Plastheniker Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 (edited) Hi, The Mack F-series, introduced in 1962, was a big sales success in America, and besides this Mack F-models were the only American trucks that ever reached Europe in more than imperceptible numbers. Nevertheless there was never any F-series styrene kit. There were only two resin cabs, namely an old one by AITM (originally released 40 or 50 years ago by AIM Jim Etter) and a newer one by KFS. Regarding quality the pricey KFS cab is light-years ahead but it replicates a (in my oppinion less attractive) late model sleeper cab, and besides this it is OOP for quite a while. Most problems of the AITM Mack F-cab are identical with those of my AITM 1970 GMC 9500 1970 GMC 9500 (AITM resin cab) with Tube Trailer (scratch built) http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234953245-1970-gmc-9500-aitm-resin-cab-with-tube-trailer-scratch-built/ shown here earlier. The worst problem that spoils almost any finished AITM F-series cab is the grille. It is cast as an integral part of the cab. The „gaps“ between the grille bars are filled with resin, and the grille bars are very flat. It is impossible to make this grille look realistic. This is why you find a lot of model pictures taken from an angle where the grille is more or less concealed. For an acceptable model it was indispensable to build a realistic new grille. Not yet mentioned in the GMC contribution a striking blemish of many finished AITM cabs is the use of a bed of white glue for fixing the cab windows as AITM recommends. Firstly it is almost impossible to cut out the "glass" so accurately that it fits without any gap and without any kink, secondly the required large amount of white glue dries as a visible white ring around the windows. Since the F-cab has very large and curved windscreens this becomes even more obvious. Again I used my technique of fixing the „glass“ without any glue. The pictures show that there is neither any gap between "glass" and window frame nor any kink in the "glass". Casting quality was partially very poor. F. e. there were varying edges between raised and recessed areas of the rear panel, so I had to cut out and rebuild all recessed areas. The resin thickness was extreme and had to be reduced drastically to make the cab look realistic. Afterwards the supplied (very simple) interior was much too small, so I had to build a complete new interior. All supplied accessory parts were unusuable. I built them new or took them from my spares box. Unfortunately most modelers used to styrene truck kits underestimate completely both effort and skills required for reworking any old AIM/AITM cab. The web shows very few finished truck models with AITM cabs that can bear comparison with an averagely built styrene kit model. Roughly spoken the sacrifice of time and the difficulty level necessary for achieving a presentable result are much nearer to scratch building than assembling a styrene kit. Under these reservations all AITM cabs, particularly the Mack F (as the GMC 9500), are very rewarding projects. Edited February 27, 2018 by Plastheniker 16 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Jurgen, Another fabulous build, thank you for the pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Just stunning modelling! Superb!! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 That really is superb,what a beautiful paint job too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Wasley Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Fantastic build on a iconic truck,brought back memories when I used to work on these,always remember the dog up front,Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janneman36 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Once you go Mack you never go back!!! Lovely built, thanks for sharing.. Cheers, Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richellis Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 That’s a cracking bit of American iron. love the short American cabovers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapam Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Sorry I left it until now to look at this beautiful model. The detail is superb - especially the cab interior! Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastheniker Posted March 6, 2018 Author Share Posted March 6, 2018 Thanks for the comments! In a few weeks I am going to show my latest AITM project, namely a 1953 Mack W-71 integral sleeper with scratch built canvas top trailer, similar to this original rig: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukmodeller Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Amazing! Loved the cargo 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mancunian airman Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 I just wish there were more kits of older lorries. You have done a great job of producing an almost iconic American vehicle or 'Rig' I think they call 'em. Looking forward to seeing more in the future. great work. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now