Takom M29C Weasel Build Report
I was given the chance to build this for MMC, so I jumped at this. This is the second release of an M29, the first being the non-amphibious version, without the flotation cells front and rear, also used as a snow/mud vehicle, & looks different enough to appeal to my love of oddness.
I have built a few Takom kits before & have been impressed with the quality of engineering. I have found that the running gear & suspension especially will not fit if you pre-paint & get anything on any of the joining surfaces, but fit almost without glue if you assemble patiently.
That said, this is definitely not one to knock out in an afternoon, as this has the smallest individual parts I’ve ever managed to build without the aid of a microscope, and a magnifier will be needed to find the tiniest parts frequently launched across the bench, room, or into orbit!
This will test your patience, dexterity and eyesight. These notes look complicated, but I am trying to cover all the steps thoroughly. This can be built with a little experience.
Instructions are broadly well laid out, but some reading ahead of the other steps will benefit in working out the parts locations.
Like the previous Takoms' I’ve built, it is theoretically possible to build this without any filler, only used here because I made a few errors in assembly sequence.
TIP: Assemble the body parts first, and only add the smaller & sticky out parts later, as this is full of tiny fragile parts.
Tip: get the best side cutters you can to clip bits from sprues as tight as you can, reduces clean-up, mine are Master Tools branded, but other brands are available.
Skip ahead to Step 5, or treat 1-4 as a separate step, to be worked at the same time as 5 onwards.
Steps 1-4: Suspension.
Tackle this at your leisure. My rule is if I drop (or launch into orbit) the same part twice, I stop & do something else for a while.
This by far the trickiest part of the build, patience & dexterity will be required with the really small parts, but helped by the excellent engineering. Where possible, fit the parts, then load a small paint brush with Tamiya Extra Thin (TET), then touch the edge of the paintbrush to the join, & allow capillary action to draw the TET along the parts.
In all steps use rulers, right angles, Lego, coffee stirrers, etc, to make sure the parts are straight and true.
Step 1: Very little clean-up of parts is needed. Fit 8 of A28.
Add E38/E39, then E37/E38 Axles, using a ruler to make sure these parts are at right angles to the body and straight with each other.
Make a pair of Step1/A, A8/A9/A15, return rollers, make sure they are straight, then fit to body, then repeat for Step1/B A6/A7/A16. These are similar assemblies, but A & B are different, so don’t mix them up.
Join 2 of A14 springs to 2 of A17 hangers, then to E37/E38 axles.
Clip 8 of A20, Springs, be careful with clean-up, the end attached to the sprue is at an angle, which is important to set the ride hight and stance.
Use of a small drill bit to slightly ‘deepen’ the dimples at the other end of the spring to help fit to A21 in step 2.
Tamiya white top was used to tack the spring ends, then right angles to set them at the same hight and angle. The fit is such that they do line up very well.
Ignore 8 of A24 until the end of step 2.
Step2:
Wheels
There are PE rims, TP2, to fit on the inside of the front idler wheel halves, A3/A4. Place A3/A4 on a flat surface, carefully run a thin bead of acrylic glue round the rim and carefully place TP2 in the rim. The advantage here is the acrylic glue has ‘grab’ to hold it, and working time to place it how you want it. Gloss varnish can also be used.
Allow to dry before joining the halves together & ass A12 hub, the Sprocket wheels are similar, A1/A2/A5/A13.
Note: both Idler and sprocket wheels have the running surfaces are rubber, I painted these wheels accordingly. Glue parts A10/A11, but don’t add to chassis yet.
TIP: Peel off the plastic cover off one side of the PE sheet, place the PE sheet inside a clear bag, use a curved blade to ‘rock’ the blade over the attachment point through the plastic bag, so you don’t launch parts into orbit. I use a set of small wet stones to trim any PE nubs, but carefully.
8 Sets of bogies are next.
Glue 8 by 8 pairs of A26/A27 together. These have a manufacturers’ mark moulded in the sidewall, very fine, but readable.
