If you only want to power a couple of leds then the current is going to be low enough to be fine direct from the receiver so you could use a switch like this one that draws power from the receiver.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Remote-Controlled-Electronic-Switch-Relay/dp/B08FLZXSD7

>>39572 That's a sweet trailer, you have to get one of those. Then you can get a Cat D11 Dozer to go on the it :D

Normally the radio receiver will be 6V. Some ESC's allow you to change the output voltage for the receiver to 7.2v or 8.4v, but I've always left it at 6v. If you assume 6v you won't over power your leds, so it's a good place to start. Powering too many leds, or other things, from the receiver is not a good idea as you'll draw too much current and burn it out.

For powering lights you want to switch witch a separate channel a device like the one I've linked bellow is a good idea. This one allows you power it directly from the battery or another power source instead of stressing the receiver. It's worth checking what your receiver can output, some modern receivers can do 2-3 amps. No matter how you draw the power for the leds you'll need to match the leds to the voltage. Ready made leds for the truck probably already have a voltage regulator or resistors to lower the current. You would need to do the same thing for your led strip. I'm happy to help you figure out the details.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Remote-Controlled-Electronic-Switch-Relay/dp/B08FLVGTXQ

Because everything works now I can start with hiding the cables. For aesthetic reasons I drilled 2 holes in the crane support bracket. This way looks nicer.

JC, do you know the voltage for the receiver module? I keep seeing voltage ranges on add-on lights but idk where and what. In the past I only used pre-assembled modules.
I know the MFC module can't handle too much per giving channel, cause Scaleclub & WTE offer expansion sets for their lights to attach to the MFC and warn not to attach too much.

I have this LED strip but it doesn't have a connector (the plug I mean) just a red and black wire. I like to connect it directly to the receiver as a separate channel rather than on the MFC. But the receiver has 3 pins..and I probably need a resistor, right?

Nice indeed. I dig the contour lights.

https://wetronic.nl/carson-907700-3-assige-dieplader-met-zwanenhals-diepbed_nl?_route_=carson-907700-3-assige-dieplader-met-zwanenhals-diepbed_nl&sort=p.date_added&order=DESC

I'm pleased you've got it figured out. A very weird problem, but thankfully it's sorted.

Those trailer dollys are pretty cool and would be useful for regular trailers, but I see there are some pintle trailers too. This one is quite nice.
https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/rc4wd-bigdog-114-dual-axle-scale-heavy-316078/

I found these; a trailer dolly. With these you can haul any trailer without drilling holes in the chassis.

Hooray, I got it working! It turns out you need to install all four of the 3-pin channels (steering, motor, raising support legs, and the shifting servos) from the MFC to the receiver otherwise it just won't work. Now I'm re-re-installing the leds & speaker again..urgh.

I don't think a fifth wheel can work without drilling some holes in the chassis..and for now I won't do that. The fifth wheel option did come in the MFC kit but and alas it's plastic. When I'll upgrade some plastic parts to metal I'll also buy an all metal fifth wheel with a servo. The trailer coupling/pintle hitch needs a servo too.

>>39558 Very strange!

>>39560 This all sounds like a good idea. I see the pintle hitch but where is the fifth wheel?

I've bought a trailer coupling add-on for the truck. Compensation for the MFC issue.

I removed the MFC-03 module to be tested with other radio/receivers. And by that all the leds and the speaker too.

I've decided that if I will add sound & light I'm better of with a module that allows modding by pc. So either Beier or Servonaut.

okay, so when I select
- R/C mode; steering, throttle/brake, and gear select work
- in multi mode: steering works, throttle/brake does NOT, and gear select only normal and fast but NOT low gear.
- in demo mode only light functions as specified in the manual.

I rechecked and re-connected all the wires. It's weird that throttle works in R/C mode but not in multi mode, which makes me think it's the MFC module. And no the module does not have upgradable firmware.

Could it be that the module only works with older radio's, when using all the functions? idk, I'm just spitballin' here.

I've send a request ticket to the shop and to Tamiya.

>>39551 Me likey! Although the one I posted actually can be removed the real truck in aqbout 10 minutes and then the truck is just a normal 5th wheel truck underneath.

>>39553 That's weird! Tamiya owns Carson and that radio is specifically made for those trucks I thought!?! I would have thought that the MFC03 would just pick up on the standard throttle and just add the sounds for it. And I would expect the start-up sounds to just activate on power on and be nothing to do with throttle input!?! Very odd! I hope you can find a fix at some point. Does the MFC03 have upgradable firmware?

