3 - Transporter Final Assembly

Then it's time to wrap everything up!

First, I used superglue to attach the rear wheels in place beneath the trailer.

Then I positioned the parts on the base to see how everything fit. A few of the rear wheels needed to be adjusted so that they didn't float over the ground.

Removing the parts, I next mixed up some more epoxy and glued the truck cab into place, putting a dab of adhesive on each of the tires. I used epoxy again, since it is stronger than superglue and this model was heavy enough to strain a weaker glue.

When the cab's glue was set, I epoxy-glued the trailer into place behind the truck.

The last part to glue down was the ramp. I used runny-style superglue, because it was easier to control than "sticky" epoxy for this step. The ramp has both a narrow and a wide end. The narrow end fits between the two prongs at the rear of the trailer. How well it fits depends on how thick the coat of paint is that you've applied! You kind of twist the ramp into place, let the other end drop to the ground, then run some superglue along the top and bottom to attach it permanently.

(I could have done better at this stage - some of my ramps aren't attached quite straight. Oh well...)

I then applied some paint to fix the chips caused in attaching the ramps, then sprayed everything with a clear sealer coat - both to protect the model from handling, and to dull down any shiny epoxy showing around where the tires are glued to the base.

Lastly, to get that "pane of glass" look, I brushed some glossy clearcoat into the truck's cab windows.

And It's Done!

If there's a moral to this project, note that despite all of the mistakes I made, the Transporters look pretty darn good on the tabletop. Maybe that's just my opinion, influenced by knowing I invested time and money into prepping them for wargaming. But in the end, I've got some unusual models for sci-fi gaming, and I've learned a few lessons along the way. (Such as: NO MORE CLEAR PRIMER! NEVER AGAIN!).