RH120c Model Project

[Dah]

Hi All,

Seeing the great models on here has inspired me to have a go...!

I'd like to transform the Conrad RH120C shovel into a backhoe so have the following novice questions if thats OK?

1. Planning to make the boom myself, however, are there kits already available?
2. Where do you but the new decals from once its repainted (i.e. the O&K name, stripes etc)?
3. Where do you guy's buy your brass plates etc from (can get plastic but would like to use brass for the main boom structure)?
4. Anyone know of a beat-up 120C model that they might want to part with?

Thanks very much,
Dave.

[RMFurniss]

Hi Dave,

Hopefully some help.

1) Unfortunately there aren't any commercially available kits to convert the face shovel to a backhoe
2) You could have a go at making your own decals in MS Visio or some other proprietary image software and print them out on decal paper - this will be difficult with whites unless you have access to the right kit or there may be a local printer that could do these for you?.
3) Styrene sheet will be easier to form for the boom but if you need brass, i would have though ebay or a model engineering supplier?.
4) I've got a 'few' - they're earmarked I'm afraid, but there's a few on ebay at the moment.
Here's mine;

































Regards

Richard

[Dah]

That is truely a work of art - amazing.

So you cast some of the parts yourself too?!

Nice detail with the track pads - I was wondering about how to represent the thinner tracks on the backhoe Vs the wider pads on the Conrad shovel.

[RMFurniss]

Yes, I made a few moulds to diecast certain parts myself - mainly the air cleaner parts, rear vents and track motors although they are a bit big (big fingers and fiddly parts don't mix).

Making the moulds was initially a bit trial and error and wasted quite a bit of RTV101 resin in the process!.

I found one of the hardest things was to visualise the metal flowing through the mould and venting out so you can get all the pathways in the right place, plus allow a reservoir. I ended up buying a small crucible which allowed me to maintain a good amount of metal at the right temperature.

The track pads are actually a cast from the Liebherr R994/R9350 - they are almost, but not quite, the right size and shape. A lot of the Liebherr's are supplied with a few spare ones - take a mould and cast some. There are different grades of casting metal - from malleable to hard. I tend to use a no.4 casting metal from Tiranti.

I cast some excavator peckers for someone a few years ago and had to break the master down to 3 pieces, but even after that there were still awkward shapes I couldn't get my head around.