discussion M29C Water Weasel

[Guest]

My next model is going to be on the small side: an M29C Water Weasel, the truly amphibious variant of the M29 Weasel.

The M29 was an improved version of the M28 over-snow vehicle, both developed for use in Norway for a Commando operation against the production of heavy water for the German nuclear weapons programme, that never actually came off the ground. The vehicles, though, proved useful for all kinds of other difficult terrain, and the M29 was developed into the M29C by the addition of floatation chambers at front and rear, plus rudders for better controllability. These could be retrofitted to existing vehicles in the field, if necessary. Though the M29C was officially known as “Water Weasel”, everyone called (and calls) both the M29 and M29C simply “Weasel”.

A looooong time ago, Monogram released a plastic kit of the Weasel, but it is … not great by modern standards, shall we say About ten years ago, though, LZ Models brought out resin kits of both. A few years ago, I bought one of these second-hand, that I now intend to actually build. Let’s start with an overview of it.

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This is the kit’s box and printed-out instructions. The previous owner had printed them and included them when I bought the kit, else I wouldn’t have had them like this — I’d probably have put them on my iPad instead, and kept that at hand when building the model.

In the box you get:

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Note the 8-cm CD-ROM, which holds those instructions. However, it seems to have suffered from disc rot, as I couldn’t get it to work. Not a problem, I have the printed-out ones anyway, and you can download them from LZ Models too.

Now, a quick size comparison:

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The resin part is the main hull of the M29, the Jeep is a model I built over 30 years ago but it’s the only one I have in presentable condition

 

[Tim Marlow]

Now that’s a strange looking beastie.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Jakko
I vaguely remember Libor of LZ Models from the old forum. I don't remember this model though. Interesting little vehicle. I've not seen many resin kits built, certainly never built one myself, so this will be fun to follow.
Jim

 

[Guest]

Now that’s a strange looking beastie.

It is a bit, isn’t it? Especially because of the forward-sloping line on the side, because the track at the back is higher than at the front (the M28 being the other way around, by the way).

I vaguely remember Libor of LZ Models from the old forum.

I can’t say that I do, unfortunately.

I don't remember this model though. Interesting little vehicle. I've not seen many resin kits built, certainly never built one myself, so this will be fun to follow.

I’ve built a few, but none as intricate as this looks to be. I’ve been wary of starting it for that reason, but I’m now going to bite the bullet …

 

[Graeme C.]

It is a bit of an unusual beast, I'll follow this build.

 

[Guest]

After cleaning up the main body parts, here’s what they look like:

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The floor is a bit warped, ut test-fitting shows it should straight itself out when it’s glued in place. However, that also shows another problem:

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It’s too long to fit between the front and rear faces of the upper body. Checking the inside, it’s clear that the rear is longer than it should be:

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This is with the front of the floor against the front of the body. You can see that the control linkages meet up nicely with the moulded things on the side plate, so the floor doesn’t need to go forward, it needs its rear trimmed. What I did was scribe a line on the floor along the rear wall, from above, and then cut it off along that. A little filing to square off the plate, and it fits fine:

View attachment 431783

 

[Wookie2486]

These little vehicles are awesome I saw one a couple years ago at vehicle show in oxford I wish I had taken some pictures now.
I will definitely have a watch of this one

 

[Guest]

I've used LZ Resin kits before on a S65 Stalinetz Tractor found them to be good, and somewhat fiddly but well worth the effort.

Shall follow this.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Jakko
Good start. I suppose being resin any sanding/filing has to be done with care. Do you wear a mask or work wet?
Jim

 

[scottie3158]

Jakko,
Chair pulled up I will follow along.

 

[Guest]

These little vehicles are awesome I saw one a couple years ago at vehicle show in oxford I wish I had taken some pictures now.

I remember seeing one once, inside the bed of a GMC truck at some generic event where old military vehicles were also present, but that was 30 years ago or so. I’m sure I’ve seen M29s since in museums, but I don’t remember any at all

I've used LZ Resin kits before on a S65 Stalinetz Tractor found them to be good, and somewhat fiddly but well worth the effort.

