The less charismatic Scammell brothers. Scarab & Mechanical horse.

1
December 1, 2024
The instructions are a tad basic. I like the mention that the tools used to make the kit are over 50 years old. Basically they are saying “We know it’s a bit crap, you were fool enough to buy it, it’s your problem now”.
The decals look like they pushing retirement age as well. Fortunately I won’t be using most of them.
2
December 1, 2024
At this point I’m contractually obliged to say “FLASH! Arrrhhaaah……”. You get the drift. Fortunately I won’t be using most of it. I probably won’t use the figures as they seem to think they are posing with an airline kit.
3
December 1, 2024
I’ll probably just be tackling this much.
4
December 1, 2024
I’m wondering if any of this is good enough for the spares box.
5
December 1, 2024
It’s about time I let you in on my master plan….it was love at first sight.
6
December 1, 2024
The relationship go off to a rocky start as I found that she had a lot of faults.
7
December 1, 2024
But with some support in the right places while the bond became more stable, it started to turn the corner.
8
December 1, 2024
All too soon my attention wandered and I fell in love again.

What was I to do?
9
December 1, 2024
Well, resin copies obviously.
10
December 4, 2024
Off to a flying start with both of them. The Scarab kit, other than a couple of seats, is devoid of detail and the front wheel can easily be seen though the windows, so I boxed it in.
For some reason the scratch built Mechanical Horse was also a bit lacking. Strange that.
Notice there are two seats in the Scarab and only one in the MH. The Scarab engine was behind the cab and the MH engine was inside the cab beside the driver. It made the Scarab much more stable than it’s predecessor.
There isn’t a lot of stuff online about the inside, so this isn’t necessarily 100% accurate. That’s my excuse anyway. 😳
11
December 4, 2024
Adding a centre bit as it had a split windscreen.
12
December 4, 2024
Glazing fitted. The quaterlight windows defeated me because they are so bloody tiny. I hope to ‘glaze’ them at the end with PVA.
13
December 4, 2024
Inside the MH.
14
December 4, 2024
I reached an early “How the hell am I going to do that?” moment – the radiator on the MH.
The tiny bits are 1.5mm long and this is how I cut them all the exact same length.
Before you ask, yes I do use magnification. I’d be completely screwed without it these days.
15
December 4, 2024
The completed rad is made of 31 parts and measures 12mm x 6mm.
16
December 4, 2024
Fortunately the MH cab is quite square which helps.
17
December 4, 2024
I’ve attached the little front wheel a little bit more* accurately than the Scarab kit would have you believe. Later in the build I realised the front wheel of the MH should be a lot lower and further forward than it is here. I’ve now repositioned it.

