Warming up, with Optimus Prime.

[DanBKing]

Without actually getting into a punch-up with Optimus, I'm gonna take the big fellow on!
Ok, albeit his 'Vehicle Mode' version created by Julius Perdana at Paper Replika.

I just love the look of this truck, the Perterbilt 379, which appeared in the first 'Transformers' movie.



I actually started this model last year while I was in Portugal. I did not have my usual modelling setup that I was used to, but it kept me busy for a while.
I got as far as building the rear chassis and drive train, and assembled the basic structure of the cab.
Then it was all stuffed into a box and transported to England and from there, to the Netherlands.
After nearly a year in a box, I unpacked it to find some travel scars.....

Chassis was twisted and kinked, the wheels were off or loose and the sub-frame loose and out of alignment.
The cab survived relatively unscathed, apart from one fender coming off and the front bumper and grill got twisted.

Generally, repairable....




After some gluing, twisting, bending and gentle persuasion, the rear chassis/drive train is back to the state where it originally was..



I had already made one of the rear wheel fenders, so I used the same process to make the other one, (a Portuguese fender and a Dutch fender... )
The parts consist of the outer skin and black liners laminated on the inside.
When I cut out the parts, I left extra card on the side pieces to help keep the fender sides straight during assembly.



The black side liners were glued to the inside faces of the sides, 'in the flat', before the fender was shaped and assembled. The main liner was glued in and then using curved scissors, I cut out the wheel arches.
The four mounting pieces were also assembled.



The two utility/storage boxes, or whatever they are, were made up next. As these boxes and associated mounting pieces are only attached to the frame on a very small surface area, I decided to wait before mounting the boxes themselves. At least then I wont break them off, while handling the frame when I mount the cab and sleeper assemblies to it.



The fenders were attached to the frame, and apart from a few touch ups, the rear chassis/drive-train is now complete.



On to the cab next, but that is for next time.

See ya.

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

It is good to see you building again (even if it is repairing an unfinished model). I am glad that there was not a great deal of damage and that you are able to make the necessary repairs. Once again, welcome back!!!

 

[micahrogers]

"Old truckers never die, they get a new... " I love the look of that truck, even drove an older version for a couple weeks, it was a company truck though, so nothing fancy on it.
Glad to see you back, and have fun .

 

[Awry_Chaos]

After seeing what you did with the 2001 Discovery, I can't wait to see what you do with a Transformer!

 

[Revell-Fan]

The printing quality looks great!

 

[zathros]

He's warming up!!! .

 

[mijob]

Verry nice model looking forward to see the next pictures. Keep on roling......

 

[zathros]

I always though this model deserved an interior.

 

[Awry_Chaos]

An interior would be awesome!

 

[DanBKing]

The last of the repair, and the continuation of the build.... A nice feeling....!

I found some 'missing' parts of the template I thought I had lost. It turns out that I had already built them...!
One of the two air filter canisters had not adapted well to domicile relocation....



I cleaned it up and used a wet paintbrush to wet the inside of the cylinder with water. Once damp enough, I pushed it onto a suitably sized marker and let it dry, thereby reforming the shape.
Water-shaping is a technique that all paper modelers should learn...



During the drying time, I reattached the front grill and the left fender, which had been damaged during transport.



I carefully cut out and edge-coloured the windshield frame which was then glued to the windshield.
The mounting scoops for the air cleaner canisters were made up and attached to the body. I decided to leave off the canisters until the main construction of the body was completed.



One more piece to complete the chassis structure for the cab. On the lower right of the photo is the front axle piece. This piece is the ONLY piece that I am going to modify in this model, but more on that later. The rest of the model is being built 'out-of-the-box' .....



Next, time for the sleeper cab assembly.
I had already scored, cut and folded the parts while I was in Portugal. I had laminated on the side access doors then too.
Because the rear of the drivers cab tilts inwards at the top and the sleeper cab wall is flat, I coloured in the top section of the white-space on the part. Due to the slight gap between both cabs at the top, the white could be seen, however slight.



I glued up the cab parts, in the flat.
As I do not have the stash of spare card stock and paper like I used to, I made do with what I had at hand, to strengthen the cab walls.......
Paper beer mats! Overkill, I quess, but it works!



Because the join between both cabs will take a bit of stress when the model is handled, (ONLY by me!!), I wanted the joint to be as strong as possible.
The reason or this, is because the rear chassis only attaches to the bottom of the sleeper cab, and the join between both cabs, supports all the weight of the front of the model, when it is not resting on its wheels! I'll strengthen the chassis rails before attaching them too.



Assembly started with the driver cab back wall and roof...



I started the sleeper cab assembly with the roof. My logic here was to get the roof looking as good as possible, because it is a large area on top of the model, any mistakes would stick out like a sore thumb. Doing it this way, any miss-fitting of the last/bottom panel would be hidden underneath.

