vincen47

Neat truck. I’m not familiar with large scale, but the screws reminded me of the big RC truck kits. I was thinking it could be a custom version of a 1/14 scale RC Tamiya truck (I can only dream of diving into that hobby -$$$$$), but looking at the tires, I could make out “Wedico”. A quick google search yielded a line of 1/16 scale Wedico RC trucks, including the Freightliner you have there.

Excellent! I’ll have to place an order.

This just in…the guys at Round 2 are bringing out a Garwood garbage truck. This was a ghost kit - originally conceived by AMT in the 70’s, but never brought to production. Re-imagined all these years later, this one has a lot of possibilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XIHE9N8egc

That’s a clever method, Casey. I’ll give that one a try next time.

I’m not an expert, I consider myself always learning and improving, but I’ll take a stab at it. Other guys will offer their ideas too. Always more than one way of doing things, and no right or wrong when it comes to hobbies… For alignment of chassis components, some guys have used Lego bricks on a flat Lego sheet to make a cradle to keep things in check. I’ve used a metal plate jig with short 90 degree walls with magnets I got from Micro-Mark, and small 90 degree clamps they offer too. I often don’t really need a jig unless parts are warped. For longer drive shafts for stretched frames, I’ve used K&S aluminum tubing that ends of the original shaft fit snugly into, or extra shafts from the parts box, and added extra carrier bearings as needed. For frame stretching, there are a few ways to do it, depending on what material you have to work with. In each method, it’s best to reinforce the extension with some extra plastic material over top of the joints. if you have spare matching frame rails from another kit, you can cut the rails and insert a section from the donor rails. Usually it’s best to make the splice under the cab or sleeper area, making sure to avoid the cab or sleeper mounts, or mounting holes, so that those parts still attach as they should. Be sure to glue a strip of plastic to the inside of the rail over the joint, and also if possible, over the outside. This creates a sleeve or splice plate that reinforces the joints. You can sand the ends of the outside splice plates smooth, if they will be visible. A lot of guys put a deck plate over the area. This looks nice and it’s great for adding strength. With this, outside splice plates are not needed. I’ve also used sections of generic c-channel frame I purchased from Ryan Mlynek (Rhino’s model truck parts on FB or Ebay) This was a simple way to extend the frame because the older Italeri frames fit inside it, so it automatically made a nice sleeve over top. The blank c-channel frame doesn’t have any detail on it, but that is ok when it’s going to be covered by a sleeper anyway. The Rhino frame sections are the same size as Italeri’s Peterbilt kits, so that works well for those, too. Another thing to look into is a extension kit from Auslowe. The photos belowe show a few of the options. Basically, it’s exactly what I described above, but they take the guesswork out of it. You can choose between a straight cut or 45 degree, and the depth of the frame rail you’re wanting to match. They have a few choices in length too. https://www.auslowe.com.au/shop/category/chassis-rail-extension-kit-/3643 Hope this info helps. Looking forward to seeing your building progress on the forum.

Welcome to the forum!

I’m glad I found this nice review. I’m hoping for a reissue of the Transtar II. Better yet, I’m wishing for the additional unique parts tooling for an upgraded 4070B, using most (but not eliminating the unique parts) of the excellent new tooling of the 4070A.

Any more progress on this one?

Hope you’re having a good time with the build so far.

What an awesome build. It’s another one I missed when it was first posted. A lot of thought went into this getting things right. A 3406 cat swapped in, and it looks like you may have shortened the hood? Might be just the angle of the photo. Either way, what a beauty!

This one is from a while back, but I missed it the first time around. What a beauty. I love the idea of a working show truck, making a living and also providing eye candy for truck lovers on the weekend. I especially like the N14.

That’ll work just fine. A truck waiting for a new purpose, and looking cool at the same time, just like the inspiration photo.

That’ll be one mean machine. With no fifth wheel on the 1:1, I assume it had a body at one time, for off-road use. I’ve seen similar 4x4 trucks with those tires for ag use around here - fertilizer, etc.

That’s a clean, well-maintained truck. It should fetch a good price, and make good money for its next owner. An excellent build. I have to admit, at first glance, I pondered “such a clean truck for him?” But, further inspection revealed truly subtle and realistic weathering perfection.

Yes, most are scratchbuilt. However, I think Keystone may have something close. https://www.kamodelminis.com/ They have a lot of really awesome trailers and loads. You still have to do some scratch building, or at least borrow parts from other kits, but you can create some unique builds.