Scaleart - assembling an Arocs 8x8 roll on roll off kipper

[Rakthi]

Hi guys ... this is going to be one of those threads that will only occasionally get updated when I find the time to work on the kit.

I ordered this truck about a year ago, it arrived begin September 2014 ... I was still messing around with the build of the Fumotec Komatsu 490 Fumotec Komatsu 490

It took rather long from ordering to shipping because I wanted it with the Arocs cabin so had to wait for some of the bits and pieces to be in stock. Elected to wait till they could send all the bits and pieces in one go to avoid extra shipping costs.



Inside the usual wooden box ...



And that was it ...After I checked the contents these 2 boxes been sitting around ever since. Let's just say that life got in the way.

So this week, I finally started.

Here some pics of the contents of the boxes;

Truck frame / drivetrain



Electronics



Hydrolics / Roll on roll off parts



Cabin



And the rear body - I ordered it with the "Baustof Mulde"




Have made a start on the assembly of the frame. Will upload some pics later this week. Must say, very very impressed with the fit and finish. Seriously WOW. Do wish I had smaller fingers though

[apfubar]

I dare say good eye sight and a steady hand too...

I'm sure you will have fun!

I do with my Arocs and MAN from ScaleArt...

Cheers,
AP

[Rakthi]

Thanks apfubar! So right about the eyesight and the steady hand!

===========

Been raining all day here, so had time to upload the pictures of the frame.

Starting out with the easy bit, the strengthening frame bit for the roll on roll off kipper.



A bit of a challenge getting the nuts on the bolts



Got it.



Bolted in the frame (a bit of counting the holes here, but not as bad as it seems). The holes are really to size, so a quick twist back and forth with a small round file works miracles in inserting the bolts.





The other bits that are part of the frame. The one in the red box is the rear cross beam that comes with the kit. I ordered the one (the biggish brass bit) that allows installation of the Rockinger trailer coupling.





Installing rear cross beam



Installing some bits from the servo kit while it's easy to get access. The guides for the bowden cable from the differential lock, the servo holder for the diff lock, and the rear bits that will hold the sub frame and the rear bumper.



So, after about 2 hours ...



The holders for the bowden cable are marked out.



The servo mount for the differential lock, nicely made so the servo sits straight in the frame.



A bit confusing really, I got a manual for the MAN TGS which is slightly different from how the MB Arocs goes together. For the rest, the fit of the pieces is perfect and plenty of spare screws with it. Mentioning screws, I still need to cut the bolts to size. Haven't done that yet because I'm still trial fitting the pieces at the moment and might take everything apart again to paint before re-assembling.

Will email Scaleart to see if they got around to update the manual by now.

Next instalment tomorrow weather and time permitting.

Cheers, Stephan

[tc1cat]

Does the manual actually say to use longer bolts and then cut them to length? This is one of Wedico's complaints that we don't follow instructions about using the exact bolt size when putting the kits together causing problems after assembly.

[Rakthi]

Yup, the manual gives which size to use where. They provide a bunch of M1.6 bolts and nuts which need to be broken off to size. As far as I can tell most of the these black M1.6 bolts are used for the frame. Further down in the assembly they provide lots of different sizes and lengths.

Here a picture of the manual - you can see the numbers on the technical drawing in the first picture of my previous post:

[tc1cat]

Thanks for the pic of the instructions. It actually does make sense for them to do this as it would be cheaper to buy 1 size of bolt and let the consumer size the bolt after it is installed.

[Rakthi]

Started on the subframe that will hold the mechanics for the hook lift mechanism.

These are the bits and pieces in that assembly unit:



Upon opening, lots of little bags with various nuts and bolts ... (most of those for use in assembling the actual mechanism)

Also some pieces that are not needed, the black bit for example is for the exhaust of the MAN truck., and of the 2 frames on the left, the bottom one is for the long bodied MAN TGX.



Starting to put it all together. Manual specifies 2 different kinds of screws.









Attaching subframe to the main frame



At the front we need to get pieces from another assembly unit, the fender supports.



After some rummaging in the box here are the bits needed for the front fender.
The supports come in 2 different lengths to offset the widening of the frame.





Sidenote - to get the loctite on, I found these dental things priceless. Got them on ebay. one can bend them and they are thin enough to get into thigh spaces. Easy to apply the stuff inside the metal rod and avoid the mess you get when applying to the screw.





