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Re-Bugged

Highway to a Knight Hauler.

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I said I wouldn’t do a 1/14 Truck once upon a time as I bounce around in a 1:1 most days.

I have always admired them though since first seeing a German gathering of an RC Truck club in a Trucking International magazine back in the 80’s. Man & Boy hobby shop in Chatham Kent UK had a Wedico in the cabinet about the same time. A request to Santa for it was fruitless unfortunately.

A purchase of a Truck came close earlier this year but no cigar, fortunately though  recently an opportunity presented itself and I decided with the current state of affairs around the globe it was now or never.

Enter the Knight Hauler. This has always been a particular favourite of the big rigs for me out the box. Not to say a couple of non kit additions will find its way in there.

I’ve decided to do a bit of a build thread on this after all, as a nice fellow who goes by the name of @Jonathon Gillham was showing an interest in sharing the experience, and has had a significant contribution with help and advice (& many others on here) to where I’m at today in the RC world it seems like the decent thing to do in return. But as a result though he may be liable for some of unforeseen expenses that may arise along the way. Like I said, he’s nice like that.

Any how it won’t be a five minute job like a basic buggy so there will probably be long pauses between posts.

This is where I’m at so far...

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Bench testing GT Power Light & Sound Module with a Flysky GT5 Tx. Couldn’t get it work first time so unplugged everything and reconnected it all and everything works fine. It’s funny how amusing a Diesel engine sound effect and pretty lights can be for a grown man....

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And today saw the start of the build process by assembling the Servo Savers in step one now they have be centred...

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looking forward to the road ahead with this one 😉

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Brilliant, I'm looking forward to this. This is one build I'm pretty sure I'll never do myself...unless the IIPA makes me do it!

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Awesome :) this will be a great build.  Be prepared to take your time and have to pause for a while to paint various parts.

The US rigs are a slightly faster build as most of the decorative chassis parts are chrome-painted.  Parts of the Euro rigs need various colours of paint applying before they can go on.

Might be worth skipping ahead in the build manual to check if anything will need painting before it holds up a building session :)

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tbh i said the same thing about never buying a 1/14 truck but when that little beaut called the grand hauler was released i was sold.

then when the merc actros 3363 was released i was again smitten 

and tbh i really want the globeliner aswell but as yet have not committed to one 

 i see you got a couple of cb aerials .....did you not know tamiya do these now i put a set on my grand hauler a few weeks back and the look to scale as you would expect from

tamiya 

 

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I’m probably close to painting holding the build up at the mo @Mad Ax as I’m still not decided on a colour scheme yet and I’m thinking of painting the chassis as well. I reckon I’ll have to use an enamel though whatever colour I go for as there’s a mix of metal and plastic parts. 
 

I didn’t know Tamiya do Ariels now @topforcein, I only got the ones I did as they were cheap as chips from where I got the truck. They are Hercules Hobby ones a bit on the flimsy side but it’s gonna be while before I have to worry about those. Your Tamiya ones look far superior.  

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I like the Hercules Hobby stuff.  I've got a HH container trailer which is very good quality - almost a direct copy of a Tamiya trailer but much cheaper.  I can feel it's not 100% as good, but as a starting point for a build it can't be beaten at that price.

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That’s good to know about the HH trailers mate, I hovered over add to cart on one but I’ll get the Truck done first I think.  They have a nice selection and I’m sort of leaning towards a Fridge for something I had in mind, a picture of the 3 axle flatbed on a KH looked good too.

Would you know if there are any trailers that have 3 axles with duel wheels instead of Super Singles though?

I know they are common in Europe but I’ve only ever seen one 1:1 Super Single trailer in Oz.


Having received a couple of bits of bling I thought I’d put this small piece in place now before it gets lost...

F13EB1FE-ABA3-49BE-9393-BF181CEFA246.jpg

 

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5 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

Would you know if there are any trailers that have 3 axles with duel wheels instead of Super Singles though?

I know they are common in Europe but I’ve only ever seen one 1:1 Super Single trailer in Oz.

