discussion You can't park there mate!

[Andy T]

Well, here we go. I can't hope to match one of Ron's masterpieces but that's not the point. I'm going to build a subject he might have chosen, in a way he might have built it, and have fun along the way.

It started in a very un-Ron-like way as I couldn't find an image I liked for inspiration, so got Gemini to create a couple





And the main subject :

 

[Andy T]

You can't park there mate!

You know how it goes, having a day off from invading Europe so you decide to take your halftrack out and see what she can really do.

However, you get a bit ambitious with a river crossing and get her stuck in the mud.

You radio back to base and all your comrades rush to the scene to do what any good friends would do - point and laugh at your predicament!

 

[Jim R]

Great idea. Ron would definitely approve.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Jim. It's the third idea that I've started, but the previous two just didn't seem fitting.


I have to say firstly, what an incredible kit this is! Plenty of parts for a 1/72, with some of them incredibly small, but very detailed.



Most of the parts, I'd say at least 90%, fit together perfectly without any glue due to tight, well placed pins. Some seem a bit too tight to be honest and needed more force than I was comfortable with, but the plastic is very robust and breakages were almost non existent.

Anything that could be placed wrongly, like the track & wheel parts, are keyed so that they will only fit in the correct place, on the correct side.

Because of that construction was very quick indeed, with the vast majority just snapped together.





So, onto the wet stuff already. Whilst I aim to brush paint this I decided to go off piste and prime it first, to give myself a helping hand. It was stripped back down and given a coat of Mr Surfacer. I mixed black & white together to give me a German Grey type shade, which will at least give me some coverage on areas I can't reach with the hairy stick.

 

[pjgtech]

That looks like a very nice kit mate, watching along....

 

[Andy T]

It really is. I'll try and pick up on some of the details as I post the painting shots.

 

[Steven000]

This is going fast! Nice progress and great idea

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Excellent story and some good progress Andy. This will be fun to watch it come together.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks guys.

I started it on Sunday evening but you're up to date now.

 

[yak face]

Brilliant idea andy , definitely a Ron type dio . The halftrack looks a superb bit of kit , I really like small scale armour stuff like this , might have to look out for one of these .

 

[flyjoe180]

Nice looking halftrack Andy. This is going to be right up Ron's alley for sure

 

[Andy T]

Thanks chaps.

I've made a couple of boo-boos. The kit includes the steering mechanism, with a rod and two tiny cranks that are fitted without glue. Once the body is married to the chassis these can be connected together and cemented. Unfortunately one has gone AWOL. If the carpet monster doesn't release it I may have to hide the area with a blob of mud



Worse than that was the bonnet didn't fit! It seems like I fitted the dashboard / bulkhead a fraction too far forward, one of the few parts I'd cemented in place

Thankfully I managed to break the bond and move it backwards (less than a millimeter) and all is well. Something to check if anyone else builds this kit, ensure the bonnet fits before the glue sets on the bulkhead (firewall for our American cousins)
Probably one of the few parts you can get wrong, but I managed it lol.

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

I dont think I would even have noticed the steering parts missing Andy. Coming along nicely. Good recovery on the bonnet.

 

[Andy T]

I've had a busy week but some progress has been made, painting the parts I might not be able to reach later, then cementing them in place.



For a kit that fits together so well (apart from my previous mistake) I couldn't find any way to marry the body with the chassis, without surgery.

Maybe it's just me but the gap between the inner wings was far too small for the engine to fit through. I tried all kinds of wiggling & jiggling but couldn't make it happen, so I had to trim some plastic off, seen here in white



It's completely unnoticeable once the two assemblies are joined together, but something to watch out for



I'm not sure Ron would have approved but I've used my new fangled machine to print a variety of stowage items. I won't use them all but with a resin printer, if you're making one item you might as well make a batch, as it takes the same amount of time.

 

[Steven000]

Nice paintwork so far Andy, looks like the printer is running smooth as well, have fun

 

[Jim R]

Coming on a treat. Glad the bonnet is sorted. Nice looking paint job.

 

[yak face]

Fast work Andy ! Not just on the halftrack , but getting to grips with the new machine . The printed stowage stuff looks excellent , very handy bit of kit to have if you know what youre doing ( me , not a chance , i can only just work a photocopier ! )

 

[Andy T]

Thanks chaps

I had my first test print started about 90 minutes after opening the boxes. Much more straightforward than I thought, but even more messy than I'd imagined. I'm putting a bulk order in for paper towels

I'm slowly getting there with the paint job, give me an airbrush any day lol.

A combination of brush, sponge & dry brush has got us to this stage so far.





Much more to do, but I'm probably at a stage where I can get cracking on the main event. Time to sweep the drive and scour the garden for basing materials