Humbrol (Esci) 3/4 Ton Truck - Dodge WC52

[danbuoy]

Well, thought I would start my first build thread on Britmodeller. I've been gathering together a few kits of 1/72 vehicles suitable for Eighth Air Force airfields, to display amongst my model aircraft, and a few years ago I picked up this off eBay;

 

003 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

I'd no idea that any kits had ever been sold under the Humbrol name. Its not the most inspiring of box lids, but the model itself looks nice enough, though clearly it is sitting too high, so will see what I can do about that. Here's a look at the sprues. They look nicely moulded, and there is a reasonable amount of parts for such a small kit. Oddly, you get two canvas tops, one whole piece, and one in several parts.

 

004 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

005 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

I won't be using the kit decals, as firstly, they are pretty old, and secondly because I want to mark it up in Eighth Air Force bomber or fighter group markings (I haven't decided which group yet). I've got the Airfix USAAF bomber resupply set, and you get a lot of options in that for marking up vehicles from various groups, so I contacted Airfix, and got another set of these decals.

 

006 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

So, last night was spent assembling bits of the body ready for painting. I've never primed a kit before, but I do have some Tamiya primer, which I'm using on repainting/customising some diecast vehicles, so I may give it a go. Body went together well, just a bit of cleaning up needed. There are a few ejector pin marks on this kit though, some I can deal with, others not so much. The wheels are one of the worst areas, and trying to remove the marks will damage them too much. Thankfully, they are at least on the back of the wheels, so won't be too visible.

 

007 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

I've not glued the tailgate, so I have the option of having it open or closed. I quite like the idea of having the vehicle festooned with aircrew being taken to the flightline, with a couple perched on the lowered tailgate, but I've not seen any suitable figures.

 

008 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

009 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Not started on the chassis yet, as I need to see what alterations are required to make the body sit lower.

Edited August 27, 2020 by danbuoy
Re-sizing photos

[Orso]

Just a warning. The springs make the car sit to high so it need to be fixed. Something I will try to do the next time I build this kit. I'm not sure how to do this though.

[danbuoy]

On 8/20/2020 at 7:34 PM, Orso said:

Just a warning. The springs make the car sit to high so it need to be fixed. Something I will try to do the next time I build this kit. I'm not sure how to do this though.

Yes, I am aware of this. Looking at the picture on the box, it is WAY too high!! I have found a review of this kit online, which gives instructions as to what to do, to improve the look of this kit;

 

https://www.onthewaymodels.com/reviews/Italeri/DCarli_Italeri_WC-52_build review.htm

 

So, last night was spent starting to assemble the chassis. First issue, the front springs are too short;

 

002 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Have fitted them as best as I can. Will see what its like once the axles are attached.

 

First modification was to cut off the square bits on top of the axles...

 

004 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Like this;

 

005 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Plus the tops of the springs;

 

006 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

007 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

After I'd taken the last photo, I also sanded down the tops of the springs, before fitting them to the chassis;

 

008 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Left it at that for the night. Next stage is the surprisingly detailed drivetrain, but I felt starting this so late was not a good idea as it looks a bit fiddly!!

Edited August 27, 2020 by danbuoy
Re-sizing photos

[Courageous]

Looking good. Might be an idea to crop those pics to rid yourself of much of the dead space.

 

Stuart

[danbuoy]

1 hour ago, Courageous said:

Looking good. Might be an idea to crop those pics to rid yourself of much of the dead space.

 

Stuart

Thanks, yes, I was thinking they were taking up a bit of room! Makes it clearer to see what exact thing I'm talking about too in each photo.

[John Masters]

Looks good.  Smart idea to clip and sand to lower the chassis.

[dogsbody]

I've got one of those ESCI kits in the stash. I'll be watching this build for pointers.

 

 

 

 

Chris

[danbuoy]

4 hours ago, dogsbody said:

I've got one of those ESCI kits in the stash. I'll be watching this build for pointers.

