John Daniels

Now this is a true beauty! The stickers really make the truck come alive. The design looks incredibly solid and highly effective, as one tends to expect from you. Thank you for sharing the beast with us, it’s a pleasure to view. And it certainly would be difficult to tear it apart.

Looks incredible! I was always curious if a brick built cabin with the rest of the truck Technic would look good. Your wrecker proves that to be very true! I’m hopeful for more photos and a video.

It looks like the front suspension has gone a little flat up front with that extreme stance. Also trophy trucks have huge amounts of suspension travel, both front and rear. From memory, so maybe not that accurate, the front is around 26 inches of travel and the rear is around 32 inches. Going off that ratio, the front suspension of your truck should have around 4 studs of travel. Trophy trucks also use trailing arms in the rear, usually in a triangulated 4 link setup, with the shocks and dampeners attached to the trailing arms. I’m being really nit picky though. That is enough criticism. I really like the body styling, it caught my eye when I opened the thread, the hood scoop adds a nice texture to the hood. And I like the feel of the body, minimalistic without looking like a skeleton. I do hope that you take my initial criticisms in a constructive way. I’ve studied trophy trucks inside and out, as well as built a few chassis that I haven’t shared online, bodywork is the bane of my LEGO existence, so the trucks have never been completed. I look forward to seeing any further generations that you build.

I’m highly anticipating the photos after reading the write up.

Incredible work! The video is off the charts for a lego model. Absolutely gorgeous. And the models are incredible. Your mechanisms are always very creative and work flawlessly.

What an excellent little model. I really enjoy watching the subtractor in action, and the fully enclosed design is very nice for its realism factor. I’m glad that you are back and feeling better. Keep getting better, I’m sure all of our thoughts are with you.

I must say this is one of my favorite entries that I have seen. The design is very clean and sleek. That, combined with the color scheme throws this one over the top for me. Excellent work!

As the title states I am building a to scale MB Arocs. My goal is to faithfully recreate the chassis, axles, cabin, and other details. #1 I will brake down each section of the build bellow. Frame; Just like the frame in the true Arocs, my frame consists of two parallel beams that flare out at the front, while having a minimal number of cross members. This was actually one of the hardest parts of the build so far. I went through many different designs, each one failing to provide the proper amount of rigidity, or being overly large. After a few weeks of tinkering and experimenting I finally stumbled upon the design that you see above. It consists of two rows, one horizontal and one vertical. Through the liberal use of connectors the two are connected, and thus create an exceptionally strong and compact chassis. Which is resistant to compression and stretching, while allowing a certain amount of torsional rotation, just like the real Arocs frame! Axles / Suspension; I have endeavored to recreate the axles used in the Arocs, therefore the truck is suspended on leaf springs. The rear axle follows the design of the original, with dual links stabilizing the bottom of the axles, and shared leaf springs; regrettably I have not been able to realize the triangulated upper links. Even though I plan to yet again redesign the axles so that they include this link. The front axle to a lot of work to find a design that was compact, allowed me to include leaf springs, and also utilized the linked steering system of the real Arocs, in the end I prevailed and was able to create a simple and reliable set of front axles. Each of the front axles is suspended on it's own set of leaf springs, but they are connected together to create a reactive suspension system. Engine; The engine is a compact I6 with - for the moment - minimal detailing. I hope that you have enjoyed this glimpse into the design process of one of my MOC's. Updates will most likely be scarce, as work is a little crazy right now. Comments, questions, and criticism, are all welcome. Thanks, John Edit: Added numbering to the photo.

I have a new update for you guys. This time with a section of the build that is truly "in progress." I have been working on the cab for my build. I spent the last few months flipping back and forth on whether I wanted to go full Technic on the cab or to build it in Model Team style. I eventually opted for the latter option as it allows me to recreate more details. Here is what I have so far; #18 I believe that the cab so far should satisfy your desire for something new @MaxSupercars As always I am open to suggestions for improvement, this build wouldn't be where it is today without your guys help. If any more photos are needed, please let me know. There is also a complete dashboard on the inside, but that will be saved for a later update. Thanks, John

What a truly impressive model. The level of detail that you have added is exceptional. Your video is wonderful, the perfect showcase for the model. I am embarrassed to say that I did a quick scan of the model earlier and had passed it off as "okay," but after seeing the video I see the error in my previous assessment! Really excellent work all around!

I will address the question of why first; Your question is similar to asking someone building a technic supercar why they are adding in an adjustable rear wing. The function of the wing uses airflow to create downforce. This function has been implemented even on HOG supercars, but even if the car is motorized using the PF system it will never achieve the kind of speeds necessary to create enough airflow over the wing. I personally added in airbrakes because of the added realism that they bring to the build, since I am striving to build a scale model not just in looks but also in function. I really appreciate the comment, as well as the compliment. Now moving on to your second point, I do see what you mean regarding the frailty of the front leaf springs. So far they seem to be holding up. Thank you for pointing it out though. This is my first time implementing leaf springs so I will defere to your expertise and see if I can come up with an elegant way to secure the connectors. Thank you for the tip, and the food for thought It certainly is a wonderful feeling seeing the model sitting on a slope as pictured. Thanks for your comment! I'm glad that my suspension work impresses. Since the real Arocs suspension is so incredibly impressive to me. Thank you for the comment. It's good to know that the hard work is paying off.

