Looks like you are on a roll, and likely feel eager to return to the work-bench each day. This fine frame-work is the Nige I have always recognized...

Thanks as always for the support Rick

Front axle travel bump stops added, shock absorber hangers front and rear on chassis too












Small bits but getting there

Rear cross member with electrical junction box, air pressure relay valve, trailer air and electrical couplings.









Nige

Load sensor started. Pipes feed through it on the chassis rail just around the nearside rear axle


Fiddly for adding pipes to all areas




Trying to unravil spagetti junction !!!!!!!!

Nige

looking good Nige,love the detail.

Thanks Rick

Like everything else, it will be my representation as close as I can get to the tangle taking account of what I can fathom out from the photos!!!!!!!! But it will be by no means perfect, like the masters of the art, as some bits just get too hard to handle and will be fudged accordingly !!!!!!!!!!!!

But that is hopefully where a coat of primer and a few coats of paint will mask a few of those glaring mistakes !!!! It will hopefully look good from a distance !!!!!!!!

Start of filling up the chassis side rails






And the relay valves and pipes (assumed serving part of the air brakes system and possibly air actuators for the gearing and transfer box)






Nige

Is it madness ???????????????? Is sending me mad at times !!!!!!!!!! But how mad can I really get ???????????

I have been lubricating my pipes with much needed amber necter and soothing a husky throat ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, well that is my excuse if ever I needed one !!!!!!!!!!

Just in case I display the TM with the cargo bed off, I have drilled out the bracket holes and shaped the centre slope in the middle




The two main air tanks plumbed in (third one made but do that tomorrow)




The load sensing valve and fittings plumbed in and secured to chassis Very fiddly angle to place it at




Chassis filling up nicely now




Hope you like

Nige

great work Nige.

merry xmas happy newyear.

Roy

All the very best to you and yours !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope Santa is good to all of us !!!!!!!!!!!

Nige

thanks Nige all the best to you and your family.

Thanks Roy

Made a start on the engine block and chopped up one from the spares box that must have come from a Volvo. At least it was a 6 cylinder block so had the basic size and shape I needed




This is what I hope to get it looking close to






Chopped it down losing the gearbox, sump and ancillaries leaving the basic shape




Where I am so far




Also got around to starting on the axles and again canibalised a couple of axles from the spares box and chopped off the square half shaft housings leaving only the circular diffs. Basic tube through them which will need refined like all the other bits


Some bits will get more refined than others depending on how prominent they will be, or how visible they might become if I display the model without cab or cargo bed fitted.

Nige

Back onto the workbench after all the pies and pints from the festive season !!!!!! No headaches though thankfully !!!!!!!

Also after appearing worldwide on live TV with my family at Stirling Castle New Year Concert with the Proclaimers !!!!!!!!! Don't worry, my head not swelling too much as was only a bit part with 6000 other people !!!!!!!! Ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!!!!!!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=557753714253518&set=a.100461476649413.748.100000566829707&type=1&theater

Had a go at making the gear box and actuators and fitted it to a donor clutch housing from another kit engine lump that looked similar !!!!!!!!!










Hope these work as it looks like Photobucket may be getting unstable and losing or mixing up pics in my folder !!!!!!!!

BLOODY TECHNOLOGY !!!!!!!!!!

Nige

Added some more detail to the engine and gear box and first dry fit to see if it still fits !!!!!!!!!!



























Nige

Only one thing to say, really, Nige.

Brilliant stuff, as usual.

Your work is inspiring.

Malc.

Thanks Malcolm

I will get the drip tray under her ASAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Adding a few more leaky pipes to busy up the lump








Lump will fit but I have to leave off the fan to get the radiator to sit in front and allow the cab skin to go over it


Suppose that might be because an 8 cylinder engine is longer than a 6 and I don't have the actual engine length to work from


There has to be some sacrifices to accuracy if I am to get this done

Nige

Have spent the past few weeks faffing about and not really succeeding in doing anything real constructive on the model until today !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Had a stab at folding the distinctive cargo bed sides in tin foil, as I cannot figure how to get the same effect in styrene with the straight and sharp folds !!!!!!!!!!


I can get the folds, but making them as accurately each time is very hard to do ,,,,,,,,,,, but I will persevere !!!!!!!!!!!


I also need to remember not to mark the folds with my exacto knife as I should have remembered from the DROPS that it starts of a severe metal fatigue fracture point !!!!!! ALWAYS USE A BLUNT BUT FINE BALL POINT EMBOSSING TOOL !!!!!!! The sharp fold on the bottom of this one was splitting early so already scrap !!!!!!!


I also have to figure out how I am going to bond the panels to the side pieces that have the locating holes that match up with the corner posts of the cargo bed !!!!






Also have to glue a reinforcing rod along the bottom edge and make the four holes that allow the side panels to locate on the cargo bed and pivot when sides are to be lowered !!!! This is what I am trying to achieve !!!!!!!!!!


More to follow tonight

Tonight I changed tack and had a go making a fuel tank, as my head was splitting from all the complicated hold and folds of the cargo bed sides !!!


First off, I made up 20mm X 20mm plastic shims in pairs. The original though was to make the tank hollow with the end pairs and middle pairs joined by a wide diameter hollow tube to save on plastic sheet !!!!! I REALLY NEED TO STOCK UP SOON !!!!!!




A circle of thinner plastic is glued on the outers and then the tin foil burnished over the ends. I ended up having to use far more shims making it almost a solid lump. The tin foil was carefully wrapped and glued tightly around the former with a slight overlapping end lip on each end !!!!!!






Next problem is the fuel tank hangers !!!!!!!!!! This is what I needed !!!!!!!




The hangers are not like the Italeri kit ones as the trough is on the outside curve, not the inside like the Italeri parts !!!!!!


Made my own by pressing strips inside a 'C' section brass using a solid square brass strip that fitted neatly with the tin foil !!!!!!!


Sides folded flat !!!!!!


Trimmed


Tight fit needs careful prizing out !!!!!!!!!


Because I need a bend, I drilled and cut the trough with sharp scissors leaving the side lips intact !!!!!


Because the strength is then lost, I had to replace the missing trough with something else !!!!!!!


Using the lighter, I melted the sprue just enough to put a full 90 degree bend !!!!!


Sanded and glued in the trough at the corner using two part epoxy !!!!!!! I am going on the basis that the retainer straps will fill the top trough so the sprue inside will not be seen !!!!!!!! The outside face of the corner can be smoothed off later with car filler which itself will add some strength !!!!!!!!




Hope you like

Nige

Someone on another forum quite rightly noted that my fuel tank ends needed a sex change !!!

A quick fix with a shim added




My outy is now an inny !!!!!!!!!

Nige

Fuel tank hangers sorted and fixed to chassis

Adding plumbing to the fuel tank

looking good Nige love the fuel tank and the pluming,great work.

Thanks Roy for looking in

Nige

Hi Nige,

Ha ha, found you here as well

Steve