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Kenworth W900 - what color and surface prep


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I'm building the new Revell Kenworth W900. I'm ready to paint the cab and engine hood.

Any suggestions on how to prep the surface for a clean, smooth, and very glossy finish?

 

Also...what color would you like to see? and what paint brand would you recommend?

 

 

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Looks like a great project. As for paint and nice gloss, everyone's got their opinions, but I've really come to enjoy the Tamiya Primers which lay very smooth, and Tamiya spray paints, or Testors/Tamiya acrylic with Tamiya X-22 clear polished out. House of Kolor stuff is nice too if you're able to still get your hands on any. I guess for color, I've always been a fan of the 80's trucks and the stripes. Cream/beige with tri-tone brown stripes. Metallic green is always nice too for a solid color. Just my .02 cents. :smiley1:

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Sorry Matt...I've already got a rattle can of the Tamiya primer so I think I'll go that direction. So I'll follow Mike's guidance on the paint. However, I want some of that Gumbo when I go to the upcoming show in Lk. Charles so I'll paint it red...gotta keep LeBlanc happy.

 

I'll post pics... later.

 

It's now a few days later and here they are:

 

MVC-002S.jpg

 

 

MVC-004S.jpg

 

 

MVC-005S.jpg

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Who issued this kit, and what scale? The seats in the cab look very much like the seats in the AMT GMC General kit. The sleeper box extending over the cab's roof looks neat.

 

Ed

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This is a new release from Revell, kit # 1507 and is 1/25th scale. It's rather big measuring 12 inches in length and about 5 1/2 inches at the top of the sleeper box. The exhausts will, of course, extend above that.

The cab and sleeper box are one piece and that makes life easy. The engine hood is hinged so that one can open it and display the engine, but like an idiot I removed the hinge pieces from the hood thinking they were part of the parts carrier rather than hinge pins. Oh well.

 

I should have the paint for it on Monday or Tuesday and hope to have some additional pics by this upcoming Friday.

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The cab and engine hood have now been painted and some of the decals have been applied. I'll let this sit until tomorrow and then shoot some gloss over it to seal in the decals.

 

MVC-013S.jpg

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Awesome lookin build Dick. :smiley20::smiley20: Keep up the great work and we're lokkin forward to seein' more progress pics and the finish gem! Model on, Brother of the Sprue.

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Mike and all,

I'm not much for red either....but I thought red would look good with the white decals. It was going to be either red or blue.

 

Its starting to fall together a bit faster now. Just this morning the cab and frame were mated up. I'm starting to add all the little bits and pieces such as lights, mirrors, and other gadgets to the exterior.

 

MVC-015S.jpg

 

MVC-016S.jpg

 

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My computer monitor is an old (1999 vintage) CRT. The colors on all photos show differently (darker) than they do on a flatscreen. My point? When you use a black background (or so it looked on my screen) to photograph a black chassis, the details all but vanished into the background. I saw brilliant red, white, and yellow, but little else. Let me suggest a more contrasting background color for cheapskates like me who still keep old technology functioning.

 

Seriously, I know I would be impressed with your work if I could see all of it. I love the big rig models.

 

Ed

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And here is the Kenworth on a white background...the black is actually my work surface with a cloth draped over my computer monitor so it doesn't distract...

 

The hood, tires, side-steps, skid plate, and headlights were added.

 

I found that I did not remove those hood hinges as I mentioned earlier. They are molded onto the chrome radiator grille rather than on the hood itself.

 

All that remains is to add the "trim"...the mirrors, running lights, and a few other parts. There are still some decals to apply...Hopefully I'll have this model done tomorrow or on Sunday.

MVC-017S.jpg

 

MVC-018S.jpg

 

Ed, I'll bet you've a ton of trailers that could be paired with this cab!

 

 

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And here is the Kenworth on a white background...the black is actually my work surface with a cloth draped over my computer monitor so it doesn't distract...

 

Ed, I'll bet you've a ton of trailers that could be paired with this cab!

 

 

Dick, this background is much better. Thanks. The task of adding the lights, reflectors, mirrors, brackets, etc., needs to go slowly so you don't break something off as you add something else. On the AMT kits some of these items are very delicate.

 

And, yes, I do have a lot of trailers in 1/25 and fewer in 1/24 still awaiting construction. I'm glad I bought the originals at the time because the cost of the reissues is way too high for old molds that have been fully depreciated over the last 30 years. Heck, even the old artwork is being dusted off and reused.

 

Ed

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Thanks for all of the helpful advice gents....its done! I was watching the Colts slap one on the Ravens last night and before I realized it I ran out of loose parts and decals! This was a fun build, taking just under 14 hours of hands-on time. There is much that I could have done to the basic kit but it is a review item (be watching for the write-up here on the IPMS channel) and the task is to build and review what comes in the box.

Matt, you'll be seeing it person at CALMEX but its not up to the standards you guys set...but you will note that I put Louisiana plates on it!

 

You know what we need to do? We need to set a day....a National Model Day, in which IPMS members are challenged to work on a model...with folks posting pics of what they started, finished, or are building on that specific day. That would be fun.

MVC-024S.jpg

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nice clean stock build!

 

On a side note - the national model day sounds like the 24 hour build the guys over in the West Virginia modelers group do. This past Saturday they annually start up at noon on Saturday and end at noon Sunday. 24 hours to start and finish a model! :smiley20:

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