discussion 1/35 Mirror Models Diamond T dump truck.

[outrunner]

This will be up next to take my mind off tanks.

I have put it in civilian trucks as I am not going to do it in olive drab like the box art.
There are 12 sprues, clear parts and a sheet of PE.



Instructions seem clear enough but there is no sprue diagrams in there and the sprue numbers are so small I think labeling them with a bit of masking tape might make life easier.

Not made up my mind about the colour yet but there are a couple of alternatives on the paint sheet.

Not started it yet as I am building a small sprue stand from some bits I have lying about. Oops, looks like I have pictured the same sprue twice, must be an age thing.

Andy.

 

[Nicko]

Looks pretty complicated, but I'll enjoy watching along..

Nick

 

[Guest]

Wow Andy, that looks like it's going to keep you busy. Have fun.

 

[Mini Me]

Unless I missed it in the pics I'm assuming it is 1/35 scale.........correct me if I'm mistaken. I really like the old Diamond T as well as the White and Auto Car that the Military used under contract. I'm so used to seeing these in OD green it will be fun to see a civilian version of this beast. Enjoy Andy.
Rick H. :thumb2:

 

[outrunner]

Unless I missed it in the pics I'm assuming it is 1/35 scale.........correct me if I'm mistaken. I really like the old Diamond T as well as the White and Auto Car that the Military used under contract. I'm so used to seeing these in OD green it will be fun to see a civilian version of this beast. Enjoy Andy.
Rick H. :thumb2:

Yes it is 1/35, I forgot to put it in the title but I have fixed it now.

Andy.

 

[outrunner]

Wow Andy, that looks like it's going to keep you busy. Have fun.

Yes Peter, there are quite a few bits in the box.

Andy.

 

[outrunner]

Made a start on this and got some sub assemblies put together. There are rather a lot of small, very small parts to this model and it seems to be smaller than I thought but as the real thing only had a 4 ton payload then it had no need to be huge. The twin rear wheel sets are not glued together yet as it would be a bit hard to paint them as one lump.
View attachment 408277
I was going to do this as a clean civilian build but having looked about on the net I may do it in the olive drab scheme with a load of weathering and dirt to cover my mistakes, we shall see. Oops, just noticed I have no olive drab paint and not much hope of getting delivery before Xmas.


Andy.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
Very nice choice of kit. Mirror Models build up into nice, well detailed models but have many, fragile small parts. This looks typical.
Watching with interest.
Jim

 

[Guest]

If it’s weathering you like, then I don’t think you’d need to hold back just because it’s in civilian colours. Sites where dump trucks work are generally not all that clean

 

[Guest]

Looks nicely detailed Andy, will follow along.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Looks very detailed, almost like you're building it from individual nuts and bolts. It would look great in weathered red though.

 

[Allen Dewire]

OOOOhhh!!! Me likes this one.....Watching closely with a cold one in hand Sir......

Prost
Allen

 

[outrunner]

Slowly getting a bit more done with the truck, axles all made up and started on the chassis.
View attachment 408610
This model is not for someone who is looking for a quick build as there are so many small detailed parts.
I am including this picture for Paintguy as he said he was having a bit of hassle with his Gheko kit. This one is probably as fiddly as his.
View attachment 408611
So many small parts and they all have to be cut from the sprue with a blade or a razor saw (which I don't have) as the plastic starts to break if you use cutters and there seems to be a lot more sprue gates than most models I have built. Time taken to get the parts ready and having to do a bit of fettling to get them to fit doe not make it a bad kit, just one that needs a bit of care and attention.


Andy.

 

[Allen Dewire]

WOW Andy,

There sure are a lot of little parts to this puppy. I feel your pain without a razor saw to remove them. I have a solution for you though. Get you one of these and the problem is solved,



I can't guarantee the results, but it works for me. And, you even get a disc to remove the rest of the nasty sprue gate stubble!!! HTHs Sir.....

Prost
Allen

 

[Guest]

I see what you mean Andy. I must strike Mirror Models off my list if their kits are like that! :smiling5:

This one for instance, more gate than part lol



Best of luck mate!

 

[Guest]

Andy.
Will join in please. Your quite right to say about how small some parts are. One of my early kits was a Mirror Model

The tracks were so small I had to end up turning it into a wreak . On some sections of the sprue the parts were so small I just gave up, even with the optovisor.
A sprue saw is a must, think this was when I ended up having to buy one.

That's a nice model and will be worth finishing.Keep going.

 

[outrunner]

I knew what I was getting into with this as I have built a MM kit before so I have handled the small and fragile bits in their kits. It is nothing to be scared of, it just takes a bit of care and a fair bit of time. Not having a razor saw puts me at a bit of a disadvantage but a few clicks on the internet will fix that. Hoping to get a lot more done over the Xmas period, good paractice as there are 2 other MM kits on my to do list.


Andy

 

[outrunner]

I spent a few hours in the attic fiddling about with the dump truck as there was nothing much to watch on tv. The bench is a bit of a shambles as I keep moving on to another part of the build when I get fed up of tiny bits.
View attachment 408753
The instructions say to fit these parts after you have the axles on the chassis but I reckoned it was going to be much easier to build them up first then stick them to the axles afterwards, time will tell if I am right.
View attachment 408754
It took a bit of time to get all the tipping mechanism fitted in there although I could have done without it as I am going to build the model with a load of gravel in the back and it would never bee seen unless you turned it over.
View attachment 408755
The next problem will be trying to set the axles to give me a slight nose up attitude to create the illusion of the truck being heavy. Simply putting spacers under the front axle will not do without altering the rear so that I do not end up with a set of rear wheels off the ground.

Andy.

 

[Guest]

Nice progress, often think fitting sequences are strange.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Looking good Andy. I agree that construction sequences are sometimes strange. Surely the most logical build sequence is that which would follow the build of the real vehicle.