Lummox

Interesting machine, looking forward to seeing how your build turns out. Here's something to pair it up with perhaps...? PS. It's a Photoshop.

Well it's been quite some time since the last update. I won't bore you with lame excuses, so let's just get on with it... Cheers Peter. Sorry I missed your comment, but I must admit to shamelessly copying similar jigs seen elsewhere (especially within the maritime modeling community). Right, where were we up to all those months ago? Ah yes, the drivetrain... One of the reasons for the update hiatus was the lack of information on the drivetrain configuration for our truck. The more I dug, the less I seemed to find. One morsel was the following diagram. I got the crayons out to highlight the bits we are interested in, namely the propeller shaft from the transmission into the transfer case, and the shafts out from the transfer case to the front and rear axles. As an aside, this diagram matches the kit very closely, suggesting that either Zvezda based the kit on the diagram, or the diagram was based on the kit: Another unearthed morsel was this diagram (illustrating various component lubrication points). Again I've taken the liberty of colouring in of the pertinent bits. The diagram is similar to the previous one, but noticeably differs in that the main 'thrust line' from the transmission to the rear axle is straight through rather than slightly cranked (which makes more sense to me, but what do I know?): Although the lubrication diagram is of poor quality it does seem to answer the question of 'what happens when the 4WD selector lever is pulled in the cab?' If I'm not mistaken the diagram appears to show some kind of mechanical linkage from the the 4WD lever, the linkage running parallel to the prop shaft and into the transfer case. I'm guessing that when the lever is pulled, the linkage selects 4WD with a satisfying 'clunk': So, what else could we find? Well, not a great deal. There's a diagram of a prop shaft with universal joint (though I'm not sure where the intermediary bearing fits in? 2WD perhaps?), and a rear axle picture showing the area where the prop shaft would connect: And that's all that I could find, which is not a great deal to get your teeth into really. With a death of hard and fast information we'll have to trust what we have in the kit. So what has Zvezda given us? Let's start with the transfer case. Detail is OK to be honest, with what looks to be an oil drain plug represented on the bottom. Looking at the top we see an odd 'nubbin' thing. Not sure what this may be (where the oil goes in perhaps?), but I suspect a hole in the mounting cross member lines up with it for a reason: What about the prop shafts? Not too good unfortunately, as the fit is very sloppy due to the shafts being a few mm too short. Also, the universal joints look a bit weedy, probably being compromised my making them 'workable': OK, let's see what we can do. I mulled over what to do about the weedy universal joints, but lacking in any inspiration decided to live with them but tart things up a bit: To address the short prop shaft issue it was out with the brass tube of different diameters (where would we be without Albion Alloys ). The prop shaft could then be telescoped in for fitting, and then telescoped out to get a tight fit between transfer case and axle: Eventually we had three shiny new prop shafts, and a representation of the 4WD linkage. The transfer case also got some bling, including a totally imaginary socket (that looks like it may do something) for the 4WD linkage to slip into: Right, enough of the blather, this is what we end up with: What do you mean you can't see anything? OK, here's some close-ups in all the gory detail, first from above... ...and from below... ...and the imaginary 4WD linkage... 'How much of all this will actually be visible when the cab and bed are on?' you may ask. The answer would be 'Not a lot', but that's not the point is it. Finally, just a quick word about the jig, it's been worth it's weight in gold. Definitely worth the effort, but if I were to do it again, I'd go the extra mile and make it capable of a full 360o traverse rather than just 180o. Cheers, thanks for your patience and thanks for looking, Paul.

Ha, cheers Los. 👍 The build has been bumbling along so there has been some progress. I've been taking a bit of a break from the forum, but I'll aim to sort out some content for an update - thanks for the nudge.

I too reported your 'little joke' as unacceptable. I really don't know how you can be so confident that 'most people got it'. English is my first language, and it's easy to spot when someone is being crass, patronising and confrontational. As you say, it takes all sorts.

