Andrew D Charger Chaser

Jeez Rog....I'll keep you in prayer that you'll come through this okay....

Another from Rosco, from "Lawman of the Year": "Ugly baby! He fell through an ugly tree and hit every limb...."

I actually made a huge list of "Waylonisms" that takes up several pages, too long for here. But two from Rosco: "I caught them fighting like the third monkey on the gangplank of Noah's Ark!" (S4E1 "Mrs Daisy Hogg") Or: Cooter: "Well, what brings you out so early, Boss?" Rosco: "I'll tell you what brings him out. He knows you’re an early bird, and with him being a worm, he plans on catching you.” (S5E19 "Welcome Back Bo 'N Luke")

Okay, finally time for the COMPLETED item, my Ultimate Cooter's GMC Tow Truck! Only complaint is the decals on the door are 'way too oversized, but they were the only ones I've been able to find in years of looking.

Y'all are amazingly kind with your comments! Also, I forgot to mention the dually wheels are resin items I got on Ebay which match exactly the ones on the real thing.

In the episode "Daisy's Close Call" (S6 E19) Cooter is seen using a tool box from the rig. I can't see it in any other episode, so, being Hollywood, it probably wasn't there at any other time, not being a true "working" rig. Still, I thought it would be a great, even necessary, addition. I estimated the size at about 20" x 8" (when he carries it to the truck it is indeed fairly slender). From some angles the grime from being handled by a mechanic is visible. Appears to have a silver or light colored handle. I scratchbuilt it in an evening, primed it and painted it the next day.

Dang that's funny! Okay, almost there...I learned the front bumper is probably made from quarter inch steel coated in thick black rubber. I also noticed there were two styles that showed up on the GMC truck in the series, again probably indicating two different vehicles masquerading as one for the filming. One of them was straight and flat, and the other curled around the corners of the fenders. I opted for the curled type. Made it from .020" plastic, carefully curled, then added three wire mounts, disguised from the front as the actual bolts that hold it on. Then added

Y'all are awesome cousins, and it's an honor to break bread with y'all at the family gatherings! Now gotta add the last of the lights. First the tow rig has six small rounded-rectangular position lights. To make them all as uniform as possible I made a master shape from styrene, then made impressions of it in moldmaking material. I made a lot of extras since I wanted a lot to choose from, and would only take the best 6. This ended up being a very wise move. Clear resin was poured into the mold impressions and thank God there were 6 decent ones to use from the resulting blob. They h

Now for the rotating beacon atop the rig. Found something very similar from Tony's Custom Squads. Still needed some cleaning up, and the finish redone in Alclad Stainless Steel (although Polished Aluminum perhaps might have been a better choice). License plate was made by cutting a piece of aluminum turkey roasting pan to match the size of the license plate decal. Now for the rear view mirrors. I discovered from my photos that there were two similar yet different styles used, probably meaning two different trucks used for filming the series. I settled

On to the actual tow cable. I was first referred to some braided metal cable produced specifically for modelmakers, but it was much too thick, and didn't coil around the spool at all. I found my answer in a picture hanging kit. The braided wire for hanging pictures on a wall was almost perfect in the smallest size, the 10-50 lb strength. I ran it through a candle flame to give it the appropriate worn/stained appearance. Next, some of the most critical scratchbuilding of the project, the sling. I tried various materials to simulate the heavy duty rubber straps, in

Y'all are 'way too kind...believe me I'm a mere mortal myself, just ask my sweetheart or anyone who works with me! Not sure about Hoss though... The red paint on the wrecker was going to be critical. It isn't regular red. Not only is it sort of a brick red color, but it's also stained and heavily sunbleached, giving a chalky appearance. You know, like playground equipment that gets sunbleached and then when you touch it you get white chalky residue on your hand? That's what it looks like. So. How to do sunbleached off-red without making it look straight pink? I started w

Much appreciated, thank you! And from what I can see, the proportions of your GMC look just about spot on!

Now for some of the lights. First the two rounded-rectangular rear-facing lights on the sides of the crane structure. I used acrylic gemstones, cut to shape, then the facets sanded out then polished smooth. Then the amber lights on top of the cab. I wouldn't mind cutting/sanding to shape some clear sprue for one or two, but there are FIVE of them. Trying to make five all identical that way is too much. So, I made one with scrap styrene, and used it to make a mold. From that I cast several identical in clear resin. Once cured they were cleaned up and painted

Thanks y'all! Hoss, I commented on your thread, you've got some fantastic work going there yourself! Next was scratchbuilding the sling/cradle structures. Absolutely the best views of this came from the episode "Play It Again Luke."

Hoss, these are great, really spot-on! Fantastic work, my friend!