Hello!

Lookin' good, Gino! Now that there IS a good HEMTT at last, why not go at it? That walking beam/Hendrickson axle is looking interesting on that truck. Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

Really nice work there and that's a beautiful aftermarket engine. 

Thanks Gamera.  The Real Model engine is pretty awesome.  They do great work.

The HEMTT assembly line continues.  I have completed the interior painting and decals on the cab.  All the decals are either left-overs from other kits or home made by me on computer decal paper.  I like the way they turned out and think they look pretty good.  The instrument gauges are from the Eduard sheet and came out well too.  I added a radio setup with a SINCGARS ICOM, handset, and speakerbox from the now-OOP Pro Art set.  I am glad I have a few of these since no one else makes just a SINCGARS set.

I also assembled and painted the Real Model engine.  I really like how the engine turned out.  It is going to look great under the hood.

Wow, love that engine! 

Thanks Gamera.  The engine does look great.  All I addded were the dipsticks.  The rest is all Real Model.  They did a great job on it.

After a break over the holidays and the new semester starting at work, I have finally gotten back to working on this.  I painted it using Testors Model Master Sand (FS33531).  It best represents modern US CARC Tan in my opinion.  I also started final assembly and have added the tires, engine, etc.  I still have to do the decals and final details on the cab before adding it.  After that, it will be lightly weathered as most of these tractors are kept in pretty good shape.

Here it is so far.

More to follow soon.

That engine is sweet. All that detail is bewildering, Gino.

those pictures wash out that color though. It looks light grey.

What are the plans for the weathering on this one ?

Thanks Mike.  This one will be lightly weathered with mainly a dusty effect and some pin washing to bring out details.  Most of these trucks are kept in very good condition since they are mostly at fixed positions pulling Patriot Missile systems.

She's looking great Gino. Funny though you don't have to fiddle with the tracks on a truck they seem almost more work than a tank with all the suspension parts. 

Thanks Gamera.  I find truck suspensions to usually go quicker than tank suspensions, esp. prepping and painting all the roadwheels.  Some trucks are just as much (or more) work though.  I am dreading when I get to the M1070 HETS w/40 tires on the trailer alone...

I have finished decaling and adding details.  It still needs to be weathered.

Here it is so far.

Oh wow that's beautiful. Yeah, all she needs now is a little mud on the tires.

Thanks Gamera.  Weathering will be soon.

Shaping up very nicely... but... it's so clean...

Thanks Stik.  Weathering is still to come.

Hello!

That tractor is lookin' great!

Maybe you could use my experience to do the grease on the fifth wheel:

It's been done by putting some black oil paint, straight, on the fifth wheel and then working that paint while still wet. One of the tools was a piece of styrene sheet with a "kingpin" in the middle that was "connected" to the fifth wheel and rotated a few times - that leaves nice marks on the surface of the "grease".

Hope it helps - good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

Thanks Pawel, great tip.

I just saw the bumper codes... 7th ADA! One of my dad's old units.

Very cool Pawel, looks just like the real thing!

Very fine added detailing on this, Gino.

Thanks guys.  I have added some weathering.  I should have some pics up tomorrow.

Kind of silly question from me but what color is your interior, I have been thinking about it for while and can't really define it. When I get to my modern US rigs it would be helpful. Thank you sir and AWESOME build.

Thanks armornut. I used Testors Model Master Medium Green (FS34102) on the cab interior.

Gamera

Very cool Pawel, looks just like the real thing!

Thanks a lot!

Thank you sir info filed.

I'm calling the truck done.  I weathered it lightly with a sandy/dusty coat of acrylic.  I also added grease to the fifth wheel and added some chipping around it.  A bit of fuel overflow was added to the fuel tank.  I also added a cable and hook for the self-recovery winch on the right side. 

I used Pawel's technique on the fifth wheel to apply the grease.  I think it worked nicely.

 Mated with the the Dragon Patriot PAC-3 launcher.

Nice finish! When you pose it with the Patriot launcher, that thing gets pretty big.

Lovely build there Gino, some really nice detail. Thats a real nice display with the launcher.