ScaleART - Assembling a MAN TGX/XL 6x6 tractor & Trailer

[Rakthi]

Hi Hofabooz, those servos wouldn't be such a big problem if I could just pop out to the nearest shop and get some extras ... now there is this long wait between ordering and receiving them, causing the loss of my momentum. On top of that I then start other non-rc related projects making it even harder to get back on track.

Well the good news is the servos arrived, both the Hitec and the Robbe ones I found after checking what seems 100 on-line shops ... There are still some out there, gathering dust on shelves.

Not much difference in size between the Hitec and the Robbe, but that little bit sure helps.
Tried the Robbe servo in the longer fuel tank, and it fitted without the need for filing ... perfect fit. Too bad they went out of business. Another nice thing about their servos was the little plastic clips you could use to fix the servo in place instead of the rubber ones (also included)



Here some pictures for comparison





Here installed in the carrier. A perfect fit. (Took me the best part of an hour to locate the little bar to hold it in the front).



That's it for this short update. Now setting up these 2 servos and figuring out to put them on a mixer. Running the electrics to the front, shortening/lengthening wires etc. (all jobs I don't really like). Just have to get my head set for it.

[Rakthi]

Did the 2 servos today. Decided to go for the Robbe for the first rear axle and a Hitec for the 2nd rear axle. Will keep the extra Robbe ones I got for a next project that would need servos in tight spaces.

To install these, you need to set the servo to the locked diff position, and then pull the cable up (helps if you push the lever at the back up).

So servo horn in the lock position and cable inserted



Pulled cable till diff is locked (picture got messed up a bit by the flash)



Tension cable and tighten the worm screw holding it in place.



I ran the wire through the hole I had drilled in the frame (I also made sure the hole was in the 2nd servo holder I altered). Added a bit of black heat shrink on the outside of the frame



and red heat shrink on the inside



Next up the Hitec servo - picture in diff locked position (note the difference in servo horns! The Robbe one is way bulkier than the Hitec)



And other side (will need to come back out to touch up paint on some screws but at least I know it works/fits)



For now I put the 2nd servo on channel 4 that was supposed to operate the rear coupling I didn't install.

After touching up the red paint inside of the frame, pull 2nd servo cable to the front and fabricate a cover.

Had a look at the rear lights and how to run the wires there ... My first plan was to run the wires attached with a bit of heat shrink to the fender support, but I had forgotten to do this when I installed the fender. So fender would have to come off again. Still would look a tad "messy" ...



Since I would have to partly disassemble the rear fenders, another alternative (and more work) would be to drill hole in the fender where the rear light attaches, run the wire on the inside to the centre support and from there through another hole (widening one of the existing ones from 2 mm to ±3 mm) inside the frame.



Well, the wife had told me to get my money's worth out of this model and take my time finishing it ...

[Rakthi]

Redoing the rear lights was not as big a job as I thought. Took longer to take fenders off. Came down to a simple bit of grinding and drilling two holes.

So here a trial fit after doing one fender. (the paint did suffer from unbolting all the bits, so after taking these pics I stripped the paint off and repainted - as you can see, sanding did not work well on diamond plate)

The light is at an angle because the screws are not tightened yet.



Can barely see where the wire runs through the fender.



Back side before cleaning up and filing of the sharp edges.



Will not have to drill a bigger hole in the frame. The wires fit through the existing 2mm holes.



Wire can run along the middle support of the fender and then go behind it



To come out on the side and disappear in the frame.



Now waiting for the new paint on the fenders to dry before reassembling the lot and running the rear light wires to the front.

[Rakthi]

Re-installed the right rear fender today. (Expected to do both, but more time consuming/fiddly than I thought)

First attach the centre support. Had to be very careful not to scratch the paint





Put the extra mud flaps I had to use by giving fender one on each side. This time I took care not to tighten the nuts too much to prevent warping the rubber.



After this, install the light and then loosely attach the clamps holding the fender to the front and rear support. Then carefully slide the fender in place. There is just enough space to tighten the screws without having to remove the wheels.



Didn't run the wire for the light as I planned. It just runs on the inside of the fender, goes through the centre support. Near the frame I made a little clamp of copper wire to hold the cable in place. Wire still needs to be attached to the fender and centre support with some hot glue or double sided tape. Haven't made up my mind yet. Once finished, a bit of red paint on the wire and it will be barely noticeable.





One done, the other one in a couple of days ...