In Progress: 1/24 Dakar Truck

Here it is. Progress of the monster of a model. the cab and frame are Italeri 1/24 Scania semi kit, the front suspention is a pumpkin "borrowed" from a 1/35 8x8 transport and styrene tube hung by springs from the hardware store. The box is custom sheet styrene with interior supports. The whole thing needs to be primed, then painted red and blue. Yes that is a Testors 1/4 Fl oz bottle that fits under the front bumper. Also the bottom of the box will be even with the top of the front wheel weels once the box is painted/mounted. My desk is a mess and a model that big doesn't really fit anyways.
I'm open for suggestions.
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/98952small_dakar_truck.jpg

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/98952small_dakar_truck_under.jpg

Thanks for posting a thread on this subject. I know a few of us have been kicking around a project like this in our heads and now we have one to follow.

Awesome!! I remember you asking questions about these trucks and I was hoping you actually built it. Can't tell you how many times I've planned to do something and didn't. I'm wicked excited to see this thing come out. I can't wait to see it, and keep up the progress thread even if it's slow.

that's really cool....i bet that gets pretty expensive doing it all custom.....but it's definatly worth it..

what with those headlights?

Heh-this reminds me-I built a Revell Snap Tite COE Kenworth Big Rig. I decided i wanted something "different" I ended up adding a pair of AMT USA-1 Monster Truck axles and tires. I finished it off by adding a 454 and a 427 behind the cab, all linked together with about 3 transfer cases. lol

Can't wait to see more progress.

what with those headlights?

The original headlights were in what is now the bumper (puttied over). i was going to use the air intakes, but they were too high so i covered them in white. Now i am going to build a custom bumper out of sheet styrene with headlight resseses.

that's really cool....i bet that gets pretty expensive doing it all custom.....but it's definatly worth it..

Yes it does quick sum..
semi kit $50,
Styrene, putty $10
Paint/primer $17 may need more than two cans of tamiya spray +5 each
donor 1/35 transport $28

I agree that it is worth it

Cool, especially since I'm working as development engineer at Scania in Sweden.
However I think you should let the air intakes and headlamps be stock for realism.
If you want pictures of scania Offroad and military trucks you can look here:
http://imagebank.scania.com/indexie.jsp
click on "truck" and select "military" in the "bodywork" drop down menu.
The military and offroad trucks have different bumpers compared to the Semitrailer tractor that is in the kit.
Im building an 8x4 military truck out of two 4x2 tractors. Hope to get the progress thread up here soon.

Thats Cool! I've thinking to build Dakar truck from my Volvo F16 :iceslolan

BTW: Check out this its finnish truck SISU HMTV
http://www.sisuauto.com/kuvat/hmtvmalli.jpg :loser:

This seems like a great project. I love watching all the Dakar trucks. Is this kit going to have an engine, or do you not even want to tackle something that big, with what your doing already?
And you said that the truck was going to be blue and white, are you going to make it like a team truck, or just one of your own?
Good luck with the truck, and keep us posted.

yeah great project looks very cool dude

Interesting project, i'd like to see more Italeri big rigs, they've always looked interesting

This seems like a great project. I love watching all the Dakar trucks. Is this kit going to have an engine, or do you not even want to tackle something that big, with what your doing already?
And you said that the truck was going to be blue and white, are you going to make it like a team truck, or just one of your own?
Good luck with the truck, and keep us posted.

The kit came with a huge engine (block is 4 cm long with out fan/belts and 4 cm tall including heads. With tranny, over 7.5 cm long. I started to paint it until i realized the oil pan nearly touches my axle. I considered trimming the oil pan but i am too lazy so i added the currently poor looking plate to the bottom of the frame to hide the fact it's a curbside

The decals will consist of whatever i find that matches the colors. Most likely someone who doesn't sponsor a real truck.

Thanks Martin S for the links

Looking good so far. i will start my project of the Dakar truck with the Revell Unimog. Watch out for that. Looking great Tundra!!!!! :smile:

Update without pictures:

I primed /painted the box Mica red and the top of the cab racing blue. The box had all kinds of trash in the paint, so i sanded it back and am going to get another can of paint sometime soon (1 can wasn't going to cover it anyway). It turns out that both colors are metallic. This is my first run in with metallic paint, but the top of the cab looks alright from what i've polished. Now i just have to get off my ass and spend another 20 bucks on paint and clear

I am also having second thoughts about it being a curbside. I might as well go all the way and put in the engine, so i have roughly trimmed the oil pan and it should fit.

Interesting. Is this model ment to represent a real vehicle or just be an approximation of a dakar truck?

Its just an approximation. I found exact stats on a website, but i cannot find a similar enough cab unless i get a semi kit with a trailer in one box for $120 which i would not want to cut up. The length and width are almost perfectly to scale. the height is too high due to the tallness of the cab's top which i am not skilled enough to alter, so the box is also too tall. The wheel base is about a cm too short, which i am on the verge of changing but havn't decided how. That makes my model sound like shit, but i have never seen a truck in person.

I finally painted the box blue over he red base coat, but i forgot that i used white primer on the cab, so the red underneith the blue patern on the box made the box's blue not match. What am i going to do? Re build the box ( i would strip the paint, but then i lose my seem filling putty too). Any way here's a pic feel fre to comment on the uncreative blue pattern
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/98952dakar_truck_painted_box_and_cab-med.jpg

looks cool and unique.

sweet :naughty:

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/98952painted_truck2-med.jpg
That's the 14.2 L turbo diesel that powers the truck. The radiator and intercooler are not there because they needed to be sandwiched betwwen the frame rails which were glues together a long time ago. The box still needs a coat of clear as you can see.
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/98952painted_truck-med.jpg
Free standing in need of panel lines and a finished bumper. I am debating stealing my Subaru WRC's decals, but i will just end up ordering more. The drawback is that the two vehicles have identical markings. I dunno what i am going to do for decals.
As for the rear, i will build a simple bumper with lights and hang some mud flaps to dress up the rear. That is the corner of a Corolla WRC for scale in the bottom two pictures.
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/98952painted_truck3-med.jpg
A shot of the frame with the box removed. The white plastic strips are styrene tubing to lift the box above the rear tires. There is no rear driveshaft yet, the paint is still drying.

Awesome!!

That is so cool.

Looks great. I am looking for some kit right now too. I want to build Kamaz that took part in couple rallies, but I like the one from last year. It probably would take a donor and then scratch build. Your technique looks awesome!

http://www.auto1.hu/images/cikkek/rally/teher_dakar_01.jpg http://www.auto1.hu/images/cikkek/rally/teher_dakar_02.jpg
http://www.joelsmets.be/Joel/PhotoGallery/DakarJoel/images/dakar%202003%20003.jpg
http://www.tatraclub.at/images/HL_2003_dakar/kamaz_2.jpg
http://www.tatraclub.at/images/HL_2003_dakar/kamaz_3.jpg

Interesting project, but it looks good.

Looks gret. I've been looking forward to progress on this since you started. I have a question though, what goes in the box of the 1:1? Anything?

i think the 1:1 carries parts for the team's other vehicles, but i am not sure.

Nice pics DJPaul, i wish i had pictures that good when i started my project.