I used a pair of coffee stirrers taped to the board to space the pairs of wheels straight. There was an issue with a small amount of burr on the edge of some of the wheels. The only way to debur them was to use a whetstone and a nail buffing stick to remove them. At least not all of the wheels were affected, so made it merely tedious.
Part A23 suspension rocking arms, are handed, with a pivot point facing up for construction, and faces down when the chassis is right way up.
Add the wheels to A23, 8 sets, using coffee stirrers, rulers etc, to make sure they are straight & true.
When completely dry, carefully cut 8 of A19 & A21. Add a small touch of Tamiya Cement, white top on the bottom ‘A’ shape of A19 and glue to A21. Allow to set off a for a minute, then carefully slip the A23 suspension arm, (pivot point facing up), and squeeze together. A peg shaped to a V or reverse tweezers will hold it shut until it sets. If done carefully, it should allow it to pivot.
There is a space in the middle of the ‘A’ shape, with two ‘nubs’ on either side, these fit in the A20 spring ends. Snap the A21 part onto the spring ends, careful use of a small square rats-tail file will help, but trial fit & file just enough to snap it on without glue. If done carefully, it should allow it to pivot.
Use of coffee stirrers, rulers etc, taped to the board will help the suspension line up. Once happy with the fit, a touch of TET to glue everything solid. There is no point in trying to keep the suspension flexible as the link and length tracks are solid.
Add the extra springs 8 of A28, the end fits in the top U of part A21, then to the chassis, easier to line up this way.
I painted the suspension, lower chassis tub, wheels and tracks at this point, then covered in cling film & held with Tamiya Tape to keep it protected.
Note, there is very little space between the undercarriage and the mud guards, so don’t over-do the clingfilm.
Step 5;
It is essential to get the major chassis parts straight & true, made easy by the superb engineering, but use a cutting board marked with a grid, rulers, right angles, engineering blocks, Lego, whatever you have to hand to keep things straight.
Clip the floor-pan together, C13, C21 & C20, and use Tamiya Extra Thin (TET, green Top) to touch the joins, allowing capillary action to flow the glue to the joins.
TIP: Check the fit with the chassis tub, Part B, but don’t glue, as in Step 10.
Step 6/7/8:
Glue C6 to C4 instruments. Clip Engine cover C5, C15, C16 & E54, but don’t glue yet
Glue E43, E48, E47, E3 to C22
Glue bulkhead C21 to floor-pan with C4 instruments, to get the right-angles right, then add Engine cover C5.
Add E46, then radiator bits C15, C16 & E54 this will help things aligning straight.
Tip: you can cover the Radiator Bay by closing access cover C9 on part H2 (step 15) and pass (Aluminium colour) radiator cap E4 through C9. If so leave off E4 for now.
Step 8:
Pre paint the instrument panel, add gloss to the instruments, add the decals, then gloss the decal faces. Allow to dry and cover the whole with loose tape to protect the decals.
Step 9:
It will be a lot easier to assemble and fit the steering controls, and the small parts from steps 6-8 at this point, except E42, very Fragile.
Ignore the PE parts, TP17, too small to bother with. The handles on E42 are parts used to fasten stretchers in the foot loops, E18, H6 (step 14). They can hang down if not in use.
Tip: Incidentally, the Stretchers in the Italeri No326 Ambulance Jeep fit the spacing, The Gecko 35GM0049 Allied Casualties on Stretchers do not, as they are too long, but a lot more refined. I haven't checked with the stretchers from the new AirFix K2 Katie Ambulance.
All is not lost as stretchers were frequently loaded at right angles across the rear, rather than in the regulation fore & aft.
As this is an Out Of Box build, I haven't added stretchers, although I did add tape to represent the tool tie down straps.
Leave the seats E55-E59 out for now, for assembly & painting later, they are all differently moulded, write the part no underneath. TP16 is a strap & buckle used to close the pouches on the back of the seats. Not well represented, but not seen.
