TRUCKING HEAVEN AT TRUCKFEST

For any truck lover - and there are lots of us - a visit to one of the many truckmeets is a must. In the UK, Truckfests (top picture) are the biggies on the scene; they are packed with hundreds of trucks, together with stunts which all feature NOISE and lots of it! This weekend Truckfest South-West at Shepton Mallett is being held, and with weather set fair, it’s highly recommended.

In the model world, trucks abound, especially in the diecast arena. Here the black Mercedes-Benz (middle pictures) is a neat conversion from a Corgi original. The truck's body was disassembled (screws helped) and the original paint taken off with NitroMors paint stripper. Once down to bare metal and given a thorough wash-and-dry, automotive satin black spray gave it a neat minimal finish, and gloss Volkswagen Mars red was used for contrasting highlights. As a final touch before reassembly, the metal walkways were given a mild abrasive rubdown to remove the overbright shine.

There are plenty of plastic trucking kits around, including the Volvo F12 from Italeri (bottom). It’s a biggie in 1:24 scale, and represents one of the most popular Volvo transcontinental haulers. It’s available from most model stores and online suppliers.

You can visit Truckfest here, and Italeri here.