Having built the Miniart D7 Caterpillar with the winch I got a really taste for this series of kits. I recently got this kit in the mail from HLJ and hope to post a progress report here for any one that may find this of interest.

The one thing that I noticed after taking the sprue bags from the card board box is that the instructions have been upgraded from a loose flyer to an actual booklet, like the Meng and Takom kits.I'll post pics as the come along.

I slowly looking into if there is any information or Photographs of these being used by Canadian Forces, as I would prefer to do one from my native land rather than a Yankee bulldozer. Any help with information or images would be greatly appreciated.
So on with the kit.
Like I say- Miniart seems to have moved up a rung on polish and panache, the instruction booklet is very well done, it has staple in the spine and it is somewhat substantial. So that's one very positive mark.

So here you can see the booklet. Why you must be wondering, am I spending so much time with this? It's just unexpected and it really makes the package a little more classy.


So lets go...
Step 1.

The engine block halves.


Close up of sprue tree with a focus on the injector part.

All the necessary parts in Step 1 in place.

D7 of an R.C.E. Field Park Company taking part in the breaking of the Gustav Line by 1st Canadian Corps in May 1944 :



H.P.

GREAT photo H.P. !

You're welcome Mike

It was used by the British army as well :

Gibraltar, November 1941 :



H.P.

Wow, look at the steam powered roller right behind the cat!

Another Canadian D7 in action in front of the St Gervais church in Falaise, Normandy, :



from this thread :

http://histomil.com/viewtopic.php?f=338&t=3918&p=37485&hilit=bulldozer#p37485

H.P.

Henri-Pierre, thanks for your interest and post. I wonder what the source is for that first picture? I have seen that second one somewhere before... now where was that?
Oh and another one(source?) Thanks!
I am reading the book about Ortona by Mark Zuehlke. There is a mention of a bulldozer in its pages. Perhaps someone on this site maybe able to share any info or sources of info/photos.

I've found the first picture here :

https://legionmagazine.com/en/2012/05/on-this-date-may-3/

but, as you know , it appears on other websites like ML or Mapleleafup.net...

Here's a larger version of the last one I've posted :

http://www.worldwar2-photofinder.com/wp-content/uploads/Falaise-Rue-Gambetta-2.jpg

H.P.

Thanks

I like this guys hat!

OK moving on with build I'm going to going to step two which has I believe it's the clutch parts I somehow missed placed my new Tankograd book so I can describe these parts right now.
So what I would do is glue part C 75 and see 74 together and then attach them to see 72 because that way you will ensure that your alignment of 95 and see 96 are correct because the drawing is somewhat unclear in step two. if you look at step for you can see the other side of the clutch plate.
Miniart has provided really good locating nubs for these parts in the engineering is very intense and the parts fit together perfectly.
I'm using Testers liquid plastic cement and the plastic excepts it very willingly.



So the next will do the oil pan which consists of a mean your part with two side panels.


Once that's done then you can put all three sub-assemblies together in step four.

One good thing I have to relate is I believe this kit has a far more flexible and normal plastic, I don't think I'll have the same issue with some of the smaller fragile pieces that I had last time withe the D7 w/winch kit.


So have the three parts together.

So Step 5 takes us into some of the more intricate engine parts and levers. I approached it in a couple of sub assemblies.

Part C22 is the starter switch control lever.
Part C91 and C67 are part of what I believe is and electric starter control.
Part C57 is the sliding gear rocker. (this part still has part of the sprue attachment which will be cleaned up later.

The parts for the second part of Step 5
I believe this stuff relates to the starter motor, (gasoline) transmission shifting and clutch.
Parts C109, C110, C85 C63 are part of some housing.
C30 is the starter pinion lever.
C31 is the starting engine clutch lever.
C34 is the transmission shift lever.




some seams need to be cleaned up in these pics.

So next Step 6 which involves more of the starter motor, at the front end this time.


The other parts, (I forgot to include the top, part C79)

Step 7 would have the modeller combine the two sub-assemblies from 5 and 6. You need parts C78 and B26 to achieve this.

You may be right. It certainly looks like the gas starting motor might have an electric starter motor! But that means there would now have to be a battery somewhere and maybe even a generator on the main engine.

I know most won't be interested in this depth of detailed research but it seems that Caterpillar had no qualms about making subtle changes to their product throughout the war years. A very unusual practice.

ok- Step 8
The two sub-asembies of the main engine block and the gasoline starter engine are combined. Also the exhaust system gets some attention.

A parts count of 700 is making my head spin!

Not sure are you saying that's a bad thing?
According to their website its actually: Total 609 parts.

Just stumbled across two more RCE D7's in Normandy :

"Clearing by the Royal Canadian Engineers of rubble in order to start an other road to the river bridges, Caen, Normandy, 4 August 1944.":


This one has a different rear winch set-up :



H.P.

Very nice photos H.P.


p.s. 609 total parts count A-OK with me if it produces that level of detail!