Heavy load trailer and tractor (1/35)

I have had a few requests for more info on the trailer and tractor seen on 'road plank' in an earlier blogpost. Both are more than 10 years old now and both of them are suffering moderately from age.

Ruston & Bucyrus excavator

The trailer is a German army Sonderanhänger 116 with a 22 t load capacity built from a resin kit from the French manufacturer DES Kits. I built the trailer back in 2003 as part of a project to build the transport seen on the image below.

Danish contractor O. M. Hougaard transporting a O&K excavator with what is most likely former German army equipment left behind in Denmark after the occupation.

The trailer is ready for primer and paint. The DES Kits resin parts were thin and nicely cast with no warpage. Over the years the wheel axles have begun to warp a bit under the weight of the model. Perhaps it's time to exchange the model with a Tamyia trailer, where the injection plastic parts are mixed with an aluminium profile reinforced load bed.

Trailer in German Panzer Grey and tyres with basic weathering.

The Faun ZSR was a heavy tractor designed for the German army with a 150 hp engine. Special versions of the tractor could be fitted with railway wheels. I built the Elitemodell resin kit in 2004, replacing a considerable number of parts with home made ones. Contrary to the trailer, where there is now an injection plastic version available, the Faun is still only available in resin.

Quite a few home made parts in this view of the model in an unpainted stage. The cab has been detailed and painted.

A short break during the transport of an excavator. Possibly the crew (driver and helper) is checking if the Ruston & Bucyrus excavator stays safely on the trailer.