muggy, rainy weather.

In the home stretch now! The "teardrop" theme established by the '37 Ford headlights is carried by the twin sets of '39 Ford taillights. An Ertl Transtar Eagle coughed up the license plate bracket, while the decal came from a Revell Chevy SSR. \ A set of '32 Ford door handles were installed, replacing the factory "slam lock" type latches. I have no idea what's going on in the pic- the paint isn't that wavy looking in person! Macro setting, perhaps. Still figuring out this fancy-pants Kodak.

Couldn't resist an outdoor shot of the KW in "drivable" form. That's how I refer to a model when it has all the major components in place which, if it were a 1:1 vehicle, you'd be able to jump in and go. Still needs a little work.

And now... I had a built Italeri Cummins, so I used that. Since the hood barely opens (despite opening far enough during test fits... there won't be any full underhood detail on this. Probably for the best anyway. The wheels have also been settled upon- AMT LaFrance five-hole steel discs, I kept the Moebius tires, which fit the AMT wheels pretty well. The exhaust is also finished, but it's a single-outlet weedburner with the modified T600 muffler, so no need to eat up bandwidth with that!

Seat was robbed from a '57 Chevy... cobblestone upholstery pattern and all. The kit steering wheel was used. Though it's too old-style for a T600, for this Retro-Riffic Edition, it's just the ticket.

Welp, cab, hood, and chassis are cleared. The cab has also sprouted a visor- the kit piece done in BMF. The interior is most of the way finished, I just need to find an appropriate seat. I'd like to run an old-school type bench seat, I'm just poking around in the spares pile to see if I have something that "works".

I just bought a new camera in January and I still haven't figured out it's sweet spot yet. I had my old Canon Powershot for almost seven years, so I'm pretty much in a position where I need to relearn everything. The Kodak is about ten times the camera the Canon was, and I've maybe used 5% of it's capability.

Looks WAY better in person, though- in these pics it shows up way too light or way too dark. Once it's done I'll have to take the pics on a bright but slightly overcast day.

Holy momentum, Batman! I've made more progress on this thing in the last two days than in the last two years! The front end design is locked in. Two small bumperettes flank the fog lamps- they add a little flair and cover up a blemish on the driver's side of the bumper. A little BMF and a black wash to the grille and I think it looks presentable enough. Just had to see how she'd look mocked up. It's a good feeling to have the KW at this point after nearly a half decade of rattling around in the box!

Clipping right along now! Last night, I finally came up with a plan for the front bumper. Many '30's and '40's Kenworths seemed to have two round orange fog lamps on the front bumper. Borrowing from that, I cut two holes in the bumper to make way for such an arrangement just beneath the grille. Speaking of the grille, I cut a piece from the same sheet of grooved styrene I used to make the grille in my 359, and I also added a small trim strip around the opening. The chassis, in basic gloss black, is pretty much dialed in. I also threw some paint at it... Ford Cayman Green Pearl, by way of Plastikote. It's a shade or two darker in person than it shows up in the pic.

I'll keep attempting to kick out the jams.

Work continues! The fenders were modified to give them an "old-school" kind of look, and to eliminate the huge gap between the fender lip and the tops of the tires. I also built up the kit bumper to a deep-draw bumper. I see 1:1 Pete's with fenders like these, but the bumper just has straight edges, and I just think it looks weird. I prefer the bumpers which continue the arc of the wheel opening, so that's what I did with mine. And now a quick mockup of the modified (but still unfinished) fenders and bumper with the grille in place, just to see where I stand.

A little work done tonight. A rear plate was made for the frame and blended in. This will eventually play host to the taillights, plate, and trailer lines. I also lowered the rear to match the front by removing about 1/3 off the top of each air spring. The center supports have since been installed. Not wanting to go with the stock intake scoop on the passenger's side only, not liking the look of external air cleaners on a T600, and considering the fact that none of the '30s-era KWs I'm using for inspiration used external air cleaners, I decided to keep an underhood setup, but add some louvres to each side of the hood. These were made from Plastruct N Gauge stairs, cut into short sections and stacked three deep. some trim may be used here- as always, we'll see where the project takes me.

Yeah, that Frame-Stretcher Apparatus ™ can wreak some serious havoc on molded details. I think I'll eventually end up with all of Gary's stuff at some point, so at the very least I can chronicle all of it online. Not really much progress, other than robbing a vestigial 359 cab mount included in the 352 Pacemaker kit for use in this 359. It may be hidden under a deck plate by the time it's all said and one, but oh well, at least I'll know it's there.

Welcome aboard! I'm American, but I work for a French company that makes parts for US built trucks.