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So there I was wandering round a lovely model shop in Porthmadog in that there Welsh Wales looking for perhaps the new Tamiya 1/48 Churchill or perchance the Airfix 1/48 Hurricane. And there was this oddly named kit...

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Emhar? Never heard of them. But cheap enough and then I remembered this upcoming Group Build and thought this will be a nice simple build to make up for my abject failure to complete my Sherman II for the M3/M4 Group Build and before I know it I'm pushing my filthy lucre into the hands of the gentleman proprietor. And it's going to need a couple of figures so...

 

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...these from Eb*y.

 

So let's have a look in the box.

 

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Don't like the look of those tracks. But the superstructure looks cleanly moulded. So clock is ticking let's stick some bits together.

 

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OK, first impressions. Parts have little flash on them,plastic is a little softish and prone to tearing. The instructions are not the best (basically a series of exploded diagrams). Everything fits together pretty well.

 

Here we go...

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Built this one recently - The tracks will benefit from some manipulation and possibly trimming but glue together with CA

 

I also dispensed with the little roller wheels and infilled the space behind the tracks with plasticard to give the tracks something more substantial to adhere to - If that make sense. 

 

IanJ

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A little progress made....

 

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I used the rollers as you can see. My plan is to attach the tracks as a sub assembly to aid access with any poor joins to be "hidden" under the bottom on a scenic base. Also I can go with replacement metal tracks if they prove to be as poor as I fear!

 

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And, just propped together. A couple of things that I don't like. The handles on the engine access panels look too lumpy so I plan to replace them with some wire handles, an easy enough job that should lift the model slightly. The other thing is the guns. 'Orrible covers it. A couple are badly bent on the sprues so I'm looking at either the turned brass replacements or perhaps knocking something together from scratch. I'm toying with the idea of having the rear door open. So I need to research what the inside would look like. I think the driver had a chair, pedals and two large levers to control the two engines and transmissions (the Whippet had an unusual drive system of two independent engines and transmissions one for each track), the other two crew members manning the guns. Does anyone know if there is a 1/35 representation of a Hotchkiss light machine gun? I fancy to have one removed from the tank in the hands of a crewman. I see that Revell do a set of 1/35 infantry (02451) and it looks from a picture I've seen of the sprues that there may be a Hotchkiss LMG on there? I need another figure model and this set might just fill both needs?

 

https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/hnarmourkits-revell-wwi-infantry-1914-german-british-and-french

 

Anyhow, a bit of research needed.

 

Toodle pip and down with the bad guys

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I think my Meng FT-17 had an option of a Hotchkiss in there - I didn't use it opting to go with the "Puteux" (SP) cannon instead.

 

I'll have a look in the spares box for you.

 

KR's 

 

IanJ

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On the subject of spares, if anyone has a use for the French and German tankers out of the Master Box set (I will only use the Brits and 1/35 is not my usual scale) give me a shout. (Free to a good home)

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  • 3 weeks later...

One of the things that had me worried when I opened the box was the tracks. So, let's give them a go...

 

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OK, not too bad. I confess I had visions of the awful lumps of vaguely track shaped "stuff" that was to be found in 70's Airfix 1/76 AFV kits. So, out with the cyanoacrylate. Rather frighteningly, this would mean that my fall back plan of buying in the lovely metal link aftermarket tracks was going to be tricky if I messed up and the tracks were well stuck down. Ulp, no pressure then...

 

The tracks come in three sections, two long and one short. I wanted to hide the short section at the bottom of the vehicle so I started at the top.

 

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Done in four stages. First glue the two long track sections together then glue that section to the top of the "tracky-bit" (forgive me lapsing into specialist terms). Once that has set overnight the track was extended with the additional short track section and then wrapped round the "tracky-bit" and super-glued into place then clamped into a hobby vice overnight with objects pushed into the jaws to hold the track hard against the "tracky-bit". Overnight, and again wrap the other end round but trim to fit first. Again back into the vice overnight...

 

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Not too bad! And repeat for t'other side.

 

Edited by Rumblestripe
typo
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On 24/08/2018 at 18:56, Rumblestripe said:

Done in four stages. First glue the two long track sections together then glue that section to the top of the "tracky-bit" (forgive me lapsing into specialist terms). Once that has set overnight the track was extended with the additional short track section and then wrapped round the "tracky-bit" and super-glued into place then clamped into a hobby vice overnight with objects pushed into the jaws to hold the track hard against the "tracky-bit". Overnight, and again wrap the other end round but trim to fit first. Again back into the vice overnight...

That all sounds frightfully technical - but it looks like good progress ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...

As a slight diversion I've been working on the two figures to accompany the Whippet. First up "The Mechanic" (well he's got a very big spanner!)

 

First, I stuck him together just straight out of the box and for ease of handling stuck him to a plasicard off-cut for ease of handling.

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Then I used my favourite primer for figure painting, "Artists Gesso", it goes on gloopy but shrinks to form a lovely base to paint onto a very thin coat that doesn't obscure any details, sticks well to plastic or metal and has a nice "tooth" that takes acrylic paint really nicely. Here's our spanner wielding chum covered in gloop...

 

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Rather than show you through the whole process that I use painting figures, here's "The Mechanic" finished just needing a coat of a nice flat varnish.

 

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Really pleased with him, he's come out with a good dollop of "character" I've given him quite a heavy "five o'clock shadow" which I think works well.

 

Coming next "The Office"...

 

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  • 2 months later...

OK, so I can now tidy up this thread!

 

Firstly, how I resolved those nasty lumps of plastic supposed to look like Hotchkiss Machine Guns. Scratch built from plasticard, copper wire and brass rod.

 

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The main body of the gun is 20thou plasticard with 10 thou side to create a channel for the gas cylinder, the barrel is 1mm brass rod with copper wire (stripped out of cat5 ethernet cable) wound around the barrel in a tight spiral and then super glued in place

 

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A cruel enlargement and some jiggery pokery still required to produce the final item. This gun was to be "being maintained" and placed on the tank the guns mounted in the tank would only be modelled with the bits that are visible.

 

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Ta-da!

 

The "Officer" here representing Lt Clement Arnold came out rather nicely, I followed the instructions for painting that came with the figures but I'm not sure that Lt. Arnold would have been dressed like this "in the field"?

 

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Not having found a really good photograph of "The Musical Box" I was forced to do what I do not like doing and model a model with regard to the lettering on the nose of the tank.

 

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The musical notes come (in a self indulgent moment) from The Genesis song "The Musical Box" as an old prog rocker it seemed appropriate if rather out of any context! The tracks look like the rubber bands that they are.

 

Photos of the finished model are now in the gallery. Ideally, I would have liked to have taken more time and put it on a permanent base and weather it more, the tracks in particular need some attention. But it is at least presentable. Anyone with further questions please ask away!

 

Toodle pip old chums and down with The Kaiser.

Edited by Rumblestripe
o-o typo!
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