This truck is based on the great Actros model by Dennis Bosman (and of course on the real Actros, too). I visited Dennis at the "Modelshow Europe 2000" in Ochten, Netherlands. Seeing some of his great models for real was really worth the journey. Right after I left the show, I took some pictures of a real Actros on the parking lot.

Back home again I spent the next days building this model. Dennis uses a lot of self-made stickers to give his models a realistic appearance. But I decided not to do so, resulting in even the "Mercedes Star" emblem being represented by a small 3 spiked steering wheel. Steering is operated by a knob at the back of the cab.

Although the truck has an engine underneath the cabin, for stability reasons the front hood cannot be opened and the whole cabin cannot be tilted. At the back of the side windows part of the bodywork is moved back half a stud. To bridge this distance, I used two #2413 wings above the window on each side.