That is a good question, to which I have no answer :o 

I'd like to think you could fit the duelies from a Tamiya truck / trailer on to a HH trailer axle, but I haven't tried.  It's possible the axle is too wide.  I have a Tamiya pole trailer (which has duelies) and the HH container trailer (which has super singles), if and when I have time I will try swapping the wheels over to see if the axles are different.

Normally I say the Tamiya trailers are better on the US-style rigs, as you don't see typical European 3-axle trailers in the US.  American trailers tend to have the axles closer to the rear of the trailer, whereas we like a nice big overhang on the back of ours, so the back of the combo can swing out around our tight little English streets and demolish signposts, houses, parked cars, ancient monuments etc.

But then I tend to have this romantic view of Australia's motoring world as being a kind of blend of the best bits of the USA (big rigs, road trains, V8 musclecars and lots of desert) and the best bits of the UK (Japanese imports) so perhaps it's normal for you to see Big Pete pulling a 3-axle container trailer (albeit one with duelies).

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22 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:


 

I didn’t know Tamiya do Ariels now @topforcein, I only got the ones I did as they were cheap as chips from where I got the truck. They are Hercules Hobby ones a bit on the flimsy side but it’s gonna be while before I have to worry about those. Your Tamiya ones look far superior.  

yeah i didn't until i was browesing tony's ebay ebay page and saw them so i brought them and they do come in pairs. i was gonna get another pair for the merc truck but to fit them i have to strip the cab of the chassis then take the roof pod off and i already did that for the metal air horns and its a bit of a ball ache tbh.

 i did get the both sets of air horns from tony the last time i went to his place and they look the part also as you can see on the grand hauler as every time i cleaned the roof the dahm things fall apart... i get the same with the roof lights and as soon as i see a set i like they will go aswell

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As with the American Trailers @Mad Ax, the Australian ones have the axles closer to the back, I would say it would have a lot to do with the Trucks being 6x4 and can take more of the weight than a 4x2 Euro set up.

Don’t sweat to much on trying the Tamiya wheels on the HH trailer no rush, 👍🏻. I see the 20’ HH trailers have dullies, just the 40’ ones have Singles. 


Duallies on the trailer are preferred here over Singles as a flat tyre on a single stops the show where as at least one flat duallie you can limp on. Lots of puncture inducing dirt roads here.

 
The most common set up around here are 25 & 26 metre B-Doubles. Two trailers without the Dolly like a Road Train does.

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I’m in a 19 metre B these days, 2 axle trailers instead and will go anywhere a full length semi with go but with more weight.

It’s mostly Ozzy built Kenworth here, no Pete’s unfortunately, Mack and Western Star as well. Volvo has made big inroads here and for the first time last quarter knocked Kenworth of the top spot for sales, the Merc Actros isn’t fat behind either now with the amount I see running around now.

Since Holden moved production overseas they lost a lot of customers here and V8’s aren’t nearly as popular now on the road as they were. More 4x4 1:1 Modded crawlers.

And it’s not all desert here there’s a bit of water around the  edge 😉...

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I was just shopping at Tony’s yesterday funnily enough @topforcein, good to know he has them and I’m sure I’ll be enlisting his great service again in the future 👍🏻

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4 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:


The most common set up around here are 25 & 26 metre B-Doubles. Two trailers without the Dolly like a Road Train does.

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Well you could sure have a lot of fun trying to replicate something like that.  The best thing about trailer chassis is they're made from commonly-available hardware (20x30mm alu L-section for the main rails) so you can build a trailer however you like.

Here's my conversion of a Tamiya pole trailer into a rigid trailer:

 

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You can buy alloy axles for duallies for cheap, dualie axles are 120mm and super singles are 140mm, Stella and RCMart were selling them for about $12 each, trying to remember who the manufacturer was...

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Made a start on the chassis. I had it my head that I might paint the chassis so thought about making 2 halves so it would be easier to spray in between the centre rails...however...

1, This will leave some screw heads unpainted once the the 2 halves come together.

2. The chassis is a mix of metal and ABS plastic which is notoriously tricky to paint successfully.

Chances are it would be a darkish grey so I’m wondering if it’s worth a lot of pain for small gain? 

Has anyone painted the entire chassis

Any input welcome as I’m wondering how these chassis still look over time.

