BIG MERCEDES 1

Another kit that I've been working on recently is a 1:24 Italeri Mercedes Benz 2238 truck. I've had a few 1:24 trucks on the go for the past few years, but haven't managed to finish any of them yet, so starting yet another seems crazy. However, the Covid lockdown has given me much more time to work on non-railway stuff and those half-finished trucks are locked away in storage. Therefore, I treated myself to this kit from Scale Model Shop and eagerly awaited delivery, starting construction almost as soon as the parcel arrived.

It took a couple of evenings to get the engine and chassis frames assembled, which is my favourite stage in truck construction. Extra plumbing was added to the frames with a mixture of fine wire and cable, while valves were improvised from scraps of plastic sheet, rod and section. A few educated guesses were made as to what should go where, searching through online prototype images, but my aim wasn't to be overly exact - this is for fun after all.

The engine has been primed (aerosol), painted and weathered (by hand with Lifecolor acrylics) and awaits the fuel injector pipes and other cables connecting up. The frames need a few extra jobs before they too can be painted.