* with heavy emphasis on ‘a little bit more’.
18
December 13, 2024
The Mechanical Horse needs an ‘I’ beam chassis. This is a balsa wood block with a grid drawn onto a bit of card stuck to the top. It helps to get awkward chassis (I’m looking at you IBG) square.
Mrs Gorby asked what happened to her dressmaking pins. Abbbbbsolutely no idea. 😳
19
December 13, 2024
I ended up removing the rear cross beam when I found a better photo of the back of the MH.
Yes I know, it isn’t like me, trying to be accurate.
20
December 13, 2024
I like to kid myself that I’m organised and logical. You wouldn’t know from how I build models. Most people would probably carry on with the MH chassis...I decided I wanted to work on the dustcart trailer. The trailer has wheels which are a different size to everything else so I had to scratch them. I used a few disks cut roughly to shape and then sanded down. From two unpromising amorphous blobs…..
21
December 13, 2024
….To two unpromising ill defined tyres. Not perfect but you won’t be able to see that much of them when they’re fitted.
22
December 13, 2024
Earlier in the year Mrs Gorby had an op and she had to self administer blood thinners for a while afterwards. Obviously when I saw the syringe I sympathised about her having to stick a needle in her stomach, although my main thought was “I’m havin those”. Why buy stuff when something suitable falls in your lap, or your wifes lap, whatever. 🙂
The narrower tube was perfect for the trailer mudguards.
23
December 13, 2024
I had to guess at the dimensions of the trailer.
24
December 13, 2024
These will be obvious in the next photo.
25
December 13, 2024
26
December 13, 2024
What a load of old rubbish...or maybe an old rubbish load?
It the first time I’ve used the scraping from the bottom of my bin as a resource.
27
December 13, 2024
Lashings of ginger bee…..erm, PVA.
28
December 13, 2024
Lightly sprinkle…..then wait forever.
Well, a couple of days.
29
December 13, 2024
Rubbish these days is in full technicolour. Back then everything was in black and white – even the rubbish. One of those useless facts I’ve pick up over the years and pointlessly stored in my scull is that back in the olden days, over 50% of domestic waste was ash and dust….which is why they were called dustcarts. Ash has the tendency to smother anything it contacts, which is why I painted it in 50 shades of grey....more like the budget version of 4 shades of grey.
30
December 13, 2024
It’s an impossible shape to clamp so it had to be mummified while the glue dried.
31
December 23, 2024
After I unwrapped the mummy and added a few details I ended up with this.
Obviously, some of it is guesswork and fortunately I won’t loose any sleep over how accurate it is. It’s not completed yet – lots of bits to add, like more handles than you can shake a stick at (what a bloody silly saying that is).
32
December 23, 2024
There will now be a short intermission….
Some of you may be interested in the plastic junk-yard I use for scratching (if you aren’t, tough, I’m going to show you anyway 🙂 ). This is my scratch-build bits drawer. It looks a bit of a mess but I know where everything is. There is another drawer full of stuff which I’ve saved from the bin in case there may possibly be a 1% chance of using it in the future.
33
December 23, 2024
My sprue rack mostly gets used for varying thicknesses of plastic card.
34
December 23, 2024
I have a takeaway tub of plastic offcuts from previous builds, but during every build I end up with a smaller pile constantly on the desk for quicker access – read: too lazy to put it back in the junk tub. 😳
35
December 23, 2024
Small tubs are the first line of defence against loosing parts to the resident ravenous laminate monster (mine is the particularly voracious cushioned-laminate sub species. 😮 ).
36
December 23, 2024
It would be madness if I didn’t then go back to the Mechanical Horse chassis….eeerm, I didn’t go back to the chassis, I started on the rear bodywork of the Scarab tow truck. However, posting my progress in the same order I build would confuse, irritate and annoy the hell out of you so I’ll attempt to inject order where there isn’t any.
This is the point I repositioned the front wheel as it wasn’t low enough. Now the MH is nice and level.
37
December 23, 2024
From these bits (the grey stretched sprue I replaced with 1mm alum wire)...
38
December 23, 2024
I made the exhaust.
39
December 23, 2024
Making sense of the photos of the mechanism wasn’t easy and there was no point attempting to replicate it all as you won’t see much when the trailer is on. So this is the main linkage bits.
40
December 23, 2024
41
December 23, 2024
This is how the connecty gubbins from the trailer couples with it. Bloody hell, it works almost as if it was planed. 😮
42
December 23, 2024
On other photos I’ve seen the spare tyre mounted above the exhaust of some Mechanical Nags.
43
December 23, 2024
I haven’t got any evidence for this, but when has that ever stopped me? 🙂
The back of the cab looked boring so I made a storage bin. No doubt the various councils would have made whatever modifications themselves and the bin men would have needed somewhere to store their working stuff on the road as there would no room in the tiny cab. Which leads me onto my deep, meaningful question of the day….how did the bin men get to where they needed to be when there is only room for the driver in the cab?
Makes your brain hurt doesn’t it? 🙂
This wire I keep especially for 1/72 handles. Just as well as there are 18 on the trailer alone.
44
December 23, 2024
Completed chassis (other than the front, all the wheels are on temporarily).
45
December 25, 2024
Every year I make a card for Mrs Gorby and this is the one I did about ten years ago after I was told I wasn’t Christmasy enough.

