I've got the suspension units 95% finished. I've also made a start on the lower tub. No problems encountered so far - in fact the opposite. Instructions are clear and quality and accuracy is first-class:

Looks good.....I guess Trumpy switched to TAN plastic over there usual grey...does the tan plastic have the same working characteristics as the grey?

Thanks....

Thanks for sharing this build!
This one is a very interesting vehicle and one of my many ideas was to buy/ build a complete russian set. (this tractor, B4 gun, crew-set and ? )
In big T´s catalogue was announced also an "inspection-person-set" including a very famous man.

Perhaps I will buy these kits, when I found a good solution for the B4´s barrel.

Also my question is; is the tan-colored plastic weaker/ more softly than the grey one?
I had some problems with some of Italeri´s kits.


greetings...
Soeren

The colour has nothing to do with plastic properties ... its only a colour added. This could have been the result of feedback from customers, who prefer to work with tan coloured plastic?

The details so far look excellent. Very clean. Looking forward to more of this build Jim,

Hi

Soeren, JB model has a turned alu barrel for the B4.
www.jbmodel.eu

Very nice and just a few Euros.


Greetings

Nils

Hmm, when I saw this, I thought about a new type of plastic.
I know, that the color has nothing to do with the properties.
But it´s possible... through a new/ different material.

greetings...
Soeren

I guess if I had seen the styrene as something different I would have mentioned it? It's TAN, not GREY - apart from that... Not a lot...

Jim, I'm looking forward to some more pictures as you progress with this build. It's an interesting looking kit, and am thinking about adding one to my collection.

Another sub-assembly 95% finished. This is the rear crew compartment. Simple construction - everything slots in nicely. However, i'll swear there is a slight warping on the baseplate. It doesn't affect the fit tremendously but it DOES leave a couple of annoying gaps.

What the photographs show (by some miracle ) is the 'graining' of the wood-effect. It SHOULD disappear after painting as I still feel it's TOO heavy.

I've shown the compartment with the Tilt on as well. This really is a brilliant piece of moulding although in a contrary spirit i've decided NOT to use it. Two possibilities have come up. The first is scratchbuilding the RIGID shelter - simple enough as i'd use the original as a template. The second, which is more tempting, is to add the frame for the tilt - that way, I could add some figures and perhaps a load of personal gear?

Here are the photos of the next Sub-Assembly:

















Next up SHOULD be tracks and finishing the running-gear...

Looks good....I wonder what is under those two domed metal compartments at the front of the bed.....I guess I should pull my copy of TYAGATSHI off the book shelf.

Looks like it's coming together nicely. I don't think I've built a Trumpy kit before but this might just be my first one. Open top and figures sounds interesting, looking forward to it!

Cheers!
Stefan

Very nice, and very tempting! Do my eyes deceive me, or is that idler wheel suspiciously like a Sherman road wheel?...

Tom

No way on the Sherman wheel. This was designed and built before the Sherman.

Dry-run fitting cargo compartment, front bonnet, cab & Fllor. Most expensive snap-together kit i've seen yet. Everything goes together beautifully.

Jim, looks good so far and I'm pleased to hear it when together very easily...I'm very interested to hear how the tracks/fenders go on.

In the US, these kinds of kits are called Snap-tight...lol.

This kit looks so good, and you are making it so fast, but... I prefer the gray colour plastic

Actually, JB Model are just a retailer, like Blast Models, for the RB Model range.

http://www.rbmodel.com/index.php?action=products&cat=news

Cheers,

Christophe

Although this is looking great, I wonder will the gaps where the cross beams on the back hull go through, be visible when finished?

How would the driver get his legs / feet through those shift levers to push the pedals ? Any prototype photos of cab floor , Frenchy ? Very nice build so far .
Any word on AM hoops for the bed for those of us who can't bend 2 pcs of wire the same and tend to set fire to the workbench when attempting to solder ?

I'll hopefully be starting on them this week. The biggest help is the one-piece tilt. I'm going to be using it as a 'former' (from the inside) to get the correct curve on the hoops. It's simpler than other vehicles as the three attachment points are moulded onto the cargo bed side panels. Now, the most detailed photo I have, of the hoops, is of a German vehicle. Many of the photos show three things:

1) With the (canvas) Tilt fitted

2) With the hoops removed

3) In some of the German photos, the Tilt has been replaced with a rigid (plywood?) shelter-type structure which follows the same dimensions. This should be the easiest to model as, once again, the kit-supplied tilt will give the correct dimensions.

Another point, which is worth thinking about, is if the tilt is used, then i'd suggest replacing the kit-supplied clear plastic windows and replacing them with clear polythene. That's how they should look - the plastic parts look too much like glass.

Thre are , as far as I know, no more detailed images of the cab interior.

Nice work, Jim!

Will add this one to my wish list along with the howitzer.