Hi fellas,
Well, this is the first time I've tried putting a model together since I was 11 years old; some 27 years ago now. Oh dear, where does the time go, eh? I've been trying to get back into the hobby for the last couple of years, picking up anything that's interested me on the subject of Vietnam along the way, but my full-time employment & a very new family does kind of get in the way.
So, as I say, for the last couple of years I've been putting together quite a stash of kits & AM products to build into some very beautiful models...hopefully! Now I have a bit more time on my hands I decided to cut my teeth on the following kit as it is fairly easily replacable if anything goes wrong. I didn't dare touch some of the rarer/more expensive kits in my collection because if I messed those up there wouldn't be any more!
This thread is really an extension of the "Most common truck in the 'Nam?" thread still currently running under the ARMOUR/AFV: Vietnam forum on this website, but I've been kindly informed (thanks Gino!) that it would be more helpful to other site users if I started a new WIP thread of my build to show you my progress & any questions/answers I or you may have.
Why the M35A1? Well, I just love this series of truck; always have, since I was a little boy, so this had to be my first model. I also used to drive trucks many years ago so kind of feel an affinity to transport subjects, I suppose. I decided on the cargo truck version which you can build straight from the AFV Club #AF 35034 M35A1 Gun Truck "Nancy". So far, the build is going well, with all parts fitting nicely & instructions relatively straight forward to follow but then I'm only new to this hobby & haven't got anything to compare it to, so what do I know?
My eventual, somewhat ambitious, goal is to make a supply convoy from 8th Transportation Group driving along QL-19 (Highway 19) between Pleiku & Qui Nhon some time between 1969 & 1971. I haven't decided on an exact date yet.
There will be different vehicles built along the way from this current M35A1 build through another 2 or 3 M35A2's; an M49A2C & possibly an M49A1 conversion; a couple of M54 cargo trucks; a couple of M54 gun trucks; an M52 6x6 tractor with M127 trailer & bringing up the rear will be an M543A2 medium wrecker. There will be various trailers hauled by some of the trucks from the M104/M105 1.5ton trailer; M101 3/4ton trailer; M149 water tank trailer, etc, etc. Lastly, there will be a couple of M151 1/4ton utility vehicles for Command & Control.
I realise this sounds mightily ambitious right now but I have set this as my long term project. I'll eventually build a road right around my workshop to display all of these great vehicles, but a road that will also break down into individual sections to display just one or two vehicles at a time if neccessary.
This project will be something thats going to happen over the following few years so I'd like to take you all on a journey with me to watch me progress from an absolute beginner to a modeller worth his salt! I'll be coming & going from this project over time but any work I do you will be clearly notified of on this site.
I'll be posting up WIP photos from time to time & any relevant questions that I may have, to do with the vehicles themselves or even the historical time & place; hints, tips & ideas, etc, etc, so please feel free to add your comments & suggestions at any time; constructive criticism is welcome, too. I look forward to hearing from you all.
Wish me luck & lets get started!
Joe.

As stated above I'm going to build AFV Clubs M35A1 gun truck (#AF 35034), but I will be building the cargo truck version. The quad 50 I can use on another dio like "Perimeter Defence", mabye.
AM products complimenting the build are Eduard PE #35439 for the M35A1 gun truck & D-Toys #DT35-021 resin wheel set for M35 6x6 2.5ton truck.
I also have a cargo for the model aswell. Beer/soda boxes, ammo boxes, C Rat boxes, etc, etc, so I should be able to make this thing into a reasonable looking kit, eh? Ha!
The only thing I'm still a little unsure about is driver & shotgun. Are there any particular figures on the market that would lend themselves to be the crew of an M35A1 cargo truck in Vietnam?
Let me know.
Joe.

Okay, some photographs of work completed so far:

This is an overview of completed chassis, winch & wheels. Before I purchased D-Toys M35 wheels set I completed the work on the vinyl tyres from the kit. I scraped the inseam away with a Swann Moreton scalpel blade & sanded down the tyre treads & walls with fine grit sandpaper to take that horrible factory finish shine off them. A couple of days after I had finished the work on all eleven tyres the D-Toys set became available on the market (Doh!) so I invested in a couple of sets & will definitely use them over the kit efforts as the detail is nice & crisp & overall better looking than the black vinyl ones. Just my opinion.
The chassis went together quite well & shows off a wealth of detail. There are, however, quite a lot of annoying sink holes which needed to be filled or sraped away. No PE is needed to build the chassis except right at the rear end for the mounting of lights (discussed later in this thread).
After listening to witness testimony from veterans who had actually been to Vietnam & knew what they were talking about I decided to mount the winch on this particular vehicle & added a few extra details (detailed shots to follow).
Joe.