EDIT: A note to anybody making this model:- The tabs at the tops of the sides of the sleeper cab, should not be scored and folded. The sides of the roof fold over onto these. I should of paid more attention when scoring. But, I use a light table and score the template from the back, so I guess I took them as 'bendy' tabs and scored them by mistake! Live and learn...



The method that was used to print the template for this model was not my usual way either. This was inkjet, I normally model with laser printed templates.
The ink on the folds cracked badly, but I'm hoping to blend them in with a selection of water-colour pencils.



I need to clean up the glue smudges and fix anything else that is required, but overall the construction went well and everything is nice and square.






I don't know why, but this just seems to fit this post ......

See ya'll at Le Grange ....

 

[Awry_Chaos]

Looking good... Most impressive!

 

[Cybergrinder]

What a transformation! (Couldn't resist)

Looks great Dan!

 

[Revell-Fan]

Water-shaping is a technique that all paper modelers should learn...

INDEED! :Grin: thumbsup

Dan, you haven't lost your Mojo! This build and your explanations are fantastic. Carry on, please!

 

[DanBKing]

So, a little bit further.....

As I think I have mentioned a few times, I use a home-made light table to aid my scoring for all sharp folds.
I turn the template face down on the hardened glass and trace all the fold lines onto the back, using a ballpoint pen and a ruler. The thickness of the paper/card determines the stroke/score pressure you use on the pen... press too hard, or go over the same line too many times, you'll cut through the paper! As a guide, I use one light/medium stroke on 160gsm paper, but will go 2 strokes on 250gsm, at the same pen pressure.
It is a practiced technique. Teaches you about the properties of your media......

This model is printed on 220gsm photo paper, and the image is perfectly clear from the back........



BTW: If you don't use some form of light baffle/s on the surface of the light table not actually under the work piece, you'll end up walking around with light blindness for a few minutes after use! Even in broad daylight, everything seems to have gone very dark in the real world.

The pic above turns out to be one of these pieces, the step-ups to the cab..... One per side, with a tank, or whatever it is....



Following on, I built up all the main accessories for the rest of the model, ready for attachment....

The exhaust stacks required a little time to get right. Making thin tubes from thick card is a challenge, and I would normally use thinner card, as it rolls easier, in my opinion. But, I had only one copy of this print, so I had to make do.
I searched around the house to find suitable dowels, sticks and rods, to use as formers for the tubes. I cut out the part, dampened the BACK of it with water, or sometimes just moisture from my damp tongue...(maybe I should get my model tested... ) I carefully rolled the tubes with the aid of the formers, keeping things nice and square, and once dried a bit, I glued them up, again using the former as a gluing/pressure aid.



The long range fuel tanks were done in a similar fashion, albeit with a more drastic former.....



Next up, the front wheels and axle assembly...



The tire ring was attached to the rear face of the wheel, using a paint pot as a former to keep things round. The hubcap was formed and glued to the front face of the wheel. I glued in a piece of bar mat to the inside rear face of the wheel, to strengthen it and keep its integrity when glued to the axle. The front face and cap assembly was then glued on to finish each wheel.



As mentioned earlier, the only part I am modifying on this model is the front axle........ I think, any road vehicle with the front wheels slightly turned, looks more dynamic and attractive to the eye than having them on the straight-ahead line. Try it, take a photo of your car with the wheels straight. Then take the same photo with the wheels turned slightly..... Which to you, is more 'attractive to the eye' ?



With careful measurement and cutting, it came out ok, it seems...



Ok. A big step.... Attaching the rear chassis to the front section......

For my feeling the chassis members as designed were a little weak where they join to the cab.So I strengthened them, by laminating a couple of beer mats and some card to the required thickness, and then cutting them out to fit, as inserts in the chassis members.....



I did the chassis attachment in two stages, first to align and secure the chassis perpendicular and square to the bottom of the cab .... I supported the rear chassis and applied a weight to the chassis rails as they dried.



Once this was dry, I added glue to the front of the chassis rails, where they attach to the front cab, pumped some glue into the underside of the sleeper/drivers cabs join. supported the model from its nose and rear end of the chassis and applied a weight to the middle. With this setup, I effectively bent its back the wrong way for about 20 minutes until the glue was dry..... Once turned over onto its wheels, gravity and model weight straitened it all out.....



It came out ok, I think......









See ya soon!!!

 

[zathros]

That model came out great. It honestly comes out better than one would think. If they had put an interior, they would have knocked it out of the ball park. Great job!!

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

You did a great job on this project!!!

 

[Awry_Chaos]

Nice work! A great side project would be to design and build an interior for another build.

 

[DanBKing]

Thanks for the comments all.
This model is far from finished yet.......

 

[Awry_Chaos]

This model is far from finished yet.......

That's great to hear! How's the Discovery holding up?

 

[DanBKing]

How's the Discovery holding up?

At the moment she is still in her packing boxes awaiting me to fit a shelving unit for the display case.
I'll get there at some point....