Front fender support installed





The rear support of the front fender installed



Was going to do the rear fender supports, but here the difference between the AROCS and the TGS becomes obvious ... Totally different arrangement.

From the TGS Manual:



From the AROCS file I was send by Scaleart:





Looks like the AROCS fenders set a bit deeper than those from the MAN TGS. Also will need to install some suspension parts before I can install the fender supports. Will also need to take some parts off to do that.

I better go find some more containers to keep all the needed fasteners and washers of the different assembly units organised.

Well here the photos of the current stand of the build:

Top view:



Bottom view



Cheers,

Stephan

[Cooper]

Thanks for posting lots of pics. It's always nice to see the big parts but it's nice to see all the little parts being assembled into one big part. Looks good!!

[Rakthi]

Hi Cooper, glad you like it. Since I take the pictures anyway for future reference, might as well post them here. This also gives me a chance to go over what I did and catch mistakes before I get too far ahead.

Already found out I have to work more organised than I'm used to on this build.

Cheers!
Stephan

[Rakthi]

Talking about mistakes ... forgot to install this part! Was not on the AROCS drawings I got, but is needed anyway because it holds the bumper stops for the hook mechanism.



Had to remove the sub frame to be able to install it. Too frustrating trying to get the bolt in there with sub frame attached to the main frame. Instructions call for M2 x 8 philips ... seems a bit long to me, but can always file it down later.



Good thing I caught in now. Here it is in place:



And the lot back together again. You can see how the narrowing main frame made it practically impossible to install it unless one has infinitive patience.

[Rakthi]

Started on the supports for the rear fenders.

These need to be attached to their supports. There are 2 longer ones. According to the paperwork included, they are supposed to go on the back ... considering the 2 rear ones mount on top of other assemblies, decided to put the 2 longer ones on the front. If I'm wrong I can always change them out later.



They are screwed on with loctite, and the hole in them has to be straight up because it is for a screw that will be inserted later to hold the fender in place.



Rear one needed to undo the screws already in place and add another one.



Good thing I haven't cut the screws down to size yet.



The middle one mounts on top of the leaf spring support. Manual states to use M2x6 screws.



Looks like M2x6 is not going to do it though. Barely long enough to show. Well this is what happens if you order something before the official release. Am sure Scaleart has rectified this by now.



This is where I left it for now. Have to see if I have 8 M2x8 screws around somewhere. Might replace them with some M2x8 bolts I had ordered extra for an other project.

Cheers,

Stephan

[Rakthi]

Took me a bit to locate the spare M2s. Turned out to be M2x10, so shortened them a bit, and then ready to go for what I thought would be a simple exercise ...



Because I now use longer bolts ... the bolts holding the strengthening frame together are blocking access to the holes in the frame. No way can I get the bolts in the hole. Believe me I tried.



So couple of choice expletives, and after trying to cut them in situ - witch didn't work at all, due to no access/leverage - the solution I came up with was to get them out one by one, cut them, and with a some more colourful language, put them back in. Worked for 3 of them, the fourth one was damaged so too hard to get out. Might have a go at it later.



After some fumbling decided the easiest (or better less difficult) way would be to just insert all 4 bolts and then take it from there.



Here it is in place bolted up with loctite. The nut with the arrow pointing to it is the one that has to go on first as it is so close to the fender support you can not get the tool on it. The hole for it is actually a slot so one has some leeway moving the part a bit back and forth. A 3mm wrench is highly recommended to tighten this one.





The other side went a tad easier. Had some practice.

Then on to the front support of the rear fenders. On the left this one goes on top of the supports of the box that will hold the hydraulic valves. Also needs to take out the bolts of the centre cross beam



Here supports box and fender loosely assembled



Final assembly (another fumble job, but not too bad)



The right side was easy peasy after all this





Well that is it, had hoped to be a bit further along, but it was not to be.

Cheers!

Stephan

[Brel]

looks great

[Rakthi]

Thank you Brel!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Next up is the supports for the rear lights.



Tight fit indeed.



On the left side I had to loosen the bolts from the fender support to get a little leeway.



Installed. Still needs the part to attach the license plate.



Next, the rear bumper bar. (comes as part of the hook mechanism)



Can be installed high ...