Time has flown (again) and I'm overdue an update (again). I've actually been very busy filling, sanding and painting, but sadly not related to this build. SWMBO unfortunately decided that the hallway just had to be redecorated, and when The Boss gets into DIY mode everything else takes a back seat. Not all bad news though, as whilst ensconced in the garage sawing dado rails and paneling stuff I cheekily sneaked knocked up something that is kind of related to the build, but more on that later... Thanks, and it's not daft at all John, it often being the little enhancements that are the most satisfying. You can spend ages on a complex thing and once done you think 'Meh, it's OK I guess', but something silly that took a couple of moments to knock up makes a real difference. Go figure Cheers echen, thanks for the encouragement.👍 Thanks Roger. I agree that sometimes 'less is more' when it come to exhaust rusting, and it's a good suggestion on the mud buildup. Looking at the pictures of overturned trucks things look surprisingly clean, but some splatters of mud here and there will certainly be in order (when the chassis is finally done). Cheers szeregowy, much appreciated. 👍 Thanks Keith. Funny you should mention crawling under your van. A chap up the road drives an old Land Rover so I strolled up to have a quick peek at his exhaust system. I thought it may look a bit odd if I scrambled under it for a good look, but I managed to get a couple of pictures while 'tying my shoelaces'. Blimey Jochen, you have a very good memory my friend, I'd forgotten all about those posts! With the chassis nearing completion, I pulled the bed out of storage just the other day to remind myself where I'd got to. There's some great reference material there - thank you.👍 Thanks Ross. Not sure if it's ghasting your flabber, or flabbering you ghast, but you can probably get some cream for it. I feel a bit of a fraud with the following update to be honest, 'cos although I've been doing some scratch building, it's only loosely related to the build. Let me explain... As you know we've been working on the chassis for some time now, this not being the easiest thing to work on as there's nothing to really hold on to, and there a multitude of 'sticky out' bits to get in the way. A home made 'handle' has served us very well up to now, this being bolted through a handy hole in a cross-member halfway along the chassis. All good things must come to an end though. We can no longer use the 'handle' as the next job is the drivetrain, and the transfer box mounts on that central cross member: We need an alternative way of holding the chassis while it is worked on. Taking inspiration from the maritime community I thought a posable platform might be useful. A root around in the garage turned up some raw materials and we ended up with a base. No, don't laugh, it's a quality bit of engineering For the platform, a lid from an old, cheap airbrush box was repurposed. I though a transparent platform would be a good idea, but the plastic was horrible to work with, having a tendency to 'melt' when sawed/drilled (and this was when using hand not power tools). A trip to a hardware store for some bolts and wingnuts and we end up with this: So far, so good, but how do we mount the chassis to the platform? The only real option was to mount through the wheels, so they were drilled to accept some M1.6 nuts (a job that should have been done long before the wheels added to the axles). The transparent platform made it easy to see where holes should be drilled to accept the bolts: Eventually, we end up with this: The platform can be moved through around 170o to allow some jaunty angles to be achieved: Critically, the platform can be moved enough to access the 'innards' of the chassis, which is where we want to be next: And that's as far as we've got I'm afraid. Apologies for this rather tenuous update. Hopefully normal service will be resumed shortly, although there have been mutterings along the lines of 'now the hallway has been decorated the utility room looks a bit tired'. Sigh Cheers, and thanks for looking, Paul.

Time for another update. As usual things took much longer than I'd expected. What I think will take a couple of days, ends up taking a couple of weeks. With estimate that overrun by such an extent I should probably work for the government. Many thanks John. I truly am flattered and somewhat humbled by your comments, but appreciate them greatly. Thank you. 👍 Right, we were focusing on the exhaust system. The manifold has been tarted up a bit, so what else needs to be done? Well thankfully we'll be using most of the exhaust piping 'as is', but temptation to dabble was just too great so the end pipe and its fixing was replaced by brass: With that done we were ready for paint, but what colour should the exhaust system be? I may be being a tad controversial here, but I'm not totally sold on the notion that all exhausts must be heavily rusted like they've been abandoned in Whitby harbour for ten years. Sure, exhaust systems do corrode, but how quickly, and to what extent? If we're modelling a truck that's only been in service for a year or so, how evident would rusting be on the exhaust system? I don't know, let's see what we can find out... Period pictures showing our exhaust system are hard to find, but images of overturned trucks (neither of them a L4500) may give some pointers. As ever, determining colours from monochrome pictures is a minefield, but the exhaust piping itself looks to be in pretty good nick to my eyes. There's some discolouration around the mufflers, but nothing too untoward I'd say? Given that we can't glean a great deal from period pictures let's check out extant examples. The problem is that surviving trucks are going to be many, many years old, so will the exhaust corrosion be representative of that in a much younger truck? Probably not, but let's look anyway. These two wreak examples are in pretty bad shape, but even so the manifolds don't look to be too corroded (just general surface rust maybe?): A close up of manifolds on examples in better condition show pitting and surface rust, but noting too gruesome really: Pictures of elsewhere along the exhaust system are harder to come by, but we can find a couple of examples. I suspect that the mufflers here aren't original, no doubt being replaced at some time during the life of the truck, but they do give some indication as to how the things look: Right, enough of the blather, let's get on with the update. For good or for bad I decided to go for a 'light surface rust with a more corrosion at strategic points' kind of look: OK, so how do things look in situ? Well, working for the front we have the manifold: The manifold collects the exhaust gasses into a pipe running under the chassis to the muffler. The pipe looks a tad exposed and precarious but matches well with what we see in period examples: The muffler is attached to the inner wall of the chassis, the exhaust then continuing over the rear axle: Finally we get to the business end: So that's the (not very rusty) exhaust system done. How realistic it actually is is anybody's guess, but I quite like the look, so there! Cheers, and thanks for looking, Paul.

