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

[Rakthi]

Hi Ap,

Yup so right about how time consuming it all is, time flies if one is having fun! Been "making" too much time for it actually ... have to catch up on some house maintenance first.

On a side note, just noticed that I put this right fender support on the left side of the frame and the left one on the right side ... of course it has to be the one that was such a pain to install.



Cheers,

Stephan

[Rakthi]

Swapped those two supports and it was a ***** of a job as expected.



Need to assemble a few more bits and then the frame is ready for painting. Although, might skip the painting, am not too good at that.

[Rakthi]

Raining here, so got some time to add some more.

Installed a small part of the steering linkage as mentioned in the instructions.

Because it has wide holes and can be slid left - right, I installed the actual parts that will connect to it, to make sure I got it in the right spot. (Largest screw goes in top hole)



With the parts in place, and the 2 screws inserted.



Installed and loctite applied.



That part done, on to the side underrun protection (a legal requirement in Europe) that needs to be painted as well. However can not be bolted on frame as of yet.

This seems a simple small assembly unit, so I give you a full rundown on how it comes.

Nicely packaged





Some extra nuts and bolts included, however the ones in the red box are on the parts list, but do not appear on the assembly list ??? Odd.



How it goes together. (another one where one needs be careful as it needs 2 left and 2 right ones)



The holes in the aluminium support bracket were a tad tight. So reamed them out a bit. Not really needed, but easier to insert the little bolts.



One right one assembled ...



Since I wanted to know how the actually bars go on, I looked at the instructions ...



So I am to put a bolt through that hole? The bolt head of the other one is blocking access.





So looks like after paint, the little support will have to come off and the bar bolted on first, then the whole thing can be bolted back to the support bracket ... I tried it, and it does work that way -- if you have 3 hands

Cheers,

Stephan

[Rakthi]

Been thinking about the above "problem" with the bolts blocking one another.



So did a search on the German forums, where there is more than one thread detailing how these trucks go together, and found the solution in one the older threads from Christian (aka Newcomer_2). Just file the head of one of the bolts down.



And problem solved ... just have to file down 7 more. (Dremel to the rescue)

[Rakthi]

Originally Posted by Rakthi

Some extra nuts and bolts included, however the ones in the red box are on the parts list, but do not appear on the assembly list ??? Odd.

Well, turns out not odd at all ... those screws are for a different model truck.

===========================

Now bolting on the last parts to the frame to get into "paint ready" mode.

These are the parts from the locking/swivel mechanism that will hold the cabin to the frame. I will picture them in the order they went on. The locations on the frame is self evident due to the placing of the holes. Just very confusing as all parts have different sizes of bolts.

Here M2x4





Here M2x5





M2x6 and M2x10



The longer screw will hold a spring of the swivel mechanism of the cabin.



This part will hold the front bumper. M2x8





One side done, other is mirror image.



The last part is the cross connector. (M2x6 on the left and M2x5 on the right)





The bolts on this picture are M2x8 to give you an idea of the detail of the parts. The little hook will hold the spring of the locking mechanism







All in all not too difficult to assemble, but gave me some eyestrain figuring out what goes where. Too much information in the technical drawings.

Now we wait for decent weather so I can paint, or I just skip the painting all together, too worried I mess it up. Will see. Meanwhile I look and see what other things can be done.

Cheers!
Stephan

[Rakthi]

Realised I also need to paint the air tanks. So did a quick assembly on that small unit. Good thing too, because doing so pointed out an error I made in the previous post.

Here a pic of the unit;

Screws are M2x4 and M2x8 and M2 nuts. One extra of each fastener.



The little stainless spacer is to make up for the stainless holder to which the fender support is attached.





And here the error I made before. I bolted the fender support to the wrong side of the stainless holder! Aluminum piece supposed to go in front, not behind!



Corrected ... And now easy to see why the little spacer is needed.



And this is how the air tanks will attach later on.



Side note - on the front support for the cab are 2 pieces. The left side on has an attachment for the steering linkage, the right side one doesn't.





That's it for now.

Cheers - Stephan

[ricm]

thanks for taking the time to put up this build thread....really interesting to see, I now understand why Tamiya is just $ but ScaleArt is $$$$$

wierd that you have to cut off all the bolts to get them down to the right length...

[Rakthi]

Hi Ricm, glad you like it. Once I got the frame painted we will get to the more interesting bits that might be a tad challenging for me.

