Welcome! In a day and age where wasting hours on a 4” LCD screen is all too easy, we celebrate a more productive use of spare time. Building scale replicas of the real rigs that carry this country. Something you and others can appreciate. Something that will last for decades. For myself as a young fella growing up around the transport industry, I found by building model trucks my knowledge of the makes and models of both trucks and trailers, their features and specifications, grew exponentially.

Modelling can also be great way to get yourself alongside the industry and meet the movers and shakers, who often have a collection, or build models themselves. With these pages we look forward to promoting the hobby in general, with regular features on new kitsets and accessories coming to market alongside stories from around the country featuring builders and their builds, as well as coverage of recent shows and displays. 

We also encourage your input, ideas and handy hints, so if you have anything that you would like to share with fellow modellers, including photos of your recent projects, either under construction or completed, please feel free to get in touch. Email – carl@nztrucking.co.nz

Photo: With this setting and camera angle it is hard to distinguish that it is a 1:25 scale model.

This month at New Zealand Trucking magazine we welcome the return of the regular section dedicated to the little wheels of the industry.

Why not start at the top and see just where this modelling thing can go. We are looking in more detail at the Best of Show winner from this year‘s NZ Model Truck Association national competitions featured in last month‘s magazine. The model came off the workbench of Marty Crooks from Wellington. When looking over Marty‘s collection of model trucks it becomes easy to see he has a deep passion for log trucks of the 1980s.

Marty, a fulltime builder from the windy city, has a keen eye for detail and proportion when it comes to his creations, an obvious skill honed by his daily duties as a chippie. Another quality displayed in his models is the ability to scratch build something from nothing when required if a piece of the puzzle is not available off the shelf.

Photo: The heavily modified and custom-built T series cab, and largely scratch built W900B hood.

Photo: Pre-paint mock up and test fit clearly shows the level of scratch building involved.

Marty‘s first memory of this particular truck was as a young lad in 1989 when it was featured in the October issue of New Zealand Trucking magazine. On a trip to Bay View a year or so later he saw the truck in the flesh and used the opportunity to take photographs that years later would be used as blueprints for the build of the replica you see here.

A build like this requires a considerable amount of planning, as well as a varied selection of specific parts from many different kitsets to achieve a realistic likeness. In this case the cab was taken from an AMT Kenworth T600 kit and heavily modified. The bonnet came from an AMT W925 Kenworth, and only the reworked guards being utilised, with new sides and top of the hood being constructed from 5mm sheet plastic. The chassis for the truck, headache rack, and bolster sets were also all scratch built, as were the frame and drawbar of the 3-axle logging jinker.

Also included in the assortment of parts required for this build is a variety of aftermarket custom items from Auslowe Model Accessories in Melbourne, Australia. The paint finish was hand-mixed to match the photos and applied with an airbrush set. The end result is a near-picture perfect replica of the original, and proof that good planning is essential. The best part of 30 years‘ worth to be fair.

Photo: New Zealand Trucking October 1989, Marty‘s inspiration.

Our own build – jump on!
Next month we will be starting our own build. The intention here will be to show the step-by-step process of a basic build. If you‘ve always wanted to give one a go but not taken the first step, jump on board! We will visit a hobby store in Auckland to look over the various manufacturers and their offerings, as well as the tools and materials required to complete the task. This will be a straightforward build out of the box; one easy for beginners to follow and understand. We‘ll tell you why we chose the model we did and look over our photo library to choose a company and livery that fits the marque. A real beginner‘s guide 101 that we hope inspires you to pick up the hobby knife and glue.