Convoy, take 7

[Biggu]

Just curious, as I’m not sure this particular question has been asked yet …. I know from a little experience with the oil distributor parts ….. how forgiving are the parts you are printing for this truck? Is the material brittle or is it a bit softer like styrene ? I think Bren mentioned there is a new resin material that may prove to be not quite as brittle as the current material. Just curious …

[Jürgen M.]

The resin parts are much more brittle than the filament parts. They're not as heat resistant as the resin though! 😊

[Jürgen M.]

I think there are resins that are not so brittle but mostly that effects other attributes.

I'm no resin specialist though!

 

[Jürgen M.]

Attached the front and rear shocks and a stabilizer:

Also assembling the steering:

... using a 1mm brass rod, two 2mm brass rod pieces and some box parts (white).

Brake drums are next (being printed).

Then I'll begin printing the V8.

Edited May 30 by Jürgen M.

[Jürgen M.]

Brake drums are finished and wil be mounted shortly!

Front axle is mounted and steering works! 

 

[Jürgen M.]

Brake drums are mounted.

These are the first engine parts:

[BK9300]

I don’t recall seeing a bunch of your parts together, fresh out of the printer.  Is it difficult to separate the parts from the ‘raft’?

[Jürgen M.]

Not really! 

When the parts are very small and delicate they have to be taken off really carefully so they don't break but most parts are no problem. Some already fall off while I take the raft off the bed!

You just have to do a lot of after work. 

[Jürgen M.]

Rims are printed. I'm using Italeri tires, got lots in my box!

Of course the rims need painting (white).

The chassis will be painted flat black.

Before that I'll test the fit of the V8. If everything fits I'll mount a few more parts like the shift tower and tank brackets. Then it's off to the paint shop!

[Jürgen M.]

Fuel tank brackets are mounted:

Rear panel with mud flaps:

[BK9300]

Looks good!  Are you adding more details into the design of this build?  Your rear panel looks the most detailed yet - good stuff!

[Biggu]

I was going g to say the same thing as Brian. The tail light brackets and the extra bolts make a huge difference to the details. Subtle but adds great realism. And coming together really fast. I love it !

[Jürgen M.]

Thanks guys! 

I'll try to find the middle between detail and pragmatic building.

Once it's on the shelf most details won't be visible so why bother. 

The details on parts like the rear panel are easy to design. Things like that don't take much time!

[Jürgen M.]

The engine fits in perfectly!

Of course it's not finished yet. I just assembled enough to try out if the virtual mock-up was correct.

[Jürgen M.]

The interior tub is printed. I used the illustrations in the instruction sheet of the AMT kit as a reference.

The three brackets I designed onto it are just mounting aids for the sleeper wall!

The dash is printed too. I know, it's the 4070a dash but actually I don't really care! 

[Jürgen M.]

The engine is painted and completed. 

The radiator is almost finished and will be mounted after having painted the chassis.

[Scott Eriksen]

On 5/23/2025 at 11:44 AM, ranma said:

Please note the dash difference as well as the Interior floor pan changes from the 4070 a to 4070B Transtar II

The Transtar II was/is a great kit! 

[Jürgen M.]

Thanks Scott! I'm aware of the differences but noone will see it later since the truck will be up on a shelf later where you can only See the outside.

I used my 4070a kit as a reference so it won't be totally authentic. In this case it doesn't matter though. In the movie the interior of that truck is not shown so I will also have freedom of art concerning the colors!

 

[Jürgen M.]

I decided to not paint the chassis flat black but lo leave it as it is!

Here's a little mock-up:

The exhaust (heat shield) is from a Volvo F12 Globetrotter. The end pipe is printed. 

Wheels are painted. I'll mount them later this evening probably!

The space between cab floor and engine is very thin so I hope to get the cab in a position where it doesn't touch the engine and still isn't to high. The great challenge will be to fit in the shift tower.

 

[Jürgen M.]

Wheels are mounted! 

Hubs are next. Then the air cleaner and exhaust system! 

[BK9300]

Painted wheels really stand out, Jürgen - moving ahead nicely! 

[Jürgen M.]

A mock-up to see if the cab will fit over the engine without collisions:

Up to now everything fits perfectly!

Quarter fenders are just mocked up, they still need a bit of adjustment.

The rear panel, fifth wheel, battery box and air cleaner are permanently in place! 

[Jürgen M.]

I took off the tub and worked on the chassis and engine.

Still have to work out the exhaust system. Toughy! 

Fuel tanks are printed and painted. As soon as they're dry I'll assemble them and add the cable ties I always use as straps. Then I can mount them.

The cable ties are my standard as straps. I've designed a few different types of brackets all made to tuck away the heads.

And you can paint them any color you like! Even chrome! 

I've also made a steering gear in a similar way as in the Ertl kit!

More to come soon!

[Jürgen M.]

The steering parts:

Put together and mounted:

And it works too:

 This is about the smallest you can print in a filament printer, especially when you need functioning parts!

[Jürgen M.]

The shifter fits perfectly and the tilting of the cab will work fine!

It's still a bit shaky though cause the tilting axle I used here is too thin. It's just for try outs.

 I also printed the grille and side trim.

Looks OK! Maybe It could use a bit of improvement though!