Monday, May 16, 2011
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On the workbench and recently finished
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MATERIALS
I'm often asked where I buy kits and supplies from.? I use many sources ranging from hobby shops (Trains and Things in Traverse City, Michigan, Soapy and Sons in Marquette, Michigan, N.E.W.Hobby in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Hobby Horse in Madison, Wisconsin and about any hobby shop I find in my travels.).? I use Hobby Horse for BSI CA glues and supplies as they are the mail-order store for BSI glues. www.hobbyhorse.com.? For resin, I buy from just about everybody, AITM, Spauldings, KFS, Auslowe, Illini, P&P, Plaskit, GW Trucks, Klaus Clever, Mo'Luminum etc,.?? I try to buy something from everyone.? At times I forget to give credit to the source - this isn't a snub, just a slip of the memory.? I buy new kits where ever I find a good deal.? Stores, eBay, on-line sellers, etc.? Evergreen and Plastruct plastic sheets and shapes are purchased where ever I find them? N.E.W. Hobby usually has a good selection of large sheets.?? I joke that if I leave a hobby shop without spending $100.00 I've done something wrong.
I'm always on the lookout for something new - and love the learn new tricks from other modelers. ~ Tim
Workbench photos from 2010 - click here
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Moebius Models International LoneStar
LoneStar on YouTube
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The LoneStar build - click here.
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388 Michigan Tanker Tractor
The inspiration as seen in July of 2008 (note the price of gas! Gasp.. we're getting close to that again)
I started this '08 Peterbilt 388 after seeing a then brand new 388 for Autore Oil Company of Cedarville, Michigan.? I scratchbuilt the hood and daycab panel in July of '08 then ran out of steam on the project when I couldn't get the intricate scroll work pinstripe decals and logos made.?? I assembled the frame and polished the paint recently.? I will attempt my own pin stripes using Kit Form Services www.kitformservices.com pin stripe decals.???
? ? The red 388 was painted in July of '08 and foiled on 11/18/10. Chassis built 11/21/10
Using Kit Form Services scroll and pin stripe decal sheets I attempted the pin stripes.? 3/26/11
Battery box, DPF cover and tool cabinet fabricated.? 3/27/11
Autore Oil Lettering applied.? Special thanks to Charlie Rowley.? 4/8/11
Cab temporarily on the frame. 5/16/11
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North to Alaska - 70's style
352H resin cab painted in '04 - badly warped while in storage - now hopefully saved after heating and cooling the cab and manipulating it back to shape. I also polished and waxed the clear coat.?? This will be an Alaskan Hauler 352H.? 4/29/11
Tom Stephen Photo from www.HanksTruckPictures.com
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Big Pete Hook
Inspired by a '76 Peterbilt 359SBFA wrecker in Marquette, Michigan.? Mine will be quite different.
Yellow separator stripe added. 4/18/11
The Big Hook is as finished as she'll be until I can decide on a company name.? 5/3/11
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Sugar Cane Tractor
This project was started in 2003.? I modified an AMT Peterbilt 359 cab into the Severe Service cab, scratchbuilt the 381/383 long hood, grille/radiator, fenders and cage in '03, painted the cab in '04 and put it back into the box.?? On 4/1/11 I brought this long-dormant project back out and assembled the frame, running gear and other components.
The cab and interior are AMT Pete 359.? The hood, grille, bumper, fenders are scratchbuilt.? The chassis is Evergreen channel for the rails and the kit cross members.? The rear suspension is from a built-up Autocar dump truck (thank's Bob Spear).? The tires and wheels are old RNK resin items.? A little more weathering to the tires and chassis and it will be ready for some outdoor photos.??
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LNG Powered 367
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2/17/11 started
The paint - Duplicolor primers for body flaws, Zinzer/BIN sealer to seal the bodywork and resin, Duplicolor white primer, multiple coats of Krylon "School Bus Yellow."
Frame in white primer/sealer?? The frame looks like it would take a big sleeper COE cab at this point.
