Andy Moore Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 This is ICM's recently released AC-40 Firetruck, which is a re-tool of their previous Zil-131 truck. The real thing dates back to the early '70's, although the 137A upgrade represented by the kit first appeared in '84. They're still in extensive use in Russia and the former bloc countries, and the marking option I went with is for a fairly current vehicle based in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. It's a pretty good kit overall, although a few errors with the parts and instructions seem to have crept in during the re-tooling from the basic Zil truck. The only really weak point are the vinyl tyres, which I had to essentially melt to remove the ragged moulding line around the tread. They'd be much better swapped with resin replacements. The real things seem to be quite patchy and faded, so I tried to represent that with the paint job and weathering. Thanks for looking Andy 44 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Ooh very nice Andy! I recently did the ZiL-131 and it makes for a great build indeed. I did swap out the wheels/tyres for resin ones. I must say you did a great job on the kit tyres which are terrible. I have this kit on my wish list, you did a superb job on it! I love the faded look and the swapped out panels 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 That's come out looking fantastic. I like it very much indeed. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Absolutely stunning representation of a wonderful old truck. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted December 1, 2020 Author Share Posted December 1, 2020 Thanks everyone. 4 hours ago, JeroenS said: Ooh very nice Andy! I recently did the ZiL-131 and it makes for a great build indeed. I did swap out the wheels/tyres for resin ones. I must say you did a great job on the kit tyres which are terrible. I have this kit on my wish list, you did a superb job on it! I love the faded look and the swapped out panels 👍 Thanks Jeroen, If you do get one there are a couple of errors to deal with. The exhaust pipe in step 97 needs to be fitted before the rear floor plate - the instructions have these steps reveresed which would make it impossible to fit the pipe. You also need to enlarge the opening in the back wall of the pump chamber to allow the prop shaft to pass through - ICM have made the opening too small. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Andy, That's a really impressive finish you have there, on the truck and the tyres. It makes a nice change to the shiny model fire engine models normally on show. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swralph Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Excellent modelling.😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 That looks very good, like it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Stunning 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 Love those Russian big trucks ,you have built a very realistic vehicle, well done 👏. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG058 Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 Absolutely top notch. Was this for a magazine? The fading on the red looks perfect. And the overall weathering is amazing. How long did this one take you from start to finish? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 Refugee from Chernobyl? Very realistic job in that. I like the old Russian trucks, but you don't want to stand downwind of them. Reminiscent of a 1950's British truck with no catalytic converter. I'd forgotten how polluted our roads used to be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 Patchy and faded to perfection. Superb. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEXANTOMCAT Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 Thats about a perfect a build as you'll ever see - well done! TT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 This one passed me by, but I'm glad that I've seen it. Superb job Andy. Paint work and weathering are first class. Nice one. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 Thanks for the comments everyone. 19 hours ago, DAG058 said: Was this for a magazine? The fading on the red looks perfect. And the overall weathering is amazing. How long did this one take you from start to finish? It was done for a review, but not for a magazine. You can see the build here. It probably took about 4-5 weeks in total, but I was splitting the time between other builds as well. Andy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HL-10 Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Superb! You've done a great job replicating the faded appearance. very impressive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimT64 Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Great weathering, and the photography is top notch as well 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daneel Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Beautiful, I really love it :) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinSK Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Looks like the real thing, fantastic realistic looking weathering....simple perfect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spruecutter Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 I really like how you have done the weathering. Very realistic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portaler Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Love it !! Something totally different. Paint and weathering sublime as usual !! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sosezi Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 On 14/12/2020 at 19:58, Homer said: Love those Russian big trucks ,you have built a very realistic vehicle, well done 👏. Not really very big in real life saw them as a kid since I'm Russian grew up playing near fire station and those AC40 (137A) were there it's the same size as some Leyland Retriever or AEC Matador 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sosezi Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 (edited) Stunning Work! love the weathering of it although Fire Trucks are always very clean, this one is special and have all the rights remain dirty! looks like it returned from some HOT party fire fighting is hard job so not surprised as I can see by the markings this is from Ukraine (city of Vinnitsa) something early 2000's top notch work! Edited April 26, 2022 by Sosezi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinegaroon9 Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 Wow. That is stunning. The overall look and "patina" of that build is perfect to my eye. Fantastic job! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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