Howdy all!

Here's my "hot on the bench" build:



An "In-Box" review is in the works (just need some fine tuning to the text) and when that's published, I'll link it here.

I can tell you (initially ) that the casting and detail for a full-resin kit of this size and topic is quite nice. As the build progresses, I'll certainly fill you in on the "nitty-gritty" of this kit and, probably more importantly, the manufacturer (as this is my first experience with them).

I would like to publicly thank Gary Hirel for providing this kit which allows for the "In-Box" and "Build." Thanks Gary!

More to follow folks!

Mike

Good afternoon! Here's the link to the "In-Box" review. This really is a nice kit.

Mike

I've begun the work on what I term the "Basic 3;" the two rear combat compartment halves and the driver compartment/front end.



In the picture above, the two rear halves are now glued together. Prior to putting glue to resin, and to ensure I got the proper vertical alignment of the two halves, I utilized the front end and both rear compartment doors. These were held in position pretty much by friction (my one hand holding the halves together) as I examined the joint. By doing this, I was able to see the areas where some sanding would be needed. I would look, sand, dry fit, and repeat. Once I was satisfied with the fit, I used thick-CA glue (to allow some time for adjustments) along the bottom joint, set the cab and doors in place, adjusted the fit, and then sprayed the bottom with a CA-accelerator. When the halves were set, I then glued the inner compartment door in place.

The picture below shows the spare tire mounted (it would have been very difficult to get that in position were the rear door already set). When the door is ultimately set in place, not much of the wheel and tire will show. One note: the pour plug on the tire tread is quite thick and tricky to clean up. In this case, with the door in place, that part of the tire is placed in the down position and therefore will not be seen. Were the door to be "split" and installed in the open position, I would recommend doing the following: 1) carefully clean the tread of the pour plug and attempt to “re-engrave” the tire tread, and 2) remove the bolt heads from the rim and drill out those holes.



In each of these pictures, you will notice a slight gap where the cab connects to the rear compartment. Currently, the cab is not glued in place, just dry fitted. Even while applying a little bit of rearward pressure to the cab, there's a slight gap along the sides. This should be rectified by a little bit of sanding at the sides of the rear compartment.

The next step will be to install the steering wheel and column inside the cab and work on the cab base, seating, and gear shift lever. Once that is assembled, the cab will then be adjusted and attached to the rear compartment.

Mike

hi mike,great work this thing looks terrific already,incredible stuff

Thanks Gary. So far, so good. I can forsee a couple things that'll need to be "figured out" and "worked out," but these RetroTrack kits are quite nice!

Also, I'd like to thank WarWheels for allowing me to add this link: Dodge Tanake. There's an "In-Box" and "Build" review there along with some nice photos (provided by David Haugh). An image search will bring up all the photos there, but here they're together. And, there really isn't much info out there (at least on the web) about these vehicles.

Mike

Looking forward to seeing this one progress, Mike. The detail looks to be very high, especially considering the small scale. Nice work so far

Mike.

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

Thanks James and Patrick...very much looking forward to some more bench time with this one. I need to work out a couple of details, but hope to get on it again real soon.

MIke

For the moment, a "no-photo" update (that'll follow shortly):

The "Error:" there was a slight gap between the two rear compartment halves that I figured could be filled with CA. I used one of those nifty nozzles that go on the glue dispensor and put some in (that was on an UPPER surface). Right after that I hit it with an accelerator. All's well. Then I did the same for a small gap on the bottom. Glue, accelerator. Set it down to "dry." All's well.

I came back about an hour later and picked it up; low and behold - once I turned it around and looked at the inside of the compartment, there was this "blob" of dried CA glue attached to the top right side of the interior door. It coagulated at the very top corner, right next to the upper hinge. Mmmm..yeah, slightly PO'd that 1) the accelerator didn't "dry" the CA, and 2) that I put it on it's top...leading "flow" to the upper side.

Learning Experience? ONE SIDE AT A TIME!

Mike

Some work was done on the cab's "base," seat, and shifter. Basically, those parts were put together carefully ensuring that it would slide in and out of the cab (this is being done to allow the possible inclusion of a driver and/or passenger in the future). The back of the seat is just short of being flush with the rear of the base...almost imperceptibly so....and then centered left to right. There's nothing to show in the instructions exactly how it goes in, but it made sense (common sense rule).