Glue, E30, E17, then TP4, bend the slotted part into a half-U, then the two arms inwards, then the base also inwards, so that it fits round the base of the tiller assembly, the half round forming a gearstick gate.
E41 goes under Tiller E48.
D6/E19 are alternate parts, D6 has the Drivers’ hand moulded in. I used E28, E19, as this vehicle needed two hands on the tillers to drive it.
As moulded, the driver (Step 18), has his arm hanging over the side in a relaxed pose, so if in motion, they would just be going round in circles. I cut the hand from the tiller, added it to the right arm palm down & posed it with his hand on his leg, although if you found an appropriate left arm, you could pose him with both hands on the tiller.
Step 10:
When you have the body essentially complete, offer it up to the assembled floor-pan & running gear. The fit of flotation parts, rear G12 (Step 15), and Front, G13, G8,G9, (Step 16), will become clear.
Step 11:
Assemble sides as step 11
Tip: Don’t add the Photo Etch (PE) parts TP5. These are rectangles of PE I didn’t even try, they are too small to bend well.
Tip: If you want to, make your own, cut a strip of thin card, (or wine bottle foil, toothpaste tube, aluminium take-away box, etc) the width of the hight of TP5,
Tape a thin piece of rod to your cutting mat, draw 2 parallel lines 1mm either side of it.
Put your card over it at right angles & press in to the sides, to form an upside-down U shape Ω. Make 9 + spares, and 2 more for the corners of part C10 in step 15.
Cut the legs of the U to about 1mm, on the lines you drew earlier, glue with Superglue.
Step 13-18:
Tip: E5 is a search light, stowed behind the seat, or in front of the drivers’ windscreen, leave off for now.
Clip, clean up and dry fit with Tamiya Tape, the major parts, G1, G2, Rear bulkhead G7, (Ignore G10, G11, G12 for the moment). G3 rear top, G5 exhaust cover, C10, C14 rear passenger wall, and G4, G6, G8, G9, G13, front flotation cell parts.
Continue adding the major parts for the sides, front & rear to the floor-pan.
Step 15:
Fit C14 shroud, G5 exhaust top plate, & C10, rear bulkhead top in that order. I needed a little filler, as i didn't assemble in that order!
Fit H1 the front footwell bulkhead with E23 pedals, then H2.
Leave the gap between the engine cover C5 and front radiator plate, for part F1 windscreen to fit.
Step 17: Tip, mask front and rear of the windscreen with Tamiya tape cut to fit first, the front facing side is the top edge with ‘bobbles’ (hooks for the rain cover) to the front.
TP7, TP8 are windscreen actuators, fit to the face of A25 & the other end to the screen.
Don’t fit the wipers, 3 of TP18 until everything else has been done, the contact area is very small, I recommend gloss varnish as adhesive on the blade edge as well, (or leave off!)
Then add side stays E1, E2, add 2 of A25, wiper motors, and H13/H4 Tiller leavers. H13, ½ overlaps the visible part of the screen, but there is a gap, and a tiny dimple to help locate it.
There needs to be enough room for the three decals 31,34,38 to fit underneath.
As moulded, it isn’t really possible to model with the screen folded flat and covered, as this would remove the need for finesse in finishing.
Step 18:
Fit cover G4, with capstan H9, & then fairlead H3 with guide H8 (Tip: use cocktail stick to place) then surf plate G8 with bolt plates H7. Curve TP20 round a suitable paintbrush handle then use superglue, and add H20 headlight with clear glass F3. H23 are spring locks, and are painted body colour.
Not really shown on Step 18, two 100mm length string, (not included in my edition of the kit), run from the tiller, ”W” shape control, down the port (left) side of the superstructure to, and round several times, the tiller bar H4, in small a diameter pipe fixed just under the edge of the side piece.
TIP: Leave the Rudders, H15x2 and tie downs H24, till absolute last, as in after attaching it to a base, as these will fall off just by looking at them.
