Models of Perfection
R ichie Acosta was amazed the first time he saw his prize-winning 2005 Peterbilt 379 extended hood replicated on a 1/24-scale. But there it was on MySpace, displayed by Christian Chapson, a hobby-ist model builder who takes his creations as seriously as American truckers take their custom rigs. I know my truck by heart because I built it myself, says 40-year-old Acosta, a Little Ferry, N.J., resident and owner of East Coast Large Cars. I couldn't believe it. Chapson's still working on it, and so far, it's pretty much on the money. His cre-ations make you feel like you're looking at a real truck. He's very precise. The eerily lifelike miniatures Chapson builds involve a skill the hobbyist has honed over 32 years. In a telephone interview from his home in Vierzon, France, Chapson says as a 12-year-old he was smitten when an older brother bought him a special book, whichfeatured 1960s trucks made in the United States. As American styles evolved, the craftsman's adoration increased. 20 CUSTOM RIGS Fall 2009 By Photos courtesy of Christian Chapson French artisan custom-builds replicas of some of the best known American rigs Models of Models of Chapson cuts plastic to re-create the orange duo of the 1999 Kenworth WL 900 and 2000 Peterbilt 379 awarded Best of Show in Overdrive's 2006 Pride & Polish and owned by Terry Dicks, of Lake City, Fla. Christian Chapson, of Vierzon, France, displays the 1/24-scale model he made from photos of Truett No-vosad's High Cotton 2001 Peterbilt 379, lowboy trailer and Case track hoe. He says he builds the models in three to six months, working evenings and weekends. Getting in Touch Chapson can be reached via the Internet at myspace.com/417191125. Those who need help with translation services can hire French professor Shane Emplaincourt for a nominal fee. Reach him at (205) 267-5876 or at semplaincourt@ hotmail.com.