Hi Andrew. I think what @NIK122 may be alluding to is that the rear corner storage box perhaps should be turned by 90o? Looking at the box on the real thing the latches face the rear and the strengthening 'X' faces out, but on your (excellent) model the latches face out and the 'X' forward. As the box looks to be non-square you may gain a mm or two? Fantastic work by the way. I'm generally a big fan of PE but rather you than me with the 'handles from hell' Paul.

Time for another update, which, as ever, is later than I'd hoped, which means that my comment responses always seem to be an afterthought. Please accept my apologies, I really do value and appreciate your support. 👍 Cheers Roger, very kind of you to say. 👍 Thanks Kristjan. I do find the Aber nuts set to be useful, but a word of warning, the nuts aren't perfect, some having 'flash' which is nigh on impossible to clean up. It may just be my set that is affected, and to be honest it isn't really noticeable without high magnification (the larger nuts in this image are about 1mm), but given the supreme quality of your work I thought I'd mention it. Cheers Keith, and thanks for the encouragement. 👍 Right on with the update. I'd hoped to have the whole exhaust system done by now, but I had one of those 'Oh, that doesn't look right' moments, and as per usual it gnawed and gnawed until something had to be done. The manifold wasn't right, and that just wouldn't do now would it? Let's see what we're dealing with. Here's the manifold, which looks like a hefty lump of metal, bolted to the engine with some substantial flanges: The manifold clearly seems to be composed of three sections, having prominent joins around the middle section, which also has an odd 'lozenge' shape thing in the centre: So what does Zvezda provide for the manifold? Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the original, but this engine image found elsewhere gives an idea of what we're dealing with. Hmmmm, It doesn't look much like the real thing does it, being vastly simplified and rather underwhelming? OK, lets see what we can do. An attempt was made to replicate the multi-sectional nature of the manifold (and add the 'lozenge' thing) using card and putty. This improved things, but it still just didn't look quite right for some reason: The penny finally dropped after comparison with an engine diagram from the Mauliter manual. The manifold proportions were totally wrong. I've attempted to illustrate the problem by scaling images to roughly the same size, and drawing lots of lovely red lines. The collector pipes from the engine to the manifold body were too long, and the down-pipe from the manifold body was too short. Additionally, the kit manifold is rather emaciated, needing to be beefed up somewhat: Once these problems have been seen they just cannot be unseen. Something must be done, but what? Scratch-building a replacement was beyond my capabilities (I really need to get into this 3D printing witchcraft). We'll just have to see what can be done to modify what we have. A strip of card was glued to the end of the collector pipes to retain their spacing and orientation, and then it was out with the saw. Chop some bits here, add a bit there, glue it back together, add putty, sand, et voilà!: The proportions are looking better, but we still need to add the prominent flanges to the collector pipes. Flanges were made using the old trick of tacking laminates of card together, shape with a needle file, separate, tidy up, and we end up with six (nearly) identical flanges: Dealing with the skinniness was more of a problem. The only solution I could come up with was to slosh on multiple coats of 'past it's best' enamel paint. Testing the principal on a bit of sprue suggested that we can add some girth, albeit very slowly. The picture is after five coats, so you can imagine how long the process takes given the curing time of enamel paint in a perishingly cold shed: Anyhoo, enough of the waffle, what do we end up with? It's certainly not perfect, but it's a lot better than it was in the first place (to my eyes anyway): And finally a quick comparison with the real thing. The proportions looks just about right I'd say. Still a bit too skinny though. Hey ho And that's things up to date. A whole post talking about nothing but an exhaust manifold. If you've made it this far you deserve some kind of medal. 🏅 Cheers, and thanks for looking, Paul.

