Ever since starting work in London I’ve wanted to model one of the many trucks I work around each day, frequent chats with the great guys that drive them also fuelled the idea as they were dead keen to see a model of one of their trucks.
Italeri did an R500 V8 model (#3829) which was the closest I could get to one of the trucks, our oldest, a 2004 R500 which has driven 600,000kms!
The trailer was to be based on a Schmitz Cargobull, also based on the Italeri kit (#3809) but it was clear some modification was going to be needed to change it from the Euro look to what I saw in our London based outfit.
Side crash bars would be scratch built and super singles and mudguards brought it from the Italeri accessories range (#3870)
Some extra decals would be needed too for all the trailer logos and a UK number plate maker.
I didn’t want to hang around too long on this one so most of the chassis was made as one and liquid-moly held it all together. I like building plastic kits this way as its strong and fast progress is made.
Only the airbags escaped being sprayed in Tamiya German Grey and glossed once it had dried. This is the closest I could get to Scania Chassis Black which is actually dark grey.
The cab was sprayed in Tamiya Gloss White and the graphics cut in vinyl using the same laser machine that cuts the graphics on our real trucks! Tamiya white is an exact match for white vinyl BTW! You really can’t see where the paint ends and the vinyl starts!
The cab was finished off with KFS front hub covers and the UK number plates. This are laser cut vinyl too so each letter needs peeling off and placing using a scalpel!
The trailer chassis and box were built as per the instructions and the Italeri wheel rims & mudguards set was added to create the UK look.
Our trucks don’t carry spare tyres as a recovery company would do any wheel changes so they weren’t added but the fire extinguisher was. The mudguards don’t have any holes to locate to the chassis but when resting on the bottom rib of the chassis rails and super glued in place they lined up fine.
Humbrol acrylic orange & Brunswick green were used for the colour scheme.
Final touches were a KFS Trailer Manufacturers & markings decal sheets were used for all the warning signs, vin plates and trailer logos.
Finally the model was glued down to a mdf base sprayed gloss black and the cover is from Germany made to order by a company called SORA cases. All the sections are screwed together so any size can be ordered and posted safely.
It was presented to the Overseer of our Trucking Department as gift and now sits in his office!