FWSV11 - Putting It Together

Before assembling the model, you need to decide how much assembly you want to do.

In the simplest case, all you need to do is attach the wheels to the trailer. Everything else can be left unattached. That means you can pose the truck and trailer as you want, going straight or making a turn (the trailer hooks into the back of the truck, so doesn't need to be glued in place). The ramp could be propped in place when you want vehicles to drive on or off, and removed from play when the transporter is moving down the road.

If you do want to permanently attach truck and trailer, however, you'd better consider mounting the entire vehicle on a base of some kind. The connection point between truck and trailer is small, and without the help of a base to glue everything down to, the transporter is likely to break apart sooner or later.

Attaching the ramp permanently could also be useful, since you're less likely to lose it that way, and it should look more "realistic" properly attached rather than just propped in place.

The ramp basically gives you two options - up or down. If you pose the ramp down, the transporter looks ready to deliver or receive vehicles (but would look funny drving across the tabletop). Posing the ramp up makes the transporter look mobile. You choose. (Or if you can't choose, you get two transporters to the pack - build one of each version!)

If you pose the ramp in the "up" position, it's up to you to decide what the correct angle is. The model doesn't seem to have a preference. In the real world, you can find military transporters that carry their ramps straight vertical, or angled to the rear. You could even do some micro-detailing - add cables from the top of the ramp to the middle of the trailer, or jacks to support the ramp from the bottom.

Once you've got it all planned, the first step is to glue the rear wheels into place. Test fit it first to see which way fits best ("flat" side goes inward).

Next, you'll probably need to do some careful filing until the ramp fits between the two "horns" at the end of the trailer. (You'll also need to decide which end of the ramp attaches to the trailer - we chose the "thick" end, but maybe those 'feet' are supposed to be at the other end?) If you're lucky, you can get the ramp to "stick" between the horns, allowing you to pose the ramp as you want and then drop some runny-type glue into the seam. Remember to set the trailer on top of the truck before gluing the ramp, or you may find you have the wrong angle and have to do it again.

Lastly, a drop of glue is all you need to attach the truck to the trailer.

And this is what it looks like, assembled.