Starting in March 2020, I began a large stream project to model a comprehensive, highly-detailed Caterpillar 434E backhoe. Please watch the first stream (first 3 minutes of abridged version at least) for an overview.
It's a straight-forward project of building a complex model over an extended period of time. The spin on the project is that I want your help to accomplish it! If I build some parts and you build some parts, we will finish this thing much quicker. Plus the contribution format will include reviews, the potential of having your piece(s) assimilated into the final model. Not to mention large quantities of XP are at stake 🤑
NOTE: This is an involved project reserved for Citizen members.
The general idea is that I kickoff stages of the project via live stream, which is typically once per month. For the time in between streams, you choose a piece of the backhoe and apply what you learned from the stream to that piece. For example, the first stream covered initial block out. So between stream 1 and stream 2, your job is to pick a piece and block it out.
This is the repeating protocol for each Assignment Period (between-streams):
I will reply to this thread after each stream with a [big] assignment post denoted by a 📣 emoji in the title. There I will clarify instructions about each Assignment Period.
We will centralize our collaborative communication between the streams and this thread. Ask any and all questions pertaining to the Backhoe project here.
spikeyxxx Sorry for the delay but I finally linked your mastered wheels into the assembly. Everything looks good from the outside but hubs appear too wide or offset on the inner side (?):
@theluthier my hubs are (relatively) fine:
The inner ones are made by 
duerer and the fit his rear axle, which is a bit smaller than my front axle.
There is a discrepancy that has to be resolved!
Is my axle too wide?
Is the rear axle too small?
Are both axles correct and are the rear wheels closer together than the front wheels?
None of the above?
I will look into why I put my wheels there, but I will not make a decision on what has to be changed, on my own;)
If you don't mind my opinion, I think spikeyxxx has the correct position with the wheels and axle.
This is top view from master assembly file:
If the tyres are moved over to duerer 's wheel we will have a collision with the fenders and the tyres with 
blanchsb 's loader arms, and they are already tight with the engine enclosure.
and the fenders at the rear also match the position of spikeyxxx 's tyres:
Sorry duerer , I also have another issue with the rear axle.
I was able to adjust the height of the chassis over your axle where it will attach, but I can't move in the x-axis without more collisions with almost everyone's parts.
But the good news is I have sized and aligned the driveshaft with your axle.
As far as the front wheels are concerned, I can rotate them (steering) about 15° in both directions. I can't say how much this is:
but I doubt that this will be possible when I move them inwards...
The easiest solution would be to move the back wheels inwards to fit the rear axle and leave the front ones as they are now..is that correct? I don't know, but it might be when looking at this:
or this:
Really hard to tell...
I am sorry that I have missed the last stream. I forgot about its date. I was preoccupied with many things, though I have been modelling on and off.
In image below, this is as much as I have gotten on the seat. Still more to go.
If anybody wants to do the steering wheel, please go ahead. Feel free to do so. I won't be able to do it, as I am very put off modelling the wheel, when I think of my family home (also shop) being surrounded by backhoes, diggers and bulldozers, though plenty of ideas for 3D modelling there. They are waiting to bulldoze our ancestral home/shop. I can manage with modelling the chair, but not the steering wheel. Once on the wheel, I could only think of bulldozing corrupt local government's workplace and officials' homes. Well, anybody, please take the wheel away from me.
Presently, my family and I are threatened by the ordered demolition of our home and we are fiercely fighting against this. NO WAY are they ever getting us out and that is for sure. They have just walked inside the hornet nest: they are trapped and they are not getting out without stings.
Petition to save family home & shop. https://www.change.org/p/save-geraghty-s-shop-and-family-home?use_react=false
@ritag my heart goes out to you. You and your family will definitely be in my prayers. I'm glad you are able to continue on the project! 💓
That chair looks incredibly comfortable, @ritag!
Sorry to hear about your offline hardships - it's been one crazy year all around for so many people. I'm glad you're able to keep contributing here.
Isn't it so frustrating when you start modeling, but the reference isn't enough because you don't can't judge or exactly pin point proportions, placement, shapes, the photo is at a weird angle and you second and triple guess the way you lay a single vertex. It's like you want to start running but you can't get any traction because the floor is extremely slippery.
I guess it's like putting together one of those 5000-piece puzzles. You know the picture is of a mountain valley, so this blue piece must be sky and it must go somewhere in the top of the picture, but you don't know exactly where - you only know that this other blue piece connects to it in just this way, and so does that piece, and this other piece; and only after putting a lot more of the puzzle together are you able to finally place it in exactly in its right spot in the big picture.
Karen ketre and Jake jakeblended. My family and I are victims of fraudulent misrepresentation by some corrupt officials from a local county council.
No worries, my family and I are putting up a fierce fight and we are not backing down.
Our place dates back to 16th century. Over the next five centuries, our building went through a series of renovations. Now, the corrupt officals from local county council want to demolish that building and build in its place a flimsy ultra-modern glass house for nearly €10 millions, though it looks like it can be easily built for less than €1 million. To me, this is them skmming the cream of milk from the EU that provides them grants.
My family shop's Facebook managed by my sister. https://www.facebook.com/geraghtysmusicshop/
Add. We have a hearing next month. If ever there comes the day of demolition, my family & I and protestors will be chaining ourselves and squatting inside the building. We are willing to risk jail time. We will never surrender. Thankfully, the backhoes & bulldozers outside are not by CAT.
I too am saddened and frustrated that people will attempt to put others down to raise their own interests.
Even though the equipment is not CAT equipment I am sure whoever the supplier is did not intend it to be used in this manner.
Good luck with the endeavors @ritag. During the live stream we discussed some of the loose ends and decided to take on the support to complete both of your assemblies. I am also taking on the seat, and spikeyxxx volunteered for the steering wheel/assembly. You are more then welcome to contribute where you can (sounds like you are continuing the seat which is perfectly okay!) but no worries if you need to take a break. We got your back here.
This is totally what I was [trying] to express in the last stream. Not knowing enough (or having enough of the right reference photos) is really hard to get moving in the creation process. Soooo many times I'm all hyped up to begin modeling only to realize my reference is lacking 🙄
I have a new found deep appreciation for orthographic blueprints. Oh to trace the contours in exactly the right measure, from top, to left, to right, to bottom, no guess work, always sure of everything. And I also am more amazed everyone could model the DOG with just scavenging reference and piecing it all together by trial and error.
YouTube keeps recommending me videos. This one was helpful for seeing some parts of the interior I was having trouble putting together. Apologies if this has been posted before.
Feel free to add anything to my chair or make suggestions. The parts of chair come from various blueprints.
FOLDER https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NGpRhP2Aqt2nU62XsIx3_jHcWl-vmSAS?usp=sharing
This file link below is the latest I'm working on. If you are missing collections by other creators, it is because I am using a computer with 4GB RAM.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EiMyVGqPlUzUwZyc67AyG6w1x-MzxQeY/view?usp=sharing
Below is the latest part I have modelled. I wonder if it looks okay. I couldn't find any closeup blueprint on it. I have to work from estimation.
