B-Type Military Omnibus (Battle bus) MiniArt 1/35

[diablo rsv]

This is my first attempt at a Work in Progress so please bear with me on this one.

 

 

After my last couple of tank builds became somewhat bothersome at the track stage I thought it was time to build something without tracks. I was going to build Miniart's B-Type lorry but I found the bus too tempting with plenty of scope for different weathering such as broken glass windows and worn down to the wood paint work etc. I think I will need to work on my figure painting skills as this is crying out for some war weary soldiers to be added in a small diorama.

I will need to do some research on the subject though as it's not something I've really taken an interest in before.

I have 'borrowed' some history notes from The London Transport Museums friends page.  https://www.ltmuseumfriends.co.uk/projects/friends/project/24/battle+bus

 

Introduced in 1910, when most buses were still horse-drawn, the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) B-type was London’s most successful mass-produced motorbus, able to cope with operating conditions in the chaotic and overcrowded city. Building on lessons learned from earlier motor vehicles, the B-type quickly earned a reputation for mechanical reliability, helping to establish the motorbus as a practical vehicle for daily urban service in London.

After the outbreak of war in 1914, London buses, along with their drivers and mechanics, were commandeered for the war effort. The buses were fitted with protective wooden boarding and painted khaki for camouflage. The buses transported troops to and from the Front Line and were put to use as ambulances and even mobile pigeon lofts. Nearly 1,200 LGOC vehicles went on war service, most to France and Belgium, with some travelling as far afield as Egypt.

 

I wont do much in the way of sprue shots etc as all of this can be seen on MiniArts web page.  https://miniart-models.com/products/39001-b-type-military-omnibus/

The box is certainly packed with parts though.

 

All of the parts come tightly packed in one plastic bag and one of the rear fenders has snapped as a consequence, considering how delicate some of the parts are I was surprised that there wasn't more damage.

 

 

I have to say that the quality and detail of the mouldings is exceptional and apart from one sprue that obviously has a mould issue there appears to be no flash, ejection pin marks or difficult sprue gates which will be a welcome change from Takom's Mk.10 Chieftain that I have just parked in the painting queue.

 

 

 

I'm a little unsure of moulded wood effects, I often find them a little over done however I think MiniArt's representation would probably not look too bad once painted. I shall look more at that when I get there.

 

 

Some of the parts look as though they could cause a little bit of stress in trying to remove them without breaking them, fortunately I have a brand new set of sprue cutters on their way to me.

 

 

 

I'm really looking forward to getting started on this one. I'm not expecting it to be a particularly quick build but hopefully once I have started it will be one of those kits that I just can't put down.

 

Wayne

 

 

[Stef N.]

I like Miniart kits and they don't skimp on the parts count. They also don't skimp on sprues or sprue attachments which can be a bit of a pain. I did read on another thread that they have good customer care and should replace the broken part if needed.

 

This looks like an interesting and a something different type kit so will follow along and watch your progress. All the best.

[diablo rsv]

On 03/06/2020 at 21:47, Stef N. said:

I did read on another thread that they have good customer care and should replace the broken part if needed.

Your right about MiniArt's customer service, I used the customer support to request a replacement sprue and received a prompt reply to say they would send one out.

To be honest it would be a reasonably simple repair but it's nice to know that they care about their customers, unlike some other manufacturers that don't even reply.

[Ozzy]

Fantastic Wayne, I will be following with interest as I’ve just got the civilian one.

[Graeme]

I have on3 of these about ready for paint...you need to very careful about the various linkages along the chassis as they are very fine and also will only fit at both ends if the placement of whatever they attach to is very accurate - I seem to have located the engine very, very, slightly out and it has caused lots of problems 😡☹️

[Biggu]

FWIW, I can also attest tot eh EXCELLENT customer service, and their communication is top drawer also, as they answer email questions very promptly........... I will be watching and enjoying this build from the back row, if that's ok... This will be most interesting.....

Jeff

[diablo rsv]

When I started this WIP I failed to notice that @Roy vd M. was making an excellent job of the civilian version in the Vehicle Modelling (non military) section of the forum.  As most of the build phase is identical in both versions I will try not to repeat too much of what Roy has done.

   

 

Although I have spent a fair few hours on this kit already there really isn't much to show at the moment. Most of the time has been spent removing parts from sprues and cleaning up seams and a multitude of sprue gates. Many of the parts are very delicate and need to be removed very carefully. Unfortunately my new cutters are yet to make an appearance so I am soldiering on with my old Xurons.  By not cutting close to the part I haven't had any issues so far. I recently invested in some high quality files and they are already proving  their worth on this build. The quality of the moulding on many of the parts is excellent but you really need to study the plans very carefully as it would be very easy to remove details by accident. Also in a couple of places there are what appear to be seam lines but they are actually meant to be there.

 This is typical of the clean up required,

 

This link was just wasn't worth the effort of trying to clean up especially as it was already slightly bent on the sprue so I replaced the centre section with some brass rod.

 

  

 

I love the detail of this kit and I have had  no issues with fit so far.

