SimonT - 1/35 Miniart Dingo - Rons Recon GB

[SimonT]

as I had been prompted by Steves question I decided to sort the wheels and drilled out all the lightening holes as per references


I then thinned down the edges of all the holes by hand turning a ball end grinding bit on the rear face


the back plate was then installed and you can now see the hub through the holes

I also ran a scriber around the wheel rim to give a little more definition to the edge

No tyre valves required as they apparently ran on solid tyres, which is why there is no spare carried

[Ian M]

Looking good Simon. I rather like Mini Arts stuff.. The detail is normally very good and the parts count tolerable.
Regarding your earlier question about the ending date. GB's always start the 1st day of the month and end at the Last day. Unless otherwise stated. (things like an event or anniversary could have a start day the same as the real event...).

[SimonT]

Morning Ian - detail is great but lots of little fiddly bits as a result. This is only the second of their kits I have tackled. First was a low parts count BA64 which was ok
I have a stash full of T54 and T55’s and variants, T34 variants, a US bulldozer and some others and they all look to have very high parts counts.

Not keen on their soft plastic but I suppose I shall get used to it

Thanks re end date - so end of Nov means I may still be in with a chance of finishing or getting near anyway

[tanktrack]

i will be following this build as i have this kit in the stash for a few years

[Steve Jones]

Does the kit include brake drums, brakes etc or just add it onto the axle as is ?

[Jim R]

Hi Simon

I then thinned down the edges of all the holes by hand turning a ball end grinding bit on the rear face

Good idea that :thumb2: You either have a very sharp/fine grit ball or all the dusty stuff has been cleaned up somehow 'cause the thinned holes look really neat :tongue-out3:
Jim

[SimonT]

Steve - thanks for looking in

Steve -

the back section of the wheel includes the rear of the brake drum/hub. The dished bit in the centre is where the end of the driveshaft and CV joint fit. The hub carrier fits into the inner recessed circle. The other side of this piece has the slightly domed front of the drum/hub, which is what you can now see through the holes I drilled out. Each driveshaft has something like six parts

Jim - three hand turns of a steel ball end milling bit removed just the right amount of plastic. I then blew off the swarf, re-drilled the holes as necessary and brushed on some MrCementS to smooth things down (just a light brushing of cement though - the plastic is so soft that you have to be careful not to dissolve the thinned areas).

[scottie3158]

Simon,
Great work on the wheels that is a great improvement.

[SimonT]

Thanks Scottie - being able to see through to the hub/drum does make them look much more like 1:1

For those with one of these in the stash parts B10 and B11 are transposed in the instructions - four little brackets that fit on the chassis

They are all I've added. I have cleaned up parts for one driveshaft but not stuck anything in place - the instructions would have you stick the driveshafts on to the chassis then eventually build up the suspension parts around them

If you do that then you can guarantee that the wheels will be all over the place by the time you finally get around to adding them. I plan to get the bits cleaned up but not stick anything in place until I have a chance to get them all set up

[rtfoe]

Real craftsmanship Simon. :thumb2:

Cheers,
Richard

[SimonT]

Thanks Richard

Done a little more on this one


front stowage box assembled and added


bracket bases for the roof supports added to the rear face of the fighting compartment

these are rather tiny so had great fun dropping them and chasing them around the carpet a few times - luckily I found them each time and eventually managed to get them stuck down



I then added a few more suspension parts after deciding to ignore the instructions and choose my own construction order - hopefully this will minimise problems further down the line

the instructions would have you stick bits of suspension on at various points during the build in isolation of other suspension parts - if I do that there is no way it will all fit together

[Steve Jones]

Coming along nicely Mr T. I am surprised to hear you are reading the instructions. I thought you did everything on a wing and a prayer like me. LOL

[Jim R]

Hi Simon
Good steady progress. I'll remember that idea of cleaning up plastic dust with a wipe of cement. I have heard of it before and it looks to work.
Jim

[SimonT]

Morning Steve - normally I have a quick read through and then ignore them for the most part but this has so many little bits and bobs I find that I am having to refer to them more often than usual

Hi Jim - not using it to clean off dust as such, that gets blown off. It does make sanded areas look neater though

[rtfoe]

Hi Simon
Good steady progress. I'll remember that idea of cleaning up plastic dust with a wipe of cement. I have heard of it before and it looks to work.
Jim

Jim, I use Mr Cement orange scented with the orange cap to clean up sanded areas on figures as it isn't strong and doesn't glue that well. It is just as thin.

Simon, I know what you mean if its a Tammy kit you can basically build without the destruction sheet but with these new over engineered brands and their tiny parts its hard to keep track.

Cheers,
Richard