badger Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 This link might help as there's a whole load of K6 conversions on there. https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/austin-k6-conversion-possibilities-t16950.html All the best Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 8 hours ago, badger said: This link might help as there's a whole load of K6 conversions on there. https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/austin-k6-conversion-possibilities-t16950.html All the best Ben Thanks Ben, I'll pop over and a have a look. Just noticed we are already on page 2 and 'nothing' has happened with regards to pointy knives and glue - just a load of waffle from me as usual - or 'research' as I like to call it. There was actually some progress last night - I'll get some pictures up later. Steve 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mancunian airman Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 You could run with a 20 or 50KW generator vehicle . . . . surely found 'somewhere in Holland' in support of numerous comms groups ? Simply a square box with curtains and a step platform at the rear ???? My 25 yrs example . . . 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 17 minutes ago, Mancunian airman said: You could run with a 20 or 50KW generator vehicle . . . . surely found 'somewhere in Holland' in support of numerous comms groups ? Simply a square box with curtains and a step platform at the rear ???? My 25 yrs example . . . Thanks Ian - I am admirer of your various conversions and the airbase diorama you have long been working on - all good stuff - Steve 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 It's been a fun morning at work - waiting for a customer who said he is coming in and wants to complain to 'whoever is in charge'. In the absence of any adults I have been volunteered to 'take one for the team'. So - whilst I have been waiting - for 3 hours I have had a chance to look at my progress last night... I finally got the pliers / scalpel / sanders and glue out last night - for a session at the bench before tea. I started with the K6 chassis as I think this is going to be the more fun part of the build... ...immediately I noticed this ejector and the effect it had on the other side of the plastic - on both frames... so I got the scriber out and 'gouged' it a bit straighter. I was more impressed with the rear double leaf springs though... ...as they actually have locating strips - so you can't get it wrong... I always struggle with AIRFIX suspensions - they are so fragile and I am so ham fisted. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 As you may have guessed - yes - that customer turned up... Anyway - I got the back leaf springs on... Then the fronts... ...so far so good. Next up was the back / back axle along with the drive shaft... ...and then the front / back axle... All very well thought out by AIRFIX I have to say. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 Now it was the turn of the KATY - step one shows the chassis getting bonded to the floor of the truck and the leaf springs adding... At first glance the leaf springs all look the same - but they are different front and rear - the rears have a semi-circular notch... ...the fronts don't... In all my excitement at getting this basic detail correct - I completely missed this... The subframe on one of the KATYs is completely cracked - a proper 'insurance write off' if ever I saw one. However, as I'm not insured to drive an ambulance anyway I just thought I wonder what happened there. I'm pretty sure it must have come off the sprue that way - it's had no rough handling. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 That crack has pushed one side of the front out... I'll check when I get home to see if it can be forced back in place - I'm not too worried - yet... The exhausts were a bit of a disappointment - not because of their detail or anything - just that apart from the lead pipe - there are no other obvious fixing points on the chassis. If this were a Tamiya kit it would have a more obvious fixing point - but I got there in the end and added the axles drive shaft over the top - all a bit 'springy' it has to be said. So that was stages 1 and 6 completed - all before tea was ready - mind you I got home for 5:30 and SWMBO didn't produce her masterpiece until nearly 8pm. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventora3300 Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 The build is progressing well and looking splendid, Steve. I hope your customer was polite and you managed to distract him/her with your new range in 'water effect' board, because I'm sure he was in to complain that he couldn't get enough of it and why wasn't it in all the shops! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 After tea I fully intended cracking on with stages 2 and 7 - until I noticed it contained 22 wheel hubs and tyres that are in 'less than' perfect condition. Yes I know aftermarket are available - but I'm feeling adventurous - just not adventurous at 9pm at night. That left me with some mud flaps for the KATY's - so I popped those on and called it night. Not bad for the first night and I will knock the wheels up tonight. So that's nearly all the 'boring' stuff done. Thanks for looking in - Steve 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 (edited) On 8/21/2018 at 3:47 PM, Heather Kay said: the K6 was a fairly lightweight chassis (3 tons?). It was popular with the RAF for all kinds of things, but seems rare in Army service. Only lightweight by modern standards; 3 tonners were very much the standard workhorses of the military in WW2. Even the famous and ubiquitous GMC "Jimmy" was only rated at 2½ tonnes. It could and probably usually did carry up to the rated 5 tons on hard roads, but the British trucks were similarly rated for off-road use and could/would be "overloaded" for road use. Heavier trucks, 6 tonners and 10 tonners, were restricted to road use in the supply role behind the lines. Army planners could only dream of modern 30 and 60 tonners - not least of roads capable of carrying them!. The book "British Military Trucks of WW2" from Tankograd (which is indispensable for anyone interested) does show some K6s in Army use, but not many compared with their widespread RAF use. One particular use by the Army only, of interest to modellers here, is the adaption to fit a Coles crane - not quite the same version as in the Recovery Set but not a long way out. I suspect that the Katys seen in post 19 were probably still in the chocolate brown SCC2, as only new vehicles were to be painted in olive drab SCC15. But given that the photo has to be late in 1944, then perhaps. Those in "Mickey Mouse" should almost certainly have been brown rather than green - paints with a green pigment had been restricted to RAF use because of a strategic shortage. Edited August 22, 2018 by Graham Boak add the intended RAF and again for K6 - a crane on a K2 and no-one noticed? 