Hi all,

welcome back to another of my build logs. In true Adam style I will try and photo every single step, and explain what I am doing as best as I can.

This vehicle is well covered in other blogs and threads on this site, so this is my spin on it. I have absolutely no first hand experience with this vehicle, Have'nt even seen one, so will rely heavily on those who have for "accuracy " issues.

This build will be Out Of the Box (OOB) so to speak, With no significant corrections planned. The purpose of this build is one of discovery - see how well the kit goes together, what subassemblies need attention, how much work it takes etc. I plan on doing several of these vehicles so this one is a shak e n bake version. Accurised (if required) builds will occur once we start seeing aftermarket appear. Until then... lets begin

I will build on the kitchen table - keeping it real simple with my most basic of tools. most importantly - the tv remote!

Just a few comments on the kit:
first impressions are comparable to early Dragon kits - lots of pieces but lots of moulding lugs. the detail looks good but isnt that perfect 'crisp' I would expect from a modern kit. instructions look very reasonable and easy to follow. I want to be a huge fan of this kit so much, I want it to be a success, and think its brilliant its come from an Australian producer. But if there are any issues we must talk about them openly so that we can overcome them and produce a fleet of bushies!

the first step is to assemble the axles assemblies. check out all the bits to cut off - this is going to be one of those kits that you have to guess what is detail and what is spare moulding lug...


at this point havent used any glue yet - the fit is that good ! but wow alot of flash / moulding seam to clean up



make two sets..

I cut off and start cleaning up some of the other parts... lots of sanding..


start assembling the "hubs" and rotors. interesting sub assembly this. The A frames are held in place by tiny pins that I promptly lost 2 of. They are undersized for the a frames, too short and really an ordinary design. On the rear axle I will do what sam did and use styrene. I wouldnt reccomend even bothering with the pins again.

the universal joints on the tiny drive shaft is next. In all my years of modelling I have never encountered such a fiddly bit of assembly. In fact the whole axle is fiddly but this will separate the men from the boys..
(drilled out the main shafts)
the parts - this thing is very small - about 14mm long

2 completed shafts

what makes them so difficult it they require assembly onto the rotor hubs and this would just have glue everywhere - I am using tamiya extra thin, but when I do the rear set i will switch over to super glue - the dry time lets the assemblies get all sloppy.

alignment issues are apparent almost imeadiately.

I spent much time looking at instructions and test fitting as I didnt understand the assembly, and thought I screwed it up as I had a massive camber, but realised I weas locating the a arms in the wrong holes - twit !

In order to try fix the alignment, I got the steering linkages on ASAP - but this didnt work as they are made up of several parts so instead of adding stiffness and a fixed alignment, they also suffered from the floating slop..



I soldiered on anyways - I hope I can fix any camber and toe in issues later ...
I chose not to glue the wheel hubs on, but did glue on the second layer of hub (its like an onion and has at least 3 layers to it ! ) careful not to glue the floating wheel pin - this is a big issue here and I think could be part of the axle ride height problem

but things are starting to look more aligned

test fit of axle onto hull - looking for that alignment through center of hub to lower stowage bins.. if this stays like this, it could be ok - the center of the axle is exactly the point which a line from the bottom of the bins would dissect.


here is a front veiw showing the camber and the angle of the suspension arms.


As I used the tamiya extra thin cement - everything was still "wet" so was able to slightly manipulate things to get good alignment and ride height. however there is a limit as the camber becomes obviously deformed at a certain point.

So some comments so far

Huurah I started!!! but,

the kit looks like it was designed to be a copy of how the real things goes together, not designed to be an easy build model.. if you get what I mean? I reckon so many parts that you could model an exploded one and choose how each part might look after driving over an IED... The sub assemblies are very fiddly, the pins are dreadfull and the whole thing suffers from a sloppy feel that has my gut turning at thinking how I am going to correct the alignment later..

The detail however seems extraordinary, and can't complain about level of accuracy ( I cant comment on 'scale' accuracy of course) . With experience will learn better ways of doing this assembly (axles) but had to do the first one by the book. Also with experience will learn which assemblies are hidden and dont bother cleaning as will not be seen ( like the layered hub assembly).

Well thats all for tonight - am burning candle at both ends for this - model comp in 11 days and I want this puppy ready!

Thanks for sharing your experience with this kit Adam !
It doesn't look like an easy build !
Does the Australian "ostrich" come in the box ?

Olivier

I'm waiting to get mine in the mail any day now, so I'll be watching your build log with great interest. Though I have to admit, your comments about how fiddly the assembly is.. is kind of scaring me off of building it.. considering my tired old eyes and not-so-stable hands

I'll see when I get it.

