Wow Octane that's a beautiful job!!! Great work on the finish, I still can't get gloss to look right. And fantastic work on the interior, chassis, and those cool wire hubcaps too!!! 

Eagle: Nice work there! She's coming right along. 

Cockpit bucket completed and a quick test fit of the seats.

more pix

DSCF9265 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9266 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9267 by aus_mus, on Flickr

Firebird progress. Had a hell of a time finishing the last few steps. rear hatch fits as well as an egg in an M&Ms bag. I painted the rear lights and it looked awful so i sanded it smooth and printed a photo to stick behind it. I sharpied the weather stripping on the glass T-Tops. 

it's too big for my photo booth

DSCF9259 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9260 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9262 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9263 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9264 by aus_mus, on Flickr

Rob Gronovius

 

It was issued in a multitude of versions, the A-Team version added a new grill and some other custom bits they tooled to make the TV van.

I think this is one of the earliest issues of the van.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/amt-t-516-rescue-van--948517

 

I am amazed at the asking prices for some of the decendents.  I'd like to get my hands on the police van from 2018, but not at $50 plus shipping.  It is still an AMT kit afterall... 

John: Wow, now that's cool!!! 

Rob: Lol, I hear the 'Convoy' song on the radio every now and then. Gosh, could anything be more a blast of pure undiluted '70s??? (Ok, maybe if you had a Farrah Fawcett poster hanging next to your radio). 

Most young adults that had vans also had a model kit of what they wanted their van to look like. The custom van I built was kind of based on the Convoy movie and later some sort of TV show.

(I looked it up, Movin' On starring Claude Atkins)

I knew a dude in highschool that had a pretty cool van.  He replaced the bumper with a really nice one he made in wood shop and had Van Halen carved into it 

\m/...(>.<)…\m/

Rob Gronovius

 

 

Gamera

Thanks Rob! Makes perfect sense. I'd forgotten about the weird obsession with customized vans back in the '70s.

 

 

 

 

As a kid, I had two customized van kits; one by Revell and one by Monogram. The Monogram one was empty inside and I remember it came with Chevy symbol side windows that you had to carefully cut the sides of the van to install. I just glued them in place.

 

The Revell kit included a removable roof and I think it had a bed, TV and other "cool" custom features inside. It was molded in a "midnight blue" plastic (dark blue with sparkles) so no need for painting.

These were the two I had and built back in the day:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-h-1396-convoy-van--948512

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/monogram-2216-chevy-street-van--267063

For some reason, it "had" to be a Chevy van or it wasn't "cool."

 

I was born in '69 so the '70s were kinda a blur. I only really remember kid's stuff. The only kits I had back then were mostly Snap-Fit type stuff. 

Gamera

Thanks Rob! Makes perfect sense. I'd forgotten about the weird obsession with customized vans back in the '70s.

 

The Revell kit included a removable roof and I think it had a bed, TV and other "cool" custom features inside. It was molded in a "midnight blue" plastic (dark blue with sparkles) so no need for painting.

These were the two I had and built back in the day:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-h-1396-convoy-van--948512

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/monogram-2216-chevy-street-van--267063

For some reason, it "had" to be a Chevy van or it wasn't "cool."

Thanks Rob! Makes perfect sense. I'd forgotten about the weird obsession with customized vans back in the '70s.

Gamera

Thanks! I was a bit surprised by the sheer number of parts as well. Seems some of them are for a more stock van and aren't used here. No idea if the kit was ever reissued as a stock van later. Like the old Airwolf kit that includes parts for a standard Bell 222 as well.

John: That's looking very good!

Eagle: Sounds cool, I like it!

 

Remember back in the day when the model companies released newer models each year as well which were virtually the same kit with an updated grill and some other bits for the new model year.

It was issued in a multitude of versions, the A-Team version added a new grill and some other custom bits they tooled to make the TV van.

I think this is one of the earliest issues of the van.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/amt-t-516-rescue-van--948517

68GT

Gamera, maybe it was an older issue and they just added the new parts?

 

I have no idea, could very well be! 

Thanks! I was a bit surprised by the sheer number of parts as well. Seems some of them are for a more stock van and aren't used here. No idea if the kit was ever reissued as a stock van later. Like the old Airwolf kit that includes parts for a standard Bell 222 as well.

John: That's looking very good!

Eagle: Sounds cool, I like it!

Hi Ed,

I would like to go ahead and jump in with a 1/72 Hasegawa F-16B+ that I'll be building into a 1980s F/A-16B with Euro 1 camo and a GPU-5A 30mm gun pod.

Gamera, looks like a lot of parts for that scale. Glad things are fitting well.

John, the truck is looking good. You've made some nice progress on the box.

Looking good guys! Been sidetracked trying to get some stalled builds moving but I was able to get off to a good start on the back axles and stretching the chassis. Also was able to finish one of the side walls on the silage box.

The parts laid out to dry after washing. A lot of them were off the sprue, not sure if the previous owner had detached them or they'd broken off over the years. So far it seems everything is still there in the box though so cross your fingers.

Got a bit done on the engine and the exterior. Everything seems to fit without much of any issues. Will have photos when there's something worth posting.

Oh wow beautiful jobs there guys on your 1:1 scale MG (I think!?!?) Mach71 and your somewhat smaller Trans Am/Firebird OctoneOrange!

I washed B.A.s van off over the weekend. There was a bit of dust and cobwebs in the box that had to be cleaned up. Because you know B.A. 'PITYS THE FOOL THAT LETS HIS VAN GET DIRTY!!!'

Hopefully I'll get some real work started this weekend.

It's getting very close,

I'm going to have to pick a model soon.

I've been busy working on another "80's" project.

Despite your setbacks the GTA is looking great.

I have to pick something and get started building.

I redid the door inside panel to better reflect a different design that seemed far more common. I've had issues with the paint being damaged by the assembly process (mostly me being derpy with the glue). rear hatch doesn't line up, so no idea if i can keep it working.

DSCF9253 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9254 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9255 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9256 by aus_mus, on Flickr

Getting some progress, but it has been tough going. Got the body on with some fettling and the headlights are so floppy that i think i'll glue them down. Doors don't line up very well at all and 

DSCF9241 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9242 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9243 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9249 by aus_mus, on Flickr

DSCF9250 by aus_mus, on Flickr

We still have a bunch a farms here in NJ so that Garden State motto on the license plate isn't a myth but I've just never seen that used here.

I was in California recently and notice construction equipment and haulers that are much different than what you see here so I was thinking west coast maybe.

I've seen them around here in Virginia. Frankly I don't pay that much attention to them though.

I am from Indiana. I see these driving around mostly because I live among many farms. Not really something I would expect to see in more urban areas.

Got off to a start on the silage box this weekend. I always liked the look of the Meyer forage boxes so I will be basing this off of the one on the truck below.