3/8/11 - interior paint work? Interior work 3/9/11
3/10/11 7am 3/10/11 7pm? 3/11/11 7am
3/13/11 mid-day progress.? I had to literally carve into the paint on the roof to allow the roof fairing to sit properly - when I made the fairing I didn't take into consideration the thickness of primers and multiple layers of paints.?
I added a couple of little engine bits, nothing special, just a couple of hoses.
My slightly modified "Red Engine". 3/14/11 3/17/11
I took a 3 day break to do some painting - kitchen, bathroom and laundry room.
Ready for the aero treatment.? 3/22/11
Corrections and a few parts added 3/23/11
? 4/6/11 Could it be finished? Still needs mudflap hangers.
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389 Tri-Drive Dumper?
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I got the idea for this from the sleeper cab equipped tri-drive dump trucks seen in western Canada.? Photographs on www.hankstruckpictures.com serve as the inspiration. (photo borrowed by Hank's Truck Forum)
Polishing and decal stripes on the white 389? 11/15/10 Decals from www.modeltruckin.com
Bare Metal Foil applied.? 11/17/10 Chassis built 11/20/10
Three frames painted black and ready for assembly.? 11/22/10
1/31/11 progress.? Tires and wheels on.? DPF scratchbuilt.
Almost finished.? 2/11/11 Still needs the tarp, tow pins and company names.
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Dashing!
Making a new style Peterbilt dash? 3/5/11?
Generic bits and pieces for dials and switches.? 3/6/11
My rendition of Platinum style door panels. 3/7/11
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378 Yellow Hauler
? The inspiration - a photo from Hank's Truck Pictures.?
?? This will be a 378 Heavy Haul tractor.? The real truck is an oddity.? Yellow cab, hood and sleeper with yellow painted wheels - except for the lift axle which is a polished wheel.? The battery and tool boxes are painted black like the chassis, yet the fuel tanks are nicely polished with 4 straps.? No visor.? Small bumper.??
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1/7/11 progress. 1/8/11 bumper.
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I don't like the stock look of the headlamps so I black out the recessed ring on the lamp pod and apply Bare Metal Foil around the lens and the back side of the lens.? The black adds a bit of depth and the BMF seems to provide a better reflection than the stock clear lens.? 1/12/11
I used a Sharpie black marker to highlight the rubber grommet base for the roof lights.? 1/12/11
The real truck as aero-shields instead of traditional muffler heat shields.? I made mine from K&S flat aluminum bent around the kit muffler.? I punched holes in the metal for mounting the grab handles.? The shields are wrapped in chrome vinyl for a stainless look.? Aluminum tube is substituted for the kit mufflers.? This is my first attempt at the shields using aluminum.? I have tried plastic without good results. 1/11/11
Aeroshields made from plastic in '07.
I used pics of mirrors that Kurt McLucas made for inspiration for mine.
Mirror arms and braces installed.? 1/13/11? ?
I swear the nameplate decal drooped while setting up.? Hmmmm. 1/14/11 ?
I need to touch up the yellow on several huck rivets and a few other spots.? 1/15/11
In the photos below I've added the roof beacons using AMT amber beacons with aluminum bases. The sun came out too, so I was able to take some natural light pics.? Unfortunately the tempurature was 19f - if you look at the bug screen in the grille on the 'decked' pics the screen was bowed in - I could hear it ticking from the cold.? Once I brought the model back indoors the grille resumed its shape again.? 1/16/11?
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Aero Muffler Shields
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Many Peterbilts are fitted with polished "aero" muffler shields instead of the slotted muffler shields.?I've avoided the aero shields as my earlier attempts with plastic didn't look right.? I decided to try using aluminum.?? I made mine from K&S flat aluminum (part# 255 .016 thicknewss) bent around the kit muffler.? I punched holes in the metal for mounting the grab handles.? The shields are wrapped in chrome vinyl for a stainless look.? Aluminum tube is substituted for the kit mufflers.?? 1/11/11
Aero shields made from plastic in '07 . Shields made from aluminum covered with chrome vinyl '11.
