I've been back at work on this thing after almost a 2 year break. I was burned out!
The rim beads were properly shaped, and resin hubs added after the rims were painted. Here's before paint.
I got busy on detailing the outrigger boxes too. Still need some stuff, but they look far better being all closed up.
The gantry weight was increased, this helped in improving it's motion when erecting and lowering, but it also gave far more control to the lines by deepening the sheave slots.
Here, the outriggers, the chassis on the carrier, and the wheels are all painted and assembled.
I have a lot of painting left to do, especially on the details of the upper unit, and it needs some weathering, as it just looks too clean for a big ol' industrial machine. More to come. Dan