When trucks roll off an assembly line, they’re bright, shiny and ready to go to work. As the years roll by, the paint dulls, dents appear here and there, and upholstery begins to split and crack. Eventually rust appears and begins to spread, the engine starts to fail and the cost of repairs becomes too much to justify. Finally, it’s driven or towed to an isolated part of the property and abandoned to the vagaries of nature and allowed to rust in peace.
One of the latest AMT releases from Round2Models, specifically a 1953 Ford F-100 pickup truck, is perfectly suited to replicate this common fate of a farm or ranch truck. Let’s see what it’ll take to create an end-of-life vignette.

First, determine the scene
This can be done in your head, though some of you might prefer to make a rough sketch. It all depends on how you like to work. At any rate, what I finally settled on was to have my truck sitting in a weedy, brushy area, maybe with some larger bushes or even small saplings or trees. Since the truck would have been there for years, the doors would have sprung open, and maybe people looking for spare parts might have pawed through it. I wouldn’t add any dents because trucks in that time period had such thick body metal that it would’ve taken a 12-pound sledgehammer to begin making a dent! On the other hand, hunters or vandals might’ve used it for target practice and many seasons would’ve come and gone. Of course, the end result would probably be somewhat different from my original concept, but at least I had a loose plan. 

To read the rest of this story, subscribe to TT&C at: 
http://www.toytrucker.com/subscriberenew.html

or buy the online version at:
http://toytrucker.epubs.forumprinting.com/publication?m=26494&l=1

Tadano’s ATF 400G-6, with a maximum lifting capacity of 400 metric tons, is the flagship of its current product line. Many crane rental companies, such as Wagenborg, Scholpp or Treffler, already successfully use the real crane. So, there was no question that a die-cast model would be a nice promotion to support the real crane. At Bauma 2013, the prototype model was presented at the Tadano booth. The crane has now been available since last year.
WSI Models from the Netherlands did an amazing job with functionality and details. As with the real crane, the model is also already available in some interesting company liveries. For this review, the nice livery of Davies Crane Hire from Wales and the United Kingdom is presented. It is really a nice color. Crane models from Davies have not been on the market until now. 
The review model arrived safely in its box without missing parts, defects or any damages. WSI transferred all dimensions of the real crane, such as the carrier width and boom length, correctly into the 1/50 scale.

The crane carrier
The crane is running on six axles, easily moving on any surface. WSI also copied the drivetrain very realistically. All axles are spring-loaded and the crankshaft can be seen as well. The Michelin name realistically appears on each tire. Even the small dirt protections on the second, third and last axles are made of real, flexible rubber with the Tadano logo printed on them.


To read the rest of this story, subscribe to TT&C at: 
http://www.toytrucker.com/subscriberenew.html

or buy the online version at:
http://toytrucker.epubs.forumprinting.com/publication?m=26494&l=1 - See more at: http://www.toytrucker.com/features#sthash.L6xgz73W.dpuf