CDW

Horns, cab running lights, visor added. Baby moon hub covers on rear hubs.

68 Firebird sits along side for size comparison.

She’s got stacks

1 hour ago, yvesvidal said:

The "super" chrome painting is impressive.

You should do something about the tires, they look too new.

 

Yves

I’ll do something with tire weathering at the end when I’m sure handling of the model is almost finished.

52 minutes ago, gsdpic said:

Looking good.  A few posts ago you said it was "slowly shaping up" but from my vantage point it is moving along pretty quickly.

i still need to drill location holes in the cab to install all the bits. That will take some time. More wreathing in general as well.

turning attention to the exhaust stacks. Remember, this is an old tool kit. As such, many parts need TLC to make them fit. The exhaust stack supports are no exception. Careful fitting to make sure they line up properly with the cab and the exhaust pipe is required. My exhaust stacks had big, ugly dink marks in the pipes rising above the heat shields, plus they were solid plastic, not hollow as they should be. I just cut them off and replaced with plastruct tubing, then painted the tubing with AK Super Chrome. The stacks will get attached later after the glue on the supports sets up well.

A little dry brushing on the chassis before the exhaust stacks go on.

Slowly shaping up

The Freightliner is a very old kit. As such, there are multiple well documented fit issues that I didn’t read about soon enough. One of those issues is the fit of the interior tub inside the cab. It’s one of many but one that seems most difficult to correct without building a new interior from scratch. I’m going to make it work but as such it will be a 10-footer. One of those models that will look okay sitting on the shelf 10 feet away. Nevertheless, I am having fun with it. Some progress photos.

4 hours ago, realworkingsailor said:

You could do a nice dio with the two trucks… and maybe a trailer looking a little worse for wear, being hauled out of the ditch….

(You haven’t happened to see “Highway Through Hell” on TV have you?)

 

Andy

 

3 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

Yes! Some awesome recoveries ! Not to mention wrecks !

I haven't seen Highway Through Hell (AFAIK) but I have watched some awesome recovery vehicle videos on YouTube. Some where there were two of these same type of large wreckers used to recover and haul away big rig wrecks. Those men operating the wreckers are highly skilled at what they do. it must cost a small fortune to have a vehicle recovered like that. Takes hours sometimes.

2 hours ago, Canute said:

Looks like quite the beast, Craig. See these on the Interstates around here. Do you think this wrecker has enough chrome?

The kit has three big chrome trees

I recently acquired this kit. If you attend a swap meet and see one for sale, grab it. Truly outstanding kit. The model is based on a wrecker that operates from my hometown in Tampa, Fl. 

An update on progress. Lots left to do. I need a larger garage. 😀

My Archer rivet decals arrived yesterday and were used to replace the rivets that were obliterated from filling and sanding the gap between the cab and sleeper. For those who have never used them, the decals are water slide variety with resin printed rivets as seen by the black dots.

After all these years, this is the very first time I have ever attempted to build a semi tractor model. This one is a re-released, very old mold of the White-Freightliner. It can be built as an SD model (short cab) or as the DD model (extended cab with sleeper). Mine will be built as the extended cab DD model. The first thing I noticed was the troublesome seam created by attaching the sleeper to the cab. Because there is raised rivet detail, it's going to take some work to smooth out the join area, particularly the top. Will probably need to sand off all the rivet detail then replace it with some Archer decal rivets. I didn't have any of those on hand but placed an order for some that should arrive later this week. I used styrene strip stock to reinforce the joint and help keep it in alignment. The strip stock will create some issues when later fitting the interior tub inside the cab, but that can be overcome with a little work. For the time being, I will work on the engine, transmission and frame assemblies. I plan to follow the box art as my painting guide. This re-release does include a nice decal sheet to recreate the graphics as seen on the box.

1 hour ago, Canute said:

We're mostly internet for train goods. The one brick and mortar store has random hours and isn't much good for smaller scale anything. he does stock Mike's Train House. We do have train shows at the Ag Center near Asheville Airport, but need to wade thru a lot of heavily used stuff to patronize dealers with current equipment. Or all the ready to run. I'm a builder. 

 

I do attend some RPM shows to see new techniques and equipment, but my old traveling companion passed away a month ago. There will be a meet in central NC next year, either in High Point or possibly in the Charlotte area. 

 

Craig, I remember going to Chester Holly's in Tampa in the early 80s. It was a large tin building, with a Cadillac in one area. Loads of kits. Had to get down on the floor to see labels. 😄

It’s been long gone for a number of years. That shop was less than 2 blocks from my old house, not too far from MacDill AFB. It was packed full of model RR things!

