We introduced Kevin Shanahan's 1970s era MobilOil Company Freightliner 4x4 tractor in our previous Photo Gallery 564. As a refresher, his truck tractor is powered by a Detroit Diesel 12V-71 naturally aspirated 456 horsepower V-12 diesel engine driving through an Allison CLBT750 automatic transmission with an Allison drop box powering the front axle. The trailers are 28' fuel tankers and the gross combination weight of the unit is 110,000 lbs. with an overall length of 110 feet.

This series of photographs show both Kevin's excellent modeling of combining the extraordinary resin engine and transmission castings from Ralph Ratcliffe Models with his own kitbashed Athearn Freightliner cab and chassis with many scratchbuilt detail items. The fresh "Alpine Green" paint job on the Detroit Diesel 12V-71 would seem to denote a freshly rebuilt engine (as evidenced by paint on the exhaust manifolds and no visible oil leaks yet...) in this meticulously maintained tank hauler.

The model is a kitbashed Athearn Freightliner tractor with sleeper with the cab and chassis shortened into a two axle 4x4 configuration with a full 90 degree tilting cabover cab. The radiator is scratchbuilt, the Detroit 12V-71 engine and Allison transmission both are from Ralph Ratcliffe Models, the wheels and tires are from Dennis Aust, fuel tanks are modified A-Line, with Plano deck plates, A-Line trailer lines, Boley rear fenders, Alloy Forms exhaust, Dennis Aust air cleaner, Herpa horns, mirrors and air snorkel, and the decals from Microscale. The trailers are from Boley with Dennis Aust wheels and tires.

Posted May 11, 2013