The Long And Winding Road... or, This Kenworth's Five-Year Mission

Six years ago, maybe seven, I got an AMT/Ertl Kenworth T600 kit as part of a trade. Normally, an "aero" tractor like this wouldn't be something of interest to me. That, and the AMT kit leaves an awful lot to be desired as far as mechanical accuracy goes, seeing as how it is based on their '70's-era W925 kit. ̶S̶a̶d̶l̶y̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶c̶l̶a̶s̶s̶i̶c̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶r̶i̶g̶ ̶s̶u̶b̶j̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶t̶r̶o̶y̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶o̶r̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶f̶-̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶e̶m̶p̶t̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶A̶m̶e̶r̶i̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶t̶r̶u̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶d̶u̶s̶t̶r̶y̶.̶ ̶A̶t̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶t̶r̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶p̶a̶s̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶M̶a̶r̶m̶o̶n̶.̶.̶.̶̶ HOLY HELL! The Kats at AMT managed to bring back the classic W925! Now I'm a tad wistful because I wonder if the AMT Anteater will ever be reissued... oh, sweet irony!

But here's the thing. There was an ongoing conversation on a particular (and sadly now-defunct) model truck message board about the many reasons truck modelers don't seem to be as interested in later-model rigs as they are in the classics. Yes, many do like the later trucks and semi tractors, and many lament the lack of those subjects in scale kit form, but the heart of this thread was what people didn't like about the newer stuff. One of the reasons newer trucks weren't as popular was, in the wisdom of more than a few posters, because you couldn't do as much to personalize them as you could with a more "traditional" hauler. They repeatedly noted that every popular and/or award-winning custom semi tractor was based on a classic rig, or a "traditionally-styled" modern one. And that went for full-scale versions as well as models.

Now, I don't know if it's just me noticing them, but people still customize and personalize their aero rigs. They aren't the majority, of course, but they are out there if you want to look. Truckers were adding their own touches to their machines way back when the industry started, and they'll still be doing it in 300 years when semi tractors are powered by dilithium reactors and are capable of Warp 10 (but restricted to Warp 7 on the highway). Maybe the majority of full-blown show trucks are based on more traditional designs, but please don't tell me that nobody personalizes their later-model setups!

So, that thread got me thinking of building a custom "late-model" semi tractor. I wanted to prove that you could make an interesting custom semi with lots of visual impact without starting out with a Peterbilt 359. And since the KW was something that didn't exactly set my heart afire in the first place, I figured it would be a great jumping off point. That was the basic origin, and I more or less "went by feel" from there. Little did I know that it would be over half a decade gone by from the time that the project began in earnest with a simple day cab panel, to the time the "Anteater" joined it's completed sisters on the display shelf! Jeez, I started writing this article in May of 2016, and here you are reading it just now! I've had 1:1 vehicle projects that didn't take up this much time!

And in many ways, that was a blessing, because the Kenworth went through a few "awkward junior-high yearbook" moments during the build process.

Here is the earliest in-progress photo I still have, from March of 2013. I had already owned the model for about a year and a half at this point, and I'd made the day cab panel within a week of receiving the kit. The cut-down factory skirts stuck around for a while. The kit-supplied chassis is still in use at this point. When I got the kit the main chassis was already assembled, and it was straight and clean enough to at least be useful in mockups. The very first modification to the kit was to create a day cab panel with some flat styrene sheet. Also notice here how the bumper and hood fit together neatly- at some point in the process, the bumper would not locate as far back as it should have. On the completed model the bumper sits a tad further forward, so much further I added a bit of material to the ends so they'd still match the radius of the wheel opening. Either way, the hood never wanted to open very far.

The hood and cab met with a few bodywork sessions the following month- I had a specific idea in mind for the front end. Well, for the lighting at least! For a short time, I even pondered sticking a van body on the back just for kicks. When was the last time you saw a full-custom Class 8 box truck, after all? This is still the original frame, and I had this weird idea for hubcaps on the front wheels. I wasn't in love with the look from the get-go, but decided to keep them on there to see if they'd grow on me. They did not. That, and who the hell would use wheels with a detachable rim on a restored 1985 Kenworth? There's "retro" and then there's just plain "stupid"...