There's a bit more progress to report on, so I think it's time for an update, but first the usual belated responses... Ha, cheers Nik, but the key fob has already been catered for. Sadly there's no Mercedes badge on it to impress when thrown into the bowl at the special parties I go to (damn, I said that last bit out loud didn't I?) Thanks John. Choosing the right camera is a bit of a head scratcher, which is probably why I've put it off for so long. I think sometimes you can just have too much choice. Well played with the Paul Simon pun by the way. To avoid confusion with names, perhaps people could call me Al? Cheers Jochen. Google Translate is pretty good but nothing beats the real thing! 👍 Tsk, there's always one isn't there Thanks Andrew. I think there's probably less dust, biscuit crumbs, cat hairs, etc. on the real thing. The workbench definitely needs a spring clean. Right, on with the update, More plumbing I'm afraid, this time related to the cooling system. Firstly we'll connect the bottom of the radiator to the engine mounted water pump. The lower coolant hose connection is pretty much hidden, this image of an extant vehicle giving the best idea of what the plumbing looks like: We can also find tantalising glimpses of the plumbing in other images. The suggestion is a 'U' shaped affair, hoses being connected by jubilee clipped rubber sleeving? A page from Jochen's Maultier manual also gives a further clue on what things look like (#6, #7, and #8): OK, we've probably got enough to go on here so let's see what we can knock up. Lead wire provides the hose, and brass tube the rubber sleeve and jubilee clips. My standards must be slipping as no attempt has been made to replicate the drain tap (#8 on the diagram above). Tut, tut, you just can't get the staff these days. As an aside I'll mention the Aber Bolts & Nuts set here, elements from which come in useful as makeshift 'flanges' (drill a nut hole to the right diameter, and we have a 'flange' which can hide a multitude of sins): So, what do we end up with? Well you'll have to take my word for it that the radiator and water pump are actually connected as it's jolly tricky to photograph in the bowels of the engine bay. What do you mean you can't see it? It's there, as clear as day! Who am I kidding, it's more or less invisible under normal viewing conditions. Hey, ho, such is a modeller's life: 🤪 Let's move on to something that will be visible, the top coolant connection to the radiator. Again the Maultier manual comes to the fore providing this very nice engine diagram. Our coolant flows through the oddly shaped tubing indicated by #8: Pictures of an extant vehicle provide more detail on the tubing, along with what appears to be a jubilee clipped rubber sleeve for the connection to the radiator (similar to that seen on the lower connection): What the top radiator connection looks like is a bit of a mystery, but the Maultier manual again provides a clue (item #4): So what does Zvezda provide in the kit for this prominent feature of the engine? Absolutely nothing, that's what, which is quite surprising as the engine as a whole is nicely represented. We're on our own with this, so let's see what we can do. Although the coolant tubing structure looks quite complex it can be broken down into simple components. So it's out with the brass rod and tube, some measuring, some drilling, and eventually we end up with something that will pass muster: Slosh some paint on, fit to the engine, and we end up with this: And some close up shots showing all the gruesome detail (macro really is a killer isn't it 😞 Finally an overhead view, which happily shows that the work on the lower connection wasn't totally to waste as it can be seen (just) from above. Hooray! And that brings things up to date. Apologies for what turned out to be a long rambling update that basically says 'I added two pipe things'. I suspect the next update will be similar, but the pipe things will contain exhaust gasses not water. Cheers, and as ever, thanks for looking, Paul.

It's not just you Nik, it's very much a mixed bag. I'm a big fan of PE. Some sets are great and really enhance a model, but others are a bit of a joke really. I've been fleeced in the past with PE components that just don't fix, are clumsy or simplified, are laughable 2d representations of 3d objects, or are much worse than the plastic they are supposed to replace. It's as if no real thought has been put into the product, but never mind, some punter will buy it anyway. I'm still a sucker for the stuff, but am much more wary these days. Cracking work by the way - it's looking super fab. I'm also intrigued by the VMS black CA - cheers for the heads up. 👍 Paul.

Oooo, this looks interesting M2 - feel free to crack on. I was going to suggest adding the Sd.Kfz 251/3 alongside, but guess that may be flogging a dead horse. Paul.

Absolutely no need to apologise Roger, it's the thought behind your comment that is important, not the name mix up. Life does have a habit of getting in the way. I trust your distractions are not too troublesome. Funnily enough, people do seem to have a habit of confusing me with someone else. Only the other day an irate chap in an Audi gave me an strange wave and called me a banker, which is odd as I've never worked in the finance sector. Paul.

