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Universal Carrier MMG MkII (1/35 Riich Models)


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Another ridiculously detailed little kit! 12 spru's, 3 sheets of PE and a bag of springs. What could possibly go wrong! I seem to remember reading that Riich (How do you pronounce that??) are an offshoot of a mainstream company producing higher quality kits. This is definitely true in the quality. An absolute beauty for detail. Perhaps too good. Some of the parts are ridiculously thin. Reminds me of Mini Art stuff.

 

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A random instruction page

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All the bits! For such a small model!

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The best bit so far? You get a hand brush 😁👍🏻

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Oh but wait, Riich models spoil you with this kit. Not one.......not two...... not three....... but FOUR (Count them!) FOUR hand brushes 😎

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You don't get that sort of luxury in a Tamya 😂

 

Having said all that and despite all this detail there's no engine! But you do get all the connecting rods from the pedals to one so swings and roundabouts I suppose.

 

Plan is for a maintenance break so a few things disassembled and in bits. Lets see how it pans out. 🤔

 

Cheers

 

Andrew

 

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1 minute ago, Lummox said:

Excellent choice Andrew - looking forward to an APA special on this one.

 

Careful you don't get eye strain when you replace the individual bristles on those brushes :wink:

For the passed hour I have been pondering how to do exactly that 🤣👍

 

Andrew 

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I've built the mortar carrier version (mk.1) kit (awaiting paint)

As you know, very detailed kits.

I fixed some plastic blocks temporarily to the underside 'cos I thought the bogey attachment points looked a little weak 

Had to solder some of the etch bins together for strength.

On my version there was a bit of ambiguity re. the placement of some parts in the interior due to the instructions' size and viewing angle.

But well happy with the resulting model.

Tom

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21 minutes ago, Modelholic said:

I've built the mortar carrier version (mk.1) kit (awaiting paint)

As you know, very detailed kits.

I fixed some plastic blocks temporarily to the underside 'cos I thought the bogey attachment points looked a little weak 

Had to solder some of the etch bins together for strength.

On my version there was a bit of ambiguity re. the placement of some parts in the interior due to the instructions' size and viewing angle.

But well happy with the resulting model.

Tom

Hi Tom 

Thanks for the heads up. Yes I have noticed some vague instructions. They seem to try and combine a few stages in one then you have to search for the placed final part. All good fun though 😁

 

Andrew 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Managed to start this one over a few nights. The first nice thing about this kit is that you get something substantial quite quickly. Always a bonus in the early stages. The second nice thing about this kit is the quality of parts is absolutely superb. It's a wonderfully detailed thing. Everything is crisp, everything is straight and all the moulds are indexed perfectly. I suppose it is a brand new set of moulds but even so it's excellent. Everything fits like a dream and I haven't had to adjust anything.

 

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Yes the bogeys are fiddly but nothing a little patience wont solve.

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The first of quite a lot of PE which fitted like a glove

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And the first stirrings of track. The bogies like, Modelholic has stated, are a little fragile in thier fixings and the alignment is tricky. I think I've got there though. The other thing is the tracks are supposed to be fixed early on and judging by the guards which go on next they may be tricky to put on afterwards. I'll have a think about that one.

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Cheers all

 

Andrew

 

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For the life of me I couldn't get the body at the drivers' corner to align! (and couldn't see why) The front plate is about 2mm higher than the side. So I'm going to have to camouflage it with a bit of scatch built tarpaulin or somesuch.

Tom

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6 hours ago, Modelholic said:

For the life of me I couldn't get the body at the drivers' corner to align! (and couldn't see why) The front plate is about 2mm higher than the side. So I'm going to have to camouflage it with a bit of scatch built tarpaulin or somesuch.

Tom

Oh right! I'll keep my eye out for that 👀

How and when did you do the tracks? 

 

Andrew 

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4 hours ago, beefy66 said:

Great start looks very well detailed compared to the Tamiya offering. 👍

 

beefy 

Cheers beefy. Haven't done the tamiya but I'm sure it's easier, horses for courses I suppose 😉

 

Andrew 

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Great start I’ve got three versions of this kit in the stash, I Agee that their seems to be far too many parts for a kit this size , but you have made a great start should be a cracking build. I will be following with great interest. Who knows it might give me the courage to start one of mine!

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I will follow this one with interest Andrew as I have the standard Mk.II to build in the near future which does come with a beautifully detailed engine although if built as standard it won't be seen. My intention is it have it in a workshop scenario.

I had read somewhere about the fragility of the running gear so I bought the Sovereign replacement spring set just in case. Yours seem to have gone together nicely though so maybe they won't be needed.

 5jpMfqhl.jpg

 

Wayne

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As far as I remember, the tracks were done after all the gubbins were fitted into the lower hull I thought I could get away with.

As I said earlier I was a little dubious of the suspension attachments so tried to do more fiddly stuff before the tracks to minimize handling, and, TBH if you follow the kit instruction sequence some of the parts are nigh on impossible to fit! (look at parts F36, 37, 38 with PE on the mortar kit for example).

Tom

edit:

Diablo,

With hindsight I think I was too cautious with the bogies They build up beautifully, - if fiddly. I was worried about the attachment points more than the actual bogie's fragility . With tracks on they seem pretty robust. It's been a while since I got to the 'gotta start base coats' stage and it's still in one piece.

Edited by Modelholic
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4 hours ago, Ade H said:

I almost walked past, thinking "it'll be that rubbish old Tamiya kit again, so move on..." Glad that I didn't.

Take a seat 😁 Yes it's a far cry from a Tamiya although as I said above it's horses for courses and I wouldn't knock Tamiya they do sterling work in their designs if they do lack detail.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, laurie82 said:

Great start I’ve got three versions of this kit in the stash, I Agee that their seems to be far too many parts for a kit this size , but you have made a great start should be a cracking build. I will be following with great interest. Who knows it might give me the courage to start one of mine!