These have the smallest contact points I’ve ever seen, with the post at 0.8mm wide & just too small to hold the weight. I resorted to drilling out a 0.8mm hole where the post contacts the steering mechanism, and using a ground down (aluminium) injection needle inserted into the drilled hole to support it, & even this is fragile.
This could have been better done with PE, and with the post long enough to be inserted into the steering mechanism, to have any hope of staying on the model.
Step 13/14/15:
Details:
Add after the major parts of bodywork are completed.
Part C11 is a form to shape the mesh exhaust guard TP1. C11 isn’t used on the model itself.
There are 4 ‘Tabs’ at the end of the long edges, with TP1 flat on your board, with a thin hobby blade, fold UP, so they are at right angles, then fit the long edge into the groove, and fold over so the two lines across the long side line up with the edges of the form, then fold over again.
TP3 is a guard, fold along the two lines, and fits between the mesh and exhaust E33/34/35.
E23 is the radio antenna, often moved to a bracket on the exhaust mesh, as if left where marked, this will interfere with the stretchers (not included).
H5 is the rear light fitting.
Paint & Finishing
I recently started using Tamiya Lacquer paints, thinned with Mr Color Self-Levelling Thinners, as they finish and cover very thinly.
Tamiya XF Acrylics, along with Ammo Acrylic Colours were also used. You may have your own favourites.
Body/chassis: LP28 Olive Drab dark & LP29 Olive Drab light for light shading.
Uniform & seats: XF49 Khaki, XF51 Khaki Drab, XF52 Earth. Figure painting is not one of my strengths, as any examination of the figure will show.
Tracks & Running Gear: XF84 Dark Iron, XF85 Rubber Black & various shades of Ammo rust, Mig0035 Dark Tracks, MIG-0041 Dark Rust, Mig0042 Old Rust.
Glues
Tamiya Extra Thin (TET), green top, my go to.
Tamiya Cement, white top, used when you want a longer time to setup or to tack bits together.
Acrylic/White glue, in a squeezy bottle, the one I used Gem Tac, was marketed as an extra clear canopy glue, I’ve had it so long I’ve worn the label to unreadability. This has ‘give’ to allow adjustments, and ‘grab’ to keep parts in place.
Decals
I did my usual Windsor & Newton Galleria gloss where the decals went. Other finishes are available, but this gives me the fewest problems.
However, this didn’t work this time with the extra thick Takom Decals. Others have also reported this with the Takom Decals, perhaps over-doing the gloss would help.
The Instrument panel decals were fine, with a dot of gloss on them to simulate the glass, as were the warning panels inside the vehicle, but these were closely cropped, and mat finished.
I chose the Red Cross markings to add a little colour, close cropped they didn’t give me any issues, except where I tore them.
The first clue of issues to come was the Star on the engine deck, as the circled one would not conform over the fittings, so I scrapped it & used the plain star, although I still managed to scratch it.
No matter what decal system I used, Humbrol, Microscale or Mr Color Softer, they would not lay down without looking like placards with raised edges. Perhaps over-doing the gloss would help, as would the MIG Decal softer, recommended to me only after I’d finished them.
I very carefully sprayed about 4 coats of gloss, rubbing down in between with the finest nail buffers I could find, and a final coat of mat helped a great deal to disguise the edges.
TIP: Old school method with decals:
Use a thin gloss finish (Kleer/Pledge was favoured, Mr Color Gauzy is newer equivalent), where the decal is to be placed, dip decal in water to separate it from the backing, then DIP decal in the Kleer/Pledge AS decal help, and then place. Use a small paint brush with more Kleer/Pledge to seal it and carefully brush out the edges.
Base:
I decided I would add a base for the model, as the rudders need protection. This version is a block of foam, covered with a sheet of Tamiya cobbles, and info Panels laid out on Corel Draw. The QR code was made with an Online QR code generator.