Blimey, what's this, another update within the week? What on earth is going on? Perhaps this Simon chap is involved somehow? Staggeringly there has been some progress, but first let me respond to your greatly appreciated comments... Cheers Stef. I seem to recall reading that the truck was given the unflattering nickname of 'long nose', which is a shame, as I reckon it is indeed a handsome beast. 👍 Ha, ha, sadly nothing happens when you turn the key (yet?) Thanks for the encouragement Keith. 👍 Cheers John. I must admit to deliberating far too much on the post content to be honest, so it's very encouraging to hear your positive response. I'm never quite happy with the quality of the photos, constantly mulling over whether to invest in a proper camera and lights, rather than snapping away with the phone near the window. Cheers Nik, and many thanks for the usual encouragement. 👍 Of course not Keith, Simon said it's not plumbed in yet! Ha, Roger. I'm not sure who Simon is, but he's right. Let's see what happens when everything is plumbed in. It's this mysterious Simon chap again - he certainly gets about a bit! Only teasing you Roger. It's easy to get peoples names wrong, I've done it myself a few times. Thank you for your comments which are greatly appreciated. 👍 Cheers Shago, very kind of you to say. 👍 Thanks Kristjan. I agree that strategically placed placards can 'bling' things up nicely. In fact, I'm sure I noticed a cheeky placard in one of your engine bays recently. Cheers Ed. I'm shocked and somewhat flattered that you keep an eye on this thread. Thank you. 👍 Right on with the update - more engine pictures I'm afraid, as a start has been made on the plumbing. Firstly, we need to hook up the engine mounted air compressor to the air line on the chassis. The Maultier manual unearthed by @Jochen Barett provides a nice picture of what we need to add (the pipework annotated by #3). The second picture shows a different compressor type, but similar pipework, which can be seen progressing down to the chassis through the louvers in the side bonnet panel: The route of the piping down to and along the chassis can just about be seen in these poor quality pictures of a 'naked' engine: OK, let's see what we can do. A small length of wire was fashioned to connect the compressor to the air line on the chassis. It looks simple enough doesn't it, but it may surprise you to learn that it took three attempts to get it right (#1 was too short, #2 was too bent). Like Goldilocks' porridge, #3 was just right: So, is the pipework visible through the bonnet louvers as in the image above? Well sort of, but you need to be viewing at the right angle: Next we'll hook up the fuel lines. Jochen's manual comes to the fore again providing a very nice diagram of the fuel system. The uppermost text is from the manual, the lowermost is what Google translate spits out. We're looking at adding the 'fuel in' line (item #8) and the 'fuel out' line (item #1): Pictures of these lines are unfortunately few and far between, at best being merely tantalising glimpses: OK, we'll have to use a bit of imagination and come up with some best guesses. These bits of mangled wire don't look too impressive do they, but let me tell you, they involved a lot of trial, error, pain, and cussing. The reasoning behind the spirals is twofold; firstly the loops look feasible and kinda cool, secondly, and more importantly, they allow some 'wiggle room' during fitment (expanding/compressing the loops makes a difference to things fitting or not). So, what do we end up with? Well the 'fuel out' line is quite visible and looks believable: The 'fuel in' line connection to the fuel injection pump is sadly buried in the bowels of the engine bay (it is there though, honest ). An overhead view, however, shows the connections to the fuel lines on the chassis. It's looking suitably busy in the right hand side of the engine bay: Now that we have the air and fuel lines plumbed in, methinks it's engine cooling next... Cheers, thanks for looking, and many thanks for the continued support, Paul (aka Simon ).

First may I offer some belated season greetings. and may thank you all for your much appreciated support. 👍 Shamefully this build is now entering it's 5th year, and it will come as no surprise that the painfully slow progress continues (so much for New Year resolutions!) In my defense I have some valid excuses this time, the 'modelling studio' (aka the spare bedroom) being occupied for much of the xmas period, and the 'paint studio' (aka the shed) being far too perishing to do any meaningful work. There has however been some meaningful progress... I was determined to start the new year on a positive note by drawing a line under the engine faffing and get the thing mounted into the chassis. Before this could be done though, we need to tart up the engine bay with some detail painting, the addition of some placards (which I'm a sucker for even though some are imaginary), and some general dirtying up: With that done we can now mount the engine. This was easier said than done as the fitment was quite sloppy, and we had to ensure replicate the slight downwards orientation of the engine relative to the chassis. The engine orientation is evident in diagrams and various graphics (these examples being obtained from the excellent Engines of the Wehrmacht site, which is well worth a look if WWII Axis is your thing): Verifying the downwards engine orientation was a challenge, but these wreak and period Fire truck pictures seem to suggest that it is valid. I guess that the orientation makes sense in that it helps maintain a straight line for the drive-train from the engine to the transfer box mounted mid chassis - dunno really? Anyhoo, after some fettling, tweaking and messing we end up with the engine mounted at something like the correct orientation: And with that, the engine is in - hooray! Naturally, some of the detail has disappeared somewhat, but hey, that's the modellers life: Must admit to being quite pleased with how the radiator and cooling fan has turned out though: And the work to rebuild the engine sump hasn't gone to waste as it's quite prominent from a frontal view. Result! All in all there's been some meaningful progress for a change. Getting the engine in has turned from a bit of a millstone to a significant milestone. It's not the end of the engine faffing though as now we have to start on the various plumbing, but that's a story for another day... Cheers, Happy New Year, and thanks for looking, Paul.