Indeed you get value for the money (at least I feel so) and the customer service at ScaleArt is top too.

The screws that need shortening ... someone on the German forum brought up the following: ScaleArt has 5 different truck lines, in different lengths and number of axles. Then the MAN alone has 5 different cabs too .. so somewhere this becomes a logistic problem keeping in mind that each truck is about three- to five thousand parts (fasteners included). So they try to streamline as much as possible and you see the same bits show up in the different trucks. Now if they would have to supply the right size bolts with each frame ... would just add a tremendously amount of work to their supply chain.

Also having the 1.6M bolts this length makes is easier to get them into the holes in the frame, and breaking them off is easy enough. Having to sort out the different sizes of nuts and bolts in the more complicated assembly units is already head ache inducing.

The further along I get with this kit, the more respect I have for the guys at ScaleArt who put it all together. On top of that, seeing what some of the members here build from scratch ...

[Rakthi]

This morning, clear sky, sun ... so decided to give the painting a shot.

Hung the bits up on a nylon string in the sun to warm up the metal. Paint I used is a local brand of high temperature paint. Only one I could find that was not gloss. Bit hard to see all the small bits with the plants in the background. (The fencing looks the way it does because it is meant to keep our cats in)





Could have done better, but all in all very pleased with the result. Being black it will be easy to touch up later. I also remembered to do the hydraulic cylinders at the last moment.



Glad that this part is out of the way.

Cheers!
Stephan

[Rakthi]

Today I bolted on the Rockinger Trailer Coupling. Easy I thought ... only took about 2 hours. (got a bit carried away with pictures here too)

Because there was only €26 (without tax) difference between the manual and the remote controlled one, I decided to go for the radio controlled one.

What is in the red square is the manual version, the rest is with the radio controlled one.



This coupling is truly a masterpiece. Here some pictures

Left side




Right side - closed



Right side - open (closes automatically when the tongue of the trailer hits the back part - manually with the little lever at the bottom)



Here a link to a short movie I found on YouTube that shows this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyJbYVeywP0

Bottom - the spring allows movement to the left and right (no movement when coupling is open)



Top



Front



Back



So unpacked the lot and all I really needed was the 2 black bits with the arrow pointing to it, the cable and the servo. The rest are for every possible truck ScaleART produces. So lots of spare screws, washers etc.



To get the little black lever on, one needs to remove the big stainless one.



This was not as easy as it sounds, but a bit of scrap rubber to protect the polished metal and pliers took care of it.



The black lever pressed in place (used a box driver) on the square protrusion. Looks like a grub screw is needed to hold the cable in place.



Found in the bag with fasteners.



Next the servo support goes in the back cross member of the frame



The holes in the trailer coupling have thread in them. Elected not to drill it out. So first screw in the 4 screws.



Then loosen each screw in turn and offer up the M2 nut with tweezers (no other way to get to that area)



Then screw the screw back in whilst holding the nut with the tweezers, and tighten nut with 3mm spanner. Loctite applied.



Next up, prepping the servo and servo horn. Temporary attach the cable. I cut the rubber supports in half and filed off a couple of mm of the copper bushings that go in the rubber. I felt that otherwise the servo might sit too high. Can always change this again at a later date.



Servo bolted in place and cable trimmed to right size. A blob a glue added to where I cut the cable to prevent fraying. The servo horn is just loosely attached for the moment. I still need to centre the servo.





Cheers!

Stephan

[Rakthi]

Next up is the installation of the hydraulic lift arm.

Here an overview of most of the parts needed for this set - just finding all the bits and pieces was a job in itself



First we prep the hydraulic cylinder



The nipples are screwed on, and although the manual does not ask for it, I added some thread sealant. Better safe than sorry.



Then temporary mount the cylinder to the hydraulic valve box. Temporary so we can determine the length of the hydraulic hose we need. Would be a real "joy" to have to install this after everything is bolted up.



Installed. I put the longer pin in the picture because the short one is the wrong one.



Mounted the valve body in the box to check length hose.



The hoses for this cylinder will attach to the area pointed out with the arrows. The 2 circled holes are the in and return line for the oil. There's been a small error in packing and the 4 mm nipples were omitted. ScaleART already informed me they will ship them ASAP .. still will probably take 4 weeks to get here.