Conclusion
A superbly engineered model of a quirky vehicle. Careful, patient handling will be needed, but if a moderately clumsy bloke (me) can finish it, most will be able to.
I have built a few Takom kits before & have been impressed with the quality of engineering. I have found that the running gear & suspension especially will not fit if you pre-paint & get anything on any of the joining surfaces, but fit almost without glue if you assemble patiently.
That said, this is definitely not one to knock out in an afternoon, as this has the smallest individual parts I’ve ever managed to build without the aid of a microscope, and a magnifier will be needed to find the tiniest parts frequently launched across the bench, room, or into orbit!
This will test your patience, dexterity and eyesight. These notes look complicated, but I am trying to cover all the steps thoroughly. This can be built with a little experience.
Instructions are broadly well laid out, but some reading ahead of the other steps will benefit in working out the parts locations.
Like the previous Takoms' I’ve built, it is theoretically possible to build this without any filler, only used here because I made a few errors in assembly sequence.
TIP: Assemble the body parts first, and only add the smaller & sticky out parts later, as this is full of tiny fragile parts.
Tip: get the best side cutters you can to clip bits from sprues as tight as you can, reduces clean-up, mine are Master Tools branded, but other brands are available.
Skip ahead to Step 5, or treat 1-4 as a separate step, to be worked at the same time as 5 onwards.
Steps 1-4: Suspension.
Tackle this at your leisure. My rule is if I drop (or launch into orbit) the same part twice, I stop & do something else for a while.
This by far the trickiest part of the build, patience & dexterity will be required with the really small parts, but helped by the excellent engineering. Where possible, fit the parts, then load a small paint brush with Tamiya Extra Thin (TET), then touch the edge of the paintbrush to the join, & allow capillary action to draw the TET along the parts.
In all steps use rulers, right angles, Lego, coffee stirrers, etc, to make sure the parts are straight and true.
Step 1: Very little clean-up of parts is needed. Fit 8 of A28.
Add E38/E39, then E37/E38 Axles, using a ruler to make sure these parts are at right angles to the body and straight with each other.
Make a pair of Step1/A, A8/A9/A15, return rollers, make sure they are straight, then fit to body, then repeat for Step1/B A6/A7/A16. These are similar assemblies, but A & B are different, so don’t mix them up.
Join 2 of A14 springs to 2 of A17 hangers, then to E37/E38 axles.
Clip 8 of A20, Springs, be careful with clean-up, the end attached to the sprue is at an angle, which is important to set the ride hight and stance.
Use of a small drill bit to slightly ‘deepen’ the dimples at the other end of the spring to help fit to A21 in step 2.
Tamiya white top was used to tack the spring ends, then right angles to set them at the same hight and angle. The fit is such that they do line up very well.
Ignore 8 of A24 until the end of step 2.
Step2:
Wheels
There are PE rims, TP2, to fit on the inside of the front idler wheel halves, A3/A4. Place A3/A4 on a flat surface, carefully run a thin bead of acrylic glue round the rim and carefully place TP2 in the rim. The advantage here is the acrylic glue has ‘grab’ to hold it, and working time to place it how you want it. Gloss varnish can also be used.
Allow to dry before joining the halves together & ass A12 hub, the Sprocket wheels are similar, A1/A2/A5/A13.
Note: both Idler and sprocket wheels have the running surfaces are rubber, I painted these wheels accordingly. Glue parts A10/A11, but don’t add to chassis yet.
TIP: Peel off the plastic cover off one side of the PE sheet, place the PE sheet inside a clear bag, use a curved blade to ‘rock’ the blade over the attachment point through the plastic bag, so you don’t launch parts into orbit. I use a set of small wet stones to trim any PE nubs, but carefully.
8 Sets of bogies are next.
Glue 8 by 8 pairs of A26/A27 together. These have a manufacturers’ mark moulded in the sidewall, very fine, but readable.
