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Hey Everyone, I thought I would start this WIP with a little back info. I came to the decision about this scratch project when I was working on the Maz build about a year ago or so. I tend to work quite a ways ahead of myself. I have spent that time now, gathering everything I need for this build and I'm almost ready to give this a timid start. I say timid because this will be my secondary build for a bit while I finish my DIO. build, so not as much time devoted to this project just now, but slow and steady to start. MAZ 543/Scud B I have very good references for scratching this large Russian launcher. There seems to be a number of good kits available on this subject. I really like all the body panels on this beast. I thought I could stretch myself a bit with these body panels and I like the overall big feel of this. You know me, big Russian trucks with many tires. However after getting most of the materials together to the point that I have everything for this build, and really started looking at what I had for a scratch project, and I realized that underneath the body work is the same Straight Rail Ladder Frame with the same Suspension and Drive System that I just built in the MAZ project. I didn't want to build another Maz. This will be a great project later on, but I want to build something not a MAZ. M25 DRAGON WAGON My second choice to scratch was the huge American M25 Dragon Wagon. I like this monster large tractor very much, with so many possibilities to work with. And for me, the single thing that really makes me want to attempt this project is the idea of scratching a Quad Chain Double Axle !! Oh! the chains of bondage and torture we model builders put ourselves through. I was a bit worked up to start this project when everything stalled. I need to find clearer, cleaner references for the engine and transmission components. So for now that is where this project is. FROG-7 Now it brings me to this. A, Zill- 135 carrier, with a Luna-M Tactical Missile, and a 9P113 Launcher. That's a bad boy! That can be nuclear armed. The 9M21 missile is the very one pointed at my back yard during the Cuban Missile Crisis when I was a kid. I finally chose this for a lot of reasons, that I know are just going to hurt me. The main thing that grabbed me about this, is the idea of these rounded body panels and how molded they appear. In fact, they are molded. Sprayed into a mold, fiberglass body panels. All the body panels on the launcher are fiberglass with the main chassis and drive line iron and steel. I have no clue how I'm going to do that. Thinking back, I could just kick myself for not thinking of how to do a lot of things on the Maz build. So keeping that in mind I have a list of things that I want to accomplish with this build. The very first thing with this build is the scale. I'm so used to building in 1/16 and 1/20 scale, that anything smaller is getting to hard to see and work with. I had considered building this ugly Frog prince project the same scale as the Maz so I could put it in the same junkyard. But when I looked at how big this is, even at my build scale, 1/25, the frame is just about as big as the Maz was at 1/20 scale. I also considered that at 1/25 scale I have a new world open up to me with all the aftermarket details. Just about anything I need to accomplish the details I want to try. I have recently discovered something that i'm sure that all you guys already know. In that, it is a hobby unto itself just collecting items for our hobby. I would like to articulate the doors and panels. I tried this with limited success during the Maz build. But also the suspension, the steering, the windows, the launcher and the crane... I also need a good stretching in the detail department with hose fittings and wiring and such. Look at all that junk to detail. This going to be a real royal pain! I've been here a few years now and have seen some great builders with great techniques and materials usage, and I'm looking forward to stealing everything I can from everybody to help me work in a smaller scale with more details. The last thing I do in my personal build style is , after I get all the patterns and references together. I gather the build materials. I have all of the basic styrene material, and I'm looking for the 3rd party details as their need arise. The first part of the build is the main, Straight Rail X-Frame. I'll be back, Thanks All.