I absolutely loved watching this build progress and what a gorgeous model you have built Dugald! The smoothness is absolutely mesmerizing, and the speed at which your builds improve is astounding. I remember when you first joined the forum and thinking that your builds were interesting but not much to talk about, but now they are amazing! You are certainly at the same level as some of the greats when it comes to body shaping.

Today I would like to show you guys a key feature to increase the realism of my Arocs model build; functioning air brakes. #14 In early May I came up with a basic concept for forcing a rubber 1x2 against the inside of the rear rims, based off of the brakes that Sheepo used in his Mercedes- Benz 300SL, which can be seen here. I then quickly became stumped on how to actuate the levers, that is where I dropped the whole project due to college becoming crazy. Fast forward to Thursday and the end of the semester, I came back to the project and very quickly discovered the perfect solution to my prior issue, the rear brakes now functioned perfectly. I was going to call it good there and leave the front axles alone, that didn't last long however. So I started designing a braking system for the front axles. A few short hours later and I had functioning brakes on all four axles. After a bit of a struggle routing hoses, especially up front, here I am with functioning air brakes in 1/16th scale. The rear brakes are actuated by two 1x5 cylinders, one per axle. The front brakes are actuated by two 1x11 cylinders. The brakes work extremely well, under the weight of the chassis the wheels will slip before turning when pulled over a surface. #15 #16 #17 Please excuse the smaller image, the 800px size seems to be broken for that image. I hope that you guys enjoyed the update. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. ~John

A truly gorgeous model! The detailing on the engine is to die for, and I had a bit of a double take to try and figure out what large part you used to construct the tanker, that's when it hit me that it is assembled from slopes. The only detail that I see is missing is the air hoses from the truck to the trailer. -John

I think that I may have the answer. If you look at the lower right hand image in the photo that you posted, you can see a bucket starting to go around the end of the arm. When you look closely you can see that the back of the bucket has lifted off of the chain. Assuming that the same occurs on the other end of the belt, it would appear that the bucket off loads from the rear. Edit: Upon closer inspection it appears that the buckets lack a surface on the inner side. So they basically act as shovels, and as they go around the arm the material would slide out of the back.

Congratulations Milan! I could have sworn that you were already a moderator... What a perfect example of your qualifications for the position. I wish you luck in your new responsibilities. Especially in the position of grammar police. The high writing standards on this forum are what constantly bring me back day after day. So I am glad that you are going to raise the standards even higher!

Wonderful video! And an excellent build, I have enjoyed watching the model develop from the beginning, it has been a real pleasure.

Unfortunately you can not have the clutch gear below the worm gear, and utilize its torque limiting function. Since the 16z gears and the worm gear would both mesh directly with the teeth of the clutch gear. Effectively turning the clutch gear into a normal gear. You would have to place a clutch gear and 24z gear on the same axle, that way you would separate the input and output drivetrains, allowing the clutch gear to perform as intended.

I had no clue Tatra made anything other than massive trucks. What a delightful model, I especially like the use of tubing to capture the shape of the windows. Nice work!

Thank you guys, I'm glad that you enjoy the details. I would like to introduce the newest variant to my Arocs build; tractor chassis variant. This is something that I have wanted to achieve in my model to properly allow the modeling of any Arocs chassis variant. The major difference between the previous chassis and this one is in the height. The new chassis is one stud lower. This is very similar to the height difference between the two chassis variants in the full size Arocs. While I had my camera out I decided to take a picture with the wheels pulled off of the 8x8 chassis. This lets you see all of the suspension components. I also took another close up shot of the engine, which I need a few more to show all of the detail. As always any constructive criticism or suggestions are always welcome. -John

I feel that suspension is a must in a scale model, and that it should replicate the source material as accurately as possible. And for suspension to work accurately the chassis of the model must have adequate strength. Take my Arocs chassis for instance: It is built in such a way as to provide structural rigidity while staying very compact. And the suspension is almost an exact replica of the real truck. (That is also an old photo, quite a bit has changed to make it even stronger.)

I would like to Introduce the FC-742, a planetary defense turret. Featuring dual fusion cannons and a sleek futuristic look, the FC-742 is certain to deter any alien invasion. The turret has two functioning features; turret rotation and gun elevation, both controlled by the knobs on the back leg. The turret rotation is achieved with a basic 90 degree gearbox and a 12z double bevel gear connected to the turntable. Gun elevation is achieved with a 90 degree, offset gearbox and a worm to 24z gear reduction, the cannons mount directly to the 24z gear's axle. This creation was born out of the depths of boredom and quickly turned into an experiment in, "in system" angles and creating a sleek futuristic look using small panels. I hope that you have enjoyed my dabble into sci-fi Technic building. If you see any room for improvement or have need for another view than those shown here, drop a comment and I will see what I can do. Have a wonderful day, John

Well I finally found some free time to work on my Arocs build, so I spent most of that time adding detailing to the engine. #8 #9 So there is a turbocharger, oil filters, filler caps, exhaust line, engine oil dipstick, transmission oil dipstick, and a loose representation of the common fuel rail injection system. I was also able to add the top links to the rear axles, so now they represent the axles in the real Arocs perfectly. When I have a free hour or so I am planning on making some renders of the chassis and rear axles. Thanks for viewing and have a good day, John

A beautiful review, as always! I am somewhat in denial of how clean and crisp your photos are, but that's okay, it tells me that I need to go and buy a proper light kit. Your write up is excellent, with plenty of information and a nice splash of humor. Overall a very thorough review that makes me want to go and buy the set right now!

It's a win win!