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 1 hour ago, Graham Boak said: Only lightweight by modern standards; 3 tonners were very much the standard workhorses of the military in WW2. Even the famous and ubiquitous GMC "Jimmy" was only rated at 2½ tonnes. It could and probably usually did carry up to the rated 5 tons on hard roads, but the British trucks were similarly rated for off-road use and could/would be "overloaded" for road use. Heavier trucks, 6 tonners and 10 tonners, were restricted to road use in the supply role behind the lines. Army planners could only dream of modern 30 and 60 tonners - not least of roads capable of carrying them!. The book "British Military Trucks of WW2" from Tankograd (which is indispensable for anyone interested) does show some K2s in Army use, but not many compared with their widespread RAF use. One particular use by the Army only, of interest to modellers here, is the adaption to fit a Coles crane - not quite the same version as in the Recovery Set but not a long way out. I suspect that the Katys seen in post 19 were probably still in the chocolate brown SCC2, as only new vehicles were to be painted in olive drab SCC15. But given that the photo has to be late in 1944, then perhaps. Those in "Mickey Mouse" should almost certainly have been brown rather than green - paints with a green pigment had been restricted to RAF use because of a strategic shortage. Brilliant information as always from you Graham. You have helped me many times on Aircraft questions and now trucks too - GOLDMINE - cheers mate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 The bank holiday is fast approaching and I might get these turned around in a week - with a bit of effort and less rambling. Last night got off to a slow start as I had all the wheel hubs and tyres to 'tidy up' - but I got there after about 2 hours and they are safely back in their bags - ready for priming... I had been concerned that the hubs would be a tight fit - with no 'room for error' when pushing them home - but a quick 'accidental' test fit - as you can see from the bag on the bottom right shows they are very loose actually - so no need to worry if I am overly generous with the paints. Determined to keep this one moving along I installed the 'bunks' in the KATYs... ...and then set to work on the bulkheads... A bit like @Heather Kay and her rolling stock - I'm finding ejectors all over the place. As you can see from the one on the left though - some are easy enough to clean up - but a boring 'chore' I could do without. I got the little fold up seats in place and didn't bother removing the ejectors from the undersides... and then slid the bulkheads in place - though I have to say they had a nasty little forward lean on them... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 Moving back to the K6s I got the bases of the cabs assembled - only 2 parts - but again no actual 'fixing points' to tell you that it's correct... then on to the very basic tub seat... ...more pesky ejectors - or are they circular cushions - no they are definitely ejectors... When I took this picture I spotted the nasty sprue residue on the front bumper... Thank heaven for those little circular files. Then it was time to get these on to the chassis... I got it right - more by luck than judgement. The front of the chassis interlocks into the front of the bumper and then the cab falls flat onto the chassis behind - it would have been easy to get that wrong though. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 Pushing on - it was time to have a look a the K6 cabs - which I had been sneering at even when they were still on the sprues... Devoid of any interior detail - apart from another huge ejector and nothing to locate the 2 halves together either - oh - 'best guess' time again... They actually slipped together quite well, but it begs the question - did the bonnet have a seam down the middle or will I be getting the filler out when they have hardened??? ALL and I mean ALL the images I can find on the web of the 'real thing' are photographed side on and as the bonnet is pretty high up you simply can't tell. If I go for a 'seam' I will use a strip of 0.5mm evergreen circular rod - does anyone know for sure... I am leaving the rest of the cab for now and will progress this issue tonight - - - - ooh or maybe not - - - - I've just remembered I have a retinopathy exam this afternoon - so I doubt my eyes will be sharp enough tonight for any modelling - DAMN!!! Here are the other bits... ...another thought - whilst I can accept no windows in the sides - surely it had a windscreen & it looks a bit 'fiddly' to do with a sheet of acetate - again any ideas??? ...and whilst I'm asking questions... The hole in the roof... 6mm on the inside... 8.2mm on the outer edge... Do I make a 'cap' for it perhaps??? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglierating Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 On 8/21/2018 at 8:57 AM, Ventora3300 said: If this build is following the 'Ice Cold in Alex' theme then remember the tall glass of amber coloured Heineken at the end...with the white head and condensation on the outside of the glass..... You need to produce a (well-deserved) one or two of those! CARLSBERG!☺ 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Like most trucks of the period, I believe a hinge down the centre of the bonnet will be correct. I’ve flush-glazed my K6eses over the years, which is, as you rightly say, a fiddle. I would be tempted to cap the hip ring, too. They usually had a canvas cover, or the inside of the cab would end up like a paddling pool when it rained. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 14 minutes ago, Heather Kay said: Like most trucks of the period, I believe a hinge down the centre of the bonnet will be correct. I’ve flush-glazed my K6eses over the years, which is, as you rightly say, a fiddle. I would be tempted to cap the hip ring, too. They usually had a canvas cover, or the inside of the cab would end up like a paddling pool when it rained. Thanks Heather - I am not going to try for a canvas cover - but I can fashion a cap and maybe paint it a canvas colour - to 'hint' at canvas... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 Before the cabs had begun to set I decided it might be a good idea to slip them in place - in case I hadn't aligned them properly - no glue - just a 'dry fit'... ...it looks like I got them right - we shall progress this area when I get my eyesight back. I may also have found some drivers too... I 'pinched' the original drivers for my jeeps - but these kits... ...come with spare drivers - and don't panic - he has arms - clutching a steering wheel - we shall see - but it looks promising. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 So - back to the KATYs. I got one of the side panels on and then used the mating point of the bunk to pull the bulkhead back a bit... ...it seems to have worked. Now I have decided on 'rear doors closed' - but I'm glad I put the bunks in - as it has added to the overall rigidity. A quick mess with the spare tyre - in the cab shows something a bit 'odd'... As you can see it overlaps the door in the bulkhead - by a good margin. Even weirder though - when I removed the tyre - this overlap is marked on the door... ...was the door shaped with a missing piece - so as not to foul the wheel - or did it open the other way - into the rear cab - I must watch Ice Cold in Alex again - maybe with a CARLSBERG!!! 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 I decided to put the other side on too... I know this could cause me problems fitting the spare wheel... and I did pop the seat in one of them - but that would make getting the wheel in a virtual impossibility - so I whipped it out again quickly. I did 'dry fit' the roof though - to make sure the side panels were at the right angle - before they began to set... ...and at this point I noticed another circular disc - maybe for another red cross... ...lovely seam going through it too - I'll worry about this further down the line as well. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 They are beginning to look like something I recognise... ...although - strangely more like WWI than WWII - it must be the lack of the engine. Anyway - here is where I finished last night... On the KATYs... I need to prime and paint all the wheels from stage 2 put the windscreen in the cab - along with the gears and steering gear - plus think about painting the driver to complete stage 4 put the back door on and add the engine to the front for stage 5 On the K6s it's the same story for the wheels to complete stage 7 then cab and front grill for stage 9 ...it's all looking quite promising - he says with a casual air of confidence - what could possibly go wrong... So that is my catch up complete - thanks for stopping by - Steve 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventora3300 Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, junglierating said: CARLSBERG!☺ Aaaaggghhh!. Apologies junglierating and well spotted - my homework will be to go and watch the film right through again to the end (I've got the DVD of course), and have a glass of CARSLSBERG ready for the final scenes. Maybe have some practice during the film as well, as John Mills clearly had to - see below from Wiki: The final scene, in which Mills' character finally gets his glass of lager, was reportedly filmed some weeks after the rest of the film, at Elstree. Real lager had to be used to "look right", and Mills had to drink numerous glasses full until the shots were finished, and was "a little 'heady'" by the end. Sylvia Syms has said that the Danish beer Carlsberg was chosen because they could never have been seen to be drinking a German lager, since the United Kingdom and Germany are at war during the film. The beer referred to in the original novel is Rheingold, which, despite its German name, is American. Scenes from the film were used in a late-1980s television advertising campaign for the German Holsten Pils lager. Each advertisement mixed original footage from a different old film (another example was The Great Escape (1963)) with new humorous material starring British comedian Griff Rhys Jones and finishing with the slogan: "A Holsten Pils Production". In retaliation, rival Carlsberg simply lifted the segment in which Mills contemplates the freshly poured lager in the clearly Carlsberg-branded glass, before downing it in one go and declaring, "Worth waiting for!" This was followed by a variation in the usual Carlsberg tagline: "Still probably the best lager in the world." Great film and this GB did not disappoint in that we have a wide 'audience' with a wide range of knowledge. Edited August 23, 2018 by Ventora3300 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mancunian airman Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Knock the knob off the bulkhead and the spare should fit just that bit better to the recess. Your kits are really badly marked with sprue tags, you are doing a good job taking them out. Hatch cover just needs to be a piece of 5 thou circular and put in place 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 (edited) If the door opened forwards the circular cut-out wouldn't be needed. IIRC aftermarket wartime wheels/tyres are available for this kit, as when it came out it apparently was provided with postwar civilian tyres as on the example Airfix used as a guide. I don't know whether Airfix ever changed that. I don't know, but it may be that the wheels modelled in the kit might be just a little bit too large, hence the overlap problem? Edited August 24, 2018 by Graham Boak To remove false reference to Bedford MW tyres. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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