Italeri classic: DAF 3300

[JeroenS]

Hi all, I got this kit years ago via a second hand marketplace here. I'd been to the DAF museum in Eindhoven and really thought I needed a DAF of my own, you know how that goes 🙂 

 

So I was able to acquire the Italeri classic DAF 3300 kit, an original boxing with the hard plastic tyres. 

 

 

This is how I got it. Partly started (only the engine and fuel tank were put together, actually), but also, all the parts had been taken off the sprues, numbered with pencil, and bagged. 

 

 

Like so. 

 

 

So it was a bit of a puzzle! But, not an enormous challenge, I've seen a truck kit or two before, so most of the parts made some kind of sense to me. It was just a matter of finding them. I actually started this kit years ago, every now and then I'd take the box out and chip away at the chassis, putting stuff together. I didn't like the high roof that was in the kit so at some point I purchased a resin low roof for it from a supplier here in NL. Also, a while back I bought "a truck load" (see what I did there?) of resin wheels and hubs from KFS, and I included DAF hubs as well. 

 

 

By the way, those plastic tyres aren't that bad actually, I've put them in my box of wheels and I'm sure they'll come in handy some day. 

 

 

Now, fast forward to late summer 2023, mojo was way down. I'd just completed a VW Beetle for Blitz Build 2023 part 2 which did wonders in terms of mojo restoration, but I needed a little bit more. So I took the DAF out of hibernation and decided to finish it and top up on said mojo. I started work in earnest, but always with the intention of making it a quick build. I didn't prepare for wiring and stuff like that. No big deal, but as I got into it more, I wish I had taken the time, I started liking the build and wishing I'd done more. To compensate, I did a little more work on the interior, which I normally don't, because you usually don't end up seeing much of it, on my builds at least! But it was a good experience and maybe I'll do more of this on future builds. 

 

 I made a mattress and pillow out of Milliput and used tissue paper soaked in PVA to create bedding and a towel (that's the green thing casually draped over the seat). 

 

 

 

I also made an overnight bag out of Milliput and printed some '80's / '90's era maps. Dutch viewers my age will recognize the "Shell Stratenboek", a book with street plans for every Dutch city and town, which was how we got to our destination before Sat Nav! The first issue contained 70.000 streets and I believe it went up to 120.000 or so eventually, before time caught up to it in 2010 and it was discontinued. Two million books were sold and just about anyone had a copy in their car. I remember passengers frantically looking up streets and trying to call out lefts and rights! Defeat was always around the corner and the old "roll down the window and ask for directions" trick was employed after enough random turns were made and options were running out. Later generations know nothing of this ritual. 

 

I couldn't get a better shot of this with my phone. 

 

 

Anyway, back to the build. 

 

Eventually I had this. 

 

 

The plastic was quite brittle and some of those fenders snapped several times, the DAF did put up a bit of a fight. For this reason, I decided to be very gentle with the weathering on the chassis. At first I opted to do no weathering but it didn't look right. The 3300 is actually a heavy and sturdy truck. Later on, I put in some  last minute wiring as well, but it would have been more had I actually prepared for it. Ah well. 

 

I didn't take any more pictures during the build. Mojo was actually coming back and I just went with it. The decals fought even more than the plastic, disintegrating upon contact with water. I got most of them in some kind of shape but the stripe on the front of the cab is painted on. The state of the decals was another reason to not skip the weathering!

 

So here it is. As I said, I started enjoying this build and my goal, a restored mojo, has definitely been reached. 

 

 

I did some stupid things though, like cutting my window masks too deep, and in unnecessary places at that. 

 

 

And spilling a drop of thinner on the fuel tank... Just incorporate it into the weathering and all is fine... 

 

Edit: and putting the fifth wheel on backwards, as was pointed out in the comments... I can't believe I didn't notice!

Edit 2: pics have been updated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has had a rough couple of days, time for the truck wash!

 

Thanks for watching!

[Pete in Lincs]

Fabulous as always, Jeroen. And I'm glad the mojo got a boost, because that means we could see another build coming our way.

[PeteH1969]

Geat build nice weathering .

 

The 5th wheel is on backwards.

 

Pete

[JeroenS]

5 minutes ago, PeteH1969 said:

The 5th wheel is on backwards.

Sjeeeeezzz you're right! Now that is really something else. That is silly. You know, it came off right at the end of the build and I just put it back on and never even looked at it! Not to mention I weathered it while it was like this!!

 

Thanks for pointing that out, I will have to redo all the pics now of course 🙂 

[busnproplinerfan]

Looks like a classic workhorse. I'm sure some would look at this and say it looks like work. Glad Peter beat me to the fifth wheel.

[Bengalensis]

A work of art, and not least the interior with lovely details. Great work!

[Marco F.]

Very fine one Jereon,  Congratulations. 

I remember,  a looog time ago, I worked for a company who used several of the tractors.  Always liked the Design

Marco F 

[JohnHaa]

Jeroen,

 

Excellent results.  My compliments !

The weathering is very convincing, it looks like real !

 

I'm glad you replaced the cabine roof, in my opinion that big windspoiler really spoils the contoures....

