Following my 1/30 LEGO Technic American Heavy-Duty Truck, here is the European version, based on Scania design. Features drive, steering, a tri-axle trailer with fixed or steerable axle, openable doors and tilting cab. Available in motorized or manual version in a single download, all upgradable.
Design Process
After the good reception of the US Heavy Duty Truck, many asked for the European equivalent, so I did ! It shares the same philosophy with high playability and motorization upgradability with two versions. But with two improvements : a fake L4 engine on the manual version and the placement of the battery in the cabin for the motorized one.
The drive is identical to my US truck, except there is only one axle on the rear, and so no suspensions. The differential can be swap for dark bluish grey 28t and 20t to have more speed but less controls.
The steering is different, with the servo motor placed in front of the wheel, instead of behind, thanks to the set-back-axle configuration or european cabover. It enables to have space for the fake L4 engine on the manual version in place of the servo motor. The turning angle is the same but the wheebase being smaller, the turning radius is even smaller than the US truck.
Thanks to the cabin shape, I placed the battery inside, behind the seats, which avoids to have cables between the truck and trailer, enabling an easy coupling/decoupling when playing. At a cost of a loss of traction on the driven axle, as it has less weight on it. The cabin can wooble sidely to mimic cabin suspensions and can be tilted as a whole in equilibrum, retained by chains to enable the wobble (comparing to a beams solution). A recessed cover panel replaced the battery on the manual version and provide a better access to the steering hand of god placed behind the cab instead on the top to improve stability during play.
The trailer uses the same mechanism as my US truck (courtesy of TechniMocer for the original idea), but have a different exterieur design and colors, with longer platform, sideguards, front bulkhead and a different bumper, moslty based on Schmitz Cargobull and Krone trailers.
To finish with the design, it is inspired from the Scania S Series high roof, with the iconic front grille and upper cab shape. Which has been recreated with a lof of half stud to get the correct proportion at this smal scale. I changed also some details like the grille and roof light, as well as some colors to fit the LEGO parts to have homogeneous design and color consistency.
Video Presentation
Building Instructions
See it on the shop :