The '37 Ford headlights were an early addition to the hood. For some reason, these lights just called out to me, so the stock headlight openings (still somewhat visible here) were filled in with styrene sheet, which was then blended into the surrounding surface. Holes were then cut into the forward ends of each fender to clear the headlight reflectors. The lights themselves came from the good old Monogram '37 Ford Tudor. I also removed the molded in grille mesh, and molded the grille into the hood. Early on I planned to simply back it up with some photoetched mesh. Here you can see the original center divider, and the piece of Bare Metal foil placed over the Kenworth emblem, which remained in place for five years, protecting the emblem from overspray.

After this blur of activity... the model went back in the box. I did take it out and piddle with it here and there, but for the most part the project sat in the box untouched for exactly three years.

April 2016 brought a new wave of inspiration, and a few new components. I replaced the nasty old frame with a clean unit from a Revell W900 snap kit. Yes, it's inaccurate for a T600, but it's a slightly better starting point than the AMT frame. Hey, at least the Revell W900 has an 8-bag air suspension, which was actually used on the T600 (try finding an Anteater with a walking beam some time if you're into chasing dragons). If I wanted to build a mechanically-accurate T600 I'd have started with the Revell version. I had committed myself to losing the side skirts and going with traditional battery box/side steps and fuel tanks, exposed for all to see. I also opted to fill in the factory door handles.

Rather than duplicate the short quarter fenders used on T600s without side skirts (yes, there are a few out there), I cut the kit fenders in half and, using patented FenderBlender™ technology, spliced in rear portions cut from the W900 which had coughed up it's frame. Speaking of that frame- the ride height was lowered by removing material from the bottom of the leaf springs and the tops of each air bag.

The new shape of the fenders and the existing teardrop headlights led me to go for a '30's look. I looked around online for pictures of mid-to-late '30's Kenworth trucks, took note of styling cues and features I liked, and decided to incorporate a few. I cut out the divider in the grille, and added some trim around the grille opening. The old BMF was retired from guard duty, and a new piece replaced it after this picture was taken. That old foil put up quite a fight coming off! Such is the case with Bare Metal Foil... you want it to come off, it won't budge. If you want it to stay put, it falls off if you so much as walk by it.

Sheesh... I was making more progress on it that weekend than I had in the last three years! Part of it was just seeing the project come to life, watching the ideas become an existing, three-dimensional thing. But that's all part of the magic that happens in any type of creative project, whatever it may be.

By this time I was getting a little burned out with the bodywork, so I decided to turn my attention to the chassis.

I retained the W900 battery box/side steps, though I had to reposition their mounting brackets. In this pic the rear ride height is still stock. The wheels and tires for mockup were borrowed from an in-progress International ProStar. I ultimately bought the Moebius wheel and tire set for this model, though I ended up only using the tires.

The Revell snap kits have a little more rear overhang than I'd like- they position the mud flaps about a foot behind the rear tires. While this is not incorrect for some applications, I just don't care for the look. And I had another idea anyway. The rear frame was bobbed and tapered, and the entire top of the frame was closed off with plastic sheet.

Here is the roughed-in chassis with the taillight panel in place. In this photo, the rear ride height has been lowered, and the rear axles are in place. That being finished, I went back to the hood...

I wanted the KW to retain an underhood air cleaner setup. I stacked some plastic scale railroad stairs to make louvers in the sides of the hood. I did this to both sides, replacing the factory air scoop on the passenger's side and creating a new one on the driver's side. A partial Cummins engine from an Italeri kit was test-fit at this point. Since the hood had a habit of biding during test fits, and I knew that would probably only get worse once the bumper was installed for good, I opted to focus only on the external elements of the model. That would save some time, and expedite the process even more. I was actually beginning to amaze myself at the amount of progress being made on this long-stalled project!

At this point, I knew that one of two things would happen. The model would go back into the box to hibernate for another three years, or work would continue at a breakneck pace.

As it turned out, work continued at an alarmingly efficient rate. From the month of May....

A new grille was made from grooved plastic sheet, I went with a horizontal pattern to kind of echo the look of an old shuttered radiator. Many of the late '30's Kenworths I saw online had fog laps in front of the grille, mounted to the top of the bumper. I couldn't get away with that this time, so I cut two holes in the bumper to mount the fog lights.

The final few doodads were added to the chassis, and the whole thing was hosed off in Duplicolor Universal Black. I also removed the original exhaust mounts, as I planned to use a "weed burner" (under-chassis) exhaust, using the modified kit muffler.

