Mike Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Firstly, let me start by apologising for that dreadful pun in the topic title When this kit arrived on my doorstep, I just had to get started on it immediately, as it's from Great Wall Hobby, a manufacturer I've not built before, and it's just... well... Unusual! You don't often see a great big infrared searchlight on the back of a halftrack, do you? I also fancied building some more armour, and something with some camo to test my airbrushing skills. There's an inbox review here where you can read a little about the kit contents, so I'm not going to duplicate that here. Suffice to say, I started with the chassis, building up the suspension for the tracked portion, then the steering wheels, which was where I made my first mistake. It's very important to get the wishbone suspension unit square with the bottom of the chassis, so I'd advise you to build it up actually on the chassis, contrary to the instructions, which would have you build it in isolation. Here's a picture of the completed bottom part of the chassis, with the wheels and roadwheels/drive sprocket/idler wheels loosely slotted into place. The good news is that the wide-set roadwheels (parts A23 and A25) can be glued together before being fitted, as there is enough play between them and the close-set pairs to allow you to slide them all in neatly. I've left them unglued for now for easy painting later. The steering roadwheels are built up from of 7 parts, plus a back to the hub and central boss. Make sure you have a bunch of really strong clamps ready to keep these parts from springing apart while they set. They might be a bit of a pain to put together, but the detail on the treads once it's all together is excellent, making it all worthwhile. At the moment, I'm building up the internal parts that festoon the upper parts of the chassis, such as the winch mechanism, basic engine sump parts, fuel tank and a couple of strengthing cross-members. I've had to glue some styrene sheet to the ends of these parts (approx. 1mm) and sand them back to profile, as they were too narrow to attach to both sides of the chassis parts. The fuel tank has a noticable join line around it once assembled, which is right next to the depicted seam, so I've sanded the whole part smooth, and will add back the correct seam from thin styrene strip once it's dry. More as it comes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Tango Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Good looking start Mike, should look good when it's finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest snipersmudge Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Yes tis an interesting and unusual model, somewhat like your self old fruit! looking forwards to this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dads203 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Interesting to see this one being built Mike, looks like a quality kit? Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Interesting to see this one being built Mike, looks like a quality kit?Dan Like I said in the review, comparable to Dragon in terms of mould quality & buildability (is that a word?). Nothing so far has been overly taxing, but you need to watch out when you're building the drive sprockets, as you get two different sets, both using the same PE band that you wrap round the axle (you can see it on the pics above). You only get one set though, so choose which wheel you want to use before you start gluing PE to the hubs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousER99 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Looking like a cool subject to me. The moulding of the parts looks about as good as I have seen from the "big boys" too. Whats the camo goona look like?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Looking like a cool subject to me. The moulding of the parts looks about as good as I have seen from the "big boys" too. Whats the camo goona look like?? I's say so, and a lot fewer sink marks to eradicate than on a lot of kits I've made. The worst two so far are on the outside of a couple of fold-up jump-seats on the inside of the cab, but 10 minutes later they're flush after some CA and a little sanding This is what it'll look like: (box top pic) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 I managed to get the cockpit assembly almost complete yesterday, with a bit of fiddling about with the parts after attachment. The underside of the roof is quite badly scarred with ejector pin marks, which I covered with CA and then sanded smooth. There are no details to remove accidentally, so it was plain sailing, resulting in a perfectly acceptable roof, which probably won't be seen, but what the heck? I did the same to the underside of the cockpit body and wheel arches, and scraped off the marks on the sidewalls that the instructions advise you to (I'm guessing that these parts are used on another version for which the parallel lines are appropriate). The bonnet (hood, or engine access panels) comprises 4 parts, which the instructions would have you attach outside parts first, which is where I came undone. By the time I test fit the central opening parts, the glue was already setting up on the outer parts, and it was only then that I found that the aperture was too narrow to accept the parts in the closed position. With there being no engine included in the kit (there is an aux. power unit that drives the winch), it was a case of removing those parts and repositioning them with the hatches in place. To give it a bit of strength I added two pieces of styrene strip across the hatches, which also made juggling poistion an easier task, cutting down the part-count to 3. I also managed to knock off a hinge from the top right door, which I later replaced with a piece of 0.75mm styrene rod - it's the perfect size I've left off all the pioneer tools and light clusters until later in the build, so each part has been marked with a green X so that I don't forget later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Tango Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Starting to come on now Mike, like the camo scheme by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmk.6john Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Stop it with the armour threads!!!!, it's builds like this that really get me hankering for the dark side and the boss has told me no (or write a grovelling letter to Mr Clause)!!. Lovely looking kit Mike, will keep an eye on this one. Regards, JB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 Stop it with the armour threads!!!!, it's builds like this that really get me hankering for the dark side and the boss has told me no (or write a grovelling letter to Mr Clause)!!. Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us, Join us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smuts Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Hi Mike, very nice so far great wall are Lion Roar (dragon connections?) next release is the Nebelwerfer semi.. did you get it from Luckymodel or a UK trader?. Stop it with the armour threads!!!!, it's builds like this that really get me hankering for the dark side and the boss has told me no (or write a grovelling letter to Mr Clause)!!.Lovely looking kit Mike, will keep an eye on this one. Regards, JB. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE cross over to the darkside. Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 Hi Mike, very nice so far great wall are Lion Roar (dragon connections?) next release is the Nebelwerfer semi.. did you get it from Luckymodel or a UK trader?. From our chums the Airbrush Company here: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest snipersmudge Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 I like the look of this kit and I have heard good things about it. Having built the italeri kit and fought it all the way this looks much better. nice work mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 I've not seen the Italeri kit, but this one's going together pretty well so far. The only thing I'd counsel against doing is gluing up small parts without first checking they fit. Guess how I know? Quite a lot of the tiddly bits need their holes enlarging for a snug fit. No big deal really I've been plodding away with the chassis this last few sessions, and have now got the majority of it together. I have to say that fit has been pretty good overall, with no major fit issues with the main components. The seam between the front and rear halves of the body is a little bit of a challenge to get right, but some judicious clamping, then putty and sanding seems to sort that out, and there's only a small portion of the seam on display after the cab is glued on. The searchlight operating station is just perched on top of the roof for show - it'll actually be buried inside the fighting compartment (lighting compartment?) once completed. You can also see the rear portion of the searchlight taking shape. I've got the Klear drying on the 2 lenses, and will have to install all the tricky vanes inside once I've painted the parts. Could be fun, but there are handy grooves in the inner lens, which should smooth the way. Here's a shot of the body and cab exploded as they will be for painting. The previous pics are just propped together, which is why the sharp eyed will possibly see some little gaps here & there. Next step is to assemble the searchlight stand and the rotating base that installs where the operator's area was perched in the photos above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousER99 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Well that is coming along quite nicely isnt it? I assume the interior paint is a primer? Weren't most if not all German vehicles Buff inside or am I wrong?? Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Well that is coming along quite nicely isnt it? I assume the interior paint is a primer? Weren't most if not all German vehicles Buff inside or am I wrong?? Cheers Mike That's some Alclad primer... the interior will be Lifecolor Gelbbraun from set 1 of the German WWII Tanks boxed sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 A long overdue update I completed the searchlight and the details of the hull and I'm now getting to the stage where I can start thiking about spraying the interior. The searcjlight unit itself has no interior, and given that the kit provides the inner lens with photo-etched shutters, I wanted to do something that showed these off. First thing I did was spray the internal parts with a very dark blue mix, then I assembled the inner lens and PE parts after dipping the lenses in Klear. I attached the PE parts with GS-Hypo cement, a clear watch-maker's cement, which dries in about 15 minutes, doesn't marr plastic, and the excess can be scraped away. After trying the lens on the body, I was less than impressed with the look, as it just appeared as a black hole. Something else was needed to finish it off. I crash moulded a reflector shape over the top of my MDC riveter's handle, attached it to a spacer to hold it in place, drilled a 2mm hole in the centre, then attached a 2mm ball bearing to represent the lamp. I then sprayed this gloss black, and once dry polished it up with micromesh, then sprayed Alclad Chrome carefully. Once touch dry, I attached 2 pieces of solder across the reflector to add a bit of interest. I assembled the outer lens, which I'm guessing was the infrared filter, and test fitted it to see how it looked. Again, it was a bit boring, so I mixed up some Alclad Smoke with some clear violet and sprayed the inside face of the lens with it, being very careful only to mist it on. I'm quite pleased with the result, even though it's probably not 100% accurate. You'll notice the home-made grab handles on the sides of the light, two of which were chopped off to allow me to smooth the ring round the outer lens - the kit parts were moulded in, a little weedy, and presented some horrible mould seams to sand away whilst not breaking off the handles. once smoothed, I applied some small pieces of styrene strip, sanded them back to a scale thickness, then drilled some 0.5mm holes into which I popped some new handles made from bent styrene rod. The third scratched handle was necessary after a clamp pinged off taking the handle with it... such is life I also cut out the vision slits in the sides of the cuppola, and lined the bottom edge with some thin styrene to save having to smooth it off with a sharp knife. A smear of filler blended the edges in and gave a nice sharp slit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest snipersmudge Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 very nice Mike, the searchlight looks great. what colour scheme are you going for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz greenwood Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 Looking good Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 very nice Mike, the searchlight looks great. what colour scheme are you going for? Thanks chaps... The box scheme Pete - going to test my freehand camo squiggling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 You're getting into this armour lark now aren't you Mike? Looking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz greenwood Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Looking good Mike. Can't wait to see more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 replying as requested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Shan't. So There! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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