1/35 Frankentruck

[Old Wombat]

Looks functional. Looks good. 

[Buzzbomb]

neat as a pin.

Great work

[Claymore]

Stunning! 

[Dr. YoKai]

I don't really think of 'colorful' with builds like this, but it really pops! Still think it needs a couple of massive bolts sticking out of the doors on either side of the cab, but I tend to be a bit too literal sometimes...

[Frank3k]

I tried an experiment on the Kung box, to "pre-distress"  the primer layer. I mixed some rust and black, then thinned it a bit past the ideal amount, so it was very thin without being too runny. I sprayed the whole box and I like the results! Very tempted to leave it like this, but it'll get a layer of paint that will hopefully show some of the underlying unevenness.



The inspiration is this 1940's car that I found in the Mojave desert. Metal thieves eventually took it, but I love the worn, rusted color, with just a touch of paint.

It's not going to look as deteriorated as the car, but some rust will show through.

[Old Wombat]

 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Frank.  You could leave the "distressed finish" as it is and still be spot-on for a real vehicle that has sat for years in the elements, never having been to a vehicle wash rack for its entire career.  Relying on the wind and rain to keep most of the dirt at bay. 

Wishing my own hands were as capable as yours.  Great work! 

[Frank3k]

Thanks, guys - All I did was intentionally over-thin the primer.

[Claymore]

Nice base effect for rusting… very cool! 

[Frank3k]

I should have looked up the construction of these KUNG boxes first... they're made of steel angle frames and plywood walls, covered in aluminum. Maybe this version will just be using steel sheets instead.

[Buzzbomb]

I should have looked up the construction of these KUNG boxes first... they're made of steel angle frames and plywood walls, covered in aluminum. Maybe this version will just be using steel sheets instead.

its the Keng version.. Sold by Temu 

[Old Wombat]

I should have looked up the construction of these KUNG boxes first... they're made of steel angle frames and plywood walls, covered in aluminum. Maybe this version will just be using steel sheets instead.

its the Keng version.. Sold by Temu 

 

I'd go with the alternate manufacturer who made them with sheet steel. 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Just claim the corrosion was caused by "acid rain" and stick with that story. 

[apophenia]

I should have looked up the construction of these KUNG boxes first... they're made of steel angle frames and plywood walls, covered in aluminum...

Yeah, but those were the original, unarmoured boxes 

[Frank3k]

Getting there:



I "accidentally" sprayed some alcohol on the roof and scratched it with a brass brush:



I need to add the windows and continue harmonizing the weathering.

[Old Wombat]

That looks great, Frank! 

I really like the phrase "harmonizing the weathering", too! 

I'll have to find places to use it! 

[Buzzbomb]

Very nice 

[Frank3k]

Almost done with this one. I'm thinking of adding a whip antenna to one of the corners of the cab or to one of the corners of the shelter... or just skipping it.



I made the front and rear ladders for the shelter foldable:



The most difficult part of this project has been installing the window transparencies.
I thought that by designing them to go in from the outside it would make them quicker to install. Maybe -  if the transparencies had been cut exactly to size, but that's hard to do by hand. Trimming to size without introducing gaps takes a lot of time and effort. Installing from the inside is a minor inconvenience, it's less exacting and the windows look better.

[apophenia]

...The most difficult part of this project has been installing the window transparencies...

The windows look great in your images 

And Steve looks like he is taking this project very seriously 

[Frank3k]

Thanks, everyone. The windows really were a pain. You don't want to look too closely. I'm done with this one, though.

The cab looks redder in sunlight. It should be a reddish orange:



Rusty, but no bird poop!:



The tiny black rectangle in the upper left of the truck box is supposed to represent a rear view camera. It even has a clear spot for a lens...It's barely visible, though:



Both trucks. The truck on the left has the exhaust under the office box, just to keep it away from the HVAC equipment:





Thanks for all the comments! I got two partially built kits off the shelf of doom and generated quite a few spare parts. Learned a lesson about designing windows, and the weighed tires was an interesting project.