IMHO the shape of the hood/bonnet looks far better in the “old” grey RM set than the “new” blue one, which shows an awful, far sharper profile in the front and sides than the soft looks of the real thing. Strange.
Look again at the profile in blue. It appears more angular, even seeming to rise upwards slightly towards the front.
I prefer how it looks in the softer colors and I dont plan to build any blue trucks.
Be nice to see JL’s progress to date.
Hi Denis,
I have not had time to make any progress on the hood CAD other than a simple 2D sketch. Haven’t had the time with my day job and other orders. Plus, my CAD and slicing software kept crashing lately so I am wasting a lot of time and experiencing lots of frustration. I do not anticipate seeing much progress until the end of the month. If that’s not acceptable, let me know. I can send you back the tractor kit.
Kind regards,
James
No pressure James.
A universally-desired item for 3-D rendering would be any truck two-or-three-piece fuel tank, plus any particular air tanks that might be found on each kit. Hard to believe we still have to fill and sand those usually large, flat profiles that are exposed for viewing so prominently.
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Experimented with different sketches, extrusions, and hood sizes, etc. Not happy with any of them yet to be a good match to the real thing. Stuck right now so I’m going to take a breather and try again later…
Measurements based on an existing RM resin part
The real hood seems to have a sharper and longer dimple:
Yep, looks like about 3/4 of the length.
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Just upgraded my phone so I thought I’d post another pic or two of my M813’s hood.
Dont know if, painted in MM’s excellent sand, you can make out the profile.
That said, Gino’s pics of the real thing upthread were pretty good.
Denis,
To me, the indentation in the original RM resin part is a bit off. The reference photo shows it to be longer and tapering sharper at the end.
Their newest attempt seems a bit better:
So I am going to try to match that and the hood reference photo above.
Kind regards,
James
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I can see what you mean looking at RM’s latest effort against the NATO - scheme trucks that Gino posted. Not so easy making that discernment using a “sandy places” colored vehicle.
Your efforts are appreciated James!
This is HobbyLink Vietnam’s take on the M819, shows the different dimensions you spoke of.
Hi Denis,
I thought I found that Nato scheme reference photo off of the web. Anyhow, I found a perfect set of reference photos to do some more accurate sketches. Hood Engine Compartment for M809 Series 5-ton Trucks
Another thing I’ve noticed about Real Model’s latest offering:
Their hood part appears not 3D printed but traditional resin casting. All the other included accessories are.
I don’t plan on CADding and 3D printing all the stuff shown there - just the hood, front grill, sides, air cleaner, and fuel tank.
RM is selling the set shown above at 44 euros - and that’s before shipping so we are talking easily $60+ if directly purchased from it in North America.
I am definitely going to beat that price - thinking around 25 USD before shipping. We shall see…
Kind regards,
James
OK, @Denimo , CAD for the hood is done! If this is not called perfection then it should be fairly close to it.
I hope y’all buy a lot of this b/c I won’t make other conversions if this doesn’t sell well. 
Those curves were a PAIN to replicate!
Will move onto the grill and side parts this weekend then air cleaner and fuel tank.
See how it is pretty darn close to the real thing:
Close?
Loft cut made using these reference photos:
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Absolutely beautiful work James. You are going to get your investment $ back on this project!
Denimo