Hose length determined and cut to size, attached it to the nipple. First slide on the hose and then press the sleeve home.





Next is the connecting rod. (it mounts the other way around from how shown)





Then the actual kicker, that will have to slide over the rod when we install it in its proper position. (The kicker has to be horizontal when cylinder is completely out.)





Then slide the assembly into the frame through the holes provided in the sub frame. (had to ream out the holes a bit due to the paint that got in)



The valve box needs to be attached with 4 M2x5 screws to the box holders on the frame ... one of them is a absolute pain due to no room at all.



Here all installed (including above nut and screw) seen from the left. I also installed the 2 rubber bumpers.



Here from the left. Rod that holds the kicker is secured with an M3.



Last part was bolting the diamond plate cover to the valve box cover.



That's it for now. Cheers!
Stephan

[Rakthi]

The rear lights are on the program next. (the orange of the indicators has to be painted in - used Tamiya X-26 for that)



I ordered the kit with the KingBus system, so I only have two cable on each light. The cable is supposed to go in the inside of the frame, however a slight problem:

This little plug



Does not fit in the round hole, more so because the lower rear crossbeam sits further back and blocks part of it.



The plug does reminds me of the ones I had on my motorbike. And those would come apart with some fiddling.

Took me a bit, but if you get a needle you can lift up the little plastic tabs and pull out the cables ... not a fun job the first time around, but easier if you lift the tab from the top between the 2 tabs.



Bare cables. They only go one way back into the plug. The little edge pointed out by the arrow is what holds them in place.



This sorted, next we have to cut a small channel in the plastic body of the light fixture. This to accommodate the cable.



Need to carefully smoothen the edges of the LED board so it fits into the housing. (I used 800 grit paper for this)



Now fits nice and flush in the housing



Added some heat shrink over the wires and cut an insulator from an old inner tube. (there was supposed to be one with the LED board but didn't see it)



Fed the wire through the hole into the frame - had to take the servo out to make it easier - and in hindsight made my life difficult due to being so focussed on getting the wire in the frame ...



Tried to fasten the M2x5 screw indicated in the manual, but it didn't fit.



The holes provided are for M1.6 screws, so changed to those.



Light fixture installed



Plug back in place



Servo back in place and lenses glued in place with 2 component transparent glue.



Cables tucked in the frame for now



And here a pic without the clamp



If I had to do this again, i would first fix the light to the support, then add the heat shrink and feed it in the frame. Oh well ...

[Rakthi]

Some more parts that need be bolted to the frame before starting on the drivetrain.

First, the housing for the servo diff lock front axles. The manual indicated 5 M2x5 but only need 3.



This is another one of this little gems that make you realise how much thought and care goes into these models. Even for a part that you don't really see once the truck is build. (Yup I can get carried away by things like this)







Goes here, right behind the cab.



Neat fit.



Looks like I better bolt that bit from the cabin fender on before I install the servo.



Upside down view from the back.



Next are the supports for the oil pump and tank.



Goes here, which is kind of a problem because on the left, there are bolts from the middle cross beam ... I should have paid more attention to that section.



They came out easer than I thought.



And tank supports installed ... the left bottom screw took me more than 20 minutes to get into the hole. Almost no access with the valve box and kicker mechanism in place ... There is a reason you're supposed to install it way earlier in the game.



I put the tank in place. You can see that the supports are not really symmetrical.



Reason why the supports are not evenly spaced is the outlet from the pump. That bolt will be replaced by a nipple with a 4mm oil line attached, so you need some room.



Looking from the back it seems I could get away with moving that support one hole closer to the front.



Cheers, Stephan

[Rakthi]

oops ... messed up one of the pics. Should be like this ...

Looks like I better bolt that bit from the cabin fender on before I install the servo.

[Prop Shaft]

This is just an amazing model. I really enjoy my Capo kits for their amount of detail and realism, but this... Crazy scale. I wish Scale art would make something in a true 1:10 scale cause I would be sold instantly.
Couple questions, if you don't mind me asking, how much did this kit set you back? And what scale is it? Seems fairly small, 1:16?

[Rakthi]

Hi Prop,

The scale of this truck is 14.5, as for how much I paid, € 6143.29 for the truck and € 470 shipping via UPS (that includes the €25 for the prep of the custom forms). That does not include the Rockinger stuff, I got that in a separate order. I think that one comes to €225.00 or so. Because I am from Europe I still have an account there, so no need for me to convert. With the Euro dropping in value it is a good time to buy if you hold other currency.

