Haulage modelling is for builders who like things on a grand scale. A tractor unit and trailer at 1:24 measures close to 70 cm, and the cab roof shows off a gloss finish better than most sports cars manage. This section covers European tractor units, Japanese trucks with lavishly decorated bodies, American trailers and Eastern Bloc classics, along with concert transporters in the liveries of famous bands. Plan the build the way a factory would: chassis, cab, body – each one a project in its own right.
Heavy vehicles have one advantage over cars: the sheer variety of bodies. Flatbeds, refrigerated boxes, tippers, recovery vehicles and curtain-sided trailers give every build a different character. The European school is represented by modern and classic tractor units, the Japanese by heavily chromed trucks with painted side panels, the American by long box trailers and 1950s delivery vans, and there is heavy Soviet-era machinery here too.
A solo tractor unit is a faster project focused on the cab and chassis. Add a trailer and you double both the work and the impact. Standalone trailers let you grow the fleet gradually. Specialist bodies such as a recovery truck or a mobile shop shine in a street scene beside civilian vehicle model kits.
Lorry kits often run to hundreds of parts. For a first attempt, take a tractor unit without a trailer; more experienced builders will enjoy the chromed parts, the complete air lines and the cab interiors. Two-tone cabs mean masking, so allow time for it, and build the chassis as a separate project so the cab can be painted and polished in peace.
A lorry cab is a huge painted surface, so give it good model paints and real patience between coats. The whole motoring branch is listed under car model kits.
