activexp Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Well I've given myself quite a challenge with this highly detailed kit from Trumpeter. It's like three models in one, the tractor unit, the trailer and the missile. Assembly begins with the tractor unit. First job is the engine. Next the winch. The 'rope' is supplied in the kit. The assembly proved quite tricky owing to rather vague locating points and a very fragile brake lever which I broke several times And now the chassis. No problems here. Front axle assembly. Had some problems here despite following the instructions to the letter. I found that the axles were the wrong way up, that is to say that the mounting points for the leaf springs were on the wrong side of the axles. It was too late to correct the mistake so ended up doing a botch job which luckily I got away with. Rear axle assembly. Engine and radiator mounted to the chassis. Axles mounted on the chassis. The various drive shafts fit OK as long as all the universal joints are orientated correctly. The topside of the chassis takes shape. And now the cab floor. The cab body is a one piece moulding which fits over the floor and requires some force to locate correctly when there's nothing substantial to push against without the danger of breaking something such as the drive shafts underneath! There's no decal for the dashboard instruments so I carefully picked out some detail using a cocktail stick as a paintbrush. A blurred shot of the bonnet which can be hinged in the open or closed position. Front end almost compete. To be continued.......... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanM Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Great job so far..... I like "targets" that can hit back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killingholme Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Looks great, nice and complex. I've got no references to suggest either way, but I bet that "rope" supplied by trumpeter is supposed to represent steel wire rope and should be painted. Common trick in AFV kits. Might be worth researching the real truck? Keep us up to date, awesome build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichO Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I just started my kit two days ago. I'm only to the frame rails, thanks for the heads up about the anchor points on the front axel!! I'll keep watching to see what else you run into. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 I just started my kit two days ago. I'm only to the frame rails, thanks for the heads up about the anchor points on the front axel!! I'll keep watching to see what else you run into. Thanks It could be me having a 'senior moment' rather than a mistake in the instructions but in step 7, left front wheel assembly, it shows 'no cement' on ALL the components (E32, E1, E8, C18, E5). This had me confused as there's nothing to hold the assembly together! After doing a dry run it became obvious that the hub E5 is glued to E8 avoiding getting glue on the ball joint. I think I might have made the mistake of inserted drive shaft axle C18 the wrong way round into the hub E5. Somehow I made the same mistake with the right front wheel Good luck with your build and keep us informed of your progress. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Cool. I have considered getting this model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Apart from some final touches, the tractor is finished. Had an issue with the rear mudguards. The front ends fouled the fuel tanks. I considered moving the guards back a fraction but as can be seen in the photo, there's very little clearance between the leading rear tyre and the guard. It's almost touching so that wasn't an option.The only solution was to cut off about 2mm from the end of the guard where it meets the fuel tank. The rear wheels didn't fit too well on the stub axles. Either the stubs were too long or the holes in the wheels too shallow. I didn't fancy shortening the stubs as there's very little contact area for glueing so ended up increasing the depth of the holes with some careful drilling. Oops, just noticed that the right hand front tyre is on the wrong way round, seem to making a habit of this! I wish my eyes were as good as the macro facility on my camera. I see stuff in the pics that I haven't noticed with the naked eye. Next job the trailer........... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Nice work so far. Wish I had the room for one. I have fond memories of the Airfix 1/72 version, but alas this is one of the "lost moulds" and will never be seen again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowler0000 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Enjoying this very much! Just to irk you a bit more, i read somewhere that the ridged floor in the cab is actually a black rubber mat. Yup, black..... Otherwise, i think your build is brilliant. Bravo, Sir! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Ah yes, agreed that the floor should be black and probably the seats too, but wanted a contrast so that the finer details, pedals, gear levers would stand out a bit for photography purposes and not disappear. Well that's my excuse anyway! Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 The support cradle for the missile. Went together without any issues although part L46 which forms part of the holder was incorrectly moulded. Looked like the styrene hadn't fully flowed through the mould. It's only a minor part and hardly noticeable. The next stage of the assembly I wasn't looking forward to - bending the brass wire 'tubing' to the correct shape and fitting to the valves on the 'gas tank'. For some reason Trumpeter has decided not to provide anchor points for securing the the ends of the wires to the tank and valves. This made the assembly very irksome so in the end I drilled a small hole on the top of the tank which made the whole process a lot easier. I also lost part L54, a small lever on the top of the valves, to the carpet monster, Doesn't help that my carpet is green! My attempt at fashioning a replacement from scrap can be seen in the photo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redcap Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I have only ever seen one of these kits built up and yours will be no2. It's a cracking model when finished and look forward to seeing this completed too. Good luck mate! Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichO Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Thanks again for the info about the front axel. It sure made my job easier at this point. Also the, no glue, surfaces at step 7 was a little interesting to figure out. I did have your photos to help with this, so all went together ok, but very slowly. The assembly and painting of the rear axel took all day. I'm just to the point now of assembling the componants to the frame rails. Slow but sure the build goes. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 Thanks again for the info about the front axel. It sure made my job easier at this point. Also the, no glue, surfaces at step 7 was a little interesting to figure out. I did have your photos to help with this, so all went together ok, but very slowly. The assembly and painting of the rear axel took all day. I'm just to the point now of assembling the componants to the frame rails. Slow but sure the build goes. Thanks! Slow and steady does it. Took me all day to assemble the trailer chassis. All went together surprisingly easy, no real issues worth mentioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killingholme Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 (edited) Wow, it's going to be huge when it's finished. Are you going to build the launcher too? Edited August 22, 2014 by Killingholme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted August 27, 2014 Author Share Posted August 27, 2014 Wow, it's going to be huge when it's finished. Are you going to build the launcher too? No plans at present to build the launcher. A little more progress on the trailer Some quite delicate bits here so careful handling needed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 An update on the trailer, almost complete. The biggest challenge was bending 0.8mm and 0.5mm wire to the correct form for the pipework to the valves on top of the gas tank. Again no anchor points which made the whole assembly very frustrating. I can say that my patience was stretched to the limit and considered giving up With the help of liberal amounts of superglue I eventually got the thing to stay in place with some semblance of how the pipework should look but won't pass close scrutiny. To be continued......... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichO Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Hang in there Active.. I need to know how this turns out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 Next up, the fuel hoses which are actually compressed spring tubes and look quite realistic. By inserting the correct length of the supplied 0.8mm wire into the tubes, the idea is to bend them to the required form. Sounds easy but in practice the tube has a habit of rotating round the wire as you try to bend it. Maybe you're supposed to bend the wires before inserting into the tubes....hmmm. The outcome of my effort was reasonable but not as neat as I had hoped. At least there are some anchor points, the large hose actually fits neatly over the flange on the gas tank. Apart from painting and a few final touches, the trailer is finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 A few final pics of the trailer with the support cradle in position. I omitted some PE parts from the pivot ring. They were so small I couldn't even pick them up with tweezers Had a problem with Humbrol acrylic red gloss on the fire extinguisher, very poor coverage even after several coats. Reckon I'll stick with gloss enamels in future. Next up, the missile....... Thanks for looking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichO Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Lookin' good, Active! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 Lookin' good, Active! Thanks, how are you getting on with your build? One thing worth mentioning is the valve assembly (quite fiddly!) in step 9 (parts J29, J30, J31, J32). This is glued onto the trailer cross member (J2, J4). It needs to be vertical or even leaning forward slightly. Mine is leaning back (not sure why) resulting in quite an angle on the shaft J42 which connects the control wheel J37, J38 to the valve. Later on I found that the shaft fouls a support strut (J16) for the Loading Rail. Not a major issue but annoying nevertheless! Good luck with your build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichO Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 If you are interested I could show you a photo or two. I don't want to encroach on your tread tho, let me know. I'm not as far along as you are, but the build continues and the issues that you are running into shure help with my build. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 (edited) Hey activexp, this is a very interesting model and comes along nicely, to which I came across accidentally. BTW, the curious thing is, with this Air missile technique, I've been working for 18 months over 40 years ago ... I stay tuned. Edited September 10, 2014 by roma847 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Missile assembled. Parts M14 are very fragile and break easily. Just needs some paint and the numerous decals applying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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