This is the first kit of theirs (his?) that I have, and it’s a bit odd: everything seems to be well-cast, but with a lot of flash at the same time. I mean, this is pretty typical:

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Most of it is very thin and just comes off if you run a knife along it, but some is a bit thicker and needs more passes with the knife tip. But there are hardly any big pour blocks (Verlinden, this is not ) so clean-up is fairly simple for a resin kit.

I suppose being resin any sanding/filing has to be done with care. Do you wear a mask or work wet?

I usually do as much with a knife as possible, cutting with repeated passes and scraping down the remains. I sand it wet when I do need to do that, but occasionally saw or file the resin when there’s no other choice.

Chair pulled up I will follow along.

Hope you like it

I cleaned up more of the main body parts and dry-fitted them. Spot the problems:

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The upper plates will need filler, the lower body needs work to get it to fit more flush to the floor plate. In the instructions, it mentions that some people building this kit have found it easier to assemble the suspension onto the lower body and only then attach that to the upper, so I think I will do that.

I also found an article in two issues of Military Modelling from about ten years ago, about building the M29 (not C), which should help. Both the instructions and the article (which are by the same person, who built a test example of the kit) are a bit … chaotic, though.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Jakko
Just out of interest were the MM articles by a guy called Adam Kuller. I think he did a few test builds for Libor.
Jim

 

[Tim Marlow]

Coming along Jakko. Interesting to see something that isn’t plastic going on!

 

[Guest]

Just out of interest were the MM articles by a guy called Adam Kuller. I think he did a few test builds for Libor.

Yes, that’s the ones. I have the magazines nearby now, they’re the November and December 2011 issues, Vol. 41 Nos. 14 and 15. The instructions that come with the kit are essentially also his work, as they say they were based on a thread of his on the Military Modelling forums (though the instruction text appears to have been written by someone whose native language is not English ).

Interesting to see something that isn’t plastic going on!

All-resin kits are pretty rare around here, I agree. Extensive resin conversions like Mike C’s Challenger ARRV are about the limit, usually.

 

[Guest]

Yes typical from what I can remember, so thin the flash mostly just fell off . As mine was engine parts some were very small, and no blocks at all.

 

[Wookie2486]

There is a weasel at bovington tank museum it used to be inside the Buffalo amphibious vehicle. I went there at the weekend and they have had a move around of the exhibits and now it is out on show on it's own.

Marty

 

[Guest]

Yes typical from what I can remember, so thin the flash mostly just fell off . As mine was engine parts some were very small, and no blocks at all.

The smaller parts for this kit are nearly all on strips of resin, attached with thin tabs or stalks. Like these wheels:

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Ruler included to show just how big these are … There are two types of wheels, the vehicle has four bogies per side, with two axles per bogie, and each axle has two of each type of wheel. That makes 64 of these shirt buttons wheels to clean up, plus a few spares you thankfully get in the kit in case you break or lose any:

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And this is not even half the fun! There’s eight bogies to clean up, a half-leaf spring with etched mounting to go under each of them and a connecting arm above, not to mention four return rollers and their etched supports …

I also glued stuff into the body tub:

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This is most of what I showed in the earlier photo, but now glued down, as well as a few other parts.

There is a weasel at bovington tank museum it used to be inside the Buffalo amphibious vehicle. I went there at the weekend and they have had a move around of the exhibits and now it is out on show on it's own.

If only Bovington were closer than about two days’ travel away But I remembered this afternoon that I made the acquaintance, a few months ago, of someone who owns a real, restored M29C … so I sent him an e-mail to ask if I can come and take some pictures of it.

 

[Guest]

Its certainly cleaning up well , and to think you might get the chance to see one in the metal as well :thumb2::thumb2::thumb2:

 

[minitnkr]

Its' development priority was just behind the "A Bomb", due to its' secret mission to attack the Nordic center for Axis atomic bomb development. The M28 performed poorly in the snow & worse in the water as well as shedding tracks at the slightest provocation. The M29 & M29C were much improved & performed well in all theaters.

 

[Guest]

Well … all theatres except my particular part of the world They didn’t work very well in the North Sea in autumn, unless you were looking to explore the wonderful world underwater.