Steadfast Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I've decided to start a thread in this section covering the occasional road vehicle projects for use on my layouts. Hopefully, the new Oxford range will give plenty of options for future projects. I started this one today, it's an Intertrans 148 (produced by Farish when they were in Poole, pre Bachmann) MAN F2000. They only ever produced one cab, with a choice of box or curtain sided trailers. I'm turning mine into an ERF ECM, which is one of the range produced after MAN bought ERF. Normally I'm not particularly swayed by British trucks, but this is one I wanted to model, having been for a couple of trips in it when I was younger. Here's an identical vehicle I've found on Flickr and gives and idea of what I'm aiming for, albeit in plain white. http://www.flickr.com/photos/gyles/10454614474/ The truck I'm modelling is in fact the one previous to this, MX05 EFL, not EFM, so presumably they left the factory close together. The Paynes vehicle looks as I expect my plain white one to, according to my memory though it was nearly 10 years ago as it was brand new when I went in it! I'm hoping to stumble upon a picture of EFL online, but so far no joy. I took a razor saw to the chassis of the tractor unit just in front of the fifth wheel and extended it. The wheel base is about guessed at about five metres and looks ok so far. The rear suspension is from a Japanese N scale trailer. The chassis is designed to be solid and look fine from the side. The upper rail is the subframe that the body will mount to. jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Well done Jo. Nice to see something different! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Looks good to me! The donor vehicle has the right proportions so that makes life a bit easier. Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks for the comments guys. As you say Bernard, it's nice to do something different. Hopefully I'll get some more done on it tonight all being well jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 The donor vehicle has the right proportions so that makes life a bit easier. That's because that particular ERF uses the same MAN cab. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 So first up, there's been a little bit of progress with the ERF. I've built the body, but I'm not 100% with it, I'm wondering if it looks a bit low? For now I'll stick with it, but I'll keep it on check as the chassis progresses and I've built up some mounting points. I had an order come in from Hattons yesterday with a few new arrivals - finally some decent modern N gauge road vehicles! I was impressed with the coach for a fiver, and the new Scania model is fantastic. I ordered a pair, as at 9 quid a pop they are a steal. One will stay as it is, the other paired with a walking floor trailer I built a few years back. I'll more than likely obtain more for resprays and modifications. I've posed it alongside an Intertrans 148 MAN F2000, as a comparison between the models. It also gives an idea of how the ERF would look if built up as intended. Both models represent 45 foot curtainsiders, it's interesting to see they're both taller trailers too. This is fine for the Stobart model as they have a number of these trailers, but as has been noted with the Oxford 1:76 range, it'd be nice if they did some standard height ones for the other releases. The fridge trailers in particular look a bit strange on the 4mm releases due to the extra height. jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-CRS Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Looking very good will look forward to updates. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 That Scania is a beautiful model! Makes me want to buy one, though I'd like a plain livery to customise! The trailer looks the right height to me, that photo you linked to above is slightly telephoto so that may be distorting it a bit. Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friar Tuck Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 A great thread giving me some very useful ideas. The Scania looks awesome. We don't have a lot of contemporary road vehicles at the moment. If this is the quality of future releases I will be well pleased. Great work on the ERF too - will look very nice when finished, I am sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Cheers Jack, image distortion is something I hadn't thought of, so that's a good point. I'll keep an eye on it as the build progresses. Once the chiller unit is built it should help add some scale to the front of the bodywork. Yeah some plain liveries would make modifications easier, they are clear shells sprayed with the windows masked off. I've certainly got a few ideas lined up, the first few may be green and white to break myself in gently, however resprays will open the door wide up. As I said to you before, if the do an MAN TG-X then an Allelys respray is first priority! jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 A great thread giving me some very useful ideas. The Scania looks awesome. We don't have a lot of contemporary road vehicles at the moment. If this is the quality of future releases I will be well pleased. Great work on the ERF too - will look very nice when finished, I am sure. Thanks! Yeah I'm hoping the Oxford trucks are a strong seller and a sign of what's to come. Certainly the upcoming N scale Transits should be great sellers. The European vehicles look so much better than layouts full of Tomytec Isuzus, Mitsubishis and Hinos! jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted February 28, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 28, 2014 Up till now I have tried to use the Tomytek ones sparingly and the European ones on their own so that the scale difference isn't too noticeable but still don't have enough vehicles so any new modern 148th scale will be more than welcome. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catkins Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Both models represent 45 foot curtainsiders, it's interesting to see they're both taller trailers too. This is fine for the Stobart model as they have a number of these trailers, but as has been noted with the Oxford 1:76 range, it'd be nice if they did some standard height ones for the other releases. The fridge trailers in particular look a bit strange on the 4mm releases due to the extra height. jo There is a prototype for a tall fridge trailer, as companies look to improve vehicle economics, one option is a double deck trailer with a fixed deck (the depot I work from runs some 16' tall moving floor double deckers). Alternatively a tall standard trailer could be used by a parcels company, or a company that hauls a low density load like polystyrene packing chips. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 It's surprising how much variety there is out there these days in terms of height and some sideways thinking in terms of using the available space to best suit the loads, resulting in some very specialised trailers. I do like the reduced height ones used by cement manufacturers for bagged cement, the look like an under scale model! jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 Time to wake the thread back up! I have rearranged the rear axles to give a tag axle layout rather than a mid lift on one of my Scanias. This is as per the biomass tractor units. I have also used black paint to fill in some of the darker areas to remove the toy like look in places, such as around the wheel arches and under the back of the cab, as well as adding silver to the wheel rims to make the front and rears look the same size. I'll get some photos later on jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 I promised pictures...here they are! The "more black" version is the one I have modified, just to be clear. So, the first thing I did was to remove the rear two axles. This simply involved forcing one wheel off each axle by opening a pair of pliers between the chassis and the wheel's inner face, so as not to damage the visible face of the wheel. This done, the axles were swapped round and the loose wheels pressed back on. I believe the centre drive axle with a rear tag axle is preferred for off road work (logging, biomass etc) as it gives a tighter turning circle and possibly better traction. Each wheel had some silver paint dropped in (Humbrol Metalcote) to bring the rims up to the moulded line on the wheel. Now all the wheels look the same diameter, which they don't as released. The black hubs add an extra dimension to the wheels. The wheel arches appear to have been painted in the factory using a mask so the coverage of the black isn't perfect at the edges where it meets the red. So the first thing I did was to tidy up the black around where the wheelarches meet the side skirts and pant in any inner faces that were red and stood out. From here I then did the fifth wheel and cab rear underside too, making it look darker and bulkier. This was done with the cab removed from the chassis. A bit of a before and after, the detail on the models is fantastic and a bit of customisation helps to take this further. The biomass trailer was done by me a fair few years back, and the transfers are starting to show their age. I have a better printer now, so I may run off a new set and refurbish this model. Both the truck and trailer could do with a bit of a weathering too, the biomass wagons can get in a right state! One area I have yet to work on but I think could do with improvement is the rear area around the lights and number plate. Here's a link to a photo I found on Flickr to compare to the photo of the model below https://www.flickr.com/photos/43774620@N06/5829604367/ I need time to sit and look at how best to do it, but I have a few ideas! Any comments or suggestions where to go next welcome! jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 It looks good so far! Looking at the gap on the rear on the prototype I would be inclined to cut away the lower bit and rebuild it with plasticard. Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 That's the kind of thing I was thinking, much use of strip and section. Just need to work out how to do it! jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 So, after some plastic strip and section, along with some red paint here's what we have. The lights are 1.2mm Evergreen rod, the 'Long vehicle' boards are 1.5 x 0.25mm strip and the rest is various offcuts, mainly 0.5mm and 1mm. Additionally the trio of centre marker lights at the top of the trailer were added from 0.3mm square strip. Stobart seem to like their trio of lights on their trucks. Once painted and weathered here's how it looks. Ok it's not perfect, but I'm happy with it as a representation of the 'standard' SDC design used by Stobart. The weathering is Humbrol enamel washes, which I must say, I'm rather impressed with. They are much more than just thinned paint, they take a while to dry and can be reworked when they're tacky adding some really subtle effects. I also used them on the side of the curtains to break up the flat finish and tone down the bright white printing. In addition to the work on the rear, I did a bit more work on the side of the trailer. Here's a before and after, too. The entire trailer has had a spray over with matt varnish, with the chassis of the cab getting a coat too, after some Humbrol dark grey wash to pick out the details on the moulding. I added this to the rebate that sits inside the cab and behind the front grill, making the join between cab and chassis look deeper and heavier. I didn't varnish the cab for two reasons, first it saved masking the glazing, secondly it has quite a nice finish, unlike the high gloss of the metal chassis. I also ran the grey wash down the front panel joins, but I'm a bit unsure if this is a bit much? I'll see how I feel when it comes to doing future models jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rods_of_Revolution Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Certainly an improvement! Considering those photographs are about 7 times the size of the actual model it's a very neat job! Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 Cheers I have a few more in depth projects planned for the future, though in the mean time it'll be back to the locos and rolling stock I have in progress. I do find I have to stop and think more with modelling road vehicles, I suppose because the parts are different to what we're used to in N. jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 I've recently been working on a repaint and a scratch built trailer. With the layout being set in South Wales, a steel coil carrier seemed perfect to set the location. I set to work with the plasticard and Evergreen strip. I used brass for the support hoops for the hood as it seemed easier than cutting a load of plastic formers, but I'm not sure it was, with the amount of rebranding etc that it needed. This was then coated in tissue paper (gift type, not nose type!) secured with superglue to the ends and hoops. Then superglue was spread over the surface to give a solid surface. Filler and sanding followed, with a few coats of filler primer to even it out as the texture was a bit too much for N. Halfords Ford Polar Grey followed, with the front panel hand painted in silver. The idea is to be in ex Corus colours, with the logos patch painted out and looking a bit grotty and grubby. The tractor unit is in a fictitious owner driver livery. I originally was going for a plain white 'ex fleet look', but for some reason the paint finish was awful so I ended up with this. It still needs more detail painting etc but is getting there jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloucester Road Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Might have to "borrow" that idea for the trailer too. Neat way to do the hood. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 Feel free! I've used a similar technique in the past to do canvas covered steel wagons. Well wagon because I only ever did one! The eagle eyed may notice a change in wheels and mudguards, this is because it was riding a little low with the wheels coming off the ground, so I used a set from an Oxford Diecast trailer. They do improve the appearance I think, and it means I have three axles worth of low profile tyres to use on a drawbar trailer now. Hmmmmm jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted November 17, 2014 Author Share Posted November 17, 2014 A wee update tonight. I've finally printed the transfers for the Scania along with a van for Embankment Road. These have been sat in Photoshop on the laptop for the last couple of months. The black Scania logos and griffin decal hint at a future Oxford Diecast repaint...and perhaps a bit more I've got a few ideas where to go with this R500 V8 jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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