"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
08/06/2020 at 15:01 • Filed to: Legolopnik, Truck Yeah, Trucklopnik
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"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
08/06/2020 at 15:01 • Filed to: Legolopnik, Truck Yeah, Trucklopnik | 9
| 26 |
After several days of work, it is finally complete.
For those unfamiliar, the Mack U series was basically a shortened R series (to make it easier to drive in cities and whatnot), and this meant that the engine protruded into the cab a bit, making it so there was no room for the driver’s feet. Their solution to this problem was to shift the cab a few feet to the left, hence the distinctive asymmetrical design. I love these unique trucks, so I decided to make a tribute to them in the form of this Lego scale model!
This is the second-largest Lego vehicle model I’ve ever made (the largest being a model of the Spirit of St. Louis I made years ago with a two-foot wingspan, but that’s a story for another day), and the scale presented a lot of fun challenges. The most tricky part was probably the structure that supports the passenger-side rearview mirror, which is even more complex on the real truck, but I think my solution gets the idea across well enough. It’s stronger than it looks, too.
Both doors open, although the interior on my model is fairly basic with just a couple seats, a shifter, a steering wheel, and a slope on the floor to simulate the fact that the passenger has no legroom. The notch below the door on the driver’s side is something I saw on some of the real trucks, a step perhaps?
The red and white livery on mine is based on several real trucks once operated by the now-defunct NEMF freight company.
Phoebe for scale :)
I may have taken a few artistic liberties with the hood ornament...
AestheticsInMotion
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 15:20 |
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Duuuuuude! This is awesome.
A Boy and His Longtail
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 15:23 |
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That is a great model! My dad works for a grading company that has some of these trucks still running around. I’d always wondered why they were shifted to the side like that, but never looked it up for some reason.
Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 15:25 |
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I love this so much! I especially enjoyed the way you wedged a circular transparent piece between two studs to simulate the side marker lights. Brilliant!
And that passenger side mirror is my nightmare. My goodness that is seriously impressive. The fact that it clears the opening doors just takes the cake.
I actually saw a real U series yesterday looking very beat up at the county dump, where there is a surprising lack of space to operate. Most of these that I’ve seen were confined to shipping, distribution, manufacturing, etc facilities most of the time.
Discerning
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 15:26 |
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I don’t know much about trucks and I also hadn’t heard of this before.
Any reason why they didn't just go with a cab over design?
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 15:41 |
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Dude. Where do you get the pieces to build something like this? Serious question.
When Ttyymmnn and I were growing up, there was a basic Lego set that lived under the sofa — the Davenport — in Grandma’s living room. It had four wheels, and enough basic parts to build a little house, a basic car, et cetera. Suffice it to say, you couldn’t have built this truck with that kit.
Very similar to this one:
seaanemone85
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 16:03 |
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Haha I always wondered what the f rick was up with those offset trucks. Great work, and thanks for the effluvium.
Brickman
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 16:40 |
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Very nice, like how the sides of the top hood is made. Now for a trailer
kanadanmajava1
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 16:44 |
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Do you possibly own this set? It’s the only Lego set that gave 6 of those wheels in white.
ttyymmnn
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 16:56 |
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Slightly OT, but still dealing with Legos. My son is building a display thing for his mini figures, basically a grandstand with three tiers. He needed some 2x8 bricks, so I ordered them off eBay. I have never seen such perfect, shiny, immaculate bricks. They clutch fine, but what are the chances they are actually knockoffs, despite the Lego © on them?
shop-teacher
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 16:58 |
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Wow! This is an absolutely INCREDIBLE model! Bravo!
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Jim Spanfeller
> ttyymmnn
08/06/2020 at 17:54 |
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You never know, they might just be brand new. If they’ve got the Lego logo on the studs, they’re probably Lego. Do they feel like the same quality and color as the rest? Also, for buying Lego pieces I recommend Bricklink.com. It’s one of the best places to buy new and used Lego pieces, and with them you know you’ll be getting Lego.
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Jim Spanfeller
> kanadanmajava1
08/06/2020 at 17:57 |
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I bought about half of that set used for $20, and it came with four of the white wheels. The other two came from this set:
The only dragster I’ve ever seen with an inline two-cyli nder...
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Jim Spanfeller
> shop-teacher
08/06/2020 at 17:58 |
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Thank you! I put a lot of effort into it.
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shop-teacher
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 18:00 |
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Yeah, I can tell!
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Jim Spanfeller
> Brickman
08/06/2020 at 18:00 |
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Thanks! I dunno about a trailer ... the fifth wheel on the truck is only held on by two studs so it would probably break if used for towing, plus I ran out of big wheels...
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Jim Spanfeller
> Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/06/2020 at 18:11 |
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~14 years of collecting, give or take. If you want to acquire parts more efficiently though, what most people do is order parts from Bricklink: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/main.page , which is basically the Lego equivalent of ebay, but without the auctions . You can buy and sell new or used individual pieces or sets there , or look at the parts inventories of almost any set. You can also buy pieces in bulk from the bricks & pieces section of Lego.com, but that’s slightly more expensive since you’re buying everything new, and of course you can’t get retired pieces (such as the wheels I used on this truck) that way.
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Jim Spanfeller
> Discerning
08/06/2020 at 18:13 |
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It was based on the R series truck and was meant to be just a shorter version of that, and I think the offset cab was just a way for them to save costs by using as much of the original design as possible.
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Jim Spanfeller
> Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/06/2020 at 18:18 |
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Lol, I was dreading the passenger side mirror as soon as I started the project! It came together pretty well, though. I didn’t expect those geometries to work as well as they do. The only times I’ve ever seen U series trucks “in the wild” are on trips to Utah to go to Lagoon, where a few are being used for construction nearby. I get very excited about it and then my sister rolls her eyes at me :p
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ttyymmnn
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 18:22 |
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They just feel brittle (not that they are), they just don’t seem to have the same tactile feel as other Legos. They even feel “crispier” than Legos that come in a boxed set. The ones that have been bouncing around in my Lego buckets of course, are “softer” and a bit rounded.
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Jim Spanfeller
> A Boy and His Longtail
08/06/2020 at 18:24 |
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Thanks!
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Jim Spanfeller
> ttyymmnn
08/06/2020 at 18:35 |
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Could you show a picture of them with regular Lego?
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ttyymmnn
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 19:22 |
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I’ll see if there are any left that are not part of the grandstands. My son won’t want to take anything apart!
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Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 21:17 |
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Makes more sense than when I saw that yard dog on a main road. These would have been too easy for a Lego model.
I can sympathize with you there. Taking photos of a weird and obscure but otherwise unremarkable vehicle gets some looks.
Such great craftsmanship here!
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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> Jim Spanfeller
08/06/2020 at 22:07 |
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I bought a huge quantity of 8s as my brother and I called them, and a bunch of short longs and long longs, and now I can build big things. All of the pieces are yellow. But there I quit.
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Jim Spanfeller
> Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/06/2020 at 23:49 |
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Strangely, I too find it easiest to build most things in yellow. Yellow isn’t even my favorite color, I guess I just have the most variety of the parts I use a lot of in yellow. I, for one, embrace my yellow overlords.
Also, I highly recommend this book on Lego scale modeling. I have it and it’s great.
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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> Jim Spanfeller
08/07/2020 at 10:16 |
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Thanks for the link.