Toddlea´s free model contest #6 - Peterbilt 359 Wrecker, FDS, 1:100

[Heiner]

So, here we go again - another minimodel, charming, inviting, and free to fetch at minimodel.sk-site.
So far, I can provide only the title, but will do some tries (and errors...) with some extra materials, that I am waiting for. It´s time to make this chrome shine in scale...

[Vermin_King]

That is such a beautiful truck to begin with. I am sure you will do it proud

[Heiner]

As I hope for a prolongation of this contest, I pretend not to be in a hurry and continue to build, slowly as ever.
Although I don´t expect it to be visible later on, I wanted to build the frame not just in boxstyle but in "real" 3-d - just for practice, so to speak, there are still lots of other trucks on minimodel.sk. The result is stiffer, than I expected, but the cardboard I used is still rather lightweight and wobbly, so I feel tempted to repeat it with a thicker sort (160 gr/sqm) for better perseverance (after NASA tought me that term, I just had to use it for once). Same thing with the rear suspension. I tried to insert a thin steelrod into the horizontal strut and failed, so now I´m going to glue it in place right before cutting out the part from a fresh, heavier printout.
Now I´m hoping for the weekend to give me a few hours to build.

[Heiner]

What would an American truck be without extensive chrome? Just another lorry... and the classic ones, like this Peterbilt 359, carry a lot of it around. I started some trials with aluminium foil from our kitchen drawer and find them promising enough do be continued. Parts are glued with the printed side up to the matted side of the foil and, with the glue still fresh, turned around to be polished from the faceside with a piece of soft cloth. I cut mine from an old t-shirt - You will find, that the shiny side scratches easily. The polishing flattens the fresh glue, so that there are no drops underneath the surface. As nettig behind the grille I used some mesh from our antstore, where You find them in different sizes and materials, e.g. expanded aluminiums - highly recommended! This shop sadly delivers only in the EG, but once You know what to search, You will find alternatives in many places.

[Heiner]

Today the first 2 wheels got ready - 8 more to go. I had fears about the foil, that it might part from the paper, when rolling it, but these were unnecessary - You just have to give the stuff the time to really dry out. The holes in the rim are just punched through from behind with simple steel pins, the nuts at the brake drum are just scored. The crossed section from the tire, that has to be cut out, is highly welcomed on the other side as distance disc to keep the double wheels a little bit apart.

[DriveWRX]

Great stuff, Heiner! Love it so far.
Subscribed.

[papermate]

Have you changed the colour of the frame from originally black to now red?

[Heiner]

@DriveWRX: Thank You very much!
@papermate: Yes, I did. I had to remove the colour to see, where to cut out the fields in the frame and, being done, found, that I liked the body paint better. You will find light, dark and very dark grey on them, too, as well as smudge and tar, so probably every colour will be right, that You like.
I just like playing around with InkScape, so I some profile to the tyres, as well and lightened up the interiors of the cabin - but that will come later on.

About the wheels: well, 9 more to go, this outer one is wrong (actually, the inner one as well, but the size there provides stability and You won´t see it anyway, so it will remain that way)! What I took to be the brake belongs to the bottom of the rim and a much smaller cylinder sticks out in the middle, between the nuts. Actually this is good news, as I was a bit disappointed, that not much of the structure of the wheels could be seen.

[Heiner]

Now - that´s better...

[LuPa]

The mesh is a great idea, superb