Part 2: The Build

I have to say that this was actually a rather fun build pretty much all the way through and with the completed truck sitting on the bench, you start looking around for something to crush. Over all the build was pretty straight forward with no real surprises.

I started with the assembly of the big Hemi engine. It is pretty nice looking and had no problems going together. Only a couple of minor seams needed touched up. The biggest problem with the engine was that the instructions are not real clear on exactly where it attaches to the roll cage. Mine got a bit out of whack and sits crooked but it would not come back off for the life of me. Dry fit it a good bit with both halves of the cage and you should be fine. The driver's area contains a good bit of detail and was assembled in no time. Once again, dry fit with both halves of the roll cage to get an idea how it sits on it. The suspension looks great and fits nicely. It is also pretty sturdy to hold the weight of the model. Be sure to get the axles facing the right way though, I had one upside down and did not realize it, even though the drive shaft only goes in one way but will still connect the axle to the transmission with it upside down. I painted the roll cage with flat black from a rattle can. It took a good bit to cover it all. The body was done with Krylon Fusion Gloss Black. All the bare metal parts are Model Master Metalizers.

Once I reached the point of decals, I thought it was going to be a long process. They surprised me nicely and within 30 minutes I was done with them. Even though they are large decals, they are just thick enough to not fold under themselves or tear. They lay nicely and then went on even better with some Micro Sol. Kudos to Lindberg for the decal sheet. The tires were a little complicated to mount on the rims. There are hook type deals on each side of them that grab the inside of the tire. I had to use some super glue to get them to hold where they were supposed to but the hooks do help keep the tire from sagging so it is a nice feature. Over all I would recommend this kit for anyone looking for a change in pace for a quick build. Even for those that like to super detail, this kit offers a great opportunity to do so and have virtually all the detail visible. Not mention that it would be a great one to spend a rainy weekend with the kids and a model. Thanks again to Ernie Petit of Lindberg and IPMS/USA for the review sample.

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