Tamiyabigstuff

The pic of the BT1 part in the manual should be 1:1 scale. They are made of thin stainless steel, maybe around 0.25mm thick, although you could use another material such as brass which is easier to work with.

The best method I've found for doing white lettering on tyres is to use a fine tipped white paint marker - my preferred brand is Edding. You should be able to find them on Amazon or ebay if you can't find them locally.

Ultrasonic cleaner every time for small bits. They are not that expensive, go on treat yourself.

Might have started out as a Rough Rider looking at the wheels & tyres.

That has to be one the coolest BC/RR I've ever seen. Nice job.

Tamiya offered Jug 1 owners a free upgrade kit which consisted of a new centre gearbox assembly, 2 complete axle assemblies and new driveshafts & U/J's. The original Jug 1 parts are fine if you are only building the truck for shelf display but if you actually drive it the transmission will destroy itself very quickly. As stated ^ the TXT parts are closely related to the Jug 2 parts. You can still find the upgrade sets or Jug 2 parts on ebay. The upgrade parts have '2000' moulded on them, original Jug 1 parts don't. You can download the build manuals from the TamiyaUSA website to compare part numbers used between the different models.

Remember this one ? Surely this wins ! Doraemon Solar Car Kit "Solaemon" Item No: 76008

Look for Fevibond synthetic rubber based adhesive. Commonly used by shoe repair shops or you can get it from ebay.

I use Fevibond synthetic rubber based adhesive.

That should be fine - think I got my DS tape from Hobbycraft. It just needs to be thin & sticky both sides.

I've successfully used double sided adhesive tape to stick decals which have lost their stickiness. Stick decal to one side of the double sided tape, trim carefully around it then remove the backing and stick to the model. Your non sticky decal has now become sticky.

I have an unpainted body so would be interested in a swap. Does this kit come with different decals to the standard kit ?

Nice truck ! I have one myself. Rusty screws can be replaced simply enough - maybe go for stainless cap headed or button headed screws ? The 'chrome' plated plastic may have gone bad if stored somewhere damp or had a lot of UV exposure - consider using self adhesive aluminium foil tape which you can get on a roll for sealing joints in insulation products. The rusty railings need to be rubbed down and treated then primed and repainted - truck has probably been stored somewhere damp such as a shed or garage. Good luck with the restoration.

This is a tip I've used in the past for decals which have peeled off - get some double sided sticky tape and stick the back of the decal to one side of the double sided tape. Carefully cut round the decal with a scalpel or similar then peel the backing paper from the other side of the double sided tape, Hey presto, you now have a decal which will stick.

Cardboard is a lot easier to cut than plastic card and so much cheaper. Much better suited to making a mock-up. Can't beat a bit of CAD - Cardboard Aided Design...