Well it's been quite some time since the last update. It's the usual story of life, work and a lack of mojo conspiring to grind the build to a halt. I do apologies for my slothfulness. There has, howver, been a smidgen of progress to report on. I must admit I'm sometimes my own worst enemy when it comes to killing my fragile mojo. I've been stuck in a rut on the engine, with an angel on one shoulder saying 'the engine is fine, move on to something else', but a devil on the other shoulder saying 'but what about those missing bits, you can't leave it like that'. Let me try to explain... Looking at engine pictures we see various paraphernalia around the gearbox and bell-housing area, the 'boomerang' shaped clutch/brake levers being especially prominent. Also of interest is the throttle pedal which appears to sit directly on the bell-housing (though any throttle linkage remains a mystery): Here's another example of what I believe to be a post-war bus wreak which shows another view of the clutch/brake 'boomerangs' and throttle pedal, but also shows the 4WD selector adjacent to the gear stick (the 4WD selector being missing from the previous pictures, the first presumably being 2WD, the second being from the Maultier manual found by Jochen): OK, so what does the kit give us in this area? Well not a lot, as can be seen from this image grabbed from elsewhere. The various pedals and levers are mounted in the cab (which is fair enough), but the kit gearbox and bell-housing is nevertheless pretty sparse (which is kinda understandable given that not much will be visible of this area under normal viewing angles): As little would be seen I was planning on leaving the gear-box area 'as is', but that pesky shoulder devil kept nagging away, and well, you know how it goes. The first job was to build up the area where the gear stick and 4WD selector attach to the gear-box. This actually has some value as it prevent a 'see through' look when viewed at low angles (previously you could see daylight highlighting the fact that the gear-stick in the cab isn't actually connected to the gear-box): The next job was pure fantasy. The shoulder devil insisted that the throttle pedal wasn't connected to anything and that just wouldn't do at all. So, some bits'n'bobs were used to knock up a totally imaginary throttle linkage (to roughly the area of that 'throttle return spring' thingy behind the Einspritzpumpe that was discussed many moons ago): There is a slight chance that the throttle linkage may just be seen when the engine and cab are in place (but I suspect you'll have to look really, really hard to see it) The final job was admittedly a bit bonkers truth be told, an attempt being made to represent the clutch/brake 'boomerangs' from scraps of etch fret: The idea is that the 'boomerangs' will be mounted on the bell-housing, and the ends will stick through holes in the cab foot-well to give the impression that they are connected to the clutch/brake pedals: Will everything line up when the engine and can are in place? Time will tell (there's too much play at the moment to know for sure). Will any of this be visible when the engine and cab is in place? Most probably not, which is why it's all a bit bonkers. You may see the end of the 'boomerangs' popping out of the foot-well, but that's about it I reckon. Hey ho. And that's things up to date. Cheers, thanks for looking, and thanks for your patience, Paul.

Crikey, what's a Percival Pembroke doing flirting with a MiG 23? Must admit that's one Dogfight Double I never thought I'd see!

And I'm very glad that you happened upon that site Jochen. What an excellent find, I suspect you've unearthed a little goldmine there - thank you. I've downloaded the manual and shall start to devour the goodies within (I can see Google Translate getting a hammering in the near future!) Only one problem Jochen - why couldn't you have stumbled across that site three years ago?

Hmmmm, not sure to be honest. It was quite rare, but I think I'd stick with that late war scheme of dunkelbarbie 🤪

Lovely work Nik. After all the trials and tribulations she looks flipping gorgeous! Very well done Never say never, especially when you could be building something like this...