After the tediousness of bodywork was completed, the cab, hood,and bumper were sprayed in Ford Cayman Green Pearl, courtesy of Plastikote. I wanted a dark green, as that seemed to be an extremely popular color among several truck manufacturers in the '40's and '50's, but I also wanted a modern metallic (or pearlescent) paint, and Cayman Green fit the bill pretty well. On the last coat the cab fell off the paint stand and landed flat on it's back... I was able to save the paint job with a few touch ups.

Once that had cured, I installed the grille , then added a center divider before foiling the entire mess. I then installed the head and fog lights, and made two bumperettes from thin plastic sheet, which was also foiled. I really dig the front end I designed by accident here, observers have described it as looking like a B-Model Mack or a surprised baby. I think they're both accurate ways to describe the look! It's "retro" without going way too far, but the elements that make it recognizable as an "Anteater" are, for the most part, intact. Front end designs have gotten way too aggressive of late, so I wanted to make something with a classic, "wide-eyed" and approachable look.

At this point, the mirrors (so far the only unmodified T600 components used) were added, and I just had to do a quick mockup to see where I was headed. I also paused to look back and be grateful that the project took a three year nap, because if I'd finished it back in 2013 it would have been a much different animal altogether, perhaps a model I'd never really be pleased to see on my shelf. Once I took a glance at this mockup, I thought I was onto something. What that "something" was I still have no clue, but I was onto something. Or perhaps just on something...

I opted to go with a basic black interior, with an old-school three-spoke wheel.... it and the rest of the interior components are basically straight from the kit. I wanted to use a bench seat- I robbed one from a Revell '57 Chevy, cobblestone upholstery and all. A little simple detailing of the factory dash are about the only other bullet points with the interior.

It is at this point I've run out of the in-progress photos, so we'll skip ahead and go to the finished photos.

Here we have a finished front 3/4 view. I added some turn signals next to the headlights, and used the Revell fuel tanks, stripped of chrome and painted black to match the chassis. I toyed with the idea of blacking out the battery boxes as well, but opted to keep them plated. While many custom semi tractors feature loads of brightwork, I wanted to keep that to a minimum on this, mostly to keep in spirit with the 1930's and '40's Kenworths I studied for ideas. The visor is the original piece, covered in Bare Metal Foil. Besides the mirrors and the basic interior tub, it might be the only other un-modified T600 part used on the model. The wheels came from a couple of AMT American LaFrance pumpers and were painted a neutral grey. The Moebius tires fit onto them like a glove. I think the chrome rear center caps came straight from the ALF as well. In hindsight I wish I'd blacked them out but I can live with how they look plated.

The quarter fenders and mud flaps are from the T600 kit, and the old-school "quarter-turn" door handles came from a '32 Ford Roadster kit. I'd toyed with just having shaved handles but thought the old style handles would fit the theme. Not sure if this one will ever get door lettering.

I love those old KW mudflaps with the "caution" warning engraved onto them! This is my least favorite view of the model- I still need to add some air lines behind the cab (or run them out the back, large-car style"), and I really should make some cab skirts to hide the cab mounts. I probably could have taken a little out of the wheelbase, but overall length isn't too excessive for my tastes. Once again, I'm glad I finished the project when I did, because I think I'm going to like seeing this on my shelf for years to come, while the "might-have-been" 2013 version may well have ended up tucked away in a forgetting box in a storage unit somewhere...

Did I meet my goal? Well, the idea here was to make a modern aero rig into an eye-catching custom, instead of starting with a traditionally-styled tractor. I think I met my goal, but also didn't. Why is that? My T600 will never be mistaken for anybody else's T600, but all of the changes I made were incorporating styling cues and ideas from earlier, traditional rigs. So I got what I wanted by making it a little less aero and more traditional. Which might be why a lot of builders just start with a more traditional design to begin with. That being said, I'm surprised by how well the T600's style accepted the "backdating". And I'm still happy with the way this one came out. So I guess overall I'd say this one was a success.

So, the model has been finished for a couple of years now, and it still hasn't been paired up with a trailer. I'm guessing it'll end up being a Revell auto transport trailer, loaded with various hot rods and classic cars. Or maybe she'll bobtail for eternity, like 95% of the semi tractors I build.

I don't know. Check back with me in a decade and maybe I'll have a solid answer...