 

 

 

 

Chris

No pressure then!! 😁

 

The Esci boxing looks so much better, with a decent picture of the vehicle on it. A pity that, built straight from the box with no alterations, the model doesn't quite match it! I notice that they call it a WC51, which is the version without a winch.

Edited August 21, 2020 by danbuoy

[dogsbody]

It's the same kit, just a better box picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[danbuoy]

Well, managed to get some more work done on the Dodge on Sunday evening, and yesterday.

 

Started with the winch. Here are its component parts;

 

067a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Here it is assembled;

 

068a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

And fitted, plus the driveshaft underneath;

 

072a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

073a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Also fitted the nicely detailed radiator. Will be fitting the distinctive brush guard afterwards, as I want to detail the radiator a bit, as it will be visible once the kit is done;

 

069a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Fitted the tool rack to the rear. The tools themselves are actually separate pieces, and are very tiny. Haven't decided whether to fit them or not, because mine will be an airfield vehicle, and they didn't always carry stuff like that.

 

071a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Next stage is the axles and drivetrain. I blu tacked one of the wheels to the rear axle to see how it was looking so far following the minor modifications;

 

077a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Hmm, still quite a gap. Time for some drastic surgery! I cut off the springs from their mounts, and attached them directly to the sides of the chassis. The springs will not really be that visible, and I'm more keen on getting the truck to sit right. Here is one of the springs in its new location;

 

078a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Looking much better;

 

079a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

The drive train is very fiddly, not helped by the instructions being wrong. Pieces 46 and 47 need to be swapped over, with 47 connecting to the front axle, and 46 to the rear. They simply do not fit the other way round.

 

070a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Here is the chassis with axles and drivetrain attached. Very detailed for such a small model, and, assuming you're not displaying the vehicle in a crash or garage setting, it won't be very visible when the model is completed. Nice to know it is there though. I did snap off the end of the exhaust pipe whilst removing it from the sprue, but will repair this later. I fitted the main part of the exhaust prior to the axles and drivetrain. Also fitted the tiny tow hook.

 

080a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

So, a bit of progress. Nothing dramatic, but glad to get the chassis out of the way. Actually been using my Gonio 1/24 Dodge WC52 as an aid, as it is very well detailed!

 

084 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

083 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

 

Edited August 27, 2020 by danbuoy
Re-sizing photos

[Courageous]

Good progress. My next suggestion is to make your images smaller so that we can see all the image at once. Everyone loves a critic .

 

Stuart

[danbuoy]

Yes, I was hoping they would be a bit smaller after cropping them, but will adjust the next lot so they fit better. 

[Courageous]

3 hours ago, danbuoy said:

smaller after cropping them,

I don't think it's the case of cropping them. Cropping them has got rid of the dead space but image size is controlled when you upload them to your image storage platform. I use Postimage and upload 800x600 size. 

 

HTH

Stuart

[danbuoy]

Photos re-sized! Should be a lot clearer to see them now. I see where I went wrong now, when uploading them from Flickr.

[Courageous]

5 hours ago, danbuoy said:

Photos re-sized!

Sorted .

 

Stuart

[danbuoy]

Didn't get chance to do any modelling over the weekend, but managed to squeeze in a quick session last night, mostly getting things ready for priming.

 

Attached this small piece to the left hand side front axle. No idea what it is, and there is no corresponding one for the other side. Because of my suspension modifications, it doesn't fit quite as it is supposed to, but then it won't be very visible afterwards;

 

056 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Also attached the backrests to the rear compartment;

 

059 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Also glued all the wheels together. Unfortunately, the holes/vents on the rims haven't formed properly, meaning only 1 wheel has them, plus another only has a couple. Most look like this;

 

076 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

This view of the wheel rears shows the extent of the ejector pin marks;

 

075a by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Had to spend a short while saving the convoy light from the clutches of the carpet monster, but have since realised that he has already feasted on the broken off part of the exhaust pipe. Might see if I can scratch build something that looks passable.