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I painted the complete chasis of my Volvo in red. Came out ok. Bit of a faff though TBH, not sure I'd bother doing it again.

 

Nick

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In the mean time, I took a look at the shocks, anodised pink? Hummmm no thanks I had to do something about that.

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i painted the the sides and chassis on my flat bed useing tamiya paint back when i was still useing the dahm stuff and even with the fine surface primer it does chip easy.

i choose not to paint the chassis rails on the reefer trailer as most of it is covered.

 

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I did the tractor and container trailer on my Scania in the same red as the truck, but both got a top coat or flat clear after...

Don't ask how many cans of TS I used 😬

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6 hours ago, berman said:

 

Don't ask how many cans of TS I used 😬

 

 

i was the same i think i used nearly 2 cases for the truck and trailer only for the shell and fenders to crack and that was the last time i used tamiya paint

that pic i put up is of said tamiya paint and has since been replaced with a new shell and fenders and paint'd with house of colour paintand finished with 2k clear

the 2 pics show the house of colour paint on new shell and fenders but the trailer is still in tamiya paint

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Nice Scania @berman, I don’t recall seeing that one in your showroom??

Just as I’m trying to convince myself it’s not worth the hassle painting the chassis, it does look good when it matches the trailer.

I had something in mind with a Reefer on the back, but we’ll see 🤔

 

I remember the the Drama’s you had with the paint on your Grand Hauler @topforcein, that must have been so soul destroying. But it turned out very nice in the end though. As I only get a few hours at around 10 day intervals at best to perform time consuming jobs, to have to redo something like that is a hurdle and a half 😬.

I would be leaning towards a self priming Enamel paint that I’ve used on my Buggy Champ body, it takes ages to dry but appears to be very chip resistant. Having been run in rough environments it still cleans up like new with a damp cloth. Very limited colour choice though.

I can get Montana spray cans at wholesale through our small business they are 400ml too which is a bonus. I’ve got some coming so I think I’ll experiment and go from there. 

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I did a one coat wonder on an unused piece in the kit with the self priming Enamel left over from the Buggy Champ to see. If the whole lot turned out like it I would be very happy. 

2737E1E2-68B7-4F46-9B0B-D1F4F7E7532A.jpg
 

“E’ who dares wins Rodders, E who dares”

 

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17 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

I remember the the Drama’s you had with the paint on your Grand Hauler @topforcein, that must have been so soul destroying. But it turned out very nice in the end though. As I only get a few hours at around 10 day intervals at best to perform time consuming jobs, to have to redo something like that is a hurdle and a half 😬

i do love the tamiya box art blue and when that happened i just had to put the truck to one side for a good year and just forget about it esp seeing on what it cost me for the paint

i would say to get it how it looks know it has cost me more than a new kit but i have learned never to use tamiya ts paint again esp when it is compared to the cost of a 400ml made up can witch cost me £13 per can and the tamiya was £10 per can( and i used more than a case for the first shell)) and i am more than happy with how it has turned out.

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On 10/28/2020 at 4:12 AM, topforcein said:

i was the same i think i used nearly 2 cases for the truck and trailer only for the shell and fenders to crack and that was the last time i used tamiya paint

Yeah I remember that ☹

I think all up including primer and clear, it was over 20 cans. I've never had an issue with Tamiya paint, I think it's the best for RC, it is expensive, but I only use 1-2 cans of colour and one clear on regular hard bodies. My knight hauler needs repainting, but that is over 11 years old now.

19 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

Nice Scania @berman, I don’t recall seeing that one in your showroom?

I just had a look and it seems I missed the tractor and added the trailer 😄

My showroom needs a tidy up, I've sold most of those vintage rc's and need to add my m chassis addiction 😁

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On 10/20/2020 at 11:01 PM, Re-Bugged said:

I said I wouldn’t do a 1/14 Truck once upon a time

all you guys say the darndest things.

 i gave up resisting quite some time ago, if you linger around here long enough there's always something interesting to build and give it a twist.

keep at it RE-B, i just know you can Do It!

Alright who spilled my popcorn?

 

 

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2 hours ago, ACCEL said:

Alright who spilled my popcorn?

Don’t panic @ACCEL I’m bringing extra for this one...

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