Well shit. I can't get the MFC03 working fully with the Carson radio. I tried every trick there is and it just won't recognise the throttle. It doesn't matter which channel I pick it just won't do the start-up sound sequence. :(

However if I switch to no-light/sound mode the throttle, steering, and gear selection works just fine.

Or, just buy the Tamiya Wrecker truck?

I was hoping to find some attachments for this or similar trucks on cults3d but alas, nothing found thus far.

I like the idea of having a wrecker attachment, like in the picture, but I don't know if anyone makes one for these scale trucks.

The blue guy is a vamp from Amazon..i mean temp, temp from amazon. He was really cheap too.
Maybe he should grow a beard?

I bought this type because the sub frame can be removed and I can install a box or cargo frame, or even use it as fifth wheel variant. Options galore!

The little driver guy is a bit weird, He looks like some kind of blue shirt informercial guy XD

But other than that it's looking great. I Actually really like how it looks without the log sub frame.

Added the sub-frame just for reference.
Next up: front bumper & headlights

I gave the driver a seatbelt (cable tie) because I will not glue his butt to my gorgeously painted seat ;)

The cab isn't fixed yet, as I still need to attach the speaker & roof light wires to the mfc. which I also need to 'train', ugh..
At least the driver stayed in place when I lowered the cab.

Thank you, it sure hasn't been smooth sailing. I'm so done with repainting the cab. I'm too much of an perfectionist. But no more..it's done. Also the paint's giving me headaches.

Wow! It's really coming together nicely.

I'm not surprised the turning circle is pretty big, the real thing it just as bad. You'll just have to hire out the local community centre so you can use it.

The wheels and fenders are on. Test drive showed the turning circle is HUGE but other than that it drives smoothly. No issues with shifting gears or any other technical thing. The MFC has to be programmed in order to properly work so that will be a challenge for another time.

Should I add the driver or keep it remote controlled?

Busy interior, hopefully the wires won't show too much.

The sub-frame is done. Well, still need to make the chains and add the stickers.

The dash was a pain to paint, and to cut all the stickers to size, ugh. Oh, I see I still need to touch-up the dash I see.

Still need to paint more stuff, I'll do that later.

grrrrrrrrrr...glue and paint don't mix. I blotched a bit of paint during attaching one of the windows. In hind sight I should've waited with painting the body until I glued all bits together.

Also the Tamiya paint bottles are too watery, even NATO black is fussy. But I can't find revell email-paint on short notice.

Oh well, live and learn.

Looking good! That metallic blue looks perfect. It's just like the truck I saw a few days ago :D

Rear and side wires are done, although I'm still waiting for 4 more wires to arrive.
Steering and gear selection work great! I did needed to reverse the inputs on the radio for steering and throttle.

The fuel tanks are also done. There will be a plate going on top thus you won't see much of it anyway.

And the cab is painted too

>>39506 Painted the first layer of the interior, and also the fuel tanks.

That paint really didn't take too well! Primer is the way.

A bit of blue on the dash might look pretty good. Probably worth a try, you could always repaint it if you don't like it I guess.

I've painted the cab, which looks fookin excellent. The metallic paint was a good choice. And I still have some left in the spray can :D

I also tried painting a couple of pieces without priming first..and :( yeah, as I said before >>39516 Tamiya paint ain't Revell paint. You really need to prime it.

So tomorrow I'll prime and paint those pieces. And than I can assemble all the wires to the MFC and receiver.

Should I paint the dash partially in blue metallic? Or just black with brownish paint?

What your saying matches what I've read elsewhere so that's good. I still have some details to figure out, but I'll get to it soon.

From what I remember the 100ml spray can was enough for the polycarbonate BMW M5 body. Just don't spray too much at once, layers is better.

Basically if you have white (plastic) parts just use white primer but if the parts are black and you wanna paint it with a light colour use gray primer.
Now, it's not going to ruin the paint if you use gray primer on everything, though.

I've noticed painting without primer means more layers as the Tamiya paint is really thin, probably because it's acrylic. The Revell paint is thicker but that is email and needs thinner for best appearance.

I'm tempted to paint the black grill and head light surround on the rock crawler white, so knowing about the primer is good info.

I like the Tamiya paints but they are a bit small in the contents department! I need to get around to preparing my rock crawler body shell for paint.

Tamiya Surface Primer for plastic & metal (gray). I've used this stuff before on static models, from Revell, and it works great. It coats darker plastic very good when applying light colours.

I chose Metallic Blue (TS-19) because it looks amazing, and I've seen several Volvo trucks in a similar colour. I just hope I have enough, it's only a 100 ml can.

Sweet! What sort of primer did you use?

There was a nice truck in town today that was a deep royal blue, looked very nice.

