Magirus 160D15AK LKW front grille

[Barnaba]

I'm new at this forum and I'm an italian 1/87 modeler.

I'm making a Magirus Deutz 160D15 AK truck and I'd like to know if someone has any good suggestion about how to reproduce the front grille of this truck.



Starting from a Herpa cab, I've shortened the fenders and hood, divided it in three parts and glued it much tapered.
Now I'd like to reproduce the correct front grille.
As I can't scratch photo etches, I was thinking to use 0.15mm plastic strips to reproduce it, but I fear it's not easy to make it very accurate.








PS
here is my last model finished:
Iveco 330.35 betonmischer

[Lee]

First, welcome to the board Barnaba. Finely someone who weathers their vehilces to look like they have been in use and not something fresh from the showroom. ;D A really great looking model.

As far as the grill. The first place I would look is the various etched grills made for model railroad engines. There is a lot of after market material around now days.

If you can not find what you want, you could do it in thin brass (like shim stock) by making a flat sandwich. I would make a mold of the master and cast it in resin. To bad I do not know how to draw on this or I would do a sketch for you.

[cfesmire]

I'll add a welcome too Barnaba. Your weathering technique is tops. Great job.
The Magirus grille looks like it shouldn't be too hard. My first try would be in styrene given it is pretty easy to use. I am seriously considering (I do a lot of considering) trying to photo etch. Things like that are so easy to draw on the computer and from what I hear, once you get the artwork down the rest of photoetching is pretty much a cake walk.
Good luck.

Chester

[only87]

Yep, welcome aboard! Nice work so far, looking at the pictures I don't fear any lack of accuracy for your front grille. The mixer looks superb!

I have a little question off-topic, but since you're from Italy and we have the pictures here... Can you tell me what the red and white stripes on the font bumper of the older Italian trucks are for? And is there any system in the directions they point?

[Barnaba]

Hallo guys,
thanks for your replies and for appreciating my model.
I'm prepearing my new website and when It will be finished I'll publish some more pictures about my models.

And now to the grille!

x Lee
can you suggest me any manufacturer who makes photo etched grilles?
What's a shim stock?

x cfesmire
I'd like to make it in styrene too, but I have to cut the strips from a sheet, as the minimum strips from Evergreen are 0.5x0.25mm, and it's too thick.
Anyway, even when I've made the strips (that tend to curl when cut), I've to position them correctly and this is the problem, as I didn't want to put a sheet back, because the grille is quite thin and the air cooling fan should be visible (see picture below).



I've never made photoetches at home, anyway I can draw it.
Anyway the problem is to position the strips correctly without anything in the back. I'm sorry if I'm not too clear in my explanation, as my english is not very good.

Here is a schetch:




x only87
And now the stripes.
The stripes (that may be red OR white) have a legal meaning.
If the truck carries goods on behalf of a third party, it has white stripes;
if the truck carries goods of its own company, the stripe is red.

[Lee]

Barnaba said:

x Lee
can you suggest me any manufacturer who makes photo etched grilles?
What's a shim stock?

Well I would start by looking in the online Walthers catalog for companies like:

Plano Model Products
Detail Associates
Details West
Calscale

Shim stock is very thin brass sheets used to reduce the gear play on working models. Look at K & S Engineering for various metal sheets. Their stock number 250 is a .005" brass sheet. Also metal gives a sharper edge than plastic if you are planning on molding your master.

There are also a couple of companies in England that do photo etching kits. I am sorry but I do not remember the names of the top of my head.

[cfesmire]

One other alternative would be to build the grille from brass strips and solder it. As Lee states this would give you a much sharper edge. This technique allows you to shim between the individual grille strips with something that will not accept solder to get a uniform spacing between them. and allow for the "see through". I would not recommend however if you haven't much experience in soldering.

[Barnaba]

x Lee
thanks for the names, I'll have a look at Walthers catalogue.

x cfesmire
I've no experience in soldering!


Here is a link to the pictures of my model:
art.supereva.it/bino/330cifa.htm?p
Sorry, the text is only in italian.

[Lee]

Another place to look is at the various manufacture's websites listed in the manufactures section of this main website. Hauler is one company that does a lot of aftermarket photoetching for trucks, including grills.

[Barnaba]

I've tried to scratch the grill from evergreen and...here it is.
The Magirus Deutz logo will be copied with silicone and resin from a Herpa truck.
Is it ok???

[cfesmire]

Not only OK but fantastically well done congratulations.
BTW, I have sent for all of the equipment and materials to do photoetching. I hope to have something to show by the first of the year.

[Barnaba]

I hope to see some photoetches from you soon!!!

[Lee]

Barnaba, I have been looking at your web site. Very nicely done showing how you made the sub-assemblies. The RR clam shell also looks fantastic.

[Barnaba]

Thanks a lot for appreciation.
It's not really a website yet, as the most of the pages are still to be made, anyway I use this webspace to publish my models and I'll complete it , little by little, with some stuff about real vehicles too.

[skunk]

Barnaba said:

Thanks a lot for appreciation.
It's not really a website yet, as the most of the pages are still to be made, anyway I use this webspace to publish my models and I'll complete it , little by little, with some stuff about real vehicles too.

Barnaba, please let me join in the general admiration of your models.

Nicely done grille. If I were to suggest something I would recommend using brass for the horizontal strips inside of the grill surround. I am having similar problems (but smaller) in trying to make a grill for an Eko Alfa Romeo Giulietta - seriously complicated. How are you going to go about the text? Request Chester to photoetch it for you?

I have also used scrap pieces (the "trees" holding the pieces together) of photoetching to fashion similar crossbars in the past.