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Mercedes-Benz 1628s SWB Tanker


JeroenS

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Hi guys, I had planned to build this one over in the Revell Classic GB as my third 1628 build, but it didn't get underway. I just finished my second build there, of which I'll put up some pics later in the RFI. But as Revell GB is ending this weekend, I'm moving the Tanker build over here, it'll be fun to have something going over in Vehicle WIP again. 

 

So the plan is to convert the standard 1628 tractor unit into a short wheelbase tanker. I just love compact looking trucks and the Van Dordt company is missing a tanker in the fleet. The whole thing will be built box stock.... except for some modifications to the chassis and of course, I'll need to scratch build everything related to this becoming a tanker. I think this will be a challenge, I don't want to make it too easy for myself and go for a simple round tank. Where's the fun in that :think:

 

This is the kit, a 1982 boxing: 

 

20220620214711-e0775093-me.jpg

 

And this is as far as I got with this build so far:

 

20220625175924-48277f1e-me.jpg

 

i.e. not very far. But at least the boring stuff is already done, glueing 2 parts together to make 1. 

 

Last summer, we went to the Mercedes Benz museum (highly recommended) and I found some inspiration there. 

 

20221107153346-f2339c52-me.jpg

 

I took a lot of pictures of this truck so that will certainly help. I'm not going for the yellow and red look, in fact I have the cab colour figured out already, don't know about the tank yet. Chassis, either black or dark grey. 

 

I think I'm going to work on the chassis first, then start worrying about the tank. 

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Hi Jeroen, 

 

This will be fun to watch.  Building the tank should be interesting to see.  Will you extend the chassis or keep it really short?  Every now and then, I see short chassis trucks running around - short dump and flatbeds - and think they look pretty cool - though I have wondered why put such a small load area onto such as big truck?  They look good anyway!

 

Cheers

Nick 

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Hi Jereon, 

for sure I will have an eye on this WIP. 

When I was a teen a friends father used to earn his money with a tank truck like you're going to create. Sadly I don't have any photos of the truck and I can't support you with any detailed Infos.

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3 hours ago, Stickframe said:

Hi Jeroen, 

 

This will be fun to watch.  Building the tank should be interesting to see.  Will you extend the chassis or keep it really short?  Every now and then, I see short chassis trucks running around - short dump and flatbeds - and think they look pretty cool - though I have wondered why put such a small load area onto such as big truck?  They look good anyway!

 

Cheers

Nick 

I will keep the wheelbase as short as possible, I just like the look of those trucks, nice and compact. I think they're especially useful in urban areas. 

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I wanted to try out the paint for this one. It's a custom Zero Paints mix, Volkswagen Steel Blue. It's paint I purchased for a VW Golf build for a friend, so it was good to try it out. And good practice too, you really have to be very light on the trigger with the ZP paints. I may have been a little too heavy in a couple of spots, but it doesn't look like I hurt it too much. It's not really a problem for this build. Maybe some careful wet sanding, them maybe a little bit more paint. I have more than enough left. It's a beautiful colour though. 

 

20221111171137-a97936e7-me.jpg

 

20221111171136-7b8bd7ec-me.jpg

 

20221111171136-497b8e26-me.jpg

 

I checked online (and on this forum) if Mr Surfacer primer would hold the Zero Paints and by all accounts it should, but that's also a good thing to try out. So far, so good. 

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That's a nice color! :clap2:

 

Is your "very light on the trigger" comment due to their being very thin? I always thin Mr.Color to a very thin consistency, perhaps 1% milk. This mean I also need to be light-fingered when applying them, especailly the initial pass. The skill is worth the effort though, as it makes for a beautifully smooth finish.

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3 minutes ago, dnl42 said:

That's a nice color! :clap2:

 

Is your "very light on the trigger" comment due to their being very thin? I always thin Mr.Color to a very thin consistency, perhaps 1% milk. This mean I also need to be light-fingered when applying them, especailly the initial pass. The skill is worth the effort though, as it makes for a beautifully smooth finish.

Thanks! No, very light because the paint is very aggressive. You really need to mist it on. The Zero Paints come pre-thinned actually. 

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I always use Mr Finishing Surfacer under Zero paints Jeroen, so far (touch wood) with no problems. I think it does provide a bit of a barrier to the plastic from the aggressiveness of the ZP. But like you say - gently does it! 