The steering wheel column was claimed by the floor monsters, so I used a piece of the resin "sprue" as a replacement (it's long now to aid in holding on while it's painted). The "sprue" is actually better formed too.

The rear axle/differential/drive shaft can be seen too. There's a fair amount of cleanup needed there along with a little straightening of the drive line.

And here's the rear compartment: a little putty on one edge and things are looking pretty good for priming:



Mike

Good evening all!

Quick update. Painted the rear of the rear-compartment (area by the spare tire) with Testor's enamel "Afrika Braun '42." This is in preparation to paint the spare tire and attach the rear set of doors.

I also primed the cab in prep for the same paint. The cab's base and parts were painted too. Tomorrow evening I'll paint the seats a Khaki-ish color, paint the interior of the cab the AB '42, the knob of the shifter, and steering column/wheel. Once dry, that'll go in.

The intent is to have the cab's armored "windshield" in the open position and the windows filled with MicroSol/Mask's "glass." The thing I noticed is that the shields hinges are formed for it to be in the closed position. I'll have to play that when the time comes.

Should have additional pics up tomorrow.

Mike

Evening again!

I painted the spare tire using Testor's enamel "Rubber." There's still some touch up needed, but that little rectangular piece beside the compartment is the rear set of doors which will all but hide the spare. Also, the compartment was painted using the Testor's enamel "Afrika Braun '42" and the underside of the cab was painted with 'rattle-can' TS-46, Light Sand. (real close match I'm thinking... )



The cab base was painted in the '42 along with the shifter and seats. The shifter knob was then painted using the Rubber along with the floor pedals. The seats were painted using Testor's acrylic "Leather." Dry fitting of the base and cab is spot on right now.



Next up will be painting the inside of the cab in '42, installing the steering wheel, and a last dry fit of the cab base to ensure things don't "bump." Once that's been done, I'll attach the cab to rear compartment. I'm a little concerned with this...the fit is decent enough, but some filler between the two components will be needed and I believe that that will be difficult to 1) get in there and 2) sand. We'll see over the next couple of days how that goes.

Of course any comments are appreciated!

Mike

Lookin' Good Mike. Keep up the great work.

It was a really hectic weekend here at the house; not a lot of bench time.

I did attach the rear set of doors and the cab to the rear compartment. There's a slight gap on one side that'll need a careful application of putty. I hope to get that done tonight after work. While that'll be drying, I plan to clean up all the parts for the undercarriage/drive train.

Hope to have a couple pictures up this evening.

Mike

One picture that pretty much covers what's happened in the last day or so:



This picture shows the two main parts together. On this side, there's a bit of filler at the top between the cab and fighting compartment; the other side has just a little more. In essence, a good fit. It was a real good move to do a lot of dry fitting and then gluing the bottom "key" first. Once that was dry, it allowed a good amount of flexibility to get the sides connected to the cab.

The steering wheel is in, but not seen in this photo. You can also see (or not see) how little of the spare wheel will ultimately show.

So, body "accessories" (ie tow hooks, head lights, bumper) next, followed by paint on the main body, then undercarriage work. This should last me for the next couple of days.

Mike

Morning all!

I assembled the 37mm's pedestal, mount, and shield. Pay close attention to the instructions as the mount is to attach to the pedestal one way though it could easily be put on back wards. Additionally, the mount's brackets for the shield are exceptionally fragile! Just basic handling broke them (but were easily reattached ).

The underside got a little putty to fill a couple of gaps where the two halves and cab attached. I also attached the rear axle. For this, I needed to "shave" a bit from the base to allow it to be centered. The drive shaft, because it's a bit "bent," has NOT been glued down yet. Once the axle base has fully set, I'll position the drive shaft and use CA glue and an accelerator to straighten it out.

Front bumper is now on too. Watch that the license plate placard is put in the "up" position. The front leaf springs do have a front and back though you'd not know it from the instructions or a cursory glance. From the brackets that "hold" the springs together in the middle, one end is a bit longer than the other...the longer end goes to the rear! If they're not installed that way, the axle will be off center. The axle is going to need some modification; one end where the tire is attached has a serious "turn" to it. That will need to be cut partway through and realigned. The one rear dually on the underside is not attached...that was more to check placement and alignment.



