1:250 scale Mack cabover

[Russell C]

And now for the "yes it really is that small" category, scroll down this page a little ways*  to the 2nd place category at the 1999 GSL contest for my Mack COE. (*April 28, 2020 update: link no longer works, so I substitute a more recent photo)

The story behind it is that the guys at the "Greatest Little Model Car Contest in Arizona" had a special theme category for 'small scale', but they didn't say how small. So I took a line drawing of a Mack and arbitrarily scaled it down to match the front section of a photo-etched model railroad shopping cart, since that resembled a Mack radiator grille. Everything else was scaled off that piece, which worked out to be something around 1:250. Might actually be smaller, one of my old notes says 1:275. But I'm really lousy with math.

The cab is actually 5 blocks of different shapes of pre-colored styrene plastic that span the width of the cab - the lowest is the red block for the fenders, the white block above is notched for the fenders to fit under it, and on top is a smoked clear solid block that is the windshield & side windows. Behind it is another white block and a blue 'cap'. To make the blue and red stripes, I just scribed the lines into the sides and front and glued in stretched sprue strands of blue and red and sanded them flat to the sides. There's no paint on the truck other than the orange for the marker lights and turn signals and red paint dots for the taillights. The mirror brackets are some kind of computer wire with photo etched bits of 25th scale seat belt hardware that happened to be the right size to resemble mirrors. I laser-printed the Mack mud flaps on ordinary paper, I lathe-turned the wheels, tires, air tanks, fuel tanks air horns (what an absolute pain those were) and mufflers, but the upper stacks are stainless steel hypodermic needles that my dental surgeon gave me after some major $700 tooth fixing - arguably each stack is worth $350. He's the person who also used his macro lens later to photograph the super close-ups below, since he demanded to know why I wanted to keep the needles in the first place. He didn't think such a use for needles was possible.

Although it may look like there is an interior to the thing, that's just an illusion from the block of clear plastic.

To keep it from rattling around too much while transporting or storing it, I had to create a little form-fitting garage for it within a film cannister. Even still, I managed to knock loose one of the mirrors. Unfortunately the trouble with untreated plastic is that white styrene isn't happy with skin oil, so it has turned a not good shade of yellow.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Russell C
got a better photo link

[Swamp Dog]

wow..now thats small,great job..

[chuckyr]

Wild!

[BigBad]

And you still managed to make it look like a Mack! I like the 2 holes!

[Jim B]

Very cool!

[Ben]

Good lord!!!!!!! What won 1st place and beat that??????????? Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Russell C]

Thanks for all the kind words. Two hole wheels were all I could manage with the smallest drill bit I had. The guy who won 1st place at that GSL contest in the small scale category had a 1:87 customized Ford hot rod with a painted finish and a wired engine. I was pleased to place at all, much less get 2nd.

[kilrathy10]

Outstanding work....Very good ideas all around....Heck of a way to approach something like this....Very nice....

[Chris White]

how did you not go blind, that is small. Really nice work

[Danno]

Awesome, Russell!

[redneckrodder]

you have got major skills to work something that small

[catd11rpusher]

You must have hands of a surgeon, and eyes of a eagle. You did a beautiful job. I would crush something like that. With my meat hooks. Great job!!!!!

[Russell C]

Thanks! Always been blessed with thin and reasonably adept fingers, but the ol 'eyes were better when I built that over a decade ago. These days I can still focus unaided at 11-12 inches, but I have to wear my 200 power reading glasses over my 325 ones to focus in at about 5 inches.