Just getting started on this one, was thinking about a build review but I decided I would just build it up in this forum and add comments as I go. Hope that is okay with everyone. First impression, a boatload of parts. I love the detail, but sometimes I miss the Tamiya one piece frame. Remember when a well detailed kit meant that it had a frame with one large piece and two cross members to add to it!! Separate pieces, wow!
Anyway, I know I have lots of little pieces of plastic goodness to deal with before I'm through with this one. I think I will do this one in the markings of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division just because their markings are a bit more colorful than the other supplied choices. Totally out of the box, no aluminum gun barrel or anything, although the kit comes with a healthy chunk of photo-etch to keep me happy.



And the markings for the 53rd

Well, my thoughts exactly for the PE in their M1114 kit.
Minutes later I've discovered that these parts won't stick no matter what superglue I was using, and they are here only to make me sad. Only a coat of Mr. Metal primer solved this.

I hope that you find this useful somehow and not offensive to your modelling skills, but after these painful memories of bronco's etchings I feel it's my duty to warn you.
Good luck with this one as I'm still wandering should I buy one...

Rick

Just curious, does the kit come with interior detail?

Kevin

Kevin,

Yes, and yes again. A complete interior. This is the same kit as the 'visible' one they released earlier in the year with the exception of the clear parts. Complete engine, tranny, fighting compartment, drivers station, everything! Far more than I would really want in truth. I would have been happy with a nice turret interior and an engine!

Rick

I build the Humber Scout car, thought the interior was great. Not that difficult to assemble.

As for the PE, I had no issues with it sticking, I use Jet CA and Gorilla Super Glue. Both worked no problems. If you have issues with PE parts sticking, try roughing up the PE with some sand paper first.

I'll be watching this one with great interest, Rick

I've been itching to dig my grubby paws into it, but as you say there are a lot of bits to it. And I'm still undecided on going with clear or opaque.

Anyway, I'll be looking and learning...

look forward to the build.

Okay, here goes with the engine. As I suspected; when you start clipping parts from the tree you realize that the kit may be just a bit over engineered. Lots of parts that do not have the strongest connection points or where the instructions area bit vague about exactly where things are placed,

basic engine block


fan belt and assorted bits


final engine assembly


Lots of parts!

A lot of tiny parts!

Off to a goof start Rick. Look forward to the build.

Al

Alan,
Thanks, I am hoping that it turns out as good as it already looks in my head!
Thomo,
Yes, a LOT of tiny parts. So far so good, but I know I will lose one before to long, just hope it is minor.

Finished off the painting and weathering of the engine today. The myriad of small parts at least all go together well.

primed in black


And weathered

Very nice, thank you for sharing your experiences. I have the clear version but haven't managed to collect the courage to start it yet

Hi Rick,

Nice work on the engine .That's a kit within itself.

Look forward to seeing more .

Thanks
Michael

László,
It is a lot of small parts, but little by little it moves forward, I say go ahead and crack open the box. I am interested to see how well the clear parts and the regular styrene attach to one another. Personally, I've never had very good luck with that process, but maybe others know the best way to deal with it.

Michael.
Yes, it is. I swear I must have built kits in the stone age of modeling that had fewer parts for the entire kit.

Rick

Cleaned off the back patio, mowed the lawns for the last time this year (gotta love Central California!) mostly because it was the easiest way to rake leaves! sawed up a bunch of logs for the firepit and the rest of the day belongs to me; or at least an hour or so!

Finished putting together the transfer case, another incredible pile of tiny parts. Looks nice when it is all done. Lost one piece, a small shifter that I launched into space. Made a replacement with a small length of stretched sprue; I'll add the knob later on.

Started on the main frame construction. Again, a (somewhat) needlessly large number of very small pieces. Was a bit disappointed in some of the parts, nice detail, incredible small screw head and rivet detail with a nice mold seam running right through the middle. Sand it away and you lose the detail, leave it and you get the nice seam, what to do, what to do? I am taking the easy way out and sanding/scrapping the seam away and losing some of the detail. Most of it is well up under the vehicle anyway, I just hope it doesn't mean that I will run into the same issues in more prominent areas.

Transfer case (at least that is what I think it is?)


The nice seam!

Hi,

I just bought this kit and I am following your build.

I like the way you painted the engine.

What color did you paint the engine and transmission and what weathering pigments/paints did you use.

Thanks
Mark

Mark,

I painted it with a base coat of flat black from Vallejo Air, I sealed it with Vallejo satin varnish. My weathering was done using the AK Interactive engine grime, but I think any gunky brownish black wash would work. I then added a couple of different pigments into the still wet exhaust manifold pieces. I used AK dark steel pigment (the best pigment color I have ever used, and I have used them for twenty years) After that I sealed the pigments with fixer, and selected spots here and there of engine oil, also from AK. You can pick up the AK engine weathering set and it has everything you need. It runs about 25 bucks, but it should last for years.

Rick

I'm just jumping in to watch this one now. I have an earlier Humber which is calling to me from under the boxes, so I read with baited breath!

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the quick response. I bought the AK engine set a few weeks ago but I have not had a chance to use it yet.

I will continue to follow your build of the kit.

Thanks
Mark

After a bit of a break I'm back. Worked on the frame, what a headache. I want to tell everyone that putting this together is easy, but the opposite is the truth. Trying to get everything in place and glued together was a bit daunting, if I had good advice I would give it, the only thing I can say is take your time and pour yourself a nice glass of patience before you get started.

The pieces all cleaned up and ready to go.


And the final result. As this will all be underneath I am okay with how it turned out, but does it really require this number of parts?


Rick

Rick;

Hey! That engine looks like it could start up and tumble off your table! And that frame stuff... it's the Bomb! I mean, it looks really really good, and even if nobody looks, well, as they say, you'll know it's there (and it is SWEET!).

I'm watching with great interest, as I have a couple of A-C kits from HobbyBoss and Bronco, including the older / smaller relative of your machine (the Humber scout car). And I may just have to get me one of these turreted Humbers, seeing as how nicely detailed yours looks!

As an old modeler, I can well remember those long gone years where "well-detailed" did indeed mean a frame with a cross-member which you had to add in! Whatever happened? LoL! These new things are a far cry... Looking at your engine and frame sure does ring strong, as I am just now wrapping my involvement with a similarly well-fleshed kit - the HobbyBoss SdKfz 223 Funk - which I am building for the "Command Campaign" ... and yeah, mine will be mostly hidden too. But I think, from what I've read, that you have the better deal with the Humber IV interior - as I've heard that one is pretty correct for the vehicle, whereas the HB 223 Funk interior, while super nice, is NOT

How strangely similar all those engine and frame bits look!



Keep it going!
Bob

Thanks for the comments Bob...Yes, one nice thing is the accuracy level of the kit as well as how complete the whole thing is, nothing appears to be left out......... so far!

Haven't been able to get as much work done as I had hoped but some nice progress.
Here is the rear fire wall of the fighting compartment. Nicely detailed and I love the decal for the FE!


Here is where we are on the interior, obviously the driver's station. Very well detailed, but that is clearly a redundant statement when discussing this kit.


Here is the view towards the rear. Not the best quality, but at least it gives you an idea about you get with the kit.


That is about it for now, not a kit that you can move to quick on.

Rick

Hi Rick,

Looking excellent, grand progress.

Al

Rick,
I'm curious as to what's positioned on the left (as you look at it)side in your pic of the rear fire wall.
Are they main gun rounds stowed vertically?
the reason I ask is that they seem bigger than the horizontally stowed rounds nearer the middle of the wall.
Tom