No update for a while as I've been out and about on several trips (mostly pleasure), so apologies for the late responses to your welcome comments... Cheers Nik. Not sure if it's bravery or stupidity to be honest, but things worked out OK in the end.👍 Thanks Keith. It would make sense for there to be some sump protection for when the going gets a bit lumpy, but just guesswork really. Ha, Jochen, now that would just be silly <quietly opens new browser tab to search for micro electrical components> . Cheers Stef - quite chuffed with how it worked out tbh. 👍 I agree, they do look nice Milan. I'm a fan of weighted wheels as I think they make a big difference to how wheeled vehicles 'sit'. Ha, you silver tongued devil Rob. Cheers Kristjan. I'm glad it's not just me that keeps noticing things. I was hoping the engine would seen be mounted by now, but guess what, I've noticed other things. Right, what's been going on then? Well not a great deal to be honest as I've been on a couple of holidays. I think it was @Keeff who mentioned he was a history buff, so just for him, here's some Roman antiquities (around 3k km apart, one location being very much hotter than the other): Sightseeing has meant that progress has been curtailed somewhat, being limited to working on the engine air filters: The air filters look to come in various shapes and sizes, those provided in the kit appearing to be modeled on the style seen here: Missing from the kit representation are the diamond manufacturers badge (?). I'm guessing that the filters screw onto the engine ports hence the different orientation of the 'diamonds' on the two filters - dunno? I hoped to find decals in the spares box to represent the 'diamonds', but no such luck, so we had to get imaginative. Looking at some old etch we see 'sprue' attachment points that have a similar diamond shape. Hacking off a piece of 'sprue' and finessing the shapes results in some passable diamonds: Also missing from the kit filters is the 'mesh' effect around the periphery. How this may best be replicated caused some head scratching, but eventually it was decided to suggest the mesh using some Archer treadplate resin decal: So what do we end up with? Well the 'diamonds' are a bit too big, and the 'mesh' is not really fine enough, but it is what it is: Finally some shots with the filters mounted on the engine. The 'mesh' effect kinda gets lost under the paint, but it will do: And that's things up to date. As ever, cheers, and thanks for looking, Paul.

We're on a bit of a roll at the moment with more progress to report on. Shocking I know - I really don't know what's got into me! But first, some responses to your encouraging comments... Never fear Echen, it's not a race, I think of it as getting your money's worth out of the kits that you buy. Cheers Keith. What the lever and spring thing was for certainly got the old cogs whirring, but it looks like Jochen may have come up with the goods. Sounds good Rob - enjoy! Thanks John. One of my (many) faults is that I do like a good ramble, so pleased to hear it's not too off-putting. Cheers Echen. 👍 Thanks Ed, very kind of you to say. 👍 Cheers Francis. I kinda struggle with painting engines, finding it a tricky balance between the need for them to look used, but not over the top grubby. Your comment is very encouraging - thank you. 👍 Sorry to hear that you've fallen out of love with your G4 Nik. Often we're our own harshest critic, but following your last update, it looks to me to be coming one very nicely indeed. Thanks Jochen - I reckon your guess is not too wide of the mark. I've failed to find any evidence of any hint of a linkage to the throttle pedal, but I may let my imagination run wild and knock something up (although space is very limited when the cab is in place). Right on with the update... Have you ever noticed something, that you can't understand how you hadn't noticed it before, that you wish you'd noticed way earlier, and now it's been noticed it cannot be unnoticed? No? Maybe it's just me then. 🤪 Let me try to explain. Comparing the engine sump with pictures of the real thing we see that the kit representation looks somewhat crude and clumsy. The main problem seems to be the number of cooling fins(?) on the sump, the kit having 4 fins, the real thing having 6-7: 'So what?', you may ask, 'the sump will be hidden in the bowels of the engine bay anyway'. Well, not really, as the truck's high stance means that the sump is quite prominent: One fix could be to 'box' the sump in which seems to have happened on some examples (maybe to protect the exposed sump when traveling off road?): Another option would be to replace the sump with something more representative. Let's see what we can do.... Well you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs. I must admit that I didn't expect the sump to be a solid lump of plastic, so hacking it off was more tricky than I'd expected. Thank goodness the engine didn't have lots of delicate, intricate wiring in place that could be damaged during the operation. Oh, hang on... With the sump off we need to fabricate a replacement. A picture paints a thousand words so I'll let these do the talking: The base of the kit sump was salvaged from the kit offering and everything was then pieced back together again: Sloshing some paint on revealed the new sump with increased number of cooling fins: And finally a before/after comparison. Amazingly no wiring was damaged during the process - the modelling gods were certainly smiling. The proof of the pudding will be when the engine is mounted on the chassis. What's the betting that the sump won't be visible after all? And that brings things up to date. After the burst of activity over the last few weeks, I suspect that normal service will unfortunately be resumed. Various trips and work commitments are rearing their ugly heads, so sadly progress is going to reduce. Ho hum, such is life For now, cheers, and thanks for looking, Paul.

It sounds like it's been putting up a fight Nik, but from what I can see, you've given it a damn good thrashing. Lovely work, it's tuning out to be a real stunner. Especially like the reserve fuel toaster thingy Paul.

