Post Apocalypse "Road Train" kitbash.

[Tim Marlow]

Good work in 1/76 I’d say......nice clean additions. This is developing well.

[minitnkr]

Did the 10 ton MAN w/crane in 1/87, always thought crane operator would have to be very comfortable w/heights:smiling2:. PaulE

[Guest]

Thanks everyone.

Andy - as Tim mentions the Deltic is OO scale so 1/76. The trucks I'm using as donors are 1/72, so similar enough for a fantasy build.

Agreed Paul, and the reach of it is quite surprising too. I've shortened it a bit as it just looked out of proportion.

I definitely need to fix those hydraulics as they are annoying me already, and I may even have a go at some pipes and cables.

[Guest]

My kid brother came over from Manchester to visit me this afternoon, which lifted my spirits no end, and with the man cave being a bit cooler after he'd left, I carried on.

First thing was to fix those bent rams, and address the lump of plastic that represented (ish) the cable drum & motor.

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Copper wire and some tubing sorted the hydraulics, but the cable drum was a bit harder. I cut the sides with a razor saw then basically hacked the rest out with a tiny blade. I'll have to look at miniature chisels, as they would have made life much easier!

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With that out of the way I made the drum from 6mm tubing and a motor from 4mm. The end was plugged with rod then chamfered a bit. If I can manage it I'll add some connectors for its hydraulics.

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I also drilled and carved out the end of the boom to accept a cable. Again, a tiny chisel would have made this easier. I've started on the hook too but I think that's just too small for me to do much more with. I'll look again tomorrow when my eyes have regained focus control! :nerd:

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[Neil Merryweather]

Looking good ,Andy.
As for miniature chisels, before you spend any money try sharpening some miniature screwdrivers.
Also a number 15 scalpel blade is useful

[Guest]

Thanks Neil, hadn't thought about that. I have a few old ones lying around.

15 is my blade of choice for most things, along with a 15A when I need something pointy. It helps that I have a boxful from when mum worked at SM lol, but I can't seem to get on with the more popular, bigger blades.

[Tim Marlow]

15 is my blade of choice as well, backed up by a number 11 straight for cutting along a straight edge. I have others, but they are the one I use most of all....
Miniature screwdrivers stoned dead square on the sides and end are fantastic for chasing out inset edges....And if you only use them on plastic they hold an edge for a long time...

[yak face]

Great additions andy , the crane is looking like a crane now, cheers tony

[Guest]

Cheers Tim. I've dug out a couple of really cheap ones (free with a Christmas cracker I think :smiling5: ) and will see how much of a mess I make of them first. In fact a mate does wood turning so has some kind of motorised whetstone sharpening doodad, so I'll give them to him!

Thanks Tony. I doubt I'll manage your levels of detail but anything has to be an improvement :smiling3:

[monica]

very nice going on this one,looking good,it dose remind me of the truck from the movie,land of the dead
called dead reckoning,
keep up the good work,

[Tim Marlow]

Mine were made from a couple of cheap electrical screwdrivers. Cheap miniature Jeweller’s screwdrivers are also good for this.

[Tim Marlow]

I think it’s very “damnation alley” Monica, but then, I’m an old Hawkwind fan :tongue-out3: ....

[SimonT]

I started off by making my own chisels from a £2 box of jewellers screwdrivers but then I bought a set of these

Trumpeter Chisels

way better - mind you they should be. Proper tools are a tad more costly

Build is looking good Andy

Hows about a train off Am I Evil by Diamond Head or Motörhead's Orgasmatron for your next build? I've long thought they would probably make good subjects

[Guest]

Some good ideas for future builds there, thanks!

I almost added those Trumpeter chisels to my basket yesterday, very tempting, but I'll try the budget option first.

I have the (very) old version of this set too, which works a bit like a pin vise with removable blades. I've been tempted by the newer set already as it includes more bits, so the old one might make a nice kit of various sized chisels.

[Steve Jones]

Lovely work Andy. Enjoying this a lot. PM sent