Return to the BUILD
“Now you’ll attach the electrical compartment to the body midsection, and assemble and attach the water supply panels. Take care when assembling the supply elbow as the ends of this part look similar but have different shaped fixings which determine the correct fit.“
This stage will take a bit more time as we have lots to do!
Contents
Parts
Materials: All of the parts in this stage are plastic.
NOTE: Save any spare screws left over at the end of each stage of this build. They may be needed in later stages!
Build
Body Midsection & Water Supply Panels
Install the Left Electrical Compartment into the Body Section
Retrieve your Electrical Compartment assembly from the previous stage. Slide the compartment into this opening on the left side of the Body Midsection. Firmly push the compartment in until the two pins on the back of the compartment fit into the matching holes of the body:
The two pins of the Electrical Compartment are different sizes, so this will only fit in the correct orientation:
Assemble the Left Water Supply Panel
Fit the D-shaped holes of the two Small Supply Caps onto these two matching pins of the Supply Connection.
On my model, these were a little loose so I used a drop of super glue to keep them firmly in place:
Press the two pins of each Emergency Light Lens into the matching holes on the front of each Emergency Light Frame.
NOTE: I have been adding lighting to my model, which is why you may see tiny extra wires throughout this stage. For more information, check out the entire process in detail on my Custom Lighting page.
The front of the Emergency Light Frames has the raised lip around the edge. Make sure these lenses are fully seated:
Press the two pins of the Left Water Supply Panel into the matching holes at this location on the Body Midsection.
To determine which Water Supply Panel to use here, check the orientation of the rectangular recess for the Emergency Light. The one with the vertical recess is the Left Water Supply Panel. Again, the pins are different sizes, so this will only fit one way:
Press one of the Emergency Light assemblies we just built into this matching recess of the Left Water Supply Panel.
The pins of the Emergency Light Lens should poke out the back of the Emergency Light Frame. These pins are what fixes into the holes of the panel. If these pins do not seem to keep this light secure, you may need to glue this part into place:
Push the D-shaped post on the thick end of the Supply Connection into the matching hole at this location on the Left Water Supply Panel:
Press the D-shaped pin of a Supply Valve into the small matching hole at this location on the Left Water Supply Panel:
Fit the two holes in the Left Base Step over the matching pins on the bottom left edge of the Body Midsection. Use a few drops of glue to secure this step into place.
The pins are different sizes here as well, so this step will only fit the correct way:
Press the two pins of the Panel Step into the matching holes at this location on the Left Water Supply Panel. Use glue if needed:
Apply a drop of glue to the top tab and the bottom hole of the Step Support, then fit it up into the underside notch of the Panel Step and onto the pin of the Left Base Step, as shown.
Here is the notch underneath the Panel Step:
Here is the pin on the Left Base Step:
Here is the Step Support installed on both the pin and in the notch correctly:
Slide the tabs of the Left Side Panel into the matching slots at this location on the Body Midsection. Use glue if needed.
To tell the difference between the two Side Panels, the Left Side Panel we use here is the wider than the Right Side Panel. The design of the slots only allows this to fit the correct way:
Assemble the Right Water Supply Panel
Glue the D-shaped hole of the Large Supply Cap onto the end of the Supply Elbow.
IMPORTANT! Make sure the Large Supply Cap is secured to the proper end of the Supply Elbow. If needed, test fit this Supply Elbow to the Right Water Panel first to check which end is the right one. The pipe should be pointing at the ground when installed correctly. See the next few pictures to be sure.
Press the two pins of the Right Water Supply Panel into the matching holes at this location on the Body Midsection:
Press the remaining Emergency Light assembly we built earlier into this matching recess of the Right Water Supply Panel.
As before, the pins of the Emergency Light Lens should poke out the back of the Emergency Light Frame. These pins are what fixes into the holes of the panel. If these pins do not seem to keep this light secure, you may need to glue this part into place:
Press the D-shaped pin of the other Supply Valve into the small matching hole at this location on the Right Water Supply Panel:
Push the D-shaped post on the end of the Supply Elbow into the matching hole at this location on the Right Water Supply Panel.
Once again, make sure this elbow is pointing down (towards the Emergency Light):
Fit the two holes in the Right Base Step over the matching pins on the bottom right edge of the Body Midsection. Use a few drops of glue to secure this step into place:
Slide the tabs of the Right Side Panel into the matching slots at this location on the Body Midsection. Use glue if needed:
Carefully cut the two Road Cones from the sprue.
I recommend using sprue cutters or a sharp hobby knife to cut these from the sprue. Also, be aware that these parts are not identical. You can fit them either way you choose, but I wanted the small round detail at the bottom to face outwards. Therefore, I noted them as left and right, as shown:
Using small drops of glue, secure one Road Cone to the matching holes at this location in the Left Side Panel:
In the same way, secure the other Road Cone to the matching holes at this location in the Right Side Panel:
Thoughts
I am still amazed by the amount of detail on this model, even on this small section. The water pressure gauge is printed on the plastic along with tiny labels and other bit. I love this! Keep the unused Type B Screws nearby as they will be needed in Stage 28.
Next Up
Stage 26 – Right Outrigger, Ground Light/Lens, Pike Pole