If Christmas is your thing or not, I hope you all have a good’un. 🙂
46
January 3, 2025
Completely ignoring my build sequence, the next bit I’ll show you is the rear bodywork of the Scarab tow truck. First off, the bed and wheel arches.
47
January 3, 2025
The sides. The curved section at the front is cut from plastic tube.
48
January 3, 2025
The front wall has bars over window. I used Albion Alloys brass tube and then hammered the ends flat.
49
January 3, 2025
Add spacers to the thickness of the flat bit of the bars.
50
January 3, 2025
Sandwich it all in.
51
January 3, 2025
The top part is from another section of plastic tube.
52
January 3, 2025
Now...this another part I don’t have any evidence for as none of the photos show it.
It leaves a big gap over the engine. Was it left uncovered or not?
I decided to make a cover….and as soon as I glued it in I thought “That looks shite”.
53
January 3, 2025
To finish off the bodywork I just needed to add a bit of trim and the end bits before the engine cover is replaced.
54
January 3, 2025
Happier with the second attempt as it looks a lot neater.
55
January 3, 2025
Still more to add but obviously I decided I wanted to work on some other part of the build instead.
56
January 3, 2025
Before I go….I needed to add a single headlight to the front of the Scarab which is easy to do by twirling a curved scalpel blade until it excavates a suitable hole.
Then it needs a rim. This is the second attempt as it isn’t easy cutting the sliver this thin.
57
January 3, 2025
The end result – obviously without the ‘glass’. Flooding the part with Tamiya extra thin helps to smooth the rough edges and blend it into the body.
58
January 15, 2025
I’m sloooooowly getting there. This is the current state of the Mechanical Horse and dustcart trailer.
59
January 15, 2025
Playing with plastic has had to take a bit of a back seat here recently as I’ve been involved in, horror of horrors, useful work – the bane of every modellers life. 🙁
I had to clean all the bitumen off 144 reclaimed parquet blocks for my daughter. An unpleasant task which took me a few weeks. Mind you it could have been worse...I could have been tasked with building a Mach 2 kit. 😮
60
January 15, 2025
As you can tell from my euphoric expression, this is the day I finished and could now go back to frivolous work. 🙂
61
January 15, 2025
I turned my attention to something which turned out to be the most difficult part of the build, the Scarab tow truck jib. Fortunately at this stage I didn’t realise that it would be an absolute git to make. This is as close to the shape as I can get from the photos I have and this the second attempt, the first try didn’t look right.
WARNING: Please Note, torrential sarcasm ahead….
...Those years training to be a draughtsman weren’t wasted were they. 🤔
62
January 15, 2025
One of the problems assembling the jib is that it was very fragile. These profile extrusions like ‘I’ beams, ‘C’ channels etc. are a different type of plastic which doesn’t properly cement together with normal plastic glue. I usually have to use plastic glue to get the basic structure built and then when I’m happy I reinforce the joints with super glue for a stronger bond. Before the SG step, bits are liable to fall off – and did.
63
January 15, 2025
There was quite a lot of pausing to breath deeply and counting to ten and only one ‘Sod it, I’ll try again tomorrow’.
64
January 15, 2025
I need two hooks. It’s surprising what you can carve from a plain bit of plastic – even with eyesight a bat would embarrassed about and fingers which wouldn’t look out of place on a gorilla.
Incidentally, the hole isn’t the top of the hook….
65
January 15, 2025
….it’s the second hook.
I recently bought a hand vice for holding very small items only to find that many of the parts I work on are too small for the vice.
66
January 15, 2025
Lots of other little tiny fiddly things needed to be made as well.
The cables are from an old earphone cable. For some reason one was copper and the other blue.
67
January 15, 2025
Let me stop you before you say those saw blades are long overdue for a decent burial. There’s yeeeeeears of useful work left in them yet. 🙂
Quite a while ago I made a range of spacers. The 0.5mm one is between the two saw blades. It makes it quite easy to reasonably accurately mark off the spaces for gear teeth. The one on the left has just been marked out with the saw before the teeth are shaped.
The smallest one is 3mm diameter.
68
January 15, 2025
The photos I have don’t show the jib mechanism very well so this is ‘best guess’.
I seem to do a lot of that with my builds. Just as well I don’t care if it’s accurate. 😄
69
January 15, 2025
Before everything was glued together I turned the gears and the mechanism worked! 😮
And then fell apart 2 seconds later.
Now glued and forever frozen in time until the great plastic landfill in the sky claims its mortal remains*. 😄