The smell in the bathroom is intoxicating but the jobs done, for now. The cab will be blue while the inners will be partially black, mat black, and rubber (black).. and maybe with a dash of blue.

mm..it might. Or my search continues. Anyway, I primed the cab and assorted stuff.

Because it's raining I had to do it inside. And I didn't feel like walking the flight of stairs down and up again, so in the bathroom it happened.

Would heat-shrink tube work for hiding and tidying up the wires?

>>39500 I found several small servos but I don't think it will be a problem. I tested it this morning and had zero issues.
Yes, wiring and hiding them will be a challenge. I do wish they gave me more spiral wire tubing to hide them ugly cables. And I haven't found them online yet. So I guess I either paint them or use electrical tape.

I'm currently waiting on the paint to arrive before proceeding with the cab but I did start building the sub frame. All I have to do is add the back plates and drill some holes.

>>39492 A low profile servo might help there. I'm using them in my rock crawler.

>>39493 Yay! Spaghetti :D

>>39497 It always pays to read ahead a little, but it's still easy to miss the details! :S

>>39499 Holy shit, that's a lot of wiring! :O

Looking fricking sweet though!

75% of the wiring done. Still to do: front lights, roof lights, and speaker.

It took me too long to realise the easy path..

Okay, blurry pic of the on/off switch and other switches. This part had me going crazy with anger ...

Battery box and MFC module installed. The MFC is covered cause it's shy. Also the MFC brain box will be installed in the cab so all those wires have to be routed forwards. Luckily both the Truck as well as the MFC provided cable management clips & zip-ties.

tail lights installed. It's a pity Tamiya does sell the crane. Lesu does but it cost more than the whole truck + MFC module.

Next up: wiring inferno! Yes, the MFC is a must but, oh lord, the cables. So many cables..

One thing to note is how close the motor is to the shifting servo. I've already seen some aftermarket stuff that remedies this; smaller shifting servo that's directly attached to the gearbox housing. But that's a worry for later.

And married the gearbox & e-motor to the frame!
Now even heavier.

Finally covered her up. I'm using a higher torque, slower speed motor for more 'realism'.
This thing has heft to it.

Getting to this step meant swearing and curses. Th thing was slippery like a politician.

More gearbox time. During building this one of the e-rings decided to fly away but was caught later. I decided to not use the provided tool but use pliers which worked much better. Also so much greece..I mean grease.

On to the gearbox! Left is part of the motor mount, top right is the shift rod and bottom part of the gear shaft. So much grease and of so many e-rings.

Super cool! I love the detail. The leaf springs are a very cool part. I really need to have one of these trucks one day.

The Grasshopper/Hornet style servo-saver for the steering does make me laugh though. Classic Tamiya :D

The control unit is a must for these trucks. The whole point of these trucks is the detail.

And of course, fuck E-rings! XD

That's all 4 today.

PS: I also bought the MFC-03 unit for extra bling.

Next up for today is the gearbox. And, oh boy, more E-rings! :C

And done the rear suspension! The travel (in & outbound) is not much but it isn't an off-road truck. Probably will upgrade of needed.

One more diff..and grease

The parts for the rear diffs. Note: every gears needed grease, and again metal!

next up the steering assembly, this will probably need to be upgraded, I never really liked this (too much room for error)

Very leafy, also of metal, so metal leafy

Building the front axle was easy..

After the electronics stuff came the frame with the subframe supports in center view (angled bits), and the gear servo on the left. The red bit with the toothpick is the thread-lock, to the left of that a small tube with grease. Bags and bags with screws, bolts, and tiny clips...grrrr them fucking tiny clips

I considered getting that Carson controller, I saw it was highly recommended for the Tamiya trucks. Manuals are always a tricky, trying to make them understandable by every person regardless of age or language is always going to have consequences XD

The quality of the components are superb, although the manual does require good reading skills.
So I started yesterday with testing the electronic parts and which button will operate the 3-speed gearbox. After testing I started working on the chassis and assembling the front and rear suspension. Both are made from cast as well as machined aluminium. Weirdly though, or blessed, the shocks don't have fluids. But I've already used a lot of thread lock and grease. Today I will assemble the gearbox, if my head permits (headache atm).
And no, I've not forgotten to take pictures but just not from every step, some are too boring and others I just forgot. Once I'm home I'll upload a few more.

PS: The logs are a lie! They are paper (templates). I'll use sticks or twigs that I find on my daily walk.

I want one! I love the quality and detail of the Tamiya trucks.

Does it come with the logs or do you have to make your own?

Definitely going to need to build updates for this.

I went with this one because of the after-market modularity, and twas a bit cheaper.