A few close-up shots of the built winch with a little added detail. Notice I added a few nuts & bolts here & there (coloured white) to enhance the detail & make the winch look more realistic. My reference for this little task was Kagero publications M35A2C walkaround & a couple of suberbly detailed photographs provided by David Doyle. Thankyou David.

The small copper chain & white metal hook are from www.mrmodellbau.com in Germany who make some great kit accessories. Why not check them out?

A view from above showing some nice added detail. Notice on the right side bumper (as you are looking at it) there are some annoying glue marks on it but I've been told not to worry about this as they will be covered when I paint (again, thanks Gino). Does anybody else have any comments on glue marks?

Right side view of winch. I'm really pleased with the way the winch has come out. Beginners luck, I suppose!

Rear view showing the rather amateurish addition of the winch lever. I was getting pretty tired by this time so I should have put the damn thing down & started again in the morning. Oh well, this is a very steep learning curve, after all!
There you go, my completed winch. Do you like it?
Joe.

If you get one of the Verlinden conversion sets for Vietnam. and use the legs from sitting figures. You can make your own drivers. That set has a lot of upper torsos, arms, heads, and other parts. Looking foward to following your progress. Sounds like a long and interesting build. I think your coupler from the cable is a little to big compared to the cable size.
Tom

Shot of front end of chassis just behind the winch mounting.

None of this extra detail comes with the kit so I "borrowed" a couple of grab handles (one for each side) from an M35A2 kit I have & nuts & bolts were added using Historex's "Punch & Die" hexagonal bolts set & some plisticard. Again, reference from Kagero M35A2C.
Joe.

Okay, the rear end:

Notice I've used the PE for the first time on this model. Actually, its the first time for me, too! A PE virgin? Not anymore! Christ, it is tricky though, isn't it?
Thwe 'wings' you see are to mount the rear light cluster on an M35A2. The lights on the A1 were mounted on the underside of the cargo bed so these 'wings' have to be removed. A good picture posted on this thread of the early rear light cluster on the M35A1 would be honestly appreciated right now so that I can scratchbuild my own set.
Thanks guys.
Joe.

Finally, the vinyl rubber tyres:

As mentioned above, I've decided to use the D-Toys resin wheels set as opposed to the kit affairs because the detail in the resin wheels is exceptional,
I can use the vinyl wheels in lots of other dioramas from motorpools & vehicle stowage to defensive positions & burnt out trucks. The uses are endless so they wont go to waste.

Okay, since these photos were taken I have progressed with the build slightly & I'm now building the cab.
More shots to follow. I hope you like what you see so far!
Thanks fellas.
Joe.

Hi again Tom,
Thanks for giving me the idea of the Verlinden figure conversion set. I already have this set (Doh!). I'll have a look through & see what I can come up with.
Just some advice here, please? Should I build & locate the figures (without glueing them in) before I fix doors, windows, steering wheel, etc, etc?

You're right about the cable coupler. It is too large. I scrounged this from one of my MR Modellbau sets as it was the closest thing I had at hand to fit the bill. I didn't really know what else to do. Any suggestions?

Thanks anyway, pal. I really appreciate your constructive comments & they will be taken onboard for my next build.
All the very best to you.
Joe.

Some PE advice, please?
Turn signal light guards on the front fenders are to be replaced by the much more detailed PE part. I have removed the plastic moulding on both fenders & sanded the area smooth ready for application of the PE part.
The PE part itself needs to be folded several times. This is okay for me when the fold is a straight line because I have one of those little "Hold & Fold" devices by KPM (advertised on this site). The problem occurs when I have to bend the strip over the turning signal light to meet the PE on the other side (any advice on bending PE would be handy right now). The PE is now supposed to be joined but the area to join is not even 0.5mm so would you suggest superglue or soldering at this point?
I hope this makes sense. I'll try to get some more pictures uploaded today to show you what I'm talking about. If you do know what I'm talking about then please dont hesitate to let me know the best way forward.
Thanks fellas.
Joe.

