A complicated combine combination
A while ago I wrote that I feel that my Lego models keep getting more complicated due to new parts and new techniques, while building something small and simple can be a lot more fun. The flip side is that those parts and techniques allow building things I could not have built years ago. Case in point: my new combine harvester transport. For years I mainly built larger-scale models, in part because I struggled to build a recognizable make and model of the vehicle at a scale suitable for Lego minifigures.
Despite new parts, it still is not particularly easy. This is one of the reasons why even Lego’s own designers resort to using stickers for the cars in the Speed Champions range, for instance. And those are pretty complicated, certainly for sets. Furthermore, their scale really stretches the definition of what is suitable for minifigures. Of course, I could have built a truck carrying a combine years ago. It would have looked like a generic European truck, though, while this model is recognizably a Dutch DAF truck, thanks to parts such as brackets. Obviously, I did use some stickers, but only for the company livery. What kept building this fun and relaxing, despite its complexity, was looking at it as a combination of smaller projects.
Its load, a Claas Tucano 320 combine harvester, turned into a proper project in its own right. Rather than keeping the combine as just the truck’s load, I wanted to make it work as a stand-alone model too. So, I built the header and added features, such as opening covers for the grain tank. It also has an unloading tube that swings out to the side and rear-wheel steering. I picked this particular combine because of its colour scheme. I like the contrast between the white and the lime green, as well as the red details. A relatively new part that helped is the tile 2X2, 45 degree cut. It was very useful for making the boundary between the lime green and white on the sides. Thanks to all the new possibilities, I have been enjoying building more and more minifigure scale models and there will be more to come.
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