Some interior options :










H.P.

Thanks Frenchy - that is truly more information than I had expected (from anyone!)

I was aware of the quilted covers for the engine. There is also a military version of this. The cover in this case I assume, would have been to keep the engine heat OUT of the cabin in warm climates.

Sort of reminds me of how much fun it was driving a M113 sitting right next to the running engine on a hot day. And with the vehicle all buttoned up!

Mike,

My Deymos had black leather cover on the engine access hatch-like on the last picture from Frenchy.
The seats were also black leather.
All the rest-except Officer control panels-was painted in Protective Green/Bulgarian make(3 parts whatever Green is available to 1 part whatever Black is available).

Many thanks to both Angel and Frenchy

I would guess a leather cover (synthetic) glued to that engine hatch would offer a bit less chance of serious burns when accidentally touching that hatch after the engine had been running for several hours, at least compared to bare painted metal. Of course I realize that hatch must also have a sound and heat insulating coating or mat attached to its' underside but in such conditions there would be only so much help such insulation could offer.

_________________________

Angel there certainly are great variations in the military Protective Green paint used in the East. Actually I love the leeway and variety this can give us in our modeling!

As you could no doubt tell I tried to address that to some degree by using different shades of green on the cab of the radio van versus the color on the shelter body itself.

What is all this shift hardware between the seats??? I do not read Russian so I am in the dark.

Logic tells us that:
- #21 is the main gear shift
- #22 is to engage the front axle drive
- #23 is the high/low range on the transfer case
- #25 PTO control to engage winch
- #33 parking brake

The remainder is anybody's guess ????????
Throttle?
Choke?
Cold weather manual fuel pump?
Controls for the warp drive?
Teapot cooker?

Well another question for my panel of experts:

Now this time I am once again talking about the regular GAZ-66 4x4 truck:

Has anyone ever seen a four door, crew cab GAZ-66?

Either on a standard length frame with a shortened loadbox OR on a longer frame with the four door cab and regular length loadbox? Mercedes builds them for their Uni-Mog so I was just wondering.

Possibly a fictitious crew cab GAZ-66 vehicle from the video driving game "Spin Tires" ???

And a not so fictitious GAZ-66 "Snow Cat"
(Note cloth top cab.)

A whole lot of dry fit here but it's coming along!

Was working on the tire rack structure for the 34 and this view happened to catch my eye.
I just had to take a picture of all that structure detail and share:



Wheel drums are now permanently attached but the tires fit rather loosely (which is rather worrisome) so they can easily removed for painting.

Guys, any input on the question of the existance of a crew cab GAZ-66 ???

I an certainly thinking of building one! (Since I have the extra cab and all these extra parts.)

I would go with a standard 4x4 and standard frame length, shorten the loadbox and move the spare tire to inside the loadbox. Loose all that other boxed gear behind the cab.

Do a kind of Unimog "thang" with the vehicle!

(F.Y.I. - "Thang" being a US, back-woodsy, slang mis-pronounciation of the word "thing".)

Just another version. Looks like they've used a truck rear axle for the semi trailer...







Another tractor prototype was based on a GAZ-53 4x2 chassis fitted with a -66 cab :





Still looking for a crew cab...

EDIT





Longer variant :





Even longer...



You can even swap the whole cab for a Japanese-made one :



Here's the largest cab I've found :



H.P.

Thank you sir. I couldn't have hoped for better.

A short crew cab version is definitely in my future!

Mike,

Bellow a description of the shiftgear between the seats:
24 Magnetic valve and heating fan switch
26 Fuel tanks switch
27 Battery on/off switch
28 Heater safety button
29 Heater sparks on/of switch
30 Choke control
31 Air intake valve control
32 Tyre pressure control

HTH

A few critiquing comments for Trumpeter and suggestions for others building this kit:
These are going to perhaps sound like petty gripes but given the otherwise high level of quality engineering expressed in this kit I think they are justified.


- #1. The tires don't fit properly. They are loose on the rims. You know how in real life when the machine puts the tire onto the rim, it hangs there loosely, sagging away from the bead untill you put the air into it. That is how these tires are all the time. Kind of like a beautiful woman wearing stockings that are too large for her legs and they keep sliding down! (Well that is what it remainds me of anyway!)
- These tires need air! Perhaps some kind of compressible foam ring to put inside them like an inner tube that forces the sidewall outwards towards the bead. A solid rubber tire would have been a better choice!
- I am going to try using 4-5 small plastic rod sections inserted into the tire to try and force the sides outward.

