Zvezda 1/35 Gaz M1

[Dave Ward]

Well, the M1 is very fragile - I decided I had to add the doors, to strengthen the bodywork. Even with a new scalpel blade, and care, I still managed to break a window frame......................
I repaired that, then adding the doors - they're all very thin, and butt join to each other & the main body.

Just lightly clamped to keep all the shut lines closed - I ran TET on the inside joints.
It would have been easier to build the body onto the chassis directly, but that would have caused major problems with later painting. This way, I can essentially finish the external bodywork before adding the windows - with an all-black finish, any flaws will really jump out.
The interior still has the door cards, door handles, instruments etc to add - the seats, pedals, gear stick etc will be added to the floorpan.
I'm enjoying this, but it is not a model you can rush - I certainly wouldn't recommend it to a beginner.
I have my German staff cars in the stash, and I was looking to see what was available in 1/35 or 1/32 cars of this era. The answer is not a lot - unless you want to spend a lot of money on a collectible Airfix, or Matchbox rarity!
I've looked at the Heller 1/24 car models, but can't really find out much about them, they seem to date from the 70s-80s............
Dave

[Dave Ward]

I needn't have worried about the shut lines, The fit is good.................. ( still dry fitted body to floorpan )

With that sorted, I can move onto the interior.
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Whilst trying to find info on the interior colour of the M1, I came across a Russian site, which had some interesting photos..............

I'd read that there was a pickup version, but I wasn't expecting this!


Looks almost like a bolt-on option to a 6 X 4 M1 version!
Dave

[Dave Ward]

After finishing my BP Defiant for the BoB GB, I'm happily returning to this little beauty. After my research I find that the interior seems to have been grey, there are pictures of other colours, but seem to be of post-war restored versions - I'll use two slightly different greys, one for the upholstery & door cards, and the other for the floor covering & headlining ( I don't even know if was carpet! ). The dashboard is down as wood - but I don't think polished walnut would be correct socialism!
Dave

[JR]

Just a point on interest .
Motor vehicle production in the USSR, 1929-1950

Russia had no automotive industry prior to the Soviet era. Automobiles were manufactured, but only in small quantity and by importing the main components from abroad.[1]

After the 1917 October Revolution, Russo-Balt was nationalised on August 15, 1918, and renamed to Prombron by the new leadership. It continued the production of Russo-Balt cars and launched a new model on October 8, 1922, while AMO built FIAT 15 Ter trucks under licence and released a more modern FIAT-derived truck developed by a team of AMO designers, the AMO-F-15. About 6,000–6,500 F-15s were built in the years 1924–1931.[2][3]

A Citroen plant built before the war was allowed to operate as a private business until 1921, when it was nationalized.[4]

The first fully Soviet-made vehicles were manufactured by the AMO plant in Moscow on 7 November 1924.[1] In 1927, engineers from the Scientific Automobile & Motor Institute (NAMI) created the first original Soviet car NAMI-I, which was produced in small numbers by the Spartak State Automobile Factory in Moscow, between 1927 and 1931.[5]

In the early decades after the Revolution, Gorky and Moscow became the main centers of motor vehicle manufacturing. As in Western countries, components for the industry were produced in a large number of different places.[6]

Stalinist pressure for rapid industrialization and appreciation for economies of scale brought about the construction in the late 1920s and early 1930s of massive factories manufacturing highly standard vehicle and slowly changing product lines. Construction of the Moscow (ZIL), Gor‘kiy, and Yaroslavl' plants, partly or totally built by Western firms, increased production from a few thousand vehicles in 1928 to 200,000 vehicles in 1937, nearly all of them trucks.[7]

In 1929, due to a rapidly growing demand for automobiles and in cooperation with its trade partner, the Ford Motor Company, the Supreme Soviet of the National Economy established GAZ.[8][9]

A year later, a second automobile plant was founded in Moscow, which would become a major Soviet car maker after World War II and earn nationwide fame under the name Moskvitch. However, due to specific government aims and economic hardships of that time, cars were only a small share of all vehicles produced in the early years of Soviet production.