After liking how the aero shields on the yellow 378 turned out, I decided to spend some time cutting and bending a dozen or so of them for future builds.
Click on the thumbnail for how I made the shields.??? With all of these made I won't have to remember how I did it when it comes time to build the future projects.
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377* DayCab tractor
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I started this little daycab in mid 2004 and painted it in September of '04 then put it back in the box.? I pulled it back out and assembled the frame and polished the paint today.? 11/21/10 (6 years!).
Red vinyl interior.? 1/4/11 progress - interior in and cab on.
Comparing a 377 SFFA with a 384 and a 385.? All built from the Italeri or Revell of Germany Peterbilt 377A/E kit with modifications.
* Is it a 377 SFFA or a 375?? If a 377 then my hood is too short.? If a 375, then my hood is too long and the bumper tapers back to much.? I know one thing - it is a 1994-ish three-seventy-something.
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1969-70 Peterbilt 359
?The inspiration - as seen on page 101 of Ron Adams Peterbilt-1939-1979 book.? This 359 features dual air cleaners (rare at the time) and a frame mounted luberfiner (like the Revell of Germany 359 kit has).? The AMT T500 kit is pretty close to this.? ? The body is virgin, but the frame, running gear and engine were built and painted bright jade green with red accents.?? 7/11/10 Finished 1/1/11 - the first for 2011.
Polished and JBOT decal stripes added.? 11/16/10 Ready to assemble.? 11/19/10
12/31/10? 1/1/11 1/1/11 finished.
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Curses, foiled again - or tanks a lot
Fuel tanks for Italeri Peterbilts - sliced and diced to make various tank sizes.? 12/29/10
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Autocar Sleeper Tractor
This project has no planned outcome, no real direction.? Just building for the fun of it.? 9/11/10
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Air Cleaner Reduction
Sometimes a Peterbilt needs a smaller painted air cleaner rather than the big "trash can" size air cleaner.? I've tried using the Revell of Germany air cleaners but the mounting straps don't line up with the Italeri 378 cab.? This isn't a Revell error, the design of the mount changed from the 359 to the 379 family.?? To make a smaller air cleaner assemble to the two halves of the kit air cleaner.? Saw off the screen at the top just above the raised lip.?? Saw off the bottom of the canister.? Saw off the lower portion of the canister just below the lower mounting strap.? Now glue the former bottom to the top of the canister.? Take the air cleaner cap and sand off the outer rim/lip.? Mount the former cap to the bottom of the canister.? I used a resin cast air cleaner from P&P resin.?? If you look on my Denton Fire 377 I used this method but applied Bare Metal Foil to the entire air cleaner. 11/26/10
These two Peterbilt 389's were started a couple of years ago, with cab modifications and a 36" sleeper built, then put into their boxes to be finished at a later date.? I knew I had to redo the grille openings, so I decided to do that today, then make a 48" low-roof sleeper for one of them, then two custom visors for both.? I made quite the mess today.? I managed to get paint on both of them too.? The white is Duplicolor Pure White with clear coat and the yellow is Krylon School Bus Yellow.? 7/4/10
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?Trackless 389
? I spotted the real 389 in early spring of '10 in Epoufette, Michigan parked along US-2.? I talked with the driver for a while and after watching this yellow beauty pull out on US-2 I knew I had to build a model of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciWYlHbzuLE
11/15/10 polished and body repair on the yellow 389.
Bare Metal Foil applied.? 11/17/10 Chassis built 11/20/10
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379 Black and Chrome
The inspiration as seen factory-fresh in the fall of 2005.
? The 379-119 hood on this is what I used on my little YouTube How-To on converting the Italeri 378 into a 379 short hood.?http://www.youtube.com/user/Mackinac359#p/u/9/0OCzmkjS5Do and http://www.timstrucks.com/378379.htm? This will be all black - and of a well know flatbed fleet.? Started 7/9/10.
