Kenworth SAR

Bozzer
I'll stick around for this, if that's ok? Keen to pick up some ideas and tips.

David Wolff kirjailija
Let me know what tips you're looking for - happy to help.

Bozzer
Well I've got a few resin transkits now, so I'm interested in how you modify everything to fit, and obviously the prep work that's needed to be done, before you hit the paint booth? I'm aware that resin doesn't like certain substances, so what are you going to use?

David Wolff kirjailija
It's mostly a lot of test fitting. I was able to get drawings of the original including dimensions which helped. I made the mistake of accepting the trans kit instructions for some of the build steps and discovered that the front axle was 2.4mm too far forward. This was why I ended up scratch building the front springs. I use a lot of reference material (mostly from the internet) and draw to scale any parts I need to make. To take measurements I use a selection of steel rulers, compass and a micrometer as well as Tamiya tape for curved sections. I'll try and include some examples. I always wash the resin in warm soapy water and air dry. To paint I use Mr Surfacer as a primer - this helps show up any imperfections or bubbles in the resin and is also a filler. Larger holes I use either cyanoacrylate and accelerant, sanding straight away as it is much harder than the resin when fully cured. I also use Green Stuff and Mr White Putty. As the Mr Surfacer is a filler as well it dries quite evenly and only needs a light rub over with 2000 grade wet and dry sandpaper. I usually use Zero Paints over the primer as although they smell they airbrush well and are rapid drying.

Bozzer
Excellent information! I look forward to seeing this come together! I have a Mack F type, Diamond T, Mack R 700 and a few others, that escape my memory. I'll try not to chip in, and give everyone else a chance to comment. Thanks again buddy 👍

Bozzer
Looking smart mate! 🙂

Bozzer
That amount of attention to detail, is amazing, David. It's also nice to see your scale drawings. I've done several myself, in the past! I find it helps, to get a picture of the actual part, and make any modifications, before you build it? You actually got me to think about costs, when building a model. If you took a normal Italeri kit, at roughly £80, then started adding the additional features and parts, you can easily put a top price of £200 and up, depending on how much you want to add? And that's before paint! I've just painted my 1/14 Grand Hauler and the paint alone, with clear coat, has taken me upto nearly £200. But, it's better than blowing it down the pan, in the local boozer, and you have something to show, for your hard work.

Goldman
I admire your tidiness David. I keep everything in my head which mean a lot of unnecessary work fixing build sequence errors or fiddling with parts until they fit but I this is how I roll.
Good to see you back Bozzer. I started to get a little worried not seeing any comment from you for over a week.
Actually, I think scale truck modelling (at least in its basic form) is one of the cheapest hobby around per hour of (mostly) enjoyment. Of course, you need some initial investment in airbrush, compressor, spray booth etc. but most of these stuff should last for years. You can get an Italeri kit for around 50-60 EUR, and a jar of paint and some other sundries for about 20-30 EUR. I need about 40 hours to build a model so it come out to about 2 EUR per hobby hour - not bad. Unfortunately, if you get tired of Italeri standard top-of-the-line 4x2 tractor unit and want to modify it a little things starting to get a little crazy - for example most of KFS (beautifully made) suspension conversions are 50-60EUR each (before postage) - more than the cost of the kit itself. Maybe 3D printing will help reduce the cost of these add-ons. BTW, is there a way to have general discussing in Scalemates instead of hi-jacking someone album?

David Wolff kirjailija
Thanks Bozzer and Goldman for your comments. You're both right, the kit itself is (relatively) cheap and can be made into a reasonable replica with some time and effort. As this is my first truck model I've also kept a spreadsheet with costs to track my spend on this project and am over £1500 so far, including paint and materials. Admittedly this is quite high, but I've also got spare parts now that will be used on other builds so reduces costs for subsequent truck models. It doesn't help that some of the parts (like the power steering fluid reservoir) are only available as part of another update kit (GP Modelling Detroit Diesel 60) and have been bought for just one part. It would be great if aftermarket suppliers would sell individual items to prevent this happening.