In 1937, the Soviet Union produced over 200,000 vehicles, mostly trucks, putting the country in second place worldwide by production of trucks.[1]

Between 1932 and 1939 the amount of car production in the Soviet Union increased up to 844,6%
Thanks To Wikipedia.
Nice photo .


Lots of collaboration between designers from Europe esp Germany in the pre war days.

Ivanov at the start of the Russian Grand Prix in 1913 driving Russo-Baltique C24/58 4-cylinder car.

Russo-Balt produced trucks, buses and cars, often more or less copies of cars from the German Rex-Simplex or Belgian Fondu Trucks.

[Dave Ward]

I finally added the details to the underside - a lot of tiny parts the steering arms were a real exercise in tweezer manipulation, and trial by dry fitting - the instructions aren't that clear.
I gave everything an overall coat of black, then after a couple of hours, first light coat of Gloss varnish on the upperworks - not a brilliant idea, as the temperature has hit 30C & had to thin the varnish quite a lot to work - hopefully, it'll be cooler tomorrow morning for a second/third coat.


When you finally work out where the bits fit, it's easy (not ) - as I've said before not a model fot the beginner, 180 odd parts crammed into a car 100mm long! I'll brush paint the seats, floor etc next.
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Got another two coats of gloss varnish on & that will be OK - I'll have to add another after adding the pinstripe decals, so that will be glossy enough

I've been using AK True Metal for the bumper & hubcaps - looks fairly chromish.........................
Dave

[outrunner]

Looks good Dave.

Andy.

[Dave Ward]

After a long lazy weekend ( don't know why the weekend should be different, being retired every day is the same! ) The M1 is coming to a final assembly. I've made things a lot more difficult for myself in not following the instruction sequence, but I thought that painting would be easier this way.

I've glazed the bodywork - very fiddly ( made some nasty marks on the gloss black ), now I can add the doorcards ( I CA'd the front door handles back to front - oh well, I'm not taking them off! ). There are one or two minor bits to add internally, like the sun visors & hand straps, dashboard & steering wheel, then I can finally join the body to the floor pan. The fit so far is good, if a little tight in places, and I suspect the body joining may follow that trend.
It's a bit sad that this is of a car that is virtually unknown outside of the former USSR. - I can imagine a Ford Model A, or a Rover 10 would sell very well, the detail is such that it could compete with any maker. It's not a model for a beginner, but I have had more enjoyment from this model than I have had from many others!
Dave

[outrunner]

Looks to be an interesting and fun model Dave.

Andy.

[Dave Ward]

Andy,
It's a model which gives you a real test of your techniques, but not so difficult to kill your enthusiasm! At the end it'll be a 30's little black saloon, nothing special about it, but will have taken hours of pleasurable work to put together!
NEWS - I've just managed to pick up a second-hand ICM 1/35 1936 Packard 12 at a very nice price! A good day! :smiling2:
Dave

[Nicko]

Just caught up with this Dave. I love that big old six volt battery under the floor!

Nick

[Dave Ward]

I was very nervous about fitting the body, complete with door cards over the seats & floor pan

It was tricky! I had to trim about 1mm off each side of the rear seats, and it made creaking & squeaking noises, as the parts went together. It's joined now & I doubt I could get them apart without terminal damage. Downside, with a lot of handling, the gloss black finish has suffered, and will need attention! Wheels dry fitted, to see if the M1 is a tricycle, but no, it has all 4 feet on the ground.
Two shots one taken through the rear window, the other through the passengers side window

That's about as much as can be seen, but I'm happy it's all together. I still have the bonnet and bumpers to fit & the brightwork, sidelights, headlamps etc, and a few pinstripe decals!
Dave

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
Bit late in - sorry. Just had a catch up. You seem to be into cars at the moment, you've bought a few. This looks nice although rather fiddly and fragile when put together. Seems to have gone together ok, well at least I haven't heard any bad language. Most instuctions seem to just tell you how to put the kit together with little thought to painting apart from colour callouts.
It looks good and being Russian I doubt a pristine, glossy finish would be appropriate :smiling:. Good luck with the pinstripe decals.
Jim

[outrunner]

It has gone together rather well Dave.

Andy.