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Early 70's Schneider Transport
The Inspiration from www.hankstruckpictures.com.? This co4070A is a fresh kit, but the cab was crushed and warped.? I repaired the cab as best as I could not wanting to waste this classic cab.?? 7/15/10.
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357 Heavy Haul 6x6
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? Back in mid 2006 I modified the cab and hood and painted them white.? I then put it back in the box and slowly amassed parts for the build.? Wheels and tires from Klaus Clever, front axle from KFS.? The frame is scratchbuilt from Evergreen.?Lots and lots work to go. 11/23/10
11/25/10 - frame painted. Tires on 11/27/10
Fuel tanks, battery box and tool boxes installed.? The fuel tanks are kit tanks with a little over a 1/2 inch removed. The battery/tool boxes are kit items modified to eliminate the box latch and add a raised step and the lower extended step. 11/29/10.
12/2/10 progress. More Plano Model Products grille mesh.
Thanks to Doug Walker for making the Schlumberger logos for me.
? Finished 12/4/10.? The look is as I saw the inspiration in September of 2005.? I did add the Schlumberger logo to the passenger door since the units ready for transport were lettered.
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Stuff I've been tinkering with
Little bits Archer decal rivets
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Hot Fudge and Buckskin
2009 Peterbilt 389
The inspiration??? The model
The Italeri "Long Hauler 378" is the donor kit for this.? The hood, fenders, bumper and cab sides are from Spauldings.? The roof is from P&P? I've found the perfect way to get the roof to fit the cab - I remove the upper "lip" above the windshield and fill in the notched area on the front of the roof with plastic, then sand the of the roof so that the new plastic matches the roof.? For the visor, I trace the shape onto plastic, cut it out, then bend it to shape.? I glue the visor to the roof, then sand the roof and visor as one unit to get the right shapes.? I will cover the visor with Bare Metal Foil once painted.? I open up the backwall of the cab and the front wall of the sleeper to match the wider opening of the roof.? I add strips of Evergreen to build up the back of the cab to simulate the Unibilt walkthrough.? I have the colors on hand now, buckskin for the cab, Hot Fudge for the frame and Brownstone effect for the fenders.? 7/24/10.
The frame is Evergreen strip #382 which matches the height of the Italeri frame rail nicely.? I cut crossmembers from square plastic and cut 48 bits of Evergreen thin strip to make the crossmember top and sides.? Over 100 "bolts and hucks" were made from Evergreen hexrod that I sliced into tiny "bolts."? The wheelbase is 324" giving enough room for the lift axle and extra tool cabinets.? Everything has been painted and now awaits curing.? 7/25/10.
I spent the last hour polishing and waxing the body.? 8/6/10
Body and bumper "chromed." 8/16/10 Foiled Fuel tanks 8/17/10
Headlamps cleaned up, foiled and installed.? I "cheat" with these as I mounted them both to the grille shell and to a small dab of glue to the fender.? This really helps support them and safeguard from breakage - I tend to break things when dusting models at a later date and these big 389 lamps seem to suffer more breakage due to my heavy-handed cleaning.? The fenders were mounted to the hood here.? The cab/hood/sleeper are only resting in place for the photo.? 8/19/10
A day of rain and drizzle allowed for plenty of time at the workbench.? 8/21/10
Here she is looking as she did when she left the factory?
8/22/10
? 9/11/10? Door logos added. 9/24/10
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They can be rebuilt
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I was recently given quite a few old builds and parts trucks from a modeler who built them in the late 70's and early 80s.? The trucks had been in storage for almost 30 years.?? I've been taking them apart and determining what is salvageable. I'm rebuilding some in new configurations, on some I am sourcing new cabs or hoods from my parts boxes to replace damaged or warped parts.?? I'm deciding 'on the fly' as to how to build the models.?? Plenty of kitbashing going on with these. Thanks Denny!
