MikeG8

Has everyone gone away? Is this a really dumb set of questions? ??? Mike

Thanks very much for such a quick response. I haven't posted on here for well over a year I think as I seemed to stop getting replies and wondered if the forum was dying! Well, whatever it was, there's nothing wrong with it now! Thanks again Mike

That was pretty much what I was going to do (except the drill would have slipped and the bearings would be wrong etc etc!) I've just got the GPM upgrade instead because I'm old and lazy!

Well, not a lot, to be honest! Tamiya are normally so good: this was a bit of a disappointment as a kit, what with the other niggles too.

Just got it (...and some new wheels and tyres for my Sand Viper too!) Thanks for the tip

I get big problems with binding on the steering on my Pajero. It is the vertical turny thing (sorry to get technical!) which transfers the steering movement through the chassis floor. That 'tube' just seems to fill with grit/sand/dust and binds almost solid. Has anyone replaced the 'inner' with a metal 'axle' in bearings with suitably adapted top and bottom for the steering arms? That seems a lot of work though. Is this just me or have I gone wrong somewhere? What does anyone else do? Mike

I've searched the forum and can't find mention of snow chains for the big rigs. Has anyone made any or can they be bought anywhere? If anyone has made any, how did you do it? Mike

I have a standard King Hauler. I'd like to stretch the chassis, not a huge amount, maybe a couple of inches or so. Bunch of questions now: 1. Are there standard stretch lengths on the 1:1s and why do they stretch the chassis' of otherwise standard seeming tractor units? 2. Do I need new frame rails or can I cut 'n' shut the existing rails? If the latter, where is the best place and what is the best method for re-joining? 3. Will I need to buy a new prop shaft or can I adapt the existing item or do I need to make a new one? Any help much appreciated! Mike

Thanks for all the replies, but I was hoping that an engineering whizz out there would have a neat easily switchable solution...by which I mean something like the F350 type locking pin affair or even an actual 'switchable' control. Crikey, I don't want much do I?!!! Oh well, if you don't ask, you don't get! Mike

That's exactly what I did, liked the result so bit the bullet and went for it! I prefer my scalers to look 'lived in' as it were. As a result, I should probably not have done all the tyres, leaving 1 or 2 as before, like they had been changed and swapped imperfectly! I haven't actually tried them out yet, but they can't be any less grippy than the straight treads they 'replace'!

Brush painted bright yellow: runs and curtains all over. Re-did it and it was better. Tried striping in in black...awful, just awful! Stripped back to bare metal (finally, that yellow turned out to be bullet proof!) and sprayed in...vomit yellow! According to Halfords (motor parts store) it is 'Machine Yellow', it isn't, it is slightly greenish and rather unpleasant. Anyway, it is now painted for the 3rd time and it is staying vomit yellow! Just striped it and the results are OK (except that the stripes are not quite aligned one side to the other...oops!). General view, fully up General view, fully down Three-quarter rear view Safety bar detail Chain hook detail on lift bar Lift bar detail Pulley arrangement detail I'm really pleased with the end result. I need to add some cushioning to the lift bar (some heat shrink tubing will do nicely I think). Ideally, I'd like to use the trailer light socket to power the currently fake flashing amber lamp and adding a work lamp to either side of the lift frame would finish it off nicely. Anyway, it is done for now and pretty easy to do. I'd recommend it as a nice little project for any rig and I'd certainly recommend the winch. Mike

Yeah, when I mounted the winch I thought it could have that dual purpose too. After watching Ice Road Truckers and their very self sufficient ways of loading trailers (including rollers on front and back of the trailer bed...neat idea) then the winch will definitely stay in place. Thanks for the kind words.

A skilled modeller (something I'm not!) would knock one of these up in just a few hours - I took ages because I'm not half as good as I think I am and usually have to make 2 of everything just to get 1 of 'em right! Thanks for the kind words.

Thanks fr the kind words but oh, if you could see it now, you'd wish I hadn't painted it at all - yeuch! Still, I now have a can of bright yellow and another of black, so maybe a stripy little number, eh? Seeing as how you have to manually (Hand Of God, or HOG as they say in the world of Lego, yes I like that too!) hitch up the towed vehicle, I'm going to stick with a fully manual system for the moment to raise and lower the boom. I have to say that I'm still impressed with the results and took really very little time: a skilled modeller would do it all in a few hours. I do wonder if the boom is slightly too big, but if so, well, I'll just call this one the super-deluxe version!

I want to lock the diffs on my King Hauler...but ideally using an engineered solution rather than hot glue or the XC type locking method. I know I can buy locking axles, but I'd really like to know if anyone out there has made their own and if so, how? I have had a look, and nothing springs to mind. Also, does locking either or both of the axles affect the turning circle adversely? I know it isn't great anyway, so I doubt it, but any info would be handy. Thanks Mike