AMT Puller Tractor "Blazing Bison"
After I finished building my Massey Ferguson puller modification to the old Ertl 1155 kit, I really wanted to build a truly Modified puller tractor. I assumed there were no kits available since I had not run across one, and so would have to build one from scratch. That big of a project, however, seemed too much for my skills, so I put the idea aside until one day recently, when I happened to be doing a search on eBay for "1/25 tractor". To my surprise, this kit turned up - an AMT Puller Tractor kit that was first put out in 1986 and re-released in 2016! I snatched the kit right up, and eagerly looked forward to building a cool addition to my tractor collection.
When I got the kit in the mail, I soon discovered that my "new, unopened" purchase was actually missing one whole tree of chrome parts, namely the engine blowers, drive belts and exhaust. After re-negotiating the paid dollar amount with the seller, I went on an internet hunt for new blowers and exhaust. Since I needed three sets that matched, my options were limited, but I did finally find some that would work, though they were not exactly the same as the kit originals. I don't know the origin of the blower parts, but the exhaust I found were resin ones put out by 3DScaleParts.
After viewing completed kits by other modelers, I decided I just had to do as much wiring and plumbing as I could since it was all out there and exposed on the real tractor. So using 1/25 scale brake line from MSC Model Products, I wired up all 24 spark plug wires, 6 coolant lines, and 3 fuel lines. Assembly was not simple - getting all the engine mounts and drive shafts together, while threading the lines to the proper destinations was certainly tricky. The kit went together OK for the most part, though the rear axle just didn't come out right - it doesn't line up with the transmission properly and I'm not sure why. Fortunately it's not visible!
While the tractor has an eclectic assortment of parts, it also has an eclectic assortment of paint finishes as well. For the golden yellow I went with John Deere Yellow, the red-orange is Vallejo Orange Fire, and the red is Chrysler Flame Red. The feathering of the yellow and orange worked well on the chassis, but not so well on the fenders. The kit came with a generous number of add-on suitcase weights, some of which I used to replace the home-made ones on my Massey Ferguson. The rest were painted Flame Red and hung in the appropriate spots on the tractor. Since my kit was the 2016 re-issue, it did not come with the Meister Brau decals, so I replicated them as best I could.
I hope you enjoy my "Blazing Bison" puller tractor. It was fun and a bit of a challenge, but I'm very pleased to have it in my collection!
Wow, it’s amazing, I’d love to actually hear one. Great work, Robert, on getting the kits and missing parts, and completing it to such a high standard.
@chinesegeorge Thanks, George! These multi-engine gas tractors are REALLY loud, a stark contrast to all the diesel-engined tractors that hardly make any sound at all.
A wonderful result, Robert! Overcoming all those challenges and producing such an excellent model is really outstanding!
@fiveten Thank you, Spiros! I hope you are doing well, my friend.
Great result, Robert @robgenev665
Especially with all the extras you had to put into this build.
Well done.
@johnb Thanks, John!
Nice work and a really unusual result. Very nice!
@tcinla Thanks, Tom! I appreciate the comment.
Excellent, Robert. I love a good tractor pull!
@j-healy Thanks, John! I haven't been to a tractor pull in ages, might have to do that this year.
Love it! I think I've mentioned before that my uncles ran hot rod tractors back in the 70's when I worked on my grandad's farm. Love going to the races and being able to be down in the pits with them. Their tractor (2nd iteration anyway) had two car engines mounted in tandem like these three. First time I've seen 3. You are right, they are LOUD! I wish there were still tractor pulls around here to attend...
@gkittinger Thanks for the comments, Greg. I do recall you mentioning your uncles' pulling tractor, it would have been fun working on one of those. We messed around with an old stock car racer in high school, never raced it, though. I recall the tractors with multiple Allyson engines, and even the turbo jet-engined ones from back in the day. I'll have to check out the local pulls this summer, might get some inspiration for another project!
Awesome! It would make a wild looking Hot Wheels.
@roofrat It would indeed! Thanks for the comment, Robert!