What a fussy kit! Loads of things don't fit, the instructions are vague and poorly drawn, and I could go on. I'll skip most of it and just mention the most frustrating problem, which was the front wheels. With a 7/64" hole, they are supposed to fit over a 5/64" axle shaft. This required making a pair of sleeves from styrene rod and drilling the wheels out to 1/8".
The doors fit reasonably well, which is good because this is a traditional problem with this kit. The cab hinges operate well, although the cab is clearly a bit crooked, due to the hinge mounting blocks not fitting quite the same on both sides.
The engine was pretty low on detail, but the big gearbox looks fine. The steep driveshaft angle is due to the short wheelbase and one has to wonder about universal joint life in the real world.
Anyway it's done. It's an interesting shape and will sit nicely on the shelf with the Freightliner. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that the license plates, which came from my boneyard, are Minnesota 1960, which is not possible given it's a 1969 model, but what the heck. Next will be to decide on a trailer; the Little Red Wagon trailer is ugly but I might hijack it if I can find a copy of the Italeri 20' shipping container at a reasonable price. Decals for a haulage company would then be needed.
The completion ratio has now moved from 32.1% to 32.6%. Among the trucks on the bench in various stages of progress are the Ford LN 8000 where I am trying to find a mid-50s Ford COE cab, a Freightliner chassis with an Allison V12 in it, and a Mitsubishi Fuso tractor that goes with the car carrier I finished some number of years ago. Loads of other stuff, too. Stay tuned!
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