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Autocar axle-forward
Starting out as a green Diamond Reo, I swapped in some left over Autocar A64B parts.? Started 10/23/10? I reworked the Autocar fenders and hood for an axle-forward version.? The bumper is scratchbuilt from plastic strips.? Bare Metal Foil was applied to the horn snow cap, radiator sides and top, cab window posts and windshield center post. 11/11/10
Transtar CO4070
? ? Transtar CO4070A.? I shortened the frame.? It will be all red.? Thanks to Eric at P&P resin for the replacement bumper.? Color is Duplicolor Victory Red over AutomotiveTouchup.com red primer.? Clear is MinWax Polyurethane.? Nice clear but not durable as it will peel off if you mask anything.???? Clear parts were replaced with clear acetate.? Bare Metal Foil applied to the nameplate belt.? All other "aluminum" parts are parted with Duplicolor Bumper Chrome spray paint.? The headlamps, mirrors and wipers are from a Paystar.? The door handles are from a Lindberg Dodge L700.? Started 10/23/10-11/12/10
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I'm going with a 70's long wheelbase Alaska-type tractor.? Started 10/23/10? I stretched the frame, used the bumper from an Alaskan Hauler, scratchbuilt a drom deck using the Alaskan Hauler cab guard that was broken.? Farr dry-type air cleaner came from the Diamond Reo rebuilder and parts box.? Duplicolor Victory Red is the color with a vinyl white stripe.???
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This Cruiseliner is mostly complete and only needed stripping and cleaning.? Started 10/23/10
Chevy Bison - it was blue and it will be again.? For the life of me I can't locate the left forward hub.? Drat. (I found the hub, just the axle pin is missing now)?? Started 10/24/10
I'm rebuilding these just as an exercise in fun.? No plan, no worry about 'the perfect gloss.'? Just fun.? How they turn out is how they turn out and will sit on the shelves.
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Denton, Texas Engine 3 - 1988 Peterbilt 377
I'm way out of my comfort zone on this one..? a 1988-89 Peterbilt 377, that's the easy part.? The apparatus body perplexes me.? The last time I built a fire truck was in 1974... and the one I've chosen to "replicate" is no longer with Denton, Texas as it was auctioned off in '08.? I only have a black and white photo copy and a tiny color photo of a sibling 377 and one found by another modeler to work from.? So far I have about $10 worth of Plastruct and Evergreen used.? The Italeri 377 required little modification to the frame - namely moving the rear axle and filling in the excess mounting holes.?? Started 8/29/10
The real truck - Engine 1 in this photo - photo courtesy of www.youngstownfire.com forum.
I tried a new primer for this, AutomotiveTouchup.com offers a bright red colored primer.? It works great. I applied 2 coats of Duplicolor Victory Red and 2 coats of clear and there isn't a single spot where the red paint pulled from edges, corners, details.?? 9/16/10
Okay, I'm getting a little more comfortable working on Engine 3.? The great info on www.scalefirehouse.com sure helps!? Especially to a fire apparatus virgin like myself. Thanks to Capt. Bryce Tracy of the St.Ignace FD for valuable insight.
Department name and number on the doors. 9/24/10? 9/25/10
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AMT Kenworth K123 COE?
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AMT Kenworth K123 cabover right out of the box.? This was a test-shot for AMT.? No chrome plating came on any of the parts.? Started 9/1/10.
Built out of the box, no add ons, no changes.? I did have to modify the undercab air cleaner piping and the exhaust piping to clear the cab.? Colors are Krylon Allis Chalmers Orange, Krylon tan/biege for the engine. Black for the interior and transmission.? 9/5/10
Here are a couple of other K123 kits I've built over the years..? first is the first model I built when I got back into model building in 1999 then one from 2001 and a group shot including a K123 daycab sitting on a Mama Truck frame.
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Copyright 2011 Tim'sTrucks and Tim Ahlborn
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