I used a pair of coffee stirrers taped to the board to space the pairs of wheels straight. There was an issue with a small amount of burr on the edge of some of the wheels. The only way to debur them was to use a whetstone and a nail buffing stick to remove them. At least not all of the wheels were affected, so made it merely tedious.
Part A23 suspension rocking arms, are handed, with a pivot point facing up for construction, and faces down when the chassis is right way up.
Add the wheels to A23, 8 sets, using coffee stirrers, rulers etc, to make sure they are straight & true.
When completely dry, carefully cut 8 of A19 & A21. Add a small touch of Tamiya Cement, white top on the bottom ‘A’ shape of A19 and glue to A21. Allow to set off a for a minute, then carefully slip the A23 suspension arm, (pivot point facing up), and squeeze together. A peg shaped to a V or reverse tweezers will hold it shut until it sets. If done carefully, it should allow it to pivot.
There is a space in the middle of the ‘A’ shape, with two ‘nubs’ on either side, these fit in the A20 spring ends. Snap the A21 part onto the spring ends, careful use of a small square rats-tail file will help, but trial fit & file just enough to snap it on without glue. If done carefully, it should allow it to pivot.
Use of coffee stirrers, rulers etc, taped to the board will help the suspension line up. Once happy with the fit, a touch of TET to glue everything solid. There is no point in trying to keep the suspension flexible as the link and length tracks are solid.
Add the extra springs 8 of A28, the end fits in the top U of part A21, then to the chassis, easier to line up this way.
I painted the suspension, lower chassis tub, wheels and tracks at this point, then covered in cling film & held with Tamiya Tape to keep it protected.
Note, there is very little space between the undercarriage and the mud guards, so don’t over-do the clingfilm.
Step 5;
It is essential to get the major chassis parts straight & true, made easy by the superb engineering, but use a cutting board marked with a grid, rulers, right angles, engineering blocks, Lego, whatever you have to hand to keep things straight.
Clip the floor-pan together, C13, C21 & C20, and use Tamiya Extra Thin (TET, green Top) to touch the joins, allowing capillary action to flow the glue to the joins.
TIP: Check the fit with the chassis tub, Part B, but don’t glue, as in Step 10.
Step 6/7/8:
Glue C6 to C4 instruments. Clip Engine cover C5, C15, C16 & E54, but don’t glue yet
Glue E43, E48, E47, E3 to C22
Glue bulkhead C21 to floor-pan with C4 instruments, to get the right-angles right, then add Engine cover C5.
Add E46, then radiator bits C15, C16 & E54 this will help things aligning straight.
Tip: you can cover the Radiator Bay by closing access cover C9 on part H2 (step 15) and pass (Aluminium colour) radiator cap E4 through C9. If so leave off E4 for now.
Step 8:
Pre paint the instrument panel, add gloss to the instruments, add the decals, then gloss the decal faces. Allow to dry and cover the whole with loose tape to protect the decals.
Step 9:
It will be a lot easier to assemble and fit the steering controls, and the small parts from steps 6-8 at this point, except E42, very Fragile.
Ignore the PE parts, TP17, too small to bother with. The handles on E42 are parts used to fasten stretchers in the foot loops, E18, H6 (step 14). They can hang down if not in use.
Tip: Incidentally, the Stretchers in the Italeri No326 Ambulance Jeep fit the spacing, The Gecko 35GM0049 Allied Casualties on Stretchers do not, as they are too long, but a lot more refined. I haven't checked with the stretchers from the new AirFix K2 Katie Ambulance.
All is not lost as stretchers were frequently loaded at right angles across the rear, rather than in the regulation fore & aft.
As this is an Out Of Box build, I haven't added stretchers, although I did add tape to represent the tool tie down straps.
Leave the seats E55-E59 out for now, for assembly & painting later, they are all differently moulded, write the part no underneath. TP16 is a strap & buckle used to close the pouches on the back of the seats. Not well represented, but not seen.