Thanks Laurie. Yes there are a large amount of parts which already have been hidden but it's such a joy to build I don't mind.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, diablo rsv said:

I will follow this one with interest Andrew as I have the standard Mk.II to build in the near future which does come with a beautifully detailed engine although if built as standard it won't be seen. My intention is it have it in a workshop scenario.

I had read somewhere about the fragility of the running gear so I bought the Sovereign replacement spring set just in case. Yours seem to have gone together nicely though so maybe they won't be needed.

 5jpMfqhl.jpg

 

Wayne

Pull up a chair Wayne. I would argue that the kit parts are more detailed than any aftermarket. It's got real double springs in each set! I've been manhandling this all day and the bogies are still intact. I wouldn't worry about it. Besides you'd have to CA glue those bits on and that ain't the most sturdy of bonds 🤔

 

 

 

13 minutes ago, Modelholic said:

As far as I remember, the tracks were done after all the gubbins were fitted into the lower hull I thought I could get away with.

As I said earlier I was a little dubious of the suspension attachments so tried to do more fiddly stuff before the tracks to minimize handling, and, TBH if you follow the kit instruction sequence some of the parts are nigh on impossible to fit! (look at parts F36, 37, 38 with PE on the mortar kit for example).

Tom

edit:

Diablo,

With hindsight I think I was too cautious with the bogies They build up beautifully, - if fiddly. I was worried about the attachment points more than the actual bogie's fragility . With tracks on they seem pretty robust. It's been a while since I got to the 'gotta start base coats' stage and it's still in one piece.

I'm leaving the tracks for as long as possible. I also intend to put the front skirts on sothis will be a last minute job. The big problem is the top section. I've worked out that you wont be able to slip the tracks on or off once the horizontal skirts above have been fitted. The return roller stops that.

This is the MMG version so no mortar to compare although I have found two sub assemblies in the steering gear which interfer with each other so you have to stick one half of one so you can thread the other through and you won't see any of it afterwards!!

 

Cheers all

 

Andrew

 

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Had a few hours tonight on this and started to do some internal stuff which will never be seen. Lot's of very small parts and some PE. It all went together wonderfully. 

 

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Two sets of linkage at the back, each consisting of 6 parts.

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Yes it's got lots of very very fragile parts but Riich have a clever solution to the perils of breaking bits when you cut them off. They have a split or thinned out section in some of the spru runs to reduce forces. Clever 😉👍🏻 Even on the many long, thin rods there is virtually no seam.

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Cheers all

 

Andrew

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Steaming through this one

 

Dry fitted for now but still it's nice to see. You'll be pleased to know the tracks do slip over the return roller..... just 😳.

 

One slight concern is the apex of the sagging track is a couple of mill off from the actual return roller. I'm sure I can sort that.

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I may add a fan from the scrap box into the opening in the engine cover.

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The first mod. The kit exhaust pipes are in two parts so I replaced them with one piece styrene rod whittled out at the ends. I'll straighten them out. Not that you will see any of this of course!

 

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Cheers all

 

Andrew

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15 hours ago, vytautas said:

With all the little details it looks just great. Meticulous work with small details always pays off!

 

Vytautas

It certainly does Vytautas, cheers 

 

Andrew 

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Well I was warned........

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Fixed with a bit of rod and two new holes.

 

On a more positive point

 

Did a bit of softening of the cushions using my new toy 😎

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I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I'll have to paint this little beast in one piece. There are a lot of bits which go on after the main internal body which makes things a little difficult. We will see.

 

 

 Cheers all

 

Andrew

 

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17 hours ago, APA said:

Well I was warned........

20211026_175516

Fixed with a bit of rod and two new holes.

 

On a more positive point

 

Did a bit of softening of the cushions using my new toy 😎

20211026_213004

 

20211026_213016

 

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I'll have to paint this little beast in one piece. There are a lot of bits which go on after the main internal body which makes things a little difficult. We will see.

 

 

 Cheers all

 

Andrew

 

Hello Andrew

Nice to read something from you again!
The fact that you chose this kit shows your nerve - or the desire to torture yourself!? 😁
I have the Riich Models RV35011 on my shelf and am always fascinated and shocked that such a small vehicle needs a full packed box 😮
Compared to that, tamiya is a walk in the park, so have fun with it!
MD

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Thanks MD 😁

 

I have to say this kit isn't as daunting as it might look. Yes it's got hundreds of parts that get covered very quickly. (You do have a little sad moment as the parts disappear forever after lovingly fettled them into place.) But they all fit beautifully with no dramas. I'm half approaching this thing as an exercise in engineering. I think I could strip and reassemble the real thing blindfolded after this 😊

 

Good luck with the Mk1 I'm sure you'll have a blast and look forward to the results.

 

As for the Tamiya yes there is no comparison but as I've said before it's horses for courses 😉.

 

Andrew

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Slightly embarrassing update but I thought I'd better fess up before someone else spots the rather silly mistake I've made.😔

uni-carrier-near-side 51634273414_093d2b5248_o

I thought the return roller didn't match up with the track sag. Thankfully they are fairly symmetrical so won't be too much of a pain.

 

Andrew

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8 hours ago, APA said:

Slightly embarrassing update but I thought I'd better fess up before someone else spots the rather silly mistake I've made.😔

uni-carrier-near-side 51634273414_093d2b5248_o

I thought the return roller didn't match up with the track sag. Thankfully they are fairly symmetrical so won't be too much of a pain.

 

Andrew

Ermmm are we talking about the single wheel behind the bogey

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