Andrew D Charger Chaser

“They just don’t make GROWN-UPS like they used to!” (Boss)

Wow!!!....thanks Roger!

You're gonna be...the night rent-a-cop at the DRIVE-IN DELI on Frontage Road!!

And, I got it out this morning for a few "hero" shots....only real difference here is the addition of the license plate. Yep, it's the correct one And yes, the front bumper is supposed to be crooked...saw that in a few episodes.

Here we are, done except the license plate. VERY worn truck bed, as befitting any farm truck. CB antenna made from metal guitar string (high "E" string"). Wish y'all could see the dirt and muck on the floorboards inside the cab....

Undersides were dry-brushed to bring out dirt and rust. My personal opinion is that 'way too many car builders only make showroom-perfect builds, including vehicles which should have some road wear. Hazzard vehicles DEFINITELY need road wear, and Jesse's mount is a supreme example of this. Plenty of dust must abound!! Here are underside shots showing wear and tear and rust before the dust was sprayed.

Really the toughest modification/improvement was the grill/headlight assembly. The entire thing was thinned from behind, and then what should have been "open air" was cut away. Easiest to do this by drilling TONS of holes and then cutting and connecting the holes. Side blinkers were also completely drilled out (above the headlights) and then clear resin poured into holes, sanded/polished and painted from behind. Headlights were re-cast in clear resin, although they didn't have to be perfectly clear, as I figured they'd have a good buildup of dust soon. These were not installed until almost the very end of the model's construction. Once all that was done the frame was primed and finished in Alclad aluminum, then a watercolor wash applied to the recesses. To me a redone grill goes a LONG way in improving a model.

This is another one of my models completed the year before. Tough to find Ford pickups of the proper timeframe, and I found an old one on Ebay. In fact, it still had it's original purchase receipt in the box, dated 18 January 1975, almost four years to the day before the series started! So, all throughout my childhood watching the series every Friday night, this kit was sitting somewhere in someone's closet waiting for a 40-something year old me to purchase it and build decades later. I tend to think like that; if you don't, then y'all don't mind me..... Major bodywork had to be done; the kit depicted a vehicle with lots of side trim whereas Jesse's had none. This had to be ground away with a roto-tool, then sanded and touched up. Here are photos depicting all I've just mentioned:

ARMSTRONG Peterson Shock ABSORBERS (Cover story of the rolling casino in “Route 7-11”)

Wow, BOTH of them gone? That would definitely require some sort of explanation too, as incredibly family-centered as they are. Not saying impossible, just would definitely need a major explanation...something huge must have happened.

“YOUNG Pup, this is Top Dog....” (Rosco calling Enos in “Uncle Boss”)

UNCLE Shepherd (sometimes used by the boys over the radio in addressing Jesse)

TEX THOMPSON (criminal out to kill Luke’s brother Jud)

Fifty PERCENT of fifty PERCENT of fifty PERCENT

MILFORD (the skunk in “Duke of Duke”)