* Hopefully that won’t be for a few years yet.
70
January 15, 2025
Completed jib. Very frustrating but with a combination of 40% stubborn bloody-mindedness, 55% advanced level swearing and 5% ability, I finally managed to get something presentable and as you can see, it’s soooo big I had to use my manky looking thumbnail this time.
I did consider trying to count the parts I used to make the jib…..that way madness lies. Lets say that there’s quite a few.
71
January 15, 2025
Temporally posing with the rear body
72
January 15, 2025
And all the bits together, although I’ll keep them separate for painting.
Plenty more to do on the Scarab, but now I have the urge to complete the Mechanical Horse.
73
January 26, 2025
Many of us are old enough to remember back far into the past to a time when bin men did more than just wheel wheelie-bins to the back of a truck (some are probably old enough to remember mammoths). For those too young to have been around in ye olden days, bin men (in Britain) used to come into your back garden, pick up your bin and take to the street to empty into the truck, and then bring it back to where they found it! If they made a mess they would use a broom and a shovel to clean it up. These days if the wheelie is the wrong way around it’s too much for the bin men to cope with.
Basically this is my long-winded way of saying that a dust cart would have tools. At least a broom and a shovel. How the hell do you make a broom in 1/76!
Individual bristles is a non starter. For the business end I used four roughly cut layers of 0.25mm and….distressed them.
74
January 26, 2025
It’ll pass and this is where it will live.
75
January 26, 2025
I’ve scratched shovels in 1/48 so how hard can it be to do it in 1/76?
Bloody fiddly is what it is.
The sticky out bit of the lump of wood on the right I filed to the shape of the inside of a shovel head.
Dip the 0.25mm card into boiling water then push through the bit with the hole. Trim very very carefully, preferably using eyes better than mine (I may ask to borrow them sometime 🙂 ).
76
January 26, 2025
Obviously making a shovel handle with a ‘T’ grip is eaaaaasy. I’m an atheist with a prodestant work ethic and catholic guilt, deep down I feel I should suffer, so the decision to make a ‘D’ grip was pretty much made for me.
Sometimes you need to try something to work out it isn’t the best way to do it. Carving it from 1mm sheet maybe wasn’t the best idea.
77
January 26, 2025
Not ideal but I’ll go with it
78
January 26, 2025
What do you think this is?
It’s a disaster. That’s what it is.
It was my first attempt to make headlights…..
I heated the 0.25mm plastic card, first using boiling water and then flame and in both cases it just split when pushed into their respective moulds. The two at the top were the best, but they were barely big enough to pass as a zit on a teenagers face. The foil ones were even worse.
79
January 26, 2025
Round two….
Used my Dremel to make suitably shaped depressions in the end-grain of decent quality wood….
80
January 26, 2025
Then heat up some clear sprue and squish it into the holes.
Careful though as getting the sprue to close to the flame makes it burn...it’s almost as if plastic is made from something highly flammable like oil or ..…eeerrr. . 😄
81
January 26, 2025
Removing the mushroomy collars leaves you with a two ended blob. Theses are the back of the headlights. Okay I could have just filed them to the correct shape, but where would be the fun in that?
82
January 26, 2025
Saw off the ends and to hold them, bung them back in the orifice to polish the face.
Of course it’s then a complete pain trying to prize the stubby little thing back out of the orifice, no sniggering at the back. You’ll see the results later.
83
January 26, 2025
The Scarab kit contains a front bumper….which is much too thick. Sounds like another job for boiling water. As a tea addict the kettle is usually on anyway. They might have to plant a couple of forests to offset my tea habit. 😳
84
January 26, 2025
Finally, add a billion tiny details (side lights, mud flap and guards, step, door handles, reg plates) and I think the tractor end is complete. 😮
85
January 26, 2025
I’ve had to stop looking at photos because I keep finding things I should add. Sod it, no more faffing, it’s done.
86
January 26, 2025
87
January 26, 2025
Elsewhere someone mentioned that the bin men probably stood on the back of the trailer as there’s bugger all room in the cosy little cab. Therefore I had to making a few changes. I didn’t add a number plate to the trailer because the whole point is that any cab could hook onto any trailer.
88
January 27, 2025
In the simple Gorby brain the statement “Sod it, no more faffing” has very little, to no effect. You’d probably have more luck discussing astrophysics with a duck than get me to comprehend the concept of restraint. The thought just wafts though like a fart on a breeze and vanishes into the dark empty void.
So obviously I did a bit more faffing.
It occurred to me that the detail between the rear wheels that took many hours that I would otherwise have devoted to something equally pointless, would be completely hidden if the trailer is attached. If I left the trailer separate, everyone would be able to see how aimless my life has become and judge me accordingly. If the trailer is to be free-standing, more faffing was required.
Above left is the part at the start, and on the right is...yes yes you know how this works.
The respective parts are a bit over-scale, but I’m not going to show you a photo of the real thing so as to keep you in the dark in the hope of keeping that squalid little secret to myself. 😳
I’ve just noticed I’ve forgotten to add the bosses on the end of the rollers so I confidently predict more faffing in my immediate future. 🙂
89
January 27, 2025
This is how I made the springy looking things.
Bit obvious really innit!
90
January 27, 2025
And this is what it looks like fitted.
I forgot to say, it’s 11mm long.

Commenti

40 1 December 2024, 15:42

Alex K
I'm in - of course...

1 December 2024, 16:16

Rui S
Me too 😎

1 December 2024, 16:26

gorby
Thanks for tagging along Alex & Rui. 🙂

1 December 2024, 17:48

Kesa Tiho
Looks like a tuk tuk, anyways its really nice to see you on another project. Im excited to see the fuck ups and final result. Hope your misses doesn't mind you being in love with another woman 😄

1 December 2024, 18:21

Robert Podkoński
Taking a seat here, of course 🙂

1 December 2024, 18:22

gorby
Welcome Kesa & Robert. 🙂
Kesa Mrs Gorby is used to my plastic passion obsessions. 😄
And yes it does look a bit like a tuk tuk. Incidentally there have been a couple of screw up so far but obviously I won't be telling everyone as I want to make it look like I know what I'm doing. 🙂

2 December 2024, 07:48

Spanjaard
certainly joining this new gorby's strange subject being created 🙂

2 December 2024, 07:56

gorby
Thanks Spanjaard, you're always welcome. 🙂

2 December 2024, 07:58

Mr D
Hi Gorby 👋
Another interesting one 😃👍
Nice project, they used 3wheel trucks like these at Cadburys factory as they need tighter turning circles round the plant.

