Model Team: Octan Truck with trailer

[Lasse D]

I might make 12 studs wide Model Team trucks all the time, but I still have very little experience building cab-over designs. There have been a lot of prototypes before I ended up with this design for the Octan truck:

(The brickshelf gallery)

The truck uses a lot of SNOT-techniques from the front to the windows in the sleeping cabin and slopes for the stripes. I can't remember the last time I used so many different in such a small space!

The biggest challenge was without doubt the windshield. The 2x6x2 windscreens are very low and look good on a truck like the old American Freightliners, but not on this more European like, so I have tried to give it a lot of "make up" around the windows to make them appear taller.

Click on the following picture to get to the gallery with some of the many prototypes

[Asuka]

Wow, pretty cool.... *y*

That curved cabin design

[SirNadroj]

Very, very, very cool!!! I love Octan LEGO MOCs! I espically like those octan balls in the back! *y*

[Siegfried]

Another excellent truck. *wub* You have a real talent for them. I like the engine and that radiator must have taken ages. 8-

[ZeekyBoogeyDoog]

Great job, you rendered the model very realitically X-O

[Lasse D]

> Azuka

If you like the one with the MB-logo, you should have seen it in person - it was terrible!

But thanks for the comment. The opening mechanism was needed because a tilting cab design wasn't strong enough when you pull the truck around from the top.

> SirNadroj

I'm happy about the balls as well, but it is a problem that they take almost all my spare green and red plates 8-

Edited September 11, 2007 by Lasse D

[Asuka]

If you like the one with the MB-logo, you should have seen it in person - it was terrible!

Well, perhaps, but the way you did the logo was pretty smart.... *y*

[Lasse D]

Yeah. I stole that idea from the Mercedes trucks in LEGOLAND :-D

For a long time I thought the Mercedes Benz logo was the only one for which there' a good resembling brick, but when I went to LEGOLAND earlier this year, I saw some peugeots where 1x2 grilles were used. It was only like

[simonwillems]

Great truck!

I like the way you made the cab really look round, a very tough and difficult thing to do, but it works well with those rounded-top parts.

My only (tiny) point of criticism would be the wheel/nob on top of the cab, with the rest of the truck being made so realistic I think that looks a bit out of place. But, one has to steer somewhere. ;-)

Keep them rolling!

*y*

[Norro]

Octan! The pinnacle of Lego civilization! Great work!

God Bless,

Nathan

[Lasse D]

(...)

My only (tiny) point of criticism would be the wheel/nob on top of the cab, with the rest of the truck being made so realistic I think that looks a bit out of place. But, one has to steer somewhere. ;-)

The cross axle is connected to a joint so it comes off easily, but the it can't steer as you mention. I could have used a spare wheel on the back like 5590, but it would be inaccessible if the truck had to pull one of the larger trailers like the ferris wheel. A smart solution would be to have a coupling for the steering inside the real coupling like I did on the old police HQ, but that would require that all my large trailers we modified for this and I would still end up with a knob on the top somewhere.

The next truck will not have a steering knob. This will be the first time ever that any of my trucks doesn't have one.

Edited September 15, 2007 by Lasse D