And, the outside has received it's first coat of Testor's rattle-can Light Sand.



I hope to get all of the rims and tires painted and while those are drying, paint the underside of the truck.

Mike

Another note: I think I missed this in the review, but there's no side mirror included in the kit. If you look at the picture above, there's a hole right by the lower corner of the driver's side window/armored plate. That's where it would go if there was one included. The instructions do show a mirror, but I'm not finding one. (went back to the review pictures of the parts to make sure the "concrete or bench monster/s" didn't get it. Not there...)

So, the instruction sheet has a nice picture of the front showing the mirror....a little wire and piece of round sprue should fix this.

Mike

Made the mirror out of wire and a piece of sprue. I took and cut an inch length of sprue, sanded the very end slightly rounded then took the super-fine razor saw and sliced that end off very thin. The hole shown in the picture above was drilled through, the wire CA glued in place, then the sliver of rounded sprue attached to the wire. Waalaa...mirror!

The drive shaft was positioned and glued down and when that was dried, I gave the underside a coat of the "Light Sand." A bit later, a second coat was applied to the top side.

I'll post a picture or two when the paint has fully cured and I can handle it.

Mike

EDIT: Relooking at some of the pictures showing the interior of the combat compartment: I didn't do it, but in retrospect, I wish I had - the two areas at the back of the combat compartment where the 37mm rounds are stored - I should have taken a micro drill bit and drilled a couple of holes in those areas to represent rounds that have been taken out. To do this, it would need to be done BEFORE the halves are glued together. Hmmm..hindsight.

For the most part, all the bits and pieces are now installed.



The instructions are very vague as to where the tow hooks are to be installed. On the top of each front bumper mount there's a small indent - that's where the front ones go. At the rear underside, there are also two small indents for the rear hooks.

MicroSol/Mask's "glass" was used on the front windshield halves. I'm not sure why it came out slightly "speckled," but once the armored visor is installed (open position), this will be difficult to see. Speaking of which, the resin "hinges" for the shield are formed more for it to be in the closed position. I didn't want to attempt to bend these so they were removed and replaced with a set of PE hinges. The flex of the PE will allow me to attach the visor in pretty much any position.

It may be a little difficult to see, but the 37mm rounds inside the combat compartment were "touched" with Model Master enamel Brass (the same was done for the six additional rounds on the pedestal mount). The MG's fit in the 37mm's shield is a little tricky. The top load magazine gets in the way. My solution was to put a dab of thick CA at the bottom (there's a notch for the MG's mount) inside the shield, set the MG in, and adjust the MG from the outside. I wanted it more or less parallel to the 37mm.

And a shot from the rear:



All the wheels and axles are attached now and it sits level. The one issue with rear wheels and axle is that the axle is too short on both sides by a little less than 1.5mm. There's not too much that can be done about that...other than to have replace the axle with tube stock. This will not be noticeable unless the truck is on it's top.

Mike

Hello Mike. This looks like a fine quality model and you are putting it in good use. Your build is clean and thorough I like it.

Best regards, Alexander

Thanks Alexander, I appreciate it; this has been a nice all-resin kit. I hope to have the opportunity to build another RetroKit.

With paint 98% done, the armored visor on, and the little axes:



Mike

Clean build m8. Looking forward to the weathering.

Ragards, Alexander

Mike, you've done a marvellous job in not only building this unique vehicle but also in explaining the construction process. It's nice to see some unusual subjects being offered to us Braille Scale modellers.

Cheers,
Jan

Alexander, the weathering will have to wait until the little dio for this vehicle is planned out...the "locale" will need to be fixed before more than a basic wash could be done.

Jan, thank you for your nice comments. And, you are so right; not enough is "popping" out there in the main-stream model arenas for the "little" kits...and certainly not enough for the resin manufacturers. Were it not for Gary H, I'd have never known about RetroKit kits.

With that said, stay tuned my friend! Two 72nd Autocarro FIATs from Mr. Panzer will be done the same way..."In-Box" and then "Build" reviews.

Mike