SimonT - 1/72 M966 Hummer w/TOW

[SimonT]

Jim - nothing is nice and square with this one!

Neil / Lee - :thumb2:

Steve - hi, enjoy your golf? Ta

Colin - you must have a good imagination. Don't look much like disk brakes. Luckily they will be hidden out of the way



the instructions would have you stick the chassis to the floor pan but I decided to leave that for now as there is nothing to line it up with

Instead I made a start on the body tub - what a mess!

I attempted a dry fit but nothing fitted so I sliced off the mounting bars from the rear of the side panels and sanded them as flat as possible

The rear panel was stuck to the floor pan to give a starting point and then the side panels were placed and glued

Everything was then jiggled and measured in order to get the best fit, which isn't great as you can see from the photos

The left and right sides are not moulded symmetrically so I set them so that the front edges overhang the same distance into the engine bay in the hope that the bonnet (hood) will fit up to them

The left side touched the back panel but the right side left a gap as can be seen - the overhang in front of the rear arches is half a mm different between left and right

It is all a bit rubbish folks

[Jim R]

Hi Simon
Masochistic modelling at its best :rolling:
Jim

[Steve Jones]

Yes thankyou Mr T. Looks like you have your hands full with this one. I expect it will turn into a scratch build pretty soon. Keep up the great work

[SimonT]

:smiling5:

Added the front inner wings, radiator and windscreen last night

No actual mounting points so it was just a matter of test fitting and fettling each part until it sort of fitted


the sloping panels on each side below the windscreen are supposed to be closing panels - they are fastened to the inner wings

As you can see there is some vagueness in their fit - the holes can easily be filled in though once it is all set

I measured everything once in place and adjusted as necessary in an attempt to get things symmetrical as possible for the distance from outside body to inner wings

The only reference for the inner wing spacing is the radiator which sits on top

The bonnet and roof were test fitted numerous times to try and get the best fit possible with the windscreen


the whole thing with a test fit of the bonnet and roof

The roof does not fit over the windscreen properly so will need further adjustment

The bonnet needs the louvres cleaning out as they are only partially open - the flash is quite solid so it will need some care not to wreck the louvres

[Mini Me]

Everything seems rather abrupt with this model. Your massagery seems to be working though, as things are starting to fall?? together.lol:tongue-out3: I defer to your superior skill at bringing such a malignant piece of tripe into submission. Cheers, Rick H.

[Steve Jones]

Did you sleep before going to work or just go straight from the bench?? :smiling5::smiling3:

It really is a shocking kit but you are making wonderful changes to it. Keep at it sir.

[SimonT]

Rick - :thumb2:

Steve - my sleep patterns are all over the place again. Currently 4 in the morning - good job no work today!



cleaned up the louvres in the bonnet last night and scraped to thin them down a bit




filled the gaps

[Jim R]

Hi Simon
Well done getting those louvres cleaned out. I thought you would have ended up replacing them.
"Filled the gaps"
I have a feeling you will be doing a lot of that.
Jim

[SimonT]

Hi Jim - luckily some patient work with a new blade managed to get through

Spent my waking hours (sadly too few) yesterday working on the bonnet (hood) as it was rather simplified and badly moulded


the radiator louvre had a very wishy washy frame that was almost non existent so a quick wipe with an emery board removed it

Replaced with micro strip then sanded to thin it down a little

The front edges and wheel arches should have had flared edges but what there was was poorly moulded so off it came



the front part was added from square micro strip and the arch edging from lead wire

It was blended together with filler then sanded back and smoothed with liquid cement - the late blow up photos show it could do with a little more work

I also added the missing side indicators and reflectors


the back left corner had the cut out section removed as per references


the rear right corner needed a little more work - this is where the air intake pokes through from the engine bay

The recess was deepened and the corner was cut away again as per references

All this took a lot longer to do than tell


the bonnet landing panels were fettled to match the bonnet until a good fit was obtained



starting to look a bit more Hummer like now even if it is devoid of a lot of details

[Guest]

Well before this most people would have binned it, not you Simon, you just knuckle down and produce something that the manufacturer only dreamed of. :thumb2::thumb2::thumb2:

[Si Benson]

Morning Simon,
Slowly knocking this dog into shape:thumb2:

[Neil Merryweather]

My goodness, Simon,this kit is a real horror! Your tenacity is inspiring!
Neil

[SimonT]

John - that's modelling in my book :smiling4:

Si / Neil - thanks both


Spent all morning at the garage as it was service / mot time again but managed to get a bit more done this afternoon


opened out the slots in the front grille, removed the headlights (as I have a plan for them) and CA'd some mesh behind the grille

Modified the bottom corners so that they are angled as per references and then stuck the grille to the bonnet

The bonnet was then glued in place on the front of the vehicle


added a filler cap in the body recess - 0.8mm punched disk


I did another test fit on the chassis with the wheel added and found that the wheels are too far back in the arches


chopped the chassis rails

Modified the profile of the rear section chassis rails which allowed them to slide forward slightly

Added 2mm spacers between the two halves of the chassis and stuck back together - plated over the underside of each rail with a length of micro strip to reinforce the joins


wheels now better spaced

Also added some bonnet clips from cut down Historex belt buckles - just above and rear of front wheel

[Mini Me]

And the "Magic" continues. She's starting to look the part now. :thumb2:
Cheers, Rick H.

[SimonT]

Thanks Rick