Promoting Excellence in HO Scale Vehicle Modeling

Peterbilt 379 EXTH & Lowboy Trailer - By Ralf Grote



Photograph copyrighted by Ralf Grote, used with permission

This Peterbilt 379 EXTH Extended Hood truck tractor is the result of a lot of attention to detail by German modeler Ralf Grote. This model of the Peterbilt 379 EXTH is based on the Peterbilt 359 from Wiking. Ralf lengthened the hood to match the 127" BBC  (Bumper-to-Back-of-Cab). The cab, hood and grill are from Wiking; the rest is from different manufacturers. For example, the air filters and battery/steps are from Dennis Aust, tanks and curved exhaust stacks are from AWM, diamond plates out of brass are from a Polish manufacturer called ABER. The sleeper is a conversion of the Herpa/Promotex 'Peterbilt sleeper'. Ralf added the high rise air fairing of the 'KW T600 sleeper' from the same source. One of the very remarkable details is tiny visors added onto each of the headlights plus a huge California style bumper. Ralf says he likes to mix the styles of new and old, so he prefers the position of the turn signal indicators on the fenders and not at the margins of the headlights as you can see on more or less all modern Pete's 379. The indicators are replacements of the very small ones from Wiking.

Posted November 19, 2001