3 hours ago, yvesvidal said:

You guys are lucky. The HO layout is fantastic and the G scale outside is pretty neat. Great location to be in an old railroad station.

 

Here in Raleigh, NC there is nothing and all the model railroad clubs have disappeared with one exception. Being the Capital of the state, the city council is more interested by filling up their pockets with the developers and the price of rents has killed all clubs one by one. Being in the "Triangle" with more than 4 millions people, it feels very lonely to be one of the rare people who model in 2 rails O scale and Scale 1. There used to be also a guy with a fantastic outdoor layout on Ten-Ten road, where you could actually ride on the cars. Parents started using his facility as a "watch-my-kids" place, while they went shopping elsewhere. He had to close his layout to the "stupid" public. The other great place (The Red Barn in Wilson) closed a few years ago, after being flooded and their HO layout on the second floor was dismantled.

 

Very sad state of affairs around here.

 

Yves

How long have you lived there, Yves? There is just one hobby shop remaining in Tampa, Fl right now. I don't know of any model railroad shops in Tampa anymore.

9 minutes ago, yvesvidal said:

Craig, we missed you and your beautiful models. Very happy to see you back online.

 

Yves

Thanks Yves. Glad to be back. Life has a way of reminding us that we are not here forever, our days are numbered. I think I have learned to appreciate my allotment of days even more.

58 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Hope your recovering well Craig,  as others have said  - Great seeeing you back.

 

OC.

My wife is constantly reminding me of what am not supposed to do. I feel so good, I get carried away and forget sometimes. 

5 hours ago, DocRob said:

Absolutely beautiful, good to see you back here.

Cheers Rob

7 hours ago, Canute said:

Detailing is superb. Glad to see you back.

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

This is my recently acquired 1:12 MFH Ferrari 315S under construction. The model came to me as you see it here, the modeler decided to part out his MFH collection. For the time being, modeling time has been at the back of the list of important things to do while I recover from surgery and my wife and I take care of our baby great granddaughter during weekdays. Will get back in the swing of things, hopefully soon. Here are some photos of what has been done on her so far.

3 hours ago, gsdpic said:

Craig, any idea about when you might start on this beauty?   I just happened to notice that one of these kits recently sold in the US on ebay for $1525. 

I'm neck deep in 3D resin printing at the moment and haven't contemplated a start date yet.

I often read where modelers will say how expensive these kits are when MFH releases another issue, but then as months go by, the price nearly doubles on the open market. The MFH business model keep their product in short supply and frankly, there is nothing much out there that can match the realism of their kits. My newest acquisition is the 1:12 Ferrari 500F.2, just released in August. 

You did a masterful job on her, Gary. She looks beautiful in red with that black trim.

A truly gorgeous model, Rob. Superb in every way.

Following

2 hours ago, Canute said:

The wire wheels turned out nicely on the Rat Rod and the red paint turned out superb. These resin builds paint up well, as long as they're primed. 

The resin printed bodies need sanding and priming for sure. Being my first print, none of my settings were adjusted, I just ran it as-is which caused issues as well. There is no substitute for trial and error. I am beginning to learn what adjustments to make at a minimum level now and my current prints are turning out much better. Not quite as good as they can or will be with more practice, but better than my first attempts. Here is one that finished printing last night. Just took it off the build plate this morning. 1:24 Ferrari F156 Sharknose. This is about half of the model. The remainder will be printed later today. I keep adjusting my settings as well as trying different resins. All that is necessary to learn the winning combinations.

This about all I intend to do with this model as for me it was a proof of concept model as my first 3D printed model. I slapped on some flat black primer and am calling it a rat rod. Learned a few things along the way but still have lots to learn about this aspect of the hobby. Here are some final photos of the 34 Ford and some teaser shots of other models I have printed as part of this learning process. Included is an Aston Martin DB1 and a 54 Buick Century convertible in 1:24 scale. There are many variables to sort out with 3D printing and I do not know a way to learn except to practice, trial and error. It’s fun so far. It offers the chance for models that will likely never be seen in mass production.

On 6/29/2025 at 10:35 AM, DocRob said:

Looks absolutely supercool, Craig.

Cheers Rob

3 hours ago, Canute said:

3D prints are the wave of the future. Looks very good.👍

Thanks guys. There is a lot to learn on this subject but most of it will be by trial and error. I have learned about another resin type that may be more shatter resistant. The resin I used will shatter if dropped on a hard floor or is flexed too much. Like I said, trial and error.

Don't even think about setting up one of these printers inside your home without a big investment in proper ventilation. It really needs a separate building with ventilation and climate control.