Thirdwigg

Looking good! I really like those side step modules.

Yeah, you made the right decision. I never should have suggested taking away any orange parts, as it's my favorite LEGO color. It looks great here. Also, I have to try and figure out how to do one of those graphics. It looks great.

This turned out great. Well done.

Me too. I'm sure we could get it posted for you.

This build turned out great. I love the bucket. The orange is a little too much for me (I can't believe I just typed that), but it's true to the subject model so I understand why you kept it.

I'm glad to see an update @Seasider, and this progress looks good. The functions look good, and the general shape seems right where it needs to be. I'm interested in how the body will look, and how you will do the landing gear.

Yeah, this looks really good @2GodBDGlory. If you release instructions, I'm sure there are a lot of builders who would like to recreate it.

Great job! They look great together too.

I was able to spend a little time on the tractor again, so I rebuild the front of the chassis again and added an engine that I like. Then I built up the rest of the body draft that I have with the bigger tires, which I do think I like a little better. I'm now at the point where I need to decide if am I recreating a mini version of 8063 that stays true the look and feel of the original, or do I do a mini tractor build that is influenced by 8063. I started with the former, but I'm increasingly going down the path of the later. Now I think the tractor leans a little too far forward (bottom) due to adding the bigger rear tires (I really wish there was a ~65-70mm tractor tire). So I added a one stud spacer to level the tractor better (top) just to see what rebuilding the front for a level ride height would look like. I like the height of the hood on the bottom, but the lean seems like too much. Rebuilding the front axle to level the tractor would allow me to gain some strength on the front. What do you think?

Whoa, how did you get that picture into the background of Studio. My mind is blown.

Sorry, I was moving too quick

Thanks @falconluan and @1gor, I think I'll keep the 81mm and 56mm mud tire for a little bit, and see how they feel as I progress. The only adjustment it will cause at this point is moving the steps and the height of the fender. I can keep these two parts loose as I start on the roof and finalize the engine.

Wait, did you keep the PTO on/off switch!?! It looks great with the tires.

One of my current building trends over the last couple of years is to take a older Technic set, and update it with additional features and a modern build style (Thanks TC22). I've done 8440, 8854, 8850, 9393, and 8386. I even did 42126. The next update for me is the Helicopter from Set 8062. Set 8062 came out in 1994 and included instructions for 6 different builds, and a slick little carrying case. I decided to build the helicopter. I stared this project about 3 years ago, gave up and then took it back up again this past spring. The helicopter was one of the options available and featured working counterrotating rotors with a HOG crank. The helicopter also included a loading ramp on the rear, with a HOG on the body to control the ramp. I tried to keep the size a shape generally similar, but changed the front windscreen as the propellors needed to be a little further apart due to the swashplate room needed. In the end, the size is pretty close (original is Light Trans Blue). The helicopter includes the following features: Counterrotating rotors with side crank Rear loading door Retracting landing gear Opening side door Front and rear rotor collective control The collective control is linked for both rotors. Opening door is on the side, with the opening rear ramp. Below you can see the bionicle tooth used to control the collective pitch. Finally, the landing gear fully retracts. All three wheels are linked, and fold forward into the hull. You may find a short video with the functions below. Finally, instructions have been made available which you may find at Rebrickable. I hope you all enjoy, and let me know what other older sets I should update.

Alright @1gor, I was playing around with some different tires, and now I am more unsure about the tire selection I have been working with. The mud tires look really good. Top is original 8063 (with incorrect 68mm balloon, they should be 62mm truck). Middle is F 56mm mud, R 81mm mud, and trailer 49mm truck Bottom is F 56mm balloon, R 68mm balloon, and trailer 43mm truck. The middle looks a little "overtired" but I tend to like this look in my builds. It also makes the fender panel looks a little smaller in proportion to the tire, which to my eyes, looks a little better. But is the difference in tire size between the front and the rear tires too much? Also, if I go with the larger rear tire, I'll probably go with the larger trailer tires. I will then need to change the trailer design a little to update the ride height and tire clearance.

I respect your restraint. The red is a great option then. So far, this one is on my build list. It looks great, and I hope you are able to get the opening rear panel function figured out.

Great job, and it's fun to be at about the same stage as you. I also would be interested to know what a 4 stud hood would look like. Also, I would love to see it with some wheels too!

This turned out great. I love the look, and it's clear what it is recreating. Does the joystick for the hose work?

I was thinking the same thing about green. I think all the parts are now available, though connector #5 would be tricky to get.

I finally spent some good time on the tractor. I placed the mechanical parts that I wanted and made a quick draft of the bodywork. The hood and fenders on the tractor were giving me some problems as the curves were never just right with the flex axles. So I switched to panels. What do you think? I tried some ideas for the front fenders. I’ll let those simmer for a little bit too. I took the PTO on/off switch out of the MOC at this scale, so it was hard for me to justify removing another function. So I had to keep the front suspension in. But the options in my mind were not perfect, and I didn’t want to do a different routing for the engine and steering. I try to keep steering to only three gears. It was at this point I almost gave up. I lost a stud of ground clearance, and the rigidity of the chassis dropped a bit. But I kept building it to give it a decent try. This is where I ended. It’s not perfect, but it will work fine. The suspension works, and has good clearance. The space under the front axle could be better. But the steering no longer skips, and the fenders still clear the bodywork. Next I’ll add the engine, and work on the cabin.

As I said to @TechnicMOCer when they started the mini 8081, I love this set, so I hope this project goes well for you too. I like what I see here so far, and I hope you are able to tie it all together. The body shell looks good, though it's hard to see how the proportions fit with all the separate pictures. But I trust that the scale will work. I hope the engine works too. It's a good little design, but I hope it's not too tall for the hood at this scale. Will it be mounted behind the front suspension, or on top of it?

I like how braced the engine is. Here is a file for 42039. I hope this helps.

I like the shaping of the Car Render. The cabin looks a little long for an LMP, but it looks consistent with 42039. Keep it up.

The grabber is super clever. I like the locking feature and is a great solution to the space constraints of the scale.

Thanks for sharing pictures, and I like the headlight changes you made. What's the red car in the photos?