Hisham

I'll be watching here closely since I've ordered my two last week.I expect it'll take a few months before I see them but it'll be fun once they arrive. I want to use my scratch hull to compare it to the production model to see how far off I was. I am very interested to see how to resolve the camber issue as well. Great Blog so far an excellent resource.
Regards
Bill

Very useful infos here Adam...Thanks for sharing mate.....

your welcome folks.

grandparents have the my baby this morning (yay free babysitting) so might try tap out the other axle before I go to work. I will try and apply some learnings from the first assembly.

but first some answers to questions.

"bonjour", Bison.. the Australian ostrich does not come with the kit. I think everyone wishes it did though.. perhaps it could instead be paired with the kangaroo in one of the ASLAV update kits.. (if someone did the EMU. could almost model a coat of arms!) .. and the Australian Ostrich is an EMU (pronounced ee~mew) .

Hisham, much respect to your posts in the past - always insightful. Fiddly is a cruel word to use to describethe assembly, as its only an opinion on how I found it to build. But it certainly takes patience and attention to detail. If I had to choose between simple build or fiddly but accurate, I guess I would want accurate. If it was easy , everyone would do it!

Boggie, Your Bushmaster scratchbuild thread is a source of much inspiration. Will be interested in seeing some side by side shots when you get your kit. Maybe your axles could be cast as a all in one aftermarket assembly! lol

So, back to the table. will post pics soon.

Adam

PS after reading what I posted last night i can see how I could better photo some of the assemblies ( missed the bit with the pins etc..) so will try clear it up some.

ok second axle done. this part of the blog is almost a carbon copy of the first except I will be trying different method of assembly. I hope it offers some inspiration to others trying this build.

firstly i did the differential construction last night so that pretty m,uch the same - it must be said that not one drop of glue was needed as it almost clicked together it was that good! however I ditched the instructions at this point and made the sub sub assemblies and tried my own assembly path.

so added the pins from styrene - not sure of the size - its from the spares box - but was a little larger than the kit pins (they were undersize).

Slipped the A frames over them once dry

then added the pins from the other end

the hubs do not need any glue - the two halves slide over a pin and its a real nice fit.. but the small spru pin that holds the lower A arm in place I pre glued from styrene.. rather than the method for the first axle - of interest is a styrene rod will pass through all the hub holes .. nice to know if you want to articulate this... hmmm

the pre glued pins

the axles again ! argh these are fiddly! there is supposed to be flexible articulation in them . be real careful as it is possible to glue it together so that all the hinges and pivots work! (this will help greatly with alignment) one of the axles I kinda stuffed and glued rigid - but the other I managed to keep totally workable (think workable tank tracks.. about as fiddly as they can be to assemble and keep workable) in this pic I try two methods of attaching axle to hub - one set of cleats attached to hub to "click" over the moving pin on the axle, the other will be the traditional axle click onto the hub method.

the two axles attached (rigid one is obvious), the second half of the hub that slides over the pin doesnt need to be attached for this and is helpful if left off so to avoid confusion which of the pates the axles clip onto ( the fat one)

bringing the sub assemblies together... this is a bit more step by step.. and simpler than my previous attempt. I feel much better about this using this method.
So axles need to be glued first into the diff box.

then bring up the A arms and glue in place on the hub..

the the top arm down onto the hub..

now while its in place adjust the angle to be as acute as possible.. the lower the arms go the higher the ride height! so we all know the limitation of that at the moment so aim for max ride height. - If doing a diorama or articlauting the suspension the move it up of course!

apply pressure with thumb and forefinger to gain angle

and glue the parts in place! I cant take a photo and hold at same time and glue at same time but you get the idea ( you might not have a camera in your hands !)

the axles done!


So comments.
I have been unjustly harsh on this assembly. it is fiddle and the fit of some parts is challenging, but there is one thing not mentioned that I think makes all that stuff void - upon close examination, the wheels cans be steered left or right and the suspension articulated up or down without modification to any parts ! its all there ! I would suggest that building one stock first and understanding the assembly is good idea, then do another that has such fancy manipulations, but full credit to the designers for having this functionality in it! I was wishing for a solid axle last night, but now, I am glad its "fiddly" and has pins instead of solid mounting blocks.

Hope this enlightens and also offers solutions to simplify the assembly.

Tonight after work will work on lower hull and other suspension components such as springs etc.. hope to start gaining momentum on the build.

Adam

Thanks Adam !

This will help a lot with mine

Cheers

Paul

That really is a step-by-step Adam ! Thanks for all the tips again. It looks like this kit needs a bit more attention than others but at least there is no fit issue so far.

BTW, emu in French is émeu so not that far. I remember the Legend roo, it was a large one.

