In this Making-of Caterpillar MH3250 Track Material Handler we will show how this custom model will be achieved.

I (with the help and under the watchful eye of Gertjan -)) will guide you through the construction process using my build impression photos with brief explanations, so that you will see a unique scale model of the Caterpillar MH3250 Track Material Handler in 1:50th scale take shape step by step, based on the donor and original Caterpillar MH3040 Wheel Material Handler released by Diecast Masters in 2022.

Enjoy reading & watching!

Gertjan & Wouter 

What preceded

Gertjan is always looking for new custom Caterpillar scale model projects. When he came up with the idea to convert the Caterpillar MH3040 Wheel Material Handler from Diecast Masters into the Caterpillar MH3250 Track Material Handler, I was immediately curious and interested myself. I thought: I should be able to do that too.

So, based on his conversion project, Tips & Tricks, and his very successful end result, I am now also getting to work to realize this conversion to the Caterpillar MH3250 Track Material Handler, just like him. To whet everyone's appetite, below is a photo of the Caterpillar MH3250 Track Material Handler as built by Gertjan.

The Kickoff

I started by purchasing the donor Caterpillar MH3040 Wheel Material Handler in 1:50th scale from Diecast Masters. This scale model was released in 2022 in the Caterpillar "High Line series" under #85958 and is fortunately still available through authorized Diecast Masters retailers worldwide.

Mahler + Partner GmbH, the official distributor in Europe, has created www.diecasteurope.com to make sure everybody has access to the incredible Diecast Masters Excavator lineup. 

Here, you and I can always buy the models from the current collection and pre-order the upcoming models. And so, step one was simple:

Order Caterpillar MH3040 Wheel Material Handler #85958

Apart from the entirely new undercarriage and some minor adjustments and changes, this model is almost the complete scale model and thus immediately forms the solid foundation for the start of this project.

The dismantling of the cabin

When I received the donor Caterpillar MH3040 Wheel Material Handler from DieCastEurope a few weeks ago, I first took a good look at what the best plan of action would be for me. Naturally, the input, experiences, and photos from Gertjan's conversion project came in very handy with that.

I decided to start by dismantling the cab. To be able to apply the correct type number "MH3250" at the end of this project, replacing the two "MH3040" markings applied to the machine—and specifically to the side window of the cab—it seemed best to separate the cab from the lifting mechanism and the actual machine to work more efficiently and easily. This way, it is ready to go and cannot be damaged during the other steps of the custom conversion.

Disassembly turned out to be relatively simple: using a long, thin Phillips screwdriver, I could easily unscrew the small screw that attaches the cabin to the top of the lifting structure on the superstructure from the underside, by going through the chassis.

With this, the cabin was disassembled from the rest of the machine without any hassle or (paint) damage.

Keep following us for the next Update!