And yes, you can easyly modify the plastic tires in different sizes, like I did with my Mack Nr-19.

 

Well done, thanks for showing.

 

Regards

JohnHaa

 

 

 

 

[keefr22]

That's another cracking addition to the fleet Jeroen, I really like the weathering looks just right to me! Agree about the work you've done in the interior too - really cool! (I still have a streetmap & UK road atlas in my car, never used a sat-nav!!)

 

8 hours ago, JeroenS said:

I bought "a truck load" (see what I did there?)

 

Yes, I see, very good....  🤣

 

And I think however good the kit wheels might be after some work, those KFS ones are a huge improvement!

 

Top work!

 

Keith

[Keeff]

That's really well built ... I like the extra detailing and little personal items in the cab ..... excellent! 

 

It's got that worked hard look to thanks to the weathering ..... 

 

Keith  😁

[Bullbasket]

8 hours ago, PeteH1969 said:

The 5th wheel is on backwards.

When I first read that I thought "What are you on about? No it's not. It's the right way around", and then I read your reply Jeroen and all became clear. Lovely build and those tyres look so realistic. These were a bit before my time. I was driving in the '90s and early 2000s, all around Europe with just a road map. No satnav. Happy days.

 

John.

[Neddy]

I had a quick look a this thread to see what all the fuss was about (trucks aren't really my thing) and made the mistake of starting at the bottom of the page and working upwards thinking "Why are the pics of the real thing showing AFTER the model pics?".  I then realised I was looking at the completed model, staged in a very realistic setting.  That really is a superb piece of work and I should have known better!

 

Really glad your mojo's back, I love following your builds and can only aspire to producing anything approaching your standards.

[stevehnz]

I really like this Jeroen, I saw a helluva lot of these when I was driving tours in Europe in the early 1980s, more often 4x2s & 6x2 with a lazy trailing axle, pulling big semi trailers under TIR regs. I like the 6x4 set up though, we normally run that here & it has great appeal. Very few of these made their way to our shores though.  I could imagine myself swinging up into this.  

Steve.

[JeroenS]

22 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

I really like this Jeroen, I saw a helluva lot of these when I was driving tours in Europe in the early 1980s, more often 4x2s & 6x2 with a lazy trailing axle, pulling big semi trailers under TIR regs. I like the 6x4 set up though, we normally run that here & it has great appeal. Very few of these made their way to our shores though.  I could imagine myself swinging up into this.  

Steve.

Thanks Steve, the design appeals to me as well. I love these boxy '80's trucks. And they're still pretty impressive in real life. 

 

How did your op go? 

[stevehnz]

1 hour ago, JeroenS said:

How did your op go? 

It didn't, cancelled at the 11 & 3/4 hour after an urgent case was operated on earlier, pity they waited till after I'd sat in the waiting room for 3 hours to tell me.   rescheduled for Dec 14, 🤞 

Thanks for the enquiry though.

I didn't do my build for the Italeri GB because of the op being scheduled toward the end of that & the rescheduled one is likely to happen right in the middle of me trying to build a P-47 for that GB. Sheeesh. 

Steve.

[Anteater]

I like these old lorries, nicely captured. Really effective weathering on the windscreen in particular, the impossibly thin lines separating the end of each sweep. 

[JeroenS]

22 minutes ago, Anteater said:

I like these old lorries, nicely captured. Really effective weathering on the windscreen in particular, the impossibly thin lines separating the end of each sweep. 

Thanks. I didn't mean those thin lines to be there, I just cut into the window as I was cutting the masking tape (with too much force)!

 

Let's just call it a happy accident then 🙂 

[mbdesignart]

Excellent build. I don't envy your detective work with all the parts being loosely bagged. I have an Italeri DAF truck I'm progressing with and due to age and several house moves bits have fallen off the sprue and the instructions leave a lot to be desired in trying to identify and locate them.

[PAUL67]

Another great build of a great truck..drove a 3300 4x2 back in the Mid 1980,s

to Italy every week..thanks for posting

Paul..

[JeroenS]

3 hours ago, mbdesignart said:

the instructions leave a lot to be desired in trying to identify and locate them.

That's true! I was lucky, the previous owner marked the parts with the correct number in pencil. That really saved me a couple of times. 

 

1 hour ago, PAUL67 said:

drove a 3300 4x2 back in the Mid 1980,s to Italy every week..

That's cool, some firsthand experience! I've only ever been in one truck outside of a museum. It was a Scania, I think a 143, it belonged to a friend of my parents. But I do like trucks, especially older ones.

[Vesa Jussila]

Impressive work from you!

[Spiny]

Could have sworn I replied to this yesterday - oh well, looks like my mind is playing tricks...

 

Good to hear that your mojo has returned, I thought you'd been quiet but assumed you were off group-building somewhere. Obviously you know I like things nice and shiny , but I think you have the weathering just right on this one. Even if it did fight you, it's a good end result and glad you're back enjoying modelling again.

[Ryedale Wolf]

Thats a great build. My first truck was a DAF 3300 back in the 1980s.

[FunkyChiken]

That's a stunning build!