Catch Up With Part 5 : HERE
This is a really nice kit to build. In fact if you’re not concerned with adding those little scratchbuilt pieces you could probably knock this out in a day and have a damn nice looking kit at the end. You really do have to appreciate the easy and simplicity of a Tamiya build.
On this you get the option of an earlier model with the wheel recessed into the outside or a later model with room to mount one or two spare wheels inside. I’ve gone with the later model but I’ve left the spare wheel separate until it’s painted. So the rest of the body is assembled as per the instructions and goes together well with only some minor filling needed as well as a few shallow pin marks on the inside of the sides.
I’ve added texturing to the bottom of the door wells to represent the treadplate there as well as the four screw heads in each, and also added striker plates for the door locks. The rifle butt holders should actually be clear of the floor by about half an inch ( 0.3mm in 1/35 ) but I figured the effort wouldn’t be worth it as they would be damn hard to clean off and rebuilt so they all looked the same so those I left ( besides which I had already put the body together by the time I decided to get anal, might do them next time ). Likewise I felt the rifle brackets looked good enough so was happy just to drill out the locking clip to make it look a little more like it was hollow as on the real thing.
The main additions to the interior were adding clips to the stowage boxes under the seats and a handle to the one between the sets. I also added the wiper motors and the pedals as the kit ones are just moulded on lumps. Again I only decided to do these after the construction of the body was complete. I really should know by now that I’m going to give in and just do these things from the start. I also added a new handle and the lockdown latches on the small access lid on the rear deck which opens into a small stowage compartment.
The hardest part was adding twelve tie down loops around the upper rear edge. Each of these is 1.5mm long and 0.6mm deep and they pushed my eyes and fingers to their limits trying to make them till I came up with a way which I’ll share with you in a “tips and techniques” article in a could of days. Wish I’d thought of it sooner.
After breaking off the kit mirror not once, not twice, not thrice, but four bloody times I took it as a sign to build a better one, so I did. Glad I did, it looks a lot better. I also decided to add a gas tank to complete the engine bay look, plus some pump thing that I have no idea what is. Turns out you can’t see it but I wasn’t sure so it’s there anyway.
Lastly the folded tilt was added. Again the kit supplied part is very good so I used that but used a little Mr. Surfacer to accentuate some of the folds and to blend it in where it touches the deck and in particular where it folds over the tilt frame sides. That was it, I was happy with the kit seat texture so that got left alone, just stick the doors on, undercoat and leave.
Oh, and you may notice the first of around half a dozen bullet holes that has been added to the hood. To do that I had to do a LOT of thinning of the hood from inside so I could poke a hole in. I used a video off Youtube of some rednecks shooting up cars as a guide for how the bullet holes should look.
Now it gets left until I sort out the stowage and figures before the final painting. I’ve started on the first two figures which will be the focus of the next update. You may have noticed that the steering wheel is missing, that will get added toward the end as I need to off to get the driver figure in.
