Most radio control projects at 1:87 scale end up as a detailed body dropped onto a bought chassis with little more than throttle and steering. This Unimog from mortimervonboettger goes much further: it has a front loader that actually scoops, a trailer that couples and uncouples on its own, and a purpose-built handheld transmitter to run it all. At this size that is a rare combination, and in my opinion it puts the build well above the usual tabletop offering.
The way it was put together is disciplined. The chassis was modeled in SolidWorks, translucent parts were ordered in Frosted Ultra Detail from an online print service, and the printed components were painted blue with a tan rear cover marked ISARKIES. Inside the chassis and cab sit miniaturized circuit boards and a drive motor. Steering runs through a micro-steering linkage, a worm gear and arm linkage raise and dump the bucket, and a two-speed gearbox switches between maneuvering and fast driving.
Several details stand out to me. A motorized hitch pin engages and releases the trailer automatically, so the truck can back up, hook on and drive off without anyone touching the model. The transmitter, labeled M3, carries two linear slider potentiometers, two toggle switches, a joystick, a slide switch, two pushbuttons and a green status LED. The demonstrations are convincing too: it rolls out of a cigarette pack garage, crosses an obstacle course of matches, pencils and a hammer, scoops lentils into the matching blue two-axle trailer and then tips the load out. CAD exploded-assembly animations were also created to show the mechanisms.
One thing remains open: the maker has not said which electronics the truck uses. That is the question I would ask first.
Project by mortimervonboettger. Watch it on their YouTube channel: