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I have had a one-off custom model commisioned by a customer from Norwich, England. With his kind permission he has agreed to let me use his model in this 'how to' article. (Thanks Jason).
It is to be a CAT 730 articulated dump truck in 'MultiServ' livery. Although it is only a custom paint job, I will use this page to show a step by step guide to dismantling the model, stripping it and re-painting it.
Although a 735, this is one of the image's I am working from on Jasons custom 730 dump truck.
A standard Norscot CAT 725 used as the base model.
Awaiting image!
Turning the model upside down, remove the 2 screws from the underside of the front chassis.
The cab will now lift from the front chassis.
The gray plastic interior will now pull away from the chassis. The rear chassis also leaves the front chassis. Note the grill has also been removed. This is done by pushing it from the inside the cab.
One of the most difficult jobs is to remove the wheels and tyres! Without bending the axles, twist the wheels back and forth whilst pulling away from each other. It will take a while but they do come apart!
A poor photo of the rear body hinge pin. Using a small screw driver, gently 'knock out' this pin. The body will then pull free.
Another view of the pin to be removed.
A final shot of the body prior to removal.
A shot of the dump body removed from the rear chassis along with the pin that was holding it.
Turning to the cab once more, use a drill to carefully remove the rivot head holding the cab glass in place.
Remember to take your time on this because if you break the glass you won't be able to replace it!
Depending on the paint job to be carried out, you may want to mask the black 'CAT' stripe and logo up. This is worth taking your time on as a good paint job will make or break the model!
This particular paint job required the model to have a standard yellow front bumper. Again this was masked up, the early stages of which can be seen here.
After washing the model in warm water it was left to dry for a few hours. It was then given a sanding for the new paint to stick to. The paint was then applied in several light stages allowing the paint to build up gradually.
Another shot of the painting stage. You can see in places the yellow paint showing through the dust coats of white top coat.
After the paint has almost dried remove the masking tape. Remember to pull the tape away from the newly painted edge to reduce the risk of chiping the new paint work.
The hand rails were now given a coat of red paint as per the real machine. Again use light coats.
Use blue tac to hold such items whilst painting them.
Once dry, use a brush to replace details such as the black window rubbers. The bumper has had the black cheverons applied and the hand rails replaced.
Whilst studying the photos of the original truck I noticed it has a 'ribbed' body. This was re-created using strip plasticard.
Custom CAT 730 decals were now produced for both sides of the body. A terrible photo!
Using the same painting tips as before, the body was painted, left to dry and had decals applied.
Another view of the freshly painted body. The rams were removed with pliers to stop them from being painted.
The wheels are a little tricky to paint as they are difficult to sand prior to painting. However, once masked up, painted and allowed to dry, they look great when the masking is removed.
The model brought back together after everyting had dried.
Some minor touch ups to complete but starting to look the part.
Another view of the model after assembly.
A view of the model along with the photo I worked from.
Another view of the model along with the photo used for reference. At this stage the model requires custom 'MultiServ' decals and a roof mounted beacon.
More photo's will follow shortly of the complete model. Be sure to check out the updates page!
