Greeting to everyone. This is one of my endless building. I hope one I will finish this either very interesting or very hard model. The model is from Heller with terrible quality of the plastic and very poor accuracy in details.
I've decided to bring t to alive and started with chassis.





The front wheels and the tracks are from Modelkasten.

Next was the turret.

Good details are you making in your model Artyom. I'll follow your job.-

The R35 is a nice tank.- Do you paint by French Army?

Omar from Argentina

Thank you Omar! I haven't decide yet. I think it will be in 3 color scheme camouflage.

Arty..;

Yeah, the Heller Renault R-35... Thrilling to see someone tackling this little beast! You are kicking a.s on it! NICE detailing! Can't wait to see how you wrap it all up!

I got mine back in 1974. I doubt any newer boxings are better! Mushy and "off" details (and, hey, Heller is a French company and this is a French tank, right?) and the plastic is maybe not the best. But it's what we have to work with, so...

Seems that you and I could be of similar minds on it... it needs a LOT of help to come out looking good. And it has become a near-forever build for me (2008 and still WIP - but I'm into the painting now, so...). From the cool stuff you show, seems that you have gone well beyond where I went - but we are seeing some of the same things: I did the bogie spats (mud-plates), outer bogie rivets / bolts, and thinned around the flanges to reflect the lighter metal these were made from. I trimmed covers on the crank-springs and cleaned them up some, but did not add those cool washers that you have done. No, I did not go anywhere near those keeper wires on the bolts, nor those cotter-pins - that is just OVER THE TOP you did there! There are some other lower details I did get to - work on tabs and hinges and the like - but none of those suspension mount bits you seem to have hit (I kinda figured that I wouldn't see them anyway, so...).

Your turret is capturing a LOT of neat stuff - the basic turret is OK IMO, but the gun-mount bolt wants to be there (we both did that), the little commander's cupola needs work (been there, too, like you - but I replaced the vent cover entirely to reflect that it is a domed plate that pushed up on the cupola top). I used styrene sheet for most of the mods, such as that vision-slit cover. I see you got those little lift-hooks up there- I think I did, too (but have to go look to see!). Your turret piece above the back hatch (not sure what it is supposed to be - probably NOT an antenna mount) looks pretty crisp and interesting! I think I just used that little plastic bit back there, in a sort of "hope this is OK" mode. You have added a couple more bits to the turret than did I - looks really good! IF you have not yet done so, I think you should add on those little ports on the right side of the gun - casing (Google a pic of the old girl to see these).

Haven't seen your fenders nor hull yet... I rebuilt those fender boxes and scratched up a new jack-handle mount-plate (right rear fender item), added rivets, built some tool racks on the left hull side, put in the splash-guard/gutters around the gas filler and grills, opened some grills, built on a spare wheel rack/mount more as seen in the photos (a sheet-metal and casting contraption attached to the main hull-bolts on the rear seam or casement-join). The muffler had this flex-tube - I tried one using tin foil... ugh.

The tracks... Looks like you have changed out the idler and the sprocket... The vinyl things are wretched (crappy even). I am going to put some Fruil "Hotchkiss" tracks on - I have them and they look pretty similar, so...

Lots of things a guy can do to this one! I'll bet you'll hit about all of those I mentioned, and probably more - and very likely better, too! So, yes, I really look forward to seeing your's come off!

Hope you try to tackle one of those neat tricolor schemes! I did, and - while not yet weathered (I did say WIP, right? Give me maybe another 6 - 7 months!), it was fun and I think it'll be pretty cool when done. I have not finalized on it as I don't have any decals for this thing, nor any painting stencils... so don't know what I'll do as markings!

Here's a pic of where I'm at right now... use it as a target!



Again, looks really good, there, friend, and looking forward to seeing your final!

Cheers!

Bob

Hello Bob! Thank you for your message!
R-35 is rather rare model and it is very sad that many modelers prefer to build Tigers and T-34's from Dragon or Tamiya. This kit is very interesting, so I decided why not? Yes it will be difficult and no one can help you with suggestions or advices and materials (in Russia). I am very happy that I meet you who are fighting with this little French beast like me!
I started this model in 2008. In parallel I was building T-35 and Cromwell. T-35 is ready for painting. I have been built it for two years. While I was building T-35 all works with R-35 were stopped. So now I am thinking how to go further on it.

The fenders and hull are not ready yet. So i have nothing to show. A was lucky because Modelkasten has tracks on R-35 so I will use them. I will use Eduard PE for Hotchkiss etc. They (H-39 and R-35) have some similar parts.
I have the similar problem - no decals.

I am very sorry I didn't practice my English for a long time. I did not understand what you mean. Can you show it on picture?

"You have added a couple more bits to the turret than did I - looks really good! IF you have not yet done so, I think you should add on those little ports on the right side of the gun - casing (Google a pic of the old girl to see these)."