2 December 2024, 22:40

gorby
Glad you're tagging along Mr D.
Their turning circle was one of the reasons they where so successful. Do you have any association with Cadburys - other than eating their products of course. 🙂

3 December 2024, 06:46

Mark Sherwood
Remember these trundling down Zetland Road and Linthorpe Road from the train station. BR and their parcel/freight division use to operate them.

3 December 2024, 08:05

gorby
Hi Mark, apparently British Rail was the main user of these things.

3 December 2024, 08:08

bughunter
That will be another session of scratch modeling of famous (with 30,000 it must be famous) British cars 👍 So ugly that they begin to be beautiful.

3 December 2024, 08:10

gorby
Hi Frank, they certainly are famous in Britland...although probably only with men of a certain age. 😄

3 December 2024, 08:36

Mr D
Hi Gorby...No just eating 😂 l live not far from factory n seen documentary on it too.
Like the project 😁👍

3 December 2024, 09:30

gorby
Thanks Mr D.
Been on their factory tour, as a chocoholic it was wonderful. 🙂

3 December 2024, 09:39

Alex K
One interesting thing to have in mind is that Gorby set to build the ancient 1962 tool of the Scarab and scratch the Mechanical Horse precisely when there appeared recent (and immeasurably better, as for the Scarab - I guess) 3d-printed 1:72 kits of both the Scarab and the French relatives of the MH (i.e. FAR tractors)... But that's Gorby (much to our delight!) 👍

3 December 2024, 11:32

gorby
THERE'S 3D PRINTED KITS!!!??? 😄 😄
I'd be too tight to buy them anyway.
I'm about a month into the build so far and quite enjoying it....mostly.

3 December 2024, 11:44

Alex K
We know you would enjoy this - and we enjoy too... Plus: if you are going to turn the Scarab into a wrecker / recovery vehicle (!!!)... extra joy. Very Gorby-esque work! 👍 👍

3 December 2024, 11:52

gorby
Thanks Alex. 🙂

3 December 2024, 12:02

Ben M
👀

3 December 2024, 12:32

Mr D
"Would you like some parts with that Flash sir" 😂
I know you will pull a great job out of it Gorby 😀👍

3 December 2024, 19:09

Jan Peters
Following this masochistic exercise 😄
The tow truck you fell in love with, was it used to tow Reliant Robins?

3 December 2024, 19:19

Zsolt Czegle
I take a seat!

Intresting project! Go Gorby Go!

4 December 2024, 06:38

gorby
Good grief, I appear to have attracted a crowd. 😳
I didn't realise the Robin was globally infamous. That would be a great idea Jan if I can find a cheapish 1/76 one. 😄
Thanks all for taking an interest. 🙂

4 December 2024, 08:05

Alec K
Taking a seat. The nasties the kit, the more Gorby likes it… I'll forgo spelling out the logical conclusion from this. 😄 😄 😄

4 December 2024, 15:22

gorby
😄 😄 😄
Welcome to the show Alec. I have some nice kits in my mini stash, for some reason they keep being overlooked. Maybe I choose kits which make scratch-building feel like an easier option. 😄

4 December 2024, 15:29

David Taylor
Always worth a watch.

4 December 2024, 16:06

Mr D
X2 trucks under way 😁👍

4 December 2024, 18:00

Jan Peters
Great job on the fiddly bits Gorby 👍🏻

4 December 2024, 18:14

gorby
Thanks mates....as usual I'm playing catch-up with the build report.
(I'll let you into a secret. I don't start the report until I have a very good idea that things might work out. If I'd completely screwed up - you'd never know about it.) 😳

4 December 2024, 18:45

Mr D
🤣🤣 prevention better than cure 😜
Where about in the UK were they produced ?
I vaguely remember the 3 wheel electric milk floats as a kid.

4 December 2024, 19:36

gorby
I think they were built at Scammell Lorries Ltd in Watford.
In fact there is now a road in the area called Scammell Way.
Typical of Britain, close the factory and name a new road after it to remind us that we used to actually make stuff. 🙁

4 December 2024, 19:44

bughunter
Your 'secret' is a good idea: start a build report lately not only shows a success, but also makes the build look quick! Must copy this idea 😉

5 December 2024, 09:30

gorby
😄
The one down side is that as I only do one project at a time it looks like I'm doing bugger all for about a month. 😄

5 December 2024, 09:35

Alec K
Gorby, I follow the same strategy with build reports. Trouble is, I eventually catch up and then snail-pace it to the finish…

5 December 2024, 13:57

gorby
😄

5 December 2024, 14:00

Alex K
Fabulous work going on (as it was to be expected)...

