PHPaul

I looked it up under the X-Acto part number 7726 and found a couple of on-line sources for it, including Amazon.

I've had it quite a long time, possibly since the 1980's when I got into HO model railroading. I'll look around and see what I can find on it.

Most excellent! The prime mover is a real beast! I bet it was a chore to drive IRL.

They are available. Whether they last longer is anyone's guess.

For years, I have been using this K-Tool miter/chopper to cut plastic and wood. I have several issues with it: No repeatability, no reference line for blade position so it's hard to see where you're actually cutting, the single-edge razor blade flexes under even moderate pressure, the method of holding the blade to the handle is sloppy, the angles are approximate and the blade digs into the soft plastic base. With my increasing desire for accuracy it just wasn't cutting it any more (arrrr...humor!) I spent quite a bit of time surfing the 'net looking for something better and spotted this unit from Green Stuff World. Received it today. I saw several things that attracted me to it: Price (around $17 plus shipping), the heavy box-cutter type blade, the repeatable method of setting angles, the blade is clearly visible and there are reference lines in the center so you KNOW where you're cutting and the heavier construction (no flexing). It's made of a laser-cut masonite-like material. Assembly is required but dead simple and everything fits together well. A sample 45° cut came out very well. I was a little concerned about the thickness of the blade but it doesn't seem to be an issue and the lack of flex is VERY welcome. One of the other things that attracted me was (I thought...) the use of ordinary utility knife blades. That turns out not to be the case and is really the only downside I can see so far. I will have to find a source for replacement blades, altho they should last a good long time cutting only soft plastic and thin wood. EDIT: Turns out the blades are commonly available, ULine is one source.

Thanks, Gents. High praise coming from this company!

Final iteration of the knuckleboom crane. I re-designed and re-printed the main boom 3 times before I got the pin locations for the hydraulic cylinders right and got full articulation of the folding boom. Right now, the rods slide freely in the cylinders, hence the props to hold it in the extended position. I'm hoping a coat of paint on the rods will provide enough stiction to hold it in position. I have come up with Plan C for the doors on the service body. Just waiting on some materials to arrive. I'll post pictures if it works as envisioned.

I have a Prentiss style loader on the straight truck. I'm thinking of the knuckle boom making the 4300 more of a multi-use truck. Crane would be useful for loading stuff onto a flatbed for instance.

Still flip-flopping on mounting the doors. Plan C works well but still looks pretty chunky. Letting that simmer for a while to see if a better idea bubbles to the surface. Meanwhile, I started on a knuckleboom crane several months ago and never quite figured out how to get it to fold as compactly as the real thing. Coincidentally, a neighbor who works on cars had one parked in his yard for some repairs (hydraulic leaks) and I got a chance to look at one close up and get some pictures. The solution was obvious once I saw it. So I 3D printed the necessary parts and retro-fitted my first attempt: Stowed. Unfolded. Propped up until I can snug up the joints just enough to hold it in position. Fully extended. Now that I have the concept figured out, I'll either fine-tune this one or build another to go on my International 4300 with the log trailer.

Thanks, Brendan. Filed away for future reference.

Nice! I've used the lichen just as it comes off the tree for vines. Never thought about adding leaves. I've also built vines/bushes using unraveled wrapping twine as the base. Hit it with a little spray adhesive, sprinkle some Noch leaves over it and BOOM! you're done.

I REALLY like the rust treatment on the hot side of the turbo and the 5th wheel. Would you mind providing details on how you went about that?

I got to thinking about my hinge problems and thought more about the lack of contact area for the glue. I'm trying a modified version of Charles' approach using ABS tube along the full length of the door and brass pivots superglued into holes drilled in the body. The full-length tube seems to be providing plenty of contact area and the joint seems solid. Looking at the picture, I think the tube needs to be mounted ON the door as opposed to beside it so the door will fit flush. I'll try that in the morning.

Testors styrene glue is my go-to and works perfectly on styrene-to-styrene joints. The problem is two-fold: 1. Dissimilar materials. Trying to glue PLA (3D print material) or ABS (small tubing) to styrene is not working for me. 2. Very small contact area on the joint. While either Testors or super glue would probably work over a larger area, there's just not enough strength in this application.

Well, much like Thomas Edison, "I have not failed, I've discovered at least 3 ways that will not work." Superglue looked promising but didn't bond well to the styrene. Very little effort required to pop a hinge off, would never have survived opening and closing. I guess I'll have to try Charles' method with brass. Need to check my inventory, pretty sure I'll have to lay in more brass tubing.

I've been struggling with the hinges. The 3D printed ones work well, but they're YUGE! I got some smaller plastic tubing and discovered upon working with it that it's ABS and pretty much impervious to styrene-type glue. Nothing would stay glued in place. Tried some UV-set superglue this evening, and I think that's gonna work. If it does, I'll post some pictures. Lotta other stuff going on before Winter weather sets in, so it may be a while.

I'll look into it, thanks!

It looks like this hinge design is going to work. A bit large for the scale, but the truck is driven by a mechanic who's favorite tool is a hammer, so that's not all bad. Plan A is small, individual pins top and bottom, assuming that's strong enough. The door side hinges were glued in place first, then when fully set up, the full length rod was installed to facilitate placement of the frame side hinges. Full length doesn't look horrible tho. If I go that way, I'll need more brass stock. I've started fairing the body work with glazing putty, I see I missed a spot.

Somewhat humorous aside: I'm from the USA. We don't DO metric, it's a point of pride with us (or at least me...) to stick with the traditional (and admittedly unwieldy) Imperial system. However, when I started using TinkerCAD the default unit was metric and I just got in the habit of using it. Also, using 1mm=1 inch is VERY close to 1/25 scale which is quite handy when designing things from scratch. The metric system is kinda handy sometimes... Of course, if you quote me I'll deny ever saying such an heretical thing!

After 5 iterations, I went with something very similar to what @Jürgen M. used on his Jeep. Versions 1-3 were variations on a piano hinge but alignment and clearance was problematic. Version 4 was a single hinge as shown, Version 5 was just a size tweak to make the pin fit better. They are 3mm barrels with a 1.75mm bore and a 3x3mm mounting plate. Pins will be 1.1mm brass rod. Oversize holes are to allow for shrinkage as they cool. Now to assemble 40 of these things...(4 per door times 10 doors)

First set was very close, made a couple of adjustments, printing the second set now. They're a bit large for the scale, but if they work, a LOT less fussing than other methods. We shall see.

Hmmmmmmmm...printed hinges. Hadn't thought of that, I'll try printing a set and see how that goes.

Yup, mounting doors is going to be tedious for sure. Right up there with cutting them out to begin with. Do you have a specific source for the hinges?

Body is coming along. Several interior partitions to install between compartments and some filling and sanding on the joints. Plan A is to mount the doors as "plug mount" in the original cutouts. Trying to find a way to make hinges that are somewhere near scale and not too fussy to make. These look too big to me. Suggestions? I've seen some photo etch piano hinges but can't tell if they actually work or are just decorative.

Those are nice folding cranes! I want to build a knuckle-boom crane. I've done one and learned a lot but it's not even up to MY standards, which isn't saying much. I'll build another using lessons learned and more 3D prints. The first one was built from scratch with plastic shapes.