 

 

This is where I'm at the moment. The chassis and a few sub assemblies are built so hopefully this weekend I can get it all primed and get the painting underway.

 

 

On 06/06/2020 at 12:11, Ozzy said:

Fantastic Wayne, I will be following with interest as I’ve just got the civilian one.

 

On 16/06/2020 at 16:58, Biggu said:

FWIW, I can also attest tot eh EXCELLENT customer service, and their communication is top drawer also, as they answer email questions very promptly........... I will be watching and enjoying this build from the back row, if that's ok... This will be most interesting.....

Jeff

Thank you for your interest guys, I think this one may take awhile.

 

On 06/06/2020 at 22:49, Graeme said:

I have on3 of these about ready for paint...you need to very careful about the various linkages along the chassis as they are very fine and also will only fit at both ends if the placement of whatever they attach to is very accurate - I seem to have located the engine very, very, slightly out and it has caused lots of problems 😡☹️

 Thanks for the heads up Graeme, I have been trying to think ahead but I expect there will be a few hiccups along the way.

 

Wayne

[Roy vd M.]

Looks like I need to follow this  

 

Great progress so far Wayne! 

[Ozzy]

Looking good Wayne, I ended up using a heated scalpel blade when I built their tram. As there sprue attaching for the linkages were the same.

[flashlight]

This really looks good, Wayne! I will follow your build with interest, if I may.

 

Have a nice day

Nick

[GerryW]

I've had this kit collecting dust for a while and am stealing ideas collecting useful tips from wherever I can. 

 

Just consider me to be another one of those unknown shadows appearing over your shoulder while you sweat work your way, undisturbed from outside attention, through this build. 

 

Gerry

[diablo rsv]

I started to make some more progress but as is normal with me it's a case of one step forwards and the two steps back. 

The hand break linkage was slightly bent and there were just too many attachment points to clean up so I decided to replace the shaft with some brass rod.

I also replaced the cable with a piece of wire whilst I was at it.

 

 

Sometimes I am my own worst enemy. After priming the firewall I noticed an annoying sink mark and even after sanding I wasn't happy with it so I decided to strip the primer off.  As I had used Mr Hobby's primer I decided to up the airbrush pressure and remove it with Mr Levelling Thinner, a process I have used successfully in the past. Unfortunately I picked up the wrong bottle and blasted it with ordinary Lacquer ( Cellulose) thinner which promptly melted the plastic.

 

  

 

So after trying to remove a slight blemish that would hardly of noticed I was now faced with the task of repairing one of the most visible parts of the model. Fortunately the most difficult to replace detail is on the other side and was undamaged. I have manged to get rid of most of the damage by sanding and the replacing the details with plastic card. It's not perfect but it's a good job this is the military version and some carefully placed weathering will have to come to my rescue.

 

The engine has now been assembled and painted. A little fiddly in parts but it's worth the effort and I'm pretty happy with way it has turned out.

 

   

 

These phone photos aren't great but hopefully they give an idea of the detail.  I toyed with the idea of replacing the valve springs as @Roy vd M. has done in his build but as I have already lost enough time on this build I decided to leave them be. 

I made the ignition wires from some lead wire and glued them directly to the spark plugs with some CA glue rather than use the photo etched parts that MiniArt supplied as they seemed over scale to me.

     

 

The engine block was painted with Alclad Dark aluminium and the cylinder heads with a very dark grey. The fly-wheel and a few details are  MRP steel although the difference is barely noticeable in these photos. I dirtied it all up a bit with some oil washes.

Next step will be to install the engine etc onto the chassis. So far despite the few hiccups I'm enjoying this build and once the chassis is complete I will feel like I'm making progress.

 

On 20/06/2020 at 10:03, Ozzy said:

Looking good Wayne, I ended up using a heated scalpel blade when I built their tram. As there sprue attaching for the linkages were the same.

Good idea Ozzy. So far so good but there are some tricky parts coming up so I may well try that.

 

On 19/06/2020 at 23:31, Roy vd M. said:

Looks like I need to follow this  

 

Great progress so far Wayne! 

 

 

On 21/06/2020 at 19:01, flashlight said:

This really looks good, Wayne! I will follow your build with interest, if I may.

 

Have a nice day

Nick

 

On 22/06/2020 at 10:15, GerryW said:

I've had this kit collecting dust for a while and am stealing ideas collecting useful tips from wherever I can. 

 

Just consider me to be another one of those unknown shadows appearing over your shoulder while you sweat work your way, undisturbed from outside attention, through this build. 

 

Gerry

 

Thank you all for your interest, I'm alway's happy to receive any ideas and tips that you can give. Please feel free to critique as well as that was really the point of me doing a work in progress. It's all too easy for me to miss obvious flaws and it would be a lot easier to rectify anything you spot as the build progresses.  

 

 

Wayne

[Bullbasket]

Nice work with that hand brake linkage Wayne. Is that rod and tube?

 

John.

[diablo rsv]

16 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

Nice work with that hand brake linkage Wayne. Is that rod and tube?