13 December 2024, 11:27

gorby
Thanks very much Alex. 🙂

13 December 2024, 11:29

Jan Peters
What a load of rubbish, in a good way that is 🙂

1 13 December 2024, 12:06

gorby
😄 😄 😄

1 13 December 2024, 12:18

Lex Jassies
Nice to see this kit. Build the Scammel Scarab as a youngster from Airfix. And looking at the sprues I would say these are from the the former Airfix kit.
Have fun building it 😉

13 December 2024, 12:28

Alec K
Great progress and entertaining narrative 🙂. The trailer wheels turned out nice, I can't imagine making something like that. Just curious: why not make one and cast a copy (I think you have done that in the past)? Or does this have to do with that logical thing…

13 December 2024, 13:59

gorby
Thanks for the comment mates. 🙂
Lex: Yes this is from the old Airfix kit. Quite enjoying the build so far - although that's probably because most of the build is scratch work. 😄
Alec: Typically the trailer wheels look like a different size to the other wheels in the kit which is why I had to cobble something together rather than cast them. I've been meaning to try and scratch wheels for a while so it was also a bit of an experiment. Hopefully future ones will be better.

1 13 December 2024, 15:28

Michael Kohl
Love the subject and the build. Not really knowing what I'm talking about I'd say it's as british as british can be

13 December 2024, 15:50

gorby
Thanks Michael. You're quite right, they are as quirkily British as it's possible to be and unlike most quirky British vehicles these were a actually successful. 🙂

13 December 2024, 16:00

Mr D
Like what you have done so far, good thinking on utilising items , l always look at a item before l throw it away to see if it could be useful.
My fire extinguisher handle was just offcuts laying in my scrap tub., ps it finished now will photo tomorrow.
Your right...a MC Donald's or frozen pizza box would be bit out of place 🤣 Fire ash, tin cans, spud peel n bit of dog poo most likely 😄.
Quite rewarding the scratch build l imagine.
Looking good 👍👍

13 December 2024, 20:01

Michael Schubert
Looks like I'm a bit late to the party, but pulling up a chair way in the back to follow along 🤣 looks like a fun little project

13 December 2024, 21:09

gorby
Thanks mates. 🙂
I have to fight against an inherited hoarding gene, so it's a bit of a fine line I have to walk with saving odd and sods for scratching.
At the moment it's very enjoyable project. It's helping to keep my grey matter from seizing up completely, working out how to make something from a pile of bits.

1 14 December 2024, 07:43

Jennifer Franklin
I am pulling up a seat. I can't wait to see what you do with the scratch building of an I beam.

15 December 2024, 05:33

gorby
Thanks Jennifer. Hopefully I'l show more work soon. 🙂

15 December 2024, 05:39

Kesa Tiho
Really creative way to make rubbish. Im honestly surprised at how well you can DIY and scratch stuff, top notch stuff. Either way the progress is nice.
Also if you don't mind me asking, what operation did your missus go through? Having to administer blood thinners sounds pretty serious.

22 December 2024, 16:00

gorby
Thanks Kesa. 🙂
Mrs Gorby had a hip replacement op. Normally she'd just need medication for the blood thinning but fortunately for my scratch-building junk pile, they thought injections would be better.
Okay, that makes me sound like a bad person. 😄

1 22 December 2024, 16:19

shadowlight
Not at all... you are aware of your "waste footprint" ^^

1 22 December 2024, 16:41

Kesa Tiho
Gotta agree with shadowlight. Your not a bad person 🙂. This reminds me of a quote from one of my favourite games: "I'm not an angel, but when you see Trevor your gonna swear I am one." Except It's "I'm not an angel, but when you see Kesa your gonna swear I am one." 😄

2 22 December 2024, 16:58

Mr D
@ Kesa
GTA-5 by any chance Kesa ??
Interesting build this one ... good to follow.
Did you have any 3wheel vehicles in your part of the world ?
👍😄

2 23 December 2024, 00:36

Kesa Tiho
Yeah Mr D! Do you play the game?

1 23 December 2024, 04:22

Mr D
Kesa ...l have played it,
I like retro gaming mostly now👍

1 23 December 2024, 11:03

Mark Sherwood
Holy Chewbacca on a bagel. Who's, who?

1 26 December 2024, 10:22

Kesa Tiho
I like the exhaust (yeah i know, a half assed comment) but good god I have never seen a more perfect card... ever.... Truly a masterpiece gifted to us from the scratch building god 😄

1 26 December 2024, 14:43

gorby
Progress has been slow. I have a problem with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) so everything slows down including brain and enthusiasm. Particularly enthusiasm. It's the part of the year I have more difficulty working out how to make parts and usually the first or second attempts end in disaster before something passable emerges.
Perhaps I should drum into myself "Must do KITS in the winter…. Must do KITS in the winter..."