 

Then spent an unfeasible amount of time using my digital vernier to make a windscreen out of some clear acetate. Will give it a good wipe prior to fitting, once the frame has been painted. The frame itself is now fitted and awaiting primer/paint.

 

063 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

064 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Lastly, I fitted the sides to the cab;

 

065 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

So, not much of an update, but progress is progress!!

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by danbuoy

[Orso]

I keep following this.

I have one built many years ago that i didn't do anything about as I wasn't aware on the fact of it sitting high. 

I also have another one that I have started on recently (or not, seven years ago) and this build sparkled an interest to restart on it.

I was going to fix the fault of the height but never came to that point so I started to look at pictures of the real thing now to see how it should be.

I'm starting to believe that lowering on the springs isn't enough. I think that much of the fault lies in the body.

Looking at the front fenders they touch the air louvres on the kit while on the real thing they are lot lower. 

The cargo bay seems to sit to high on the chassis. The top of the cargo bay should sit lower than the lowest part of the louvres on the hood.

Looking at pictures makes me wonder if there were two types of cargo beds. The part front of the wheel goes lower than behind the wheel but I think that there are two different height of the front part. Some pictures look like it is lower than others.

I haven't started on the springs and axles or the front fenders yet so I will try to modify the body and see how much the springs need adjusting after that. Look now what you made me do. Why did you have to start on that kit? 😁

[danbuoy]

Sorry! I must admit, even though I knew beforehand that the kit needed altering, I wasn't expecting to have to alter it quite so much. It will be interesting to see how it sits when I attach the body to the chassis. Modifying the body is beyond me I think, and, even if it's not perfect, what I've done will still be a lot better than building it straight from the box. Its a shame, as the kit is quite nicely detailed. Think the Dodge weapons carrier is overdue a new mould in 1/72, as it was a widely used vehicle.

[sandsmodels]

the esci dodge is a very old kit now but a new better model in 72 would be nice.

incidentaly the diecast amercon/altaya dodge 6x6 sits too low!

[danbuoy]

Just now, sandsmodels said:

the esci dodge is a very old kit now but a new better model in 72 would be nice.

incidentaly the diecast amercon/altaya dodge 6x6 sits too low!

Yes, I have one of those, though mine is branded as Warmaster. The trailer it comes with is a post war one too.

[Graham Boak]

Not exactly the same variant, but Academy do an ambulance version of the Dodge.  It might be easier to convert one of these - not that I've tried it or even have one.

[danbuoy]

2 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

Not exactly the same variant, but Academy do an ambulance version of the Dodge.  It might be easier to convert one of these - not that I've tried it or even have one.

I have one in my stash, though will be keeping it as an ambulance. Might do it next, or, having also recently finished an Airfix AEC refueller, I might have a break from airfield vehicles after finishing my weapons carrier and do a plane. I believe the Academy Dodge also sits slightly high (what is it about the Dodge WC series in 1/72??). Found a review of the kit online that gives tips on how to alter it, so will refer to that when the time comes. 

[danbuoy]

Bit more work done on the Dodge last night. So since last time, some priming and painting has taken place;

 

040 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Note the bodged repaired exhaust pipe!

 

039 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Using a couple of Posca paint pens that I bought for my seperate diecast project, I did the dashboard, gear knob and rear lights and reflectors;

 

041 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

048 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

047 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Also picked out the exhaust in matt rust;

 

042 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Gave the radiator a wash with some Citadel Nuln oil;

 

046 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

And fitted the windscreen using Glue n Glaze;

 

050 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

Painted the tyres with Tamiya Rubber Black;

 

049 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

And lastly, gave the winch a coat of Gunmetal;

 

051 by Dan Hardy, on Flickr

 

 

[dogsbody]

I just recently realized I also have an Italeri re-pop.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[danbuoy]

That kit certainly got about! Italeri still insist on calling it a WC51 though!