Post by dean48ws on Nov 18, 2023 14:54:18 GMT -5
I finally got this build across the line. There are a few things I'm not particularly happy with but most of that is down to me and the length of time this build took. The stop /start nature of the build meant I'd lose my train of thought, little ideas I'd have to make things work. That said, the end result looks the part.
I wanted this truck to represent a truck in its second life. Technically speaking, the fuel tanks should be the other way around with the longer ones forward, shorter ones behind. The sleeper, although Mack is not the usual one for this series of truck. Keith used to make bull bars and other accessories in the 1970's, 80's, so I wanted the truck to be a slight mismatch of parts bought together to serve a new purpose. The tank arrangement and odd sleeper indicate a former day cab stretched out for a sleeper and tow body with extra tanks added for interstate trips. A new paint job bought the project together.
The donor kit for this is the Italeri Madam Butterfly kit, basically a Mack Superliner without any Mack badging, for licensing reasons I assume. The bonnet, sleeper, V8 engine and rear suspension are all Auslowe resin products, the tow body is off the Italeri Mercedes Benz tow truck but it has appeared on a lot of different chassis.
The rims and fuel tanks are also Auslowe items. They also supply the P/E grill and badges with the bonnet. The exhausts are from KFS in the U.K. They no longer produce truck gear as far as I know.
I made new hydraulic rams for the boom from plastic tubing to bring the height of the boom down to a more realistic transport position. I used the wire from the back of picture frames as the tow cable, getting the tension right is an issue I need to work on .
The drip rails on the sleeper, hinges and handles on the body are BMF, the decals from the spare decals box.
I wanted this truck to represent a truck in its second life. Technically speaking, the fuel tanks should be the other way around with the longer ones forward, shorter ones behind. The sleeper, although Mack is not the usual one for this series of truck. Keith used to make bull bars and other accessories in the 1970's, 80's, so I wanted the truck to be a slight mismatch of parts bought together to serve a new purpose. The tank arrangement and odd sleeper indicate a former day cab stretched out for a sleeper and tow body with extra tanks added for interstate trips. A new paint job bought the project together.
The donor kit for this is the Italeri Madam Butterfly kit, basically a Mack Superliner without any Mack badging, for licensing reasons I assume. The bonnet, sleeper, V8 engine and rear suspension are all Auslowe resin products, the tow body is off the Italeri Mercedes Benz tow truck but it has appeared on a lot of different chassis.
The rims and fuel tanks are also Auslowe items. They also supply the P/E grill and badges with the bonnet. The exhausts are from KFS in the U.K. They no longer produce truck gear as far as I know.
I made new hydraulic rams for the boom from plastic tubing to bring the height of the boom down to a more realistic transport position. I used the wire from the back of picture frames as the tow cable, getting the tension right is an issue I need to work on .
The drip rails on the sleeper, hinges and handles on the body are BMF, the decals from the spare decals box.
Well, them air conditioner hoses shouldn't be the same size...but other than that it's perfect! 
