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1/76 88mm Gun and Tractor


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Following on from my Bofors gun build, I thought I would continue the theme with another gun and tractor unit. This time the opposition's infamous 88mm and a half track tractor, an Sd Kfz.7. This was first released in 1967; I was 5 at the time so don't recall. However, I do remember seeing them in Woolies some time later. Now I'm finally going to get my hands on one and give it a go, although frankly all those wheels and the rubber tracks do look a little bit daunting.

 

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Bits in the box. 

 

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Disappointingly, no decals in this one. I have a funny feeling I might have something lurking in the old decals box. I'll have to have a rummage through.

 

Cheers for now

 

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Great to see - all sorts of working parts on this one if I remember right. The gun traverses and elevates and the gun can be taken off and on the bogies. AA or tank buster!

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Thanks guy's.

 

12 hours ago, Ventora3300 said:

Great to see - all sorts of working parts on this one if I remember right. The gun traverses and elevates and the gun can be taken off and on the bogies. AA or tank buster!

 

Yes, you are right. Perusal of the instructions confirms quite a lot of working part options. All of the running gear wheels for the tracks can be push fitted, and apparently the tracks can be looped around and the whole thing should 'revolve'. I think that is probably being a bit optimistic :wacko: I will opt for a (I hope) more realistic look and try and get some track sag over the wheels with super glue (cue stuck fingers and bad words).

9 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Nice one Smudge, watching with intrest I could never find one of these as a kid.

They did turn up in Woolies from time to time, but I only had 25p, so opted for a 'plane :D

 

So, off we go.  I found this on the underneath, confirming 1967 and just visible 'Made in England'

 

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Looks like a halftrack already! However that was the easy bit. All those wheels........

 

Cheers.

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I built a few of these decades ago.

Then I bought another at a car boot last year for four quid.

I still have it in the stash, I like the nostalgia value of the box lid.

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Hi Pete, you can't beat a car boot bargain. 

 

Is that a Roy Cross box top? Airfix always had the best box top artwork, although those little Revell 'frameable' box top WWI and WWII fighters run them a close second.

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I love the car boot sales. You never know what you'll find.

One mans junk is another mans treasure and all that.

My copy predates yours, it's the original box with a Haldane Place address on the parts request form.

The plastic is a rather lurid sand yellow though. I remember it being more the same colour as yours.

Though there isn't a date under the bodywork. Maybe I have a modern kit in an old box? 

Roy Cross, there should be an exhibition at the Tate modern!

BTW, I'll be off to Norfolk in the morning, with a van full of beer!

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Hope you had a nice time in Norfolk. You had some lovely summer weather, good job you brought refreshments.

 

I went to a car boot Sunday morning. No model kits though. Never mind, there's always next week :)

 

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I have very fond memories of this one, having built a couple as a kid. I always preferred the kits with lots of parts!

Popcorn and beer in hand....

 

Ian

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Hello Limey, nice to have you along. You certainly get your money's worth with this one.

 

The bench is a little crowded at the moment, but some progress has been made. Luckily the 88mm and Bofors are in different coloured plastic.

 

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When I offered the chassis up to the body of the halftrack, I thought I had gone wrong somewhere, as there is a rather large gap. Looking at the instructions, I think this is right, but it does look a bit odd. I'm sure there shouldn't be quite so much daylight visible. I might have to put some sort of support in to fill it out.

 

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Looking at picture of these on the 'web, there is some daylight visible, so this is possibly not too far removed from reality. Anyhow, I need to start cleaning up all those wheels, then I think it probably best to do some painting of some areas that will become inaccessible after further construction. 

 

Cheers guys.

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The other day, to make up an Amazon order to over twenty pounds (post free) I ordered a Revell Famo.

Just 5.99. Will I build it for nostalgia's sake or will it become scratchbuild fodder? Who knows?

  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Revell-Revell03141-11-4-Sd-Kfz-Model/dp/B0002Q0WF0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530815680&sr=8-1&keywords=revell+famo+model+kit

 

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4 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

................ I ordered a Revell Famo.

Hi Pete, yes I stumbled across that kit whilst searching for reference pictures on the web. It looks pretty good, you should build it, maybe we can have a Revell classics GB :)

 

3 hours ago, peterairfix said:

I have one in my overlord set so I am look in for some pointers

Hi peterairfix, glad to have you join us. It's going together quite nicely, no issues. I have actually got most of the wheels on now, they weren't as difficult as I feared. I will put some pictures up in a day or two. 

 

Thanks for looking.

Edited by Smudge
spelling!
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On 07/07/2018 at 20:27, Pete in Lincs said:

How about this then?

I think I might struggle to find that many figures! Interestingly though, it does show the camouflaged version, which might be an option as opposed to the overall 'sand' colour. Also, these vehicles don't seem to have much in the way of unit or national markings, in fact on a lot of photos I can't see anything at all, which solves the 'no decals' issue, or perhaps explains why there aren't any.

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I just had another look at that picture.

Notice the hump in the mudguard above the drive sprocket at the front?

It's not on the Airfix kit though. That has a straight mudguard.

 

Markings? If it's towing an 88, it's most likely not one of ours!

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I think it is a subtly different model. 

4 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Markings? If it's towing an 88, it's most likely not one of ours!

Yep, that would do it for me!

 

So, I have been doing a little more. I thought I would try and busy up the cab a bit.

 

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Just realised a gear change column might be a useful addition. I guess they had one?

 

I took a deep breath, and tackled the wheels. All of them. 36.

 

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It wasn't as bad as I feared. The parts were actually quite nice and didn't require a great deal of cleaning up, although it did take a bit of care to get them all lined up.

 

Test fit.

 

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I thought about replacing the barrel with some copper tube, but had a go at drilling it out, and I think that the result is passable. Besides, the barrel seems to taper towards the end, not sure if that is correct, but it looks ok.

 

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(couldn't get focus on the drilled out end, but I hope you can see it ok)

 

Cheers, guys.

 

 

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9 hours ago, Smudge said:

I think it is a subtly different model.

Yes, The drive sprocket seems larger. 

There must be more variations of these things than I thought.

 

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Nice to see this classic coming along. At least with the half-track you can tell what you are building as you are going along - with the tractor from the Bofors kit I found myself gluing all sorts of  weird boxes together with no idea of what I was building, until it all fell together at the last minute! 

On 29/06/2018 at 22:53, Smudge said:

daylight visible

I've had a few cars like that...

 

Regards,

Adrian

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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay, so here we are.

 

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I thought I would have a go at making some 'glass' for the windscreen. I used some old plastic packaging, and with the help of some dividers and a sharp blade managed to come up with this.

 

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I need to make those holes for the headlights a tad bigger

 

I had an appropriate tin of paint (acquired with the 8th Army Desert Yellow for my Bofors build) and so set about some of the harder to reach areas before further construction.

 

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Then it was time to confront those tracks. Someone (sorry can't remember who) suggested I try super glue (cyno), so I did and it seems to have turned out ok. A bit fiddly of course, and I did have to hold the tracks in place until the glue set in a few areas, to try and get the right look. But overall I think not too bad.

 

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Last time I tried this I used 'normal' Airfix glue from a tube. It did not go well and is best forgotten. That poor old Crusader tank :(

 

Thanks for looking. Cheers, Guys. 

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