Tractor pulling

It is hard to put my finger on it, but British trucks often have a look that somehow immediately marks them as British. Case in point, my new Lego DAF XG, as operated by Manners Transport from Northumberland. I think it is mainly the colour blocking, with contrasting red and bright light yellow elements.

Manners specializes in transporting farming equipment, such as combine harvesters. However, since I already have a combine harvester transport, this model was going to carry a tractor instead. I picked a Deutz-Fahr tractor because its bright green colour contrasts nicely with the truck.

When I posted a picture of the tractor model last week, fellow Dutch truck builder Legorigs wrote that I ought to be able to fit two of them on a trailer. Such a great idea! This was not part of my plan, but two tractors are obviously better than one, so I built a second example.

Some people start a new build by tinkering with a combination of parts. When they find a shape they like, the rest of their model follows from that. This is not how I operate, however. I always have a plan. This plan always starts with a firm idea of I want to build and how to build it. In 2023 and 2024, I joined a group of fellow Dutch truck builders who display models at a show in Ede, after I had not been there since 2013. The show has a very specific theme: it is for scale models of earth-moving equipment, cranes and heavy haulage. Besides our Lego models, there are die-cast models, plastic scale models, as well as models built out of other construction toys, such as Meccano. Going to such a show always provides inspiration for building something new.

I had already been eyeballing a truck by Manners for last year’s event. However, at the time, I could not figure out how to build it. Instead, I built a DAF XF operated by the Dutch haulage company van der Vlist. Having built that, this year I finally worked out how to build the DAF XG. Part of why I picked it is that the clips that I would need to attach rearview mirrors in the same way as on the XF do not exist in bright light yellow. The DAF XG operated by Manners, though, has rearview cameras instead of mirrors. The DAF XG has a slightly longer front overhang than the XF and the front of the truck is also slightly tapered. I figured out how to do that, once I realised that, since I built much of the XF’s front end sideways, with the tops of the Lego elements facing forward, I could extend the front of the new truck by adding a layer of plates. This also gave me room for rounded bricks and 45-degree slopes for the corners.

The colour scheme also involved a lot of sideways building, in particular around the side windows. I always think about what will be the hard bits of a build, prior to building, so I knew this. Actually making it work took some trial and error, though. As a result, the final model differs quite a bit from my first work-in-progress.

The model’s looks are my priority, but a degree of functionality can enhance this. Thus, the functionality is part of the plan as well. Both truck models have steering on the front two axles, with their steering racks connected. The steering angle is quite small, and the middle tires rub the mudguards, but setting them at an angle adds a touch of realism.

The trailer has a partially wooden deck, built using nougat tiles, and three steering axles. The wheels on either side of the trailer move together, but the steering of the three separate axles is not connected. In this case, I considered having a low load bed as more important than this functionality.

My plan includes how large everything should be. This pays off when combining models. Based on their specifications, twice the length of a tractor minus the length of the load bed equals about 40 cm. The rear tractor should therefore hang over the rear of the trailer a bit, as it does on the model. Building a second tractor really wasn’t part of my plan, but sticking to the scale paid off. This all came together very nicely.

The post Tractor pulling appeared first on The Brothers Brick.


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