Do you have photos of your R-35 before painting? It is very interesting and helpful to me in future to see it.

Arty..;

Hi!

Well.... Hey, I MAY have some pre-paint pics - I'll check on the other computer tonite, and if there are any, I'll post a couple? Long sorta-funny story short: I returned to the plastic tank hobby only in 2008, after about 33+ years out (yeah - I bought that old R-35 kit - stuffed it into the closet, and went on to other things. It waited calmly in the darkness for 33 years before once again feeling the warmth and love only a plastic modeler can share with his kits! ). And I did not have any sort of photo habit going with the builds I started up... but I may have a couple. Certainly I have several better with paint, and I can share a couple if you are interested.

About those "ports" on that turret MG housing... You have placed a couple of "bolts" there (right side -top of the co-axial MG). These should be sunken "set-screws", I think - which appear as ports or holes. Best real pic I could find in a short search is of that R-35 at Saumur, France. Here's a pic I copied from the Web FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY that shows those 2 small holes I am speaking of...

And, if I may suggest - Google" the R-35 and look at those "rubber covers" on the wheel-bogies... A couple of preserved tanks have been well-photo'd to show these. Actually, these are sets of solid rubber "washers" used as dampers between the bell-cranks. You have done such a neat job with the metal washers and detailing - you would max the job and effect by working those rubber bits! I was just reminded of this when I looked for the above / below turret MG detail. In fact, I'm going to go fix these rubber things on my R-35 tonite, now I've seen it (again) and told you!

The Saumur R-35 turret pic:



Cheers!

Bob

Arty..;

OK - I found a good pic of those rubber washers in the suspension - here is one copied from the Web FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY:



Looks pretty distinct and different from those wierd blobs Heller has given us, eh?

Now, it does look from other pics that these may or may not have been painted and if so to varying degree, but the texture is what I'm going to try for on mine...

Cheers!

Bob

Of course if you have any pre-paint pictures it will be very nice to look at them.
I understand about two little holes in MG housing. I have another photos of this place. It could be interesting.
http://svsm.org/gallery/r35_latrun/P1720085
http://legion-afv.narod.ru/FRANCE/Tank_FRANCE/Renault_R35_Kubinka/Renault_R35_Kubinka_008.JPG
http://legion-afv.narod.ru/FRANCE/Tank_FRANCE/Renault_R-35_Paris/Renault_R-35_Paris_002.JPG
http://svsm.org/gallery/r35/IMG_3481

I am waiting screws from Aber which I ordered few weeks ago. When I get them I will replace the hole on MG and make little hole.

I will try to think about how to make rubbers covers to look better. If you solve this problem faster than me I will appreciate if you share your experience with me.

Artyom--What happened to this build? I will be working on one soon and was hoping for your guidance.

Bob--many of your pics do not show up. Did you pull them? Is there a link to your build?

Hello Arthur! I have stopped a building for a while because I was little bit tired of this model. But soon I am planning to continue. If you will have any questions, I will try to help you with photos and materials.

nice build for this french tank !
great !

@Art;... Yeah. My old pics seem to have popped off somewhere. I THINK this may be because I removed some from my KitMaker photos to make room for other project pics.

@Artyom: Let's you and I both get these old girls DONE!

For my excuse... I put mine aside to do some other stuff (natch). It has become the proverbial 95% - done shelf-Q, in favor of other stuff, review work, life, etc. BUT... this has sort of reminded me to get 'er done and posted. I actually have assembled and aged both Fruil track-runs... and found that there will be some issues with the drive sprockets. Which are of course those the kit offers... I'll have to punt and make with them as I have no better items and don't at this point want to go chase any down. And I'll have to bite the decal-bullet, I think - look up some Archer bits or something. I want this OUT of my closet and onto the shelf!

I'll be ramping up and posting some pics soon.

Bob

Thank you Oliver!

Hello Bob! I think we can make it. I am building now Ka-Mi with pontoons and after that I'm going to finish some other kits and this one etc.
Hope to see some photos from you!

Probably you have both seen these pics, but if not, it's worth a looksee.

http://www.primeportal.net/tanks/david_lueck/renault_r35/index.php?Page=1

Okay Bob and Artyom--time to show what you have been doing with these old girls!! Would love to see your considerable skills on display for the rest of this little French darling!

Hello Arthur! I will continue work with Renault soon. I was working with Japanese Ka-Mi.

Yikes! That must have been my evil and foolish twin what was actually WORKING on his R-35!

I (underlined I!) have been much more into looking into it's little plastic work-tub from time to time and imagining that I WILL pull it out and get it done! I DID get the other Fruil links-run assembled and stained-up with Blacken-It back around New Yaers, so...

Now that I've been goosed on this old queen, I'll assay to actually do it! Thanks for the push!

Bob

Bob, if a goose will help show some of your work, I'm even willing to throw in a swan to see what you are doing with this queen!!