If you register with ScaleART, you get all the prices without taxes.

I'm lucky to live in a "free port" meaning no import duties etc. No idea what the duty would be on this for you.

Talking about Capo, I have their 8x8 truck too. Was a nice kit to put together. But this new 4x4 you are bolting together sure looks like it is a step up for Capo. Also very realistic. Can't wait to see some pictures of the engine that hides the electrical motor.

Since I have an excavator in 14.5 scale, it kind of makes sense for me to have this truck in that scale too. And as you pointed out, the detail in this truck is unbelievable. Really a joy to assemble.

Stephan

[Prop Shaft]

Originally Posted by Rakthi

Hi Prop,

The scale of this truck is 14.5, as for how much I paid, € 6143.29 for the truck and € 470 shipping via UPS (that includes the €25 for the prep of the custom forms). That does not include the Rockinger stuff, I got that in a separate order. I think that one comes to €225.00 or so. Because I am from Europe I still have an account there, so no need for me to convert. With the Euro dropping in value it is a good time to buy if you hold other currency.

If you register with ScaleART, you get all the prices without taxes.

I'm lucky to live in a "free port" meaning no import duties etc. No idea what the duty would be on this for you.

Talking about Capo, I have their 8x8 truck too. Was a nice kit to put together. But this new 4x4 you are bolting together sure looks like it is a step up for Capo. Also very realistic. Can't wait to see some pictures of the engine that hides the electrical motor.

Since I have an excavator in 14.5 scale, it kind of makes sense for me to have this truck in that scale too. And as you pointed out, the detail in this truck is unbelievable. Really a joy to assemble.

Stephan

Yikes. Maybe its a good thing they dont have a 1:10 scale offering. I'd be in trouble if they did! Thats more then 2 Capo 8x8's! I skipped building the engine first to wait for servos, its the first thing in the manual. But im going to be starting it soon. It's very impressive I must say. Theres deffinitely nothing else on the market that looks and functions like the real thing as this Capo v8. At least that I have seen. Question for you, have you bought anything from AFV-Model? Loving this build, I'll be following it to the end.

[egronvold]

A lot of work, but you'll get a very nice truck in the end.

[Rakthi]

Originally Posted by Prop Shaft

Yikes. Maybe its a good thing they dont have a 1:10 scale offering. I'd be in trouble if they did! Thats more then 2 Capo 8x8's! I skipped building the engine first to wait for servos, its the first thing in the manual. But im going to be starting it soon. It's very impressive I must say. Theres deffinitely nothing else on the market that looks and functions like the real thing as this Capo v8. At least that I have seen. Question for you, have you bought anything from AFV-Model? Loving this build, I'll be following it to the end.

Hi Prop, I've seen some small teaser pics of that V8 on their website. Looks way better detailed than the one in the Tatra. Well will patiently wait until you get to it . As for the price of he ScaleArt ... what to say ... is indeed $$$ but I don't regret having spend it. Does mean though that the new 4x4 Capo will not happen here. Can't have everything. The AFV-Model site is in my bookmarks for some nice bits, but haven't ordered from them yet. From what I get from the German guys they are pretty reliable. I've ordered stuff from these guys: cmc-versand a couple of times. The trouble is that sometimes the shipping cost is more than the product one wants/needs.

Originally Posted by egronvold

A lot of work, but you'll get a very nice truck in the end.

Thanks! But a the moment the end is still very far in the future especially since I just realised that I messed up yet again ...

[apfubar]

Originally Posted by Prop Shaft

Yikes. Maybe its a good thing they dont have a 1:10 scale offering. I'd be in trouble if they did! Thats more then 2 Capo 8x8's! I skipped building the engine first to wait for servos, its the first thing in the manual. But im going to be starting it soon. It's very impressive I must say. Theres deffinitely nothing else on the market that looks and functions like the real thing as this Capo v8. At least that I have seen. Question for you, have you bought anything from AFV-Model? Loving this build, I'll be following it to the end.

To chime in, I have bought some stuff from AFV... Reliable and easy to deal with...

I bought their oscillating fifth wheel, and in another order some detail kits for a Tamiya Tank...

Cheers,
Ap