Just insane
Keep it coming

Congratulations, this is a fantastic job

Thanks everyone for the positive comments! I'm learning the hard way how to re-make several parts, but had a great few weeks building !!

The rear end has TONS of subtle details..boxes, hydraulic tow bar , and thanks to a chat w/ mother..that area is finishing up..






The center hub is .040" triangles ,w a slice of .060" in the center , then sanded into profile. The entire tow bar attaches here. Now for the fun part !! Right on top of that piece, there's a "tow ball" holding up a tube. I chucked plastic rod in the motor tool, and sanded it into a ball !!! The idea also came from the vast skills from mother..




After my eyes uncrossed..I worked out the rear winch openings. The area was a section of rectangle tube, plastic rods, and covered w/ sheet. There's also a few hex bolts, and the tops of the rollers poking out from the boxes.




Then..just a test fit to check fit and finish



Jeff

There's more !!!! While the tow bar dried, work started on the gaping holes along the frame sides. The area has a couple boxes..noticing a pattern? Also a pair of outriggers, and a manifold for the crane. A quick test fit
to check everything still looks ok, and play around w/ the crane. I even made the sounds !! lol


I need to remake the oil tank..its a wee bit oversize ! The day was spent building the outrigger legs, detailed w/ hex bolts, and another ball, yep made the same way as before !



That's it for now...

jeff

For the raised letters Plastruct makes a letter and number set in various sizes. I ordered mine from here:
http://www.kitkraft.biz/home.php?cat=378

Thanks Ken !! I was checking out a set from Archer for hull numbers, but these look really good! The letters are about 3 MM for my crane! Is their shipping pretty quick ?

appreciate the help!

Shipping is quick. Good customer service.

sorry guys..I suffered a bit of builder's burnout. The temps in the workroom were making the building almost annoying. Finally a break in the weather, and the build progress went quick!!

The bed of MK 36 showed a piece of equipment , use unknown, so I grabbed some tubing and plastic . I'm going to add Tamiya tape around it for the belts, and its done..




The bed showing the thingy, mechanics tool box bracket, and the right side of the photo is a covered area for the hydraulic hoses.



Now, let's take a walk around the back. The spade was built from .030" sheet, scribed lightly, then carefully bent . This went very quick after practicing on card stock before hand!! Look close and you'll also see the rear light bar under the tow pintle!!



The mudflap brackets are .010" sheet, scored, and bent for a smooth fold. I tried on scrap brass, but cutting it was problematic . The holes are for the NATO tail light.

This section is supposed to be 2 hose reels for air tools, the rollers were .020" rod. Eventually I'll add the hose ends.





Thanks for looking!

Jeff

I saved the best for last ! Here are a few pics of the tow bar progress, the "t" actually "teeters" on the lower section, and the plates were fashioned from '020" scrap. I guess they are used to secure different equipment, giving the multiple holes..








and the fun part.. the test fit pic !!



Any questions or feedback welcome!

Jeff

Wow! really great job so far!
I really respect scratch builds on this level. cant imagine to figure all that stuff out by myself!

keep it coming!

Thanks Boris ! The scratch building is soo much more fun than gluing together OOB kits. The biggest hurdle is locating clear pictures , something that's proven difficult on this build!

Jeff

After a long break from the project, I resumed the build! One area troubling me has been the ballistic glass used on the CPK kit. I framed the window in channel, then plan to slip cd case plastic into the groove.

Also, found a useful thread for making the hydraulic hose. Joe S mentioned an elastic thread ...works perfect!

Pics to come! stay tuned

Excellent build.

Build threads like this make a website great. Thanks for taking the pics that walk us through the process, I'm at the point now where I prefer to see acres of white styrene sheet over a beautifully painted model.

A link please

Sorry I've been away for so long...summer isn't a big building season! I snuck away to try the automotive side of things.

Here's a pic of the package for the elastic thread I'm using for hydraulic hose



Mongo13- Thanks for the info for the plastic lettering, they were perfect for the crane!!!

I'm finishing up a 1950 Chevy COE custom , then its time to finish this build!!!

Thanks again for the comments,

Jeff

Where to buy ?

I purchased it at ac moore....but sure any craft place like Hobby Lobby should have it. Look around the isle for making bead jewelry. There were several sizes to choose from ...I just guessed

HTH
Jeff

I finally got a little bench time to continue the build..sorry it's taken so long!

The last major component of this truck build is the armored cab. This truck appears to have layered panels around the cab, a large covering on the roof, and the windshield surround. A very intimidating vehicle!!

The cab armor was multiple layers of plastic sheet , varying thickness' . I found a small hole punch at the craft store to recreate the "washers" seen between the panels. Finally the "bolts" were hex rod .

The armored side window armor is just plastic channel, then CD case cover for thick glass.I plan to coat the glass w/ Alclad Armored Glass for the ballistic green tint!

enough chat...have a look !!!








more coming soon!

The armored cab looks really good. Great job on it.

Well Done!

Cheers Rob.

That's pretty impressive work!

Thanks everyone! The project is nearing the end now

Wow. Your scratch-building skills are fantastic! Why the elastic thread for air hoses? Is it a texture thing or flexibility to allow things to move?