1 3 January, 15:33

Alec K
Sounds like a road trip to southern Spain is in order. 😊

3 January, 16:39

gorby
😄 😄 😄
I'll see if I can work up some enthusiasm for that. 😉

1 3 January, 16:54

Mr D
Great work and like the updates, taking shape well now.😃👍

3 January, 18:09

Jan Peters
You're on a roll now Gorby!

4 January, 05:49

gorby
Thanks Mr D, Jan, and the other peeps for their likes. 🙂

1 4 January, 09:16

Jennifer Franklin
The second attempt on the engine cover looks nice!

1 4 January, 10:59

gorby
Thanks Jennifer. 👍
It almost certainly isn't accurate but I won't be loosing any sleep over it. 🙂

4 January, 12:04

Rui S
Excellent scratch work, as usual 👍

15 January, 12:55

gorby
Thanks Rui. 🙂

15 January, 14:25

Spanjaard
that jib is just AWESOME!!! amazing job my friend, amazing.

15 January, 14:33

gorby
Wow, thank you Spanjaard! 🙂

15 January, 15:03

Robert Podkoński
I fully agree with Spanjaard! AWESOME!

15 January, 15:59

bughunter
Luckily this dusty work in between didn't kill you (even if the mask looks like it tried hard), so now we see new marvellous scratch work 👍

15 January, 16:16

gorby
Thanks Robert and Frank. 🙂
It was quite a good mask Frank, it's now black on the outside but completely white inside. Mind you my entire workshop* is completely covered in a fine black dust which I haven't had the enthusiasm to clean up yet. Maybe tomorrow.....or the day after. 😄

* I call my workshop 'The Hutch'. I'm a veggie, which means I eat rabbit food, therefor.... 🙂

15 January, 16:28

Mr D
Hi Gorby 👋
The trailer looks great 👍 pulling of some nice scratch work 😁👍

15 January, 20:11

Jennifer Franklin
Learning a tonne about scratch work, thanks for all the details. Everything looks amazing.

15 January, 23:05

Alec K
Wow, impressive scratchbuilding. I love it. Nice to see you do something useful once in a while… 😂😂😂

1 16 January, 03:56

Jan Peters
I agree, quite impressive scratch building.

16 January, 05:15

Michael Kohl
As expected a joy to follow.

16 January, 07:12

gorby
Thanks very much everyone for your nice comments.
I must admit that this part of the build was more irritating than enjoyable, although having said that it was certainly preferable to 'Useful work'. 🙂

1 16 January, 07:52

Mr D
Thought I'd pop n see how Gorby is getting on with his scratch building 👀.
Very nice... Great job on the Jib 👏 very skillful to pull this build off the way you have.
Pleasure to follow 😀👍

1 24 January, 21:38

Stefan Schacht
very nice, I take a seat.

1 24 January, 21:50

Jan Peters
After the labour of love you did for your daughter, which of course isn't a chore being the loving dad you are, it's back to the salt mines to get some real hard work done 😀
That's some great scratch building on the jib, and the
Scammell is really looking the part.

1 24 January, 22:02

gorby
Thanks mates. 🙂
Hopefully there should be another update in the next couple of days.

25 January, 07:25

Marko
It's great what's being created again - the kit base seems to be a challenge.
Good succeed!

1 25 January, 09:13

gorby
Thanks Marko.
Of the two builds, I'm finding the kit conversion (the Scarab) to be more of a challenge than the full scratch-build (The Mechanical Horse & trailer) which isn't what I was expecting at all.

25 January, 09:29

gorby
Still progressing slooooowly. These tiny 1/76 bits seem to take longer to make than they do in larger scales. 1/48 feels huge in comparison and 1/35 would probably blow my mind.
This update means the Mechanical Horse is now complete, yaaaaaayyyy. 🙂
Eeeerm, except the tiresome colouring-in bit of course. 🙁

2 26 January, 11:49

Spanjaard
looks great as it is!!

1 26 January, 12:21

David Taylor
I had a brush very similar to that one.Had it for twenty years,changed the head a few times and the handle thrice.LOL.

1 26 January, 13:05

Mr D
Trigger has got his broom 😉
Great 👍

2 26 January, 13:07

bughunter
gorby, your pic 73 reminds me an old joke:
A drunk man comes home and his wife is waiting for him with a broom. He asks her: "Do you want to clean or are you going to fly off again?"
Nice scratch work again 👍

1 26 January, 13:37

Robert Podkoński
This is simply the master-class scratch work tutorial. Chapeau bas!