Olivier

Suprisingly i will do the same
I found that the suspension is much more complicated than the M1117 guardian,

I hope to see more of your build
Cheers

Seb

so lets get on with it

lower hull added some details.. easy stuff, but would liked a more positive locating point than the depression slot.

spot the collosal screw up. I usually do at least one of these on a new build. I have made two sets of axles with the tie rods for the steering in place. well guess what the front set gets assembled under armour... while the rear set are static and exposed. So I have to break one of the sets apart.... read your instructions carefully - ididnt see the little number x1 in the corner of the step.

SO people worried about ride height here is your chance to cheat and correct it it bother you that much - where I traced the yellow line , you could insert a 2mm styrene plate here (or any thickness you want to change the height all round. Just add packing to the shock/springs aswell..

front axle assembled onto hull

rear axle..(exciting stuff)

fuel cell. I should be shot for doing it but I used the kit handle, and it didnt fit either.. should be scratching those details with wire,

the sprong loaded rear step is a one piece that could of been several - that grid would of looked great in photo etch, but works well as it is. Aftermarket might play with this I reckon.

I popped the wheels on just to see how I went with alignment.. not bad actually, only 1 wheel a few degrees out and that easy fix...

the bit alot been waiting for - ride height.. so here it is in test fit mode. The lower edge of the bins (assuming they wont change) is exactly in the middle of the axle - like perfectly the middle.


the next steps will be speed bumps - the interior which will involve painting along the way.. especially with a black and white blend. I am doing a stock build so wont be correcting or detailing the interior on this kit, but will follow the instructions as best as I can. Also I plan on having the rear door open and the turret open and the hatches for air guard open so will at least see all that hard work!.

Adam

Looking good, Adam.. and the ride height looks high enough.

I just got mine today and it looks like a really nice kit all around.

Does anyone know where I can find good interior pics... in case I decide to add some details here and there so it doesn't look too empty.

Hisham

http://www.grubby-fingers-aircraft-illustration.com/bushmaster_walkaround.html

http://aussiemodeller.com.au/pages/History/Vehicle/Odowd_RAAFPMV.html


http://www.primeportal.net/apc/peter_battle/imv/index.php?Page=2

HTH

Frenchy

Thanks, Frenchy.. some good interior shots there... though, the second link doesn't work for some reason.

Hisham

It didn't work on ML as well Just copy and paste it to your browser and it should be OK !

Frenchy

Appreciate your work Adam, now the Bushie is at a much more appropriate height. When I saw the other post of it sitting lower compared to the ASLAV..kind of put me off the kit......Not anymore.

for your efforts!

Looking good. Mine came today, so I will be diving in tonight. Luckily the PE in it is a little thicker- my box was crushed and damp- the fret is bent, but none of the actual parts are damaged at all

Jason how long did it take to get to you after you ordered it? I once sent a book to friend in Oz and it took months.
Bill

I never received notice from Showcase models that my preorder was in, so I ordered it from Hobbyeasy. That only took about 7 days.

Wow! Excellent step-by-step! Now I'm tempted to buy this kit. And to think that week ago I didn't even know this vehicle exist.

I think a few people are like you. i wasnt notified either but saw Sam's on here, and promptly rang them.

I dont want to provide misinformation, but from what I understand, they havent actually got their full shipment in yet. They received a small quantity only, (I assume an airmail parcel, while the rest os coming by boat???) and the full shipment is due at end of the month ? something like that. So perhaps they havent enough kits to fill the preorders yet ? how they chose to distribute the ones they did get I have no idea.. like I said I had pre order and rang and got great service ! cant complain

So be patient or send an email or make a phone call, i'm sure they guys will give you a very good answer to any questions.

As for the ones from hobby easy - well its probably closer to the manufacturer..!

Adam

great job so far cant wait to send more.

I had my order in for many many moons but received no notification from Showcase either. I ordered mine direct from them.

If you are reading this Mr Showcase you should look into your procedures and get someone to notify interested parties next time.

Hisham,
for some reason there are extra letters not showing on the link after html which prevent the net to find the site. You have to remove br/ and the chevrons before and after. Sorry I can't type it without the browser understanding those signs as HMTL code.


Olivier

the interior.

before I went to work today, I managed to quickly prepare and spray the sprues that I would be working with tonight in their respective colours to speed things up, and of course because its a challenge to spray black and white together if already assebmbled!

so heres the sprues laid out for pre spray .. ( i dont usually spray on the sprue - its bad habit to have, but in this case I think its necessary)

the sprues are prepared by reducing as many riser lugs as possible - especially where the paint will be seen.. such as these chair pars.. the backs have the lug left on..

chairs sprayed..

everything else sprayed.. black white silver and green..

and some of the majoy assembly parts...


quick update.. be back soon with some interesting stuff..including a fault in the instructions.

Adam