- #2. The "hinges" that the cab pivots upward on aren't hinges! They are just stabs that fit tightly into the stabs on the frame but cycling the cab up and down causes them to fall apart. There are no hinge pins or even bumps and indents on the stabs to retain the cab on those "non-hinges".
- Even the Eastern Express kit gave us nice solid hinges. (Fiddly but solid.) I will attempt to drill minute holes in the stabs in order to insert tiny wire hinge pins.

- #3. Trumpeter does an amazing (and sometimes frustrating) job of creating the tiny parts to make totally accurate and functioning front axle wheel hubs. The CV joints are beautifully done and function realistically - the wheels can steered. BUT then Trumpeter in turn, gives us a steering connection rod that must be glued on destroying that "steer-ability". The connecting rod is NOT hinged even though the wheel hubs are! So Trumpeter did the hard part but then dropped the ball when it came to the easy stuff.
- I may just position the front wheels in a canted position and then glue them in place. It just is not worth the trouble to try and pin the connecting rod to create a workable steering.

- That's the list for now.

Many thank you's go out to both Angel and Frenchy!

Construction continues of the GAZ-34 prototype:

The custom body work is now basically complete and I am down to the house keeping chores of building the standard parts of the truck; cab, engine, steering, etc.; all common to both the GAZ-34 and the 66 as well.





This cab will be a bit more colorful thanks to Angel and Frenchy.

Back to the GAZ-66 for a moment:

Speaking of colors; I got to thinking that a few brightly colored details might spark up the model and add some visual interest.

I finished out my winch cable this week and noticed in one of my reference photos the cable hook had been painted bright safety red so . . . . . .





Also: at least in the US the ceramic phenolic insulators for the radio antenna would be this sort of shinny brown glass color.
AND then too, I thought, the guy wire tie down points just MIGHT be painted bright yellow to keep Angel from tripping over them when working around on the roof of the vehicle so . . . . .



Here's a photo of a US antenna with that brown phenolic glass insulator.
p.s. Anybody have need of this antenna base for their vehicle?
It is a post-war MP-57.


Angel and I have been talking, off line about sun visors and I realized I had added them to the 66 but not shown them here anywhere. Also the Easten Express kit comes with the ceiling mount windshield defroster blower motor mounted between the visors. Unfortunately it just barely shows in this photo but it IS in there! (The visors and the defroster are details that will also be added to the GAZ-34.)

Correct GAZ-34 canvas window pattern:

I recently received a critical comment on another model blog regarding how the window pattern on my canvas top for the GAZ-34 did not match the actual vehicle.





I am very happy to report that given the five prototype vehicles were built over an extended period of time, the seamstresses patching the shorter GAZ-66 tops together must have absent mindedly done them in two different styles. As shown in the photos below BOTH window arrangements appear to be correct!

Lucky you! You ought to find that seamstress and send her some flowers

I totally agree! I need to throw in a box of chocolates and maybe even a marriage proposal!

I will admit to breathing a major sigh of relief when I noticed this!

An interesting Rag Top!

Earlier in this thread I pointed out that the "snow-cat' version of the GAZ-66 had an interesting convertible cloth top.



Well I recently found what I think might be an equally interesting additional photo of this cloth top for the 66:


Note the windshield "bumper" supports on the front edge of the bonnet, the folding bracket for the searchlight and the vertical rod mount that makes the outside rearview mirrors extremely adjustable!

I have always loved the great variety of color shades available to us in what I will call "Russian Green".
Here is a choice example:


Also note the three Jerry Can rack under the back edge of the cab. I have seen one and sometimes two but never before three!

. . . and yet another question:
(After all that is the name of the thread.)

Anyone know the purpose for the pyramidal shaped projection that extends out the back wall of the cab?

This photo makes me think for the first time that perhaps when you put the gearbox in reverse the driver needs this extra bit of room for the shifter and to keep from raping his/her knuckles on the back wall.

I guess the one above is a GAZ-66B (or V ) Paratrooper version with telescopic steering column, folding roof and folding windshield frame :





H.P.