Glue, E30, E17, then TP4, bend the slotted part into a half-U, then the two arms inwards, then the base also inwards, so that it fits round the base of the tiller assembly, the half round forming a gearstick gate.
E41 goes under Tiller E48.
D6/E19 are alternate parts, D6 has the Drivers’ hand moulded in. I used E28, E19, as this vehicle needed two hands on the tillers to drive it.
As moulded, the driver (Step 18), has his arm hanging over the side in a relaxed pose, so if in motion, they would just be going round in circles. I cut the hand from the tiller, added it to the right arm palm down & posed it with his hand on his leg, although if you found an appropriate left arm, you could pose him with both hands on the tiller.
Step 10:
When you have the body essentially complete, offer it up to the assembled floor-pan & running gear. The fit of flotation parts, rear G12 (Step 15), and Front, G13, G8,G9, (Step 16), will become clear.
Step 11:
Assemble sides as step 11
Tip: Don’t add the Photo Etch (PE) parts TP5. These are rectangles of PE I didn’t even try, they are too small to bend well.
Tip: If you want to, make your own, cut a strip of thin card, (or wine bottle foil, toothpaste tube, aluminium take-away box, etc) the width of the hight of TP5,
Tape a thin piece of rod to your cutting mat, draw 2 parallel lines 1mm either side of it.
Put your card over it at right angles & press in to the sides, to form an upside-down U shape Ω. Make 9 + spares, and 2 more for the corners of part C10 in step 15.
Cut the legs of the U to about 1mm, on the lines you drew earlier, glue with Superglue.
Step 13-18:
Tip: E5 is a search light, stowed behind the seat, or in front of the drivers’ windscreen, leave off for now.
Clip, clean up and dry fit with Tamiya Tape, the major parts, G1, G2, Rear bulkhead G7, (Ignore G10, G11, G12 for the moment). G3 rear top, G5 exhaust cover, C10, C14 rear passenger wall, and G4, G6, G8, G9, G13, front flotation cell parts.
Continue adding the major parts for the sides, front & rear to the floor-pan.
Step 15:
Fit C14 shroud, G5 exhaust top plate, & C10, rear bulkhead top in that order. I needed a little filler, as i didn't assemble in that order!
Fit H1 the front footwell bulkhead with E23 pedals, then H2.
Leave the gap between the engine cover C5 and front radiator plate, for part F1 windscreen to fit.
Step 17: Tip, mask front and rear of the windscreen with Tamiya tape cut to fit first, the front facing side is the top edge with ‘bobbles’ (hooks for the rain cover) to the front.
TP7, TP8 are windscreen actuators, fit to the face of A25 & the other end to the screen.
Don’t fit the wipers, 3 of TP18 until everything else has been done, the contact area is very small, I recommend gloss varnish as adhesive on the blade edge as well, (or leave off!)
Then add side stays E1, E2, add 2 of A25, wiper motors, and H13/H4 Tiller leavers. H13, ½ overlaps the visible part of the screen, but there is a gap, and a tiny dimple to help locate it.
There needs to be enough room for the three decals 31,34,38 to fit underneath.
As moulded, it isn’t really possible to model with the screen folded flat and covered, as this would remove the need for finesse in finishing.
Step 18:
Fit cover G4, with capstan H9, & then fairlead H3 with guide H8 (Tip: use cocktail stick to place) then surf plate G8 with bolt plates H7. Curve TP20 round a suitable paintbrush handle then use superglue, and add H20 headlight with clear glass F3. H23 are spring locks, and are painted body colour.
Not really shown on Step 18, two 100mm length string, (not included in my edition of the kit), run from the tiller, ”W” shape control, down the port (left) side of the superstructure to, and round several times, the tiller bar H4, in small a diameter pipe fixed just under the edge of the side piece.
TIP: Leave the Rudders, H15x2 and tie downs H24, till absolute last, as in after attaching it to a base, as these will fall off just by looking at them.
