discussion Land Rover FC 1/76 kitbash

[Andy T]

Micro surgery time

Whilst I was away on holiday this AI image popped up and it piqued my interest



So I hatched a plan to build something based loosely on it. A quick search showed that the 101 only seems to be available in 1/76 from Airfix or 1/24 from Kit Form Services.
Since I'm still using both of my kidneys the KFS one was out, so I ordered these:



This is the sum total of both boxes. Strangely the cab parts are moulded in clear plastic



I'd decided I was going to do a double cab version so I started chopping up the doors. The clear plastic made this tricky as I found it hard to see exactly where I was cutting and trimming.



Next up were the body sides. There are three joints here so that I could shorten the mid section and lengthen the rear arches



That left me with something like this



I did sides first to get an even spacing of the panels & ribs, so next it was time chop the chassis to suit.
First I cut a strip out of the mid section



Then lengthened the cab area



And finally, extended the rear



There's plenty more to do and lots of tidying up is needed but I'm really enjoying this so far. The size is making a few things a bit tricky though. First the parts are so small that it's hard to hold them steady whilst cutting with a razor saw. I've taken to sticking them to the bench with blutack, which helps to stop them sliding around so much.

Plus, 1mm at this scale would be around 3 inches on the real thing so I have to be very accurate with my cuts or it'll look really wonky!

 

[Jim R]

What an interesting project. Using those two kits makes it cheap and a reasonable size. Two KFS kits plus the house extension to keep the finished model in would have bankrupted you. Off to a good start.

 

[flyjoe180]

Frankenrover? Should be interesting Andy

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Jim and Joe.

Yes, the KFS kit looks very nice but I wouldn't dare butcher something with that price tag!

 

[Steven000]

Interesting project Andy, great start

 

[Andy T]

I've got a bit further today and have put the body in initial primer to show up any imperfections. There are plenty lol

The worst are two huge sink marks right on the front panel. I couldn't see them in the clear plastic but they stick out like a sore thumb now.

I'm not sure I'll be able to fix them properly without losing all of the details around them, so I might end up using the camouflage pattern to, erm, camouflage them, or add some kind of netting/stowage/accessories.

 

[Jim R]

Filling those two sink marks won't be easy. I would try cutting off the lights, that would give a nice flat surface to fill and sand back to. Then replace the lights. If you cut them off close with a razor saw they may be ok to refit or you could scratch replacements.
No doubt you'll sort it.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Jim, I think that'll be the best way to tackle it.

 

[Andy T]

After a few touch ups with filler this is looking more respectable. I've tried to work around the front end details as best I can as I was concerned I'd not get the lights back in the right place.

There are decals in this area so near enough should be good enough.



I've also started work on extending the canvas tilt. It's looking a bit rough yet but the basic structure is there.

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Blimey Andy, this looks like an interesting project. You have my attention. Good luck.

 

[minitnkr]

I've done this several times in 1/87 with US 3/4 ton to 1 1/2 ton WCs. You're doing a much better job. An Exacto pallet blade, wet, works pretty good to smooth out filler.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks gents, it's quite a lot of fun too.

I have the suspension to sort out soon, I'm not sure that will quite be as pleasant