Peterbilt 379 in 1:17 scale. It is a model from a showtruck from SRS National transport, fully detailled and with matching dumptrailer.
About this creation
This is my 1:17 scale Lego Peterbilt 379, a model from the showtruck of SRS National transport that has won a lot of prices on truckshows during the 2007 and 2008 season. I like this truck a lot as it has a very original yet aggressive blackened look.
The 379 has a very long chassis but as this is a locally operated truck it lacks a big sleeper, so it looks even longer. The chassis has a very low rideheight and the whole thing is completely black, and then I mean really black. One thing that makes the looks different are the removed headlights, which have become retractable in the blackened front bumper. I haven’t duplicated this in my model as the 1:17 scale was just too small to make the complete and working construction behind the frontbumper keeping the steering functionality alive.
The big challenge in this model is the orange contrast theme. It starts with the engine, and to make it as detailed and realistic as possible it needed a lot of chrome bricks. Another challenging part was the detail with the orange bricks. There is a limited number of types of orange bricks availlable, so it took me a while to collect the parts suitable for a nice looking engine and gearbox. Attached to the engine are the aircleaner housings, off course also in black.
The cabin was next, and it has opening doors (though i found out later the original one has suicide doors that open the other way around), and has matched colours for the seats, dash, steering house, and door panels, including Tan. The airbottles under the cabin, and above the sidesteps are connected, and so are the big fuel tanks attached to the chassis, which are decorated by a big chromed plate inbetween under the chassis with integrated lights. The driveshaft is made from chrome silver cylindrical bricks to give it that custom appeal. The drive shaft is connected to the differentials at the rear, where you can also see the full rear suspension.
The dumptrailer is in the same colour layout as the tractor. For European standards it is a rather strange construction with the whole ting lifting on the rear axle to dump the cargo. It required some extra Lego engineering work to make it possible with bricks, but it can do the same trick now as the real thing. The trailer has the same type of fenders, and a big company logo on the rear. Out of the normal view is the underside, but once lifted is exposes many lights that illuminate the trailer on truckshows at night. I think i added about a 100 red transparant bricks there.
This was a real challenging piece of machinery to build. Orange is a colour that doesn’t bring all the Lego bricks you would like, and the more basic a design is, it is often harder to copy. The structure was another part. The weight on the rear axles of both the tractor and the trailer is quite high, but on the other hand I also wanted a detailed suspension and axle setup. I also like to detail the things that you don’t see at the first glance like the interior, engine and bottom of the chassis.
And a picture of the real thing, taken at the Mid american Truck Show in Louisville. The truck has won many prices as a combo from 2007 to 2008. I hope you like my work!
Hi there. The wheels are the old model team black cat truck wheels. You can find them on Bricklink, but these days they are very expensive. You could go a bit smaller with the Technic towtruck wheels.
hey whats up i wanted to ask u where did u find those wheels i'm planning to make a big truck but i can't find wheels like those on bricklink.com i need about 10 wheels whit tires
Thanks all. It's always a big pleassure if people like you're work!
To answer the questions: Yes, it is hollow, and it caves a bit, but not that much. I am planning to put a load of grey bricks in, so then the issue is solved :-)
Just exactly like what I was expecting from you! an awesome replica of the real thing, great details... I specially like the engine with the nice color combo, also great functional elements... and this really needs a studio to take pics for it... it's so HUGE! my backgrounds techniques could never work for this size, but also takin' your creations outdoors gives it even more realistic... all in all impressive work, keep it up >>> peace.. Fofo :)
Another brilliant creation! You are single-handedly making me a fan of truck MOCs. Nice interior work, and I love the color contrasts. (orange, black, and chrome...strong colors!) Just terrific.