 

John.

Thanks John, yes I used Albion Alloy's tubes, they're very useful.

Wayne

[Andy350]

The engine detail and finish is excellent.

[diablo rsv]

Things are moving along nicely with the chassis but I have found another small issue with my kit. Both of the rear brackets for the front mud guards have either not moulded properly or a piece has broken off, annoying but not the end of the world. A little plastic card strip solves the problem.

    

 

I needed to make a decision at this point as to which of the options to build so that the correct number could be applied to the bonnet. The numbers are supplied as a photo-etched plate. The only CA glue that I had available is VMS's Flexy thin type which gives no option for adjusting the part once fitted so I used some masking tape to help me align them.

 

   

 

Pretty much every part of the original bus seems to have been replicated in the kit even though much of it will never be seen.

 

Apart from the lights, mudguards and a couple of other parts the chassis is pretty much there. 

Apparently a number of these buses went to France still in their LGOC red livery and after a few weeks they were painted in a more suitable colour by their crews. It seems likely that this was a khaki-green although contemporary witness accounts describe a wide variety of colours. It was also observed that quite often the khaki paint would be chipped and worn through and the old red colour would show through bringing back memories of when these buses had travelled London's busy streets in happier days. 

To replicate this I have painted parts of the model in it's civilian colours and using hairspray I will chip and wear through the Khaki top coat.

 

 

 

 

 

The engine covers and wheels aren't fixed yet I was just keen to see how it will look.

The 'correct' Khaki or service colour from WW1 is often debated and I don't think there really is an exact colour so I shall go with what I think looks right. In this case for a base colour I am using AK's Real Colors Khaki Green No3 with some gloss added to get a satin sheen. These busses saw hard service so I imagine the paintwork would often be touched up as parts were added or replaced so I will show some variation.

 

 

[edjbartos]

Absolutely stunning work, looks amazing .

 

Ed

[diablo rsv]

On 05/07/2020 at 07:32, edjbartos said:

Absolutely stunning work, looks amazing .

 

Ed

Thanks Ed.

[diablo rsv]

I'm pretty much there now with the chassis. I have added a little wear and tear but most of the mud, dust and dirt will be applied once I have completed the body.

This kit very much feels like two models in one with the body building up as a separate part to be mated with the chassis at the end of the build.

I find taking photos a great help for finding faults that were missed during the build process and I have amended a couple of things but feel free to point out anything I may not have spotted.

 

 

 

 

 

I have really enjoyed this build so far but it is really time consuming so I don't think I will be rushing to build the lorry version as I had been planning, ( unless they decide to release the anti-aircraft version). Not sure if you've started yours yet @GerryW but are you still planning on building three of these?

Now to see what challenges the body brings.

 

[flashlight]

Absolutely stunning work there, the wear and tear looks totally realistic! I am really looking forward to seeing the body taking shape.

 

Have a nice day

Nick

[busnproplinerfan]

Haven't looked close at this kit, only knew of the airfix one. Being a bus fan I should have one. Looks great so far. one suggestion on glass is the replacement cell phone glass covers. I seen them come two in a pack and are very thin and real glass. I don't know how to cut them but I've seen them used.

[Bullbasket]

This has all the makings of a stunning model when finished Wayne. I know what you mean about it being time consuming. I think that it's a trait of the Miniart kits to include many small parts, which all take a lot of time to deal with.

 

John. 

[GerryW]

8 hours ago, diablo rsv said:

Not sure if you've started yours yet @GerryW but are you still planning on building three of these?

Due to other issues at the moment I haven't started on the kits, but I do intend to get 3 versions built over time.

 

Gerry

[diablo rsv]

On 15/07/2020 at 06:10, flashlight said:

Absolutely stunning work there, the wear and tear looks totally realistic! I am really looking forward to seeing the body taking shape.

 

Have a nice day

Nick

 

On 15/07/2020 at 07:51, Bullbasket said:

This has all the makings of a stunning model when finished Wayne. I know what you mean about it being time consuming. I think that it's a trait of the Miniart kits to include many small parts, which all take a lot of time to deal with.

 

John. 

Thank you gentlemen. 

 

[diablo rsv]

On 15/07/2020 at 06:28, busnproplinerfan said:

Haven't looked close at this kit, only knew of the airfix one. Being a bus fan I should have one. Looks great so far. one suggestion on glass is the replacement cell phone glass covers. I seen them come two in a pack and are very thin and real glass. I don't know how to cut them but I've seen them used.

It's quite a step up from the old Airfix kit, the level of detail is excellent. They do have the civilian version as well which is certainly a lot more colourful than this one. 

Thanks for the tip re the glass. I would imagine the tempered glass covers would be virtually impossible to cut though. I am intending to use microscope slide cover-slips they are exceptionally thin but can be cut. The intention is to show a couple of broken windows and the rest will be boarded up. Apparently soldiers frequently broke the windows with their rifles and equipment so in the end they just removed the glass and placed wooden boards on the outside. I guess it also afforded them a little protection from stray shellfire.