Joe
Very good start. I wait full build progress.
Miloslav

Joe,
I use little wooden dowels that you can buy at a DYI (Michaels) here in the U.S. I take a dowel thats just a bit smaller than the radius that I need. Now, the way I generally bend PE is to heat it over a flame (candle or butane torch(be careful if using the torch, could melt the P.E.)) heating the PE over a flame is call anealing and it makes bending it into an oval of curve alot easier. I then bend it over the dowel mentioned above. You can use either CA or solder to make the final bond. I would stick with CA and accelerator if you haven't soldered PE before.

Just my .02 cents

Tanks
Andy

Hi Miloslav,
Thanks for your encouraging words. As you can see from the thread, many of the vehicles mentioned are from you at Real Model. As I've said, I'm going to cut my teeth on this build & mabye do a couple more injection moulded kits (M35A2, M49A2C, perhaps) before I even attempt your resin kits. I need to build myself up to the required standard before I start specialising!
Keep your eye on this thread, though. Encouraging words I'm going to need from time to time!
Thanks once again, my friend.
Joe.

Joe,
I used also as Andy CA and accelerator. Soldering for small parts is complicated and lengthy. CA is quickly. Also I used Debonder for clean
from glue.
P.S. on e-mail you have small gift.

Hi Andy,
Thanks for the advice regarding PE. Using the wooden dowel doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'll have to try that. I'll also give the annealing process a go.
CA or solder? I will need to learn how to solder at some point. I do have a good soldering iron so if you like you could point me in the right direction. What do I need to do? And is the area concerned so small that it doesn't warrant solder?
Let me know. Thanks again.
Joe.

Nice start Joe !
Talking about reference stuff, taking a look at surplus military vehicles dealers can be useful.
Here's one (some of the stuff should interest you ):
http://www.texasmilitarytrucks.com/trucks.htm#SM35A1


Frenchy

Joe,
Go to this link Soldering PE, it talks about soldering PE and it's the process I use and hasn't let me down yet. I would however practice just a little. I took scraps from the PE fret and practiced slodering them together. The system as outlined works like a charm.

Tanks
Andy

Hi Frenchy,
Thanks for the link to the military truck site. I've saved it under favorites but had a quick look at the M35A1 that is for sale. I checked out the rear to look at the lights & it is fitted up with civilian lights! I think it has been converted into a farming vehicle. Oh well...
Joe.

Andy,
Thankyou for the soldering PE link. I'll study this later today & see if I can do it.
I'll let you know how I get on.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to add some texture to the seats using tissue paper, & 50%/50% water/white glue. I had a practice run yesterday but I think I'm going to do it for real today.
Joe.

Joe
Maybe the M49 pics will be be more useful . Here's an earlier M35A1-related thread that may interest you :
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/29989&page=1&ord=1

Frenchy

Hi Frenchy,
Thanks or the link. Still a little confusing though. Some A1's had the light configuration mounted to the underside of bed, whereas others had them mounted to the 'wings' on the frame according to the linked site.
Oh boy...what to do now?
Joe.

I think using a period picture as a starting point is the best thing to do. As explained in the linked thread, even field mods were possible regarding stuff like tail lights. BTW I've yet to see a picture showing a M35/M35A1 fitted with tail lights under the cargo bed - like M54 5-ton trucks (but I'd be happy to )...

Frenchy

Hi Joe, Good start. Quite impressive details actually for someone getting modelling.
Two tips Id offer as this is your first model.
1) Build a kit OOB and paint/weather it first. In my opinion most of the emphasis of modern models is on painting and weathering. Its a killer adding so much extra detail (time and cost) only to find out that it dissapears after painting.
2) Never shave off small details until you have the replacement parts ready and are happy with them. If these should go wrong you´re snookered.
I´ll be following your thread ... great job so far.

Hi Frenchy,
Point taken regarding photographic evidence.
I'll have a think about what to do over the next day or two but I may leave those 'wings' on & call it the late production run of an M35A1!
Joe.

Frank,
Both your points have been taken very wisely, my friend!
Thanks for the helpful words of encouragement, though.
Joe.