And that is indeed a beautiful colour!

 

Keith

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Time to start on the chassis. The problem with the Benz's chassis is that it's a real tractor chassis. It slopes at the rear, and it also tapers. 

 

20220625214333-1ff6e042-me.jpg

 

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There are supports for the fifth wheel which are not needed for the tanker. What is needed, is a straight chassis so the tanker unit, which has a chassis of its own, will be able to bolt onto the truck's chassis. I've been thinking about how I could make some cosmetic changes to the kit's chassis to make it look right, but... there's just no way and I would be running into trouble at some point. So, this is the plan... 

 

20220625214333-d9c1bd0b-me.jpg

 

In fact, all of the above pics some from the "chassis truck" build, where I had to do the exact same thing. So, it's a repeat of that particular build, only with a shorter wheelbase. Luckily, I still have the jig, just have to move the rear axle support up a bit. 

 

The tractor's original wheelbase is about 3,15 meters. The shortest wheelbase I could find for a tanker such as this was 3,60 meters, so work on the chassis would have been needed no matter what. Best to just make one from scratch and circumvent a host of potential issues. 

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1 hour ago, Stickframe said:

Looking forward to seeing how you tie this together!

 

Cheers

Nick 

Well, like this 🙂 

 

20221113204455-121c039e-me.jpg

 

Luckily for me, I documented all the measurements in the previous build, in a rare moment of clarity. So all I had to do was cut 1 mm sheet to size and start glueing. 

 

And, I actually learned something from that build, and that is that it's easier to remove the rear axle cutout before you glue together all the chassis parts. 

 

20221113204456-26074555-me.jpg

 

It was pretty smooth sailing. Here's the inside with the crossmembers.

 

20221113204456-bc597f39-me.jpg

 

Then, top and bottom strips for the beams. 

 

20221113204456-57ca2797-me.jpg

 

I'll have to cut the bottom one out to match the rest. 

 

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Finally, outside strips to cover everything. 

 

20221113204457-6c9fe9fd-me.jpg

 

It's resting now, shhh! There will be a final crossmember above the rear axle, to hold the shocks in place. 

 

20221113204457-b36e31b7-me.jpg

 

I'll let this dry and start sanding and filling tomorrow. Also, the chassis is too long, I'll cut it to length after it has dried. 

 

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I'm thinking about wheels.... I have several options. 

 

20221113204454-97551acc-me.jpg

 

From left to right: KFS hubs and rims which I use on almost every build. They have the best detail. Then, the kit wheels. This is my fourth build of the 1628 and I have all the wheels still available! They're rather 2D in detail. Third are Italeri's standard wheels, which I mostly skip on as well. And on the right, I don't know! I only have the rears but I have no idea what build they came off of. The standard Italeri tyre first, albeit tightly. 

 

Fronts: 

 

20221113204455-e5fdcdb9-me.jpg

 

Rears: 

 

20221113204455-5242aeee-me.jpg

 

I kind of fancy having a go at the kit wheels, maybe I can doll them up a little. Saves my KFS wheels for another build. The kit tyres are a bit squishy though, but I always stick some rolled up tissue paper in there anyway.

 

What do you think?

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9 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

I like the tissue paper idea. Thanks.

I actually use "bog roll" as I think you guys call it, a standard Italeri tyre will hold exactly one sheet of 3 ply paper 🙂 

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22 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Kit wheels

Kit wheels it shall be Pete!

 

In the meantime, I've shortened and sanded the chassis, and filled the seams that were left. 

 

20221114200427-ae4d8af0-me.jpg

 

I'll sand that off tomorrow and we'll be in business. 

 

The rear axle cutout (if that's a proper name for it) has been ... cut out.

 

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Doesn't look too sharp from down here, the picture itself included, but I'm not going to worry about that at all I can tell you. This tanker is going to stay firmly wheels down. 

 

20221114200427-e1d60885-me.jpg

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I cleaned up the chassis, then went ahead and got the rear leaf springs and axle installed. I was able to salvage some brackets from the old beams and re-use them, and I made up the rest. 

 

20221115221354-76a996f3-me.jpg

 

This went quite well, the practice I got in on the other rig payed off 🙂 

 

20221115221355-48a8f56a-me.jpg

 

I can start filling in the rest. 

 

20221115221355-b0a9c51d-me.jpg

 

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