1 26 January, 13:53

Jan Peters
Small scale scratch building at its best 🫡

1 26 January, 14:17

gorby
Wow, thanks very much for the comments mates. 🙂

26 January, 15:34

Alec K
You managed some magic with this build (y )

1 26 January, 19:28

gorby
Thanks very much Alec. 🙂

27 January, 08:11

Michael Kohl
Really fine stuff

1 27 January, 11:36

Mark Sherwood
True about the binmen, pick a metal bin off the floor to their back, everything was in it. No recycling back then. By the way that's a rather fetching brush ( Erm, Boom, Boom)

1 27 January, 11:52

gorby
Thanks Michael & Mark. 🙂

27 January, 12:05

Mr D
Gets better every time 👏, the old bin wagon used to have a storage bucket on the side... remember they had brooms n couple shovels...for when the stuff fell everywhere,
I remember they used to come round the back of the house open the gate "which they never closed" and Cary the old black rubber type bin on there back, they used to hopp on the side of the wagon between streets " Before Health n safety 🤣" most bin-men were on the sick with bad backs before 50.
Remember the heavy rubber lids that said "No Hot Ashes"
No faffing getting it built 🤣 famous word's.
Great work so far 😀👍

27 January, 21:19

Dave Flitton
Another Gorby Masterpiece.

27 January, 22:32

Jennifer Franklin
Gorby this is a little mind-blowing the things that you can do.

28 January, 02:10

Mark Sherwood
A funny thing happened to me the other day, this duck said. . . . . . . . . . . . .

28 January, 05:32

gorby
Thanks very much for your comments mates. 🙂
Mr D: I'm old enough to remember the predecessor to the black plastic bins, the galvanised steel ones – the ones which rusted and sometimes when they were picked up the bottom fell out. Thankfully they were replaced before I started to work nights because bin day used to be a very noisy business. 😄
Thanks to everyone again. 👍

2 28 January, 06:27

Daniel H
Such an interesting subject. I'm enjoying both your writing *and* watching the build. 🙂

1 28 January, 13:25

Jan Peters
I was just about to write the same, love the humorous comments to the updates Gorby

1 28 January, 13:35

gorby
Thanks very much Daniel & Jan. 🙂

28 January, 14:37

Robert Podkoński
We all love Gorby's works and narrations, as it seems!

1 28 January, 16:19

gorby
Thanks Robert...you'll make me blush. 😳
🙂

28 January, 16:27

Spanjaard
fully agree with Robert!! 🙂

28 January, 17:57

gorby
Thanks mate. 🙂

28 January, 18:04

Alec K
Aye aye, I think Gorby may have missed his true calling 😉

I love the garbage collection nostalgia. I got the feel for the British variety from Mr. Bean. 😄

28 January, 22:44

Mark Sherwood
@Alec K. Try the Dustbinmen, you can get episode's on You Tube. A late sixties, early-ish seventies sit com. The cart was nicknamed Thunderbird 3. I think it was written by Jack Rosenthal , which I think he wrote London's Burning too.

29 January, 05:31

Bas Tonn
Hmmm... what iis this? Strange, unusual, I like it. Will have to check it out.

29 January, 05:36

gorby
Thanks for the nice comments mates.
Alec: When I left school in the late 70's there wasn't much call for someone who talked rubbish in Coventry. The politicians were mostly in London. 😄
Mark: I've never head of that programme.
Bas: welcome to the oddness. 🙂

29 January, 06:16

Mark Sherwood
Gorby: Based in Manchester cast of characters included Heavy Breathing, Cheese and Egg, Winston and Eric. Cheese and egg was the gaffer of No.3 Gang, Heavy Breathing the lothario, Winston fervent Man City fan and Eric who was Welsh.

1 29 January, 08:52

David Taylor
May I humbly bow to the king of faff.LOL

1 29 January, 16:42

gorby
😄 😄 😄
Oh, dear I'm not sure I can keep up the same standard of utter drivel. 😄

1 29 January, 16:53

Album info

I was starting to wonder why I’d bought a Scammell Scarab kit. Most people want the Pioneer or the Commander, big macho trucks and I buy something which looks like a 2CV would kick sand in its face. Although the design inspiration looks like it came from a parrots face, These silly looking little tugs where hugely successful for Scammell with 30,000 of all types built. There was even a French version called the FAR Pony Mécanique. I did consider making one of those as well but I thought that was going to FAR. 😳
I agree, that was pitiful attempt at humour.
I needn’t have worried my pretty little head (WHAT! I think my mirrors might be faulty.) the modelling gods had plans even if I didn’t….
The Dapol kit has two different options. Naturally I’ll be going for neither of them and making my life as difficult as I possibly can. People ask me why my stash is so small. It’s because a kit that most people would complete in a weekend, I can faff over for months. My tiny stash will last me many years. This hobby is cheap isn’t it? 🙂
Oh!...apparently it's me that's cheap. 😳
This is going to stretch my modelling abilities as I’ll be heavily modifying one ancient decrepit kit and completely scratch-building another.
What could possibly go wrong?

Scammell Scarab

90 immagini

1:76

In corso

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