Wow, I've been blown away with all the responses, although there appears to be a common theme that suggests that I'm not the quickest of builders. I'm not sure where you get that impression from, after all this thread has only been going for 3.5 years - it's only just run in. Joking aside, thanks to you all - it certainly helps with the motivation! Cheers Nik, much appreciated. Coincidentally, I was wondering the other day what had happened with your three-pointed star G4 beauty? Thanks John. I suspect that Xmas is a bit optimistic - we don't want to rush things now do we? Cheers Shago, very kind of you to say. 👍 Thanks Keith. Yes, I think the camber is valid, so credit to Zvezda for moulding it into the front axle (though if I was being picky I think they may have overdone it slightly). I trust you're keeping Mrs K on her toes by testing her frequently on your history words of wisdom? Cheers Roger. It's amazing how the addition of some wheels has suddenly transformed things. Ha, steady on now Echen - what's that they say about people in glass houses? Thanks Andrew. Great throwaway line there - proper laugh with that one. Cheers Rob, I didn't realise you suffered from insomnia though. Thanks Kristjan, much appreciated. 👍 Right, as for the build, the long weekend has happily allowed more bench time. With the chassis progressing nicely, I figured that the next logical addition would be the engine. Those of you with excellent memories may recall that the engine was built many moons ago, it being cocooned away awaiting the work on the chassis. Unfortunately the engine suffered some damage during it's hibernation, as illustrated by this pretty poor image. The red arrows indicate a broken line which should represent a fuel line that recirculates unburnt fuel (I think). The yellow arrow indicates the wire that connects the glow plugs (again, I think), this being broken at the LHS where it should extend to travel through the firewall: That picture is a bit rubbish, so let's see what things look like on the extant truck at the Stammheim museum. Again red arrows indicate the unburnt fuel line, yellow arrows the glow plug connectors: Another museum example, but with more period components. Same story with the arrows: No doubt you're fed up with arrows by now, so let's see what the engine looks like with the damaged lines replaced: While studying engine pictures I noticed a lever with spring 'thing' that disappears behind the Einspritzpumpe (fuel injector pump): I don't have a clue what the 'thing' is (something to do with the throttle perhaps?), but let's add it anyway while we're here. What do you mean you can't see it? The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed a few placards have appeared here and there on the engine, Some placards represent real features on the engine, some are more fanciful. I'm a sucker for 'em though as I feel they lift and add interest to what would fundamentally be a lump of greyness. 'Where do the placards come from?' you may ask. Well, from these 1/32 cockpit placard decals: You get all kinds of shapes and sizes, and although these are Luftwaffe based, it doesn't really matter as they are generally illegible: I'm rambling a bit, for which I apologise, but finally for completeness, let's see the other side of the engine. It's a lot less busy, but we've added some simplistic wiring to what is assumed to be the alternator and the starter motor: And that brings things up to date. Cheers, and thanks for looking, Paul.

Cheers Keith. Normandy is well worth a trip, though if I was to visit again, I think I'd go with some like minded friends rather than the family. They indulged me, bless them, but there's only so many museums/memorials/gun emplacements/etc. you can drag them around before they start looking at their phones, Right, I have some shocking news - there has been an uncharacteristic burst of activity! I don't know what's come over me to be honest. Perhaps I'm ailing for something, or maybe the holiday recharged some batteries I didn't know I had. Whatever, we have some progress to report on... Firstly, the front axle was weathered up and added to the chassis, the steering being set to a jaunty full-lock. I thought I'd add a picture of the steering mechanism at this point as it's doubtful we'll ever see it again when the wheel is on: 🤪 Talking of wheels, one thing led to another, and before we knew what was happening, the truck has it's boots on: A bit of fettling was needed, but not too bad considering the butchering that went on with the wheels. There was some collateral damage on the way (note the absent width indicator) but any missing 'sticky out' bits are safe and sound but left off for now, I was momentarily concerned about the 'toeing in' of front wheels, thinking that something had gone out of square somewhere down the line. A bit of digging, however, confirmed that positive camber is apparently a good thing, giving 'a smoother ride for the vehicle on uneven ground, which makes it common for most off-read vehicles'. Every day is a school day (it is for me anyway): Finding corroborating evidence of positive camber was more of a challenge, head-on pictures where the wheels are visible being hard to find. I did find a diagram, however, where camber seems to be evident, and a picture of an extant truck maybe suggests some camber? The butchered wheels have turned out OK which is pleasing. As suspected that steering mechanism is more or less hidden now the wheel is on: All six wheel touch the ground and everything is level, which is a result: And finally, the weighted wheel effect gives a nice 'planted' look to things: And that's things up to date. It feels like we've hit a significant milestone now the truck is on it's feet and starting to look like, well, a truck. Cheers, and thanks for looking, Paul.

And I for one am very glad that you did. Thank you Ian 👍 I too spent many hours admiring Don Skinner's work as a nipper. In fact I still have the book (well thumbed), which I duly dug out of the loft: I suspect that this is the 'command group' you refer to, which is a good example of the quality of Don's work: Happy memories have flooded back Paul.