These have the smallest contact points I’ve ever seen, with the post at 0.8mm wide & just too small to hold the weight. I resorted to drilling out a 0.8mm hole where the post contacts the steering mechanism, and using a ground down (aluminium) injection needle inserted into the drilled hole to support it, & even this is fragile.
This could have been better done with PE, and with the post long enough to be inserted into the steering mechanism, to have any hope of staying on the model.
Step 13/14/15:
Details:
Add after the major parts of bodywork are completed.
Part C11 is a form to shape the mesh exhaust guard TP1. C11 isn’t used on the model itself.
There are 4 ‘Tabs’ at the end of the long edges, with TP1 flat on your board, with a thin hobby blade, fold UP, so they are at right angles, then fit the long edge into the groove, and fold over so the two lines across the long side line up with the edges of the form, then fold over again.
TP3 is a guard, fold along the two lines, and fits between the mesh and exhaust E33/34/35.
E23 is the radio antenna, often moved to a bracket on the exhaust mesh, as if left where marked, this will interfere with the stretchers (not included).
H5 is the rear light fitting.
Paint & Finishing
I recently started using Tamiya Lacquer paints, thinned with Mr Color Self-Levelling Thinners, as they finish and cover very thinly.
Tamiya XF Acrylics, along with Ammo Acrylic Colours were also used. You may have your own favourites.
Body/chassis: LP28 Olive Drab dark & LP29 Olive Drab light for light shading.
Uniform & seats: XF49 Khaki, XF51 Khaki Drab, XF52 Earth. Figure painting is not one of my strengths, as any examination of the figure will show.
Tracks & Running Gear: XF84 Dark Iron, XF85 Rubber Black & various shades of Ammo rust, Mig0035 Dark Tracks, MIG-0041 Dark Rust, Mig0042 Old Rust.
Glues
Tamiya Extra Thin (TET), green top, my go to.
Tamiya Cement, white top, used when you want a longer time to setup or to tack bits together.
Acrylic/White glue, in a squeezy bottle, the one I used Gem Tac, was marketed as an extra clear canopy glue, I’ve had it so long I’ve worn the label to unreadability. This has ‘give’ to allow adjustments, and ‘grab’ to keep parts in place.
Decals
I did my usual Windsor & Newton Galleria gloss where the decals went. Other finishes are available, but this gives me the fewest problems.
However, this didn’t work this time with the extra thick Takom Decals. Others have also reported this with the Takom Decals, perhaps over-doing the gloss would help.
The Instrument panel decals were fine, with a dot of gloss on them to simulate the glass, as were the warning panels inside the vehicle, but these were closely cropped, and mat finished.
I chose the Red Cross markings to add a little colour, close cropped they didn’t give me any issues, except where I tore them.
The first clue of issues to come was the Star on the engine deck, as the circled one would not conform over the fittings, so I scrapped it & used the plain star, although I still managed to scratch it.
No matter what decal system I used, Humbrol, Microscale or Mr Color Softer, they would not lay down without looking like placards with raised edges. Perhaps over-doing the gloss would help, as would the MIG Decal softer, recommended to me only after I’d finished them.
I very carefully sprayed about 4 coats of gloss, rubbing down in between with the finest nail buffers I could find, and a final coat of mat helped a great deal to disguise the edges.
TIP: Old school method with decals:
Use a thin gloss finish (Kleer/Pledge was favoured, Mr Color Gauzy is newer equivalent), where the decal is to be placed, dip decal in water to separate it from the backing, then DIP decal in the Kleer/Pledge AS decal help, and then place. Use a small paint brush with more Kleer/Pledge to seal it and carefully brush out the edges.
Base:
I decided I would add a base for the model, as the rudders need protection. This version is a block of foam, covered with a sheet of Tamiya cobbles, and info Panels laid out on Corel Draw. The QR code was made with an Online QR code generator.
Conclusion
A superbly engineered model of a quirky vehicle. Careful, patient handling will be needed, but if a moderately clumsy bloke (me) can finish it, most will be able to.