Or low. Installed it low because I will install the rocking tow bit.



Having a little 2.5 socket key to hold the bolt while setting the nut is handy here.



Bumper bar in. (put some loctite on it)







That's all I had time for. I also shortened the 4th nut from the strengthening frame. One of the reasons of the order this is bolted together is to get the frame to the state where it can be painted. Hence the parts from different assembly units.

Cheers!

Stephan

[Rakthi]

The leaf spring assembly for both front axles. The 2 parts in the red box replace the regular spacers, one on the left inside of the first axle and one on the right inside of the second axle



The first axle left side, parts laid in order of assembly. I wiggled them out using the tweezers.



The points where they attached to the frame are sharp. I elected to sand them off to smoothen them.



All the parts for this assembly unit sorted out. (The 2 30mm long screws and the black block at the bottom come from the axle package. Not included with the suspension assembly)



Assembled





The leaf spring for the 2nd axle



Front suspension left side assembled



Closer look at the 2nd axle



Front leaf springs left and right



This took way longer than I thought it would. As before, fit and finish is excellent.

Cheers,

Stephan

[TRUCKMAKER]

Very nice build thread Stephan! Oh and the trucks cool too!

[Rakthi]

Thank you for the compliment Truckmaker! At this moment it looks like it will take a bit before it actually looks like a truck. - at the end of this update I'm only at page 10! Still plenty work left.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After the front suspension, time to do the rear one.

These are the bits:



And here ready for assembling - the black end has an indent to accommodate the head of the centre screw.



Side view left and right



Top and bottom view



These will not be bolted to the frame at the moment. They'll have to wait till page 17.

The front suspension is the next assembly step.

Here the right side sorted with all the parts needed.



Right side installed ...



The view inside the frame. For the first axle they left a hole in the frame to accommodate the head of the screw.



Leafspring of the 2nd axle. (no hole needed here due to the distance block)



Both sides fitted to the frame. On the right side the cross headed screw has to be reversed (head on the outside) to allow the steering mechanism to fit.



View from the bottom.



And a detail picture of the tight fit at the rear left.



All the fasteners of the suspension have loctite as per instructions.

Cheers!

Stephan

[Cossett]

Thanks Stephan for the way your doing this thread blow by blow I didn't realize how much work had to go into a Scale Art truck.
Do you have a pic of the tools your using to assemble this rig ?

Cheers Tracy

[Rakthi]

Hi Tracy, yup, lots of bits and pieces go into one of these trucks. Taking the pictures the way I do, makes me stop and think through the assembling part twice or trice before I actually start. And then I still make mistakes like putting the leafsprings on upside down ... Even with the instructions it is confusing from time to time.

I know Scaleart is expensive, but if you see the quality and fit of the parts, it's worth the money spend. (although I do wish it was cheaper)

As for tools I use ..

I got a set of Knupfer wrenches. They are laser cut and exact. Only wished they were a bit longer. Had my sister who lives in Germany send them over. Lots of interesting stuff on his site too. I guess he will ship outside Europe if asked.



This set I found on ebay, not as nicely made. These are roughly finished and not too exact but they are good to hold a nut in place when your fingers can't reach. For size/finish comparison, the 4mm Knupfer one is 4.5 cm and the 4 mm in this set is 10 cm.



And this box has come in very handy indeed. Picked this up a while ago. It's a box for smart phone / tablet repair. Brand is Huijiaqi 8921. (I've seen them online for about US$15 - 16 ) Actually good quality for the money.



The handle has a magnet in it, so it holds the nuts/screws in place, has different length options, you can use the bits without handle (handy in tight places) and the nicest feature is the bendable extension.



Then the usual array of (ball)hex drivers, philips and flat screwdrivers etc. too many to picture. I try not to go to hardware stores too much, always end up buying something or the other. The grey ones are included when you buy from Scaleart.



And for the rest, a Dremel is nice, lots of tweezers to pick up little parts, mini pliers etc etc ... And for this build, lots of little plastic containers to keep the assembly units together ...

As you can see ... I'm bored today ...

Cheers!

Stephan

[apfubar]

Stephan,

Isn't it amazing how many hours get sucked up just on the core of the chassis...

Great idea with the dental tools... You are doing a brilliant job with the photos!

Cheers,
Ap