1/72 Takom Russian Tractors. Special Delivery

[Guest]

When Takom first released their twin pack of MAZ 537 tractors I had an idea for a dio. I've been mulling it over since and expanded the idea, and have finally made a start. Since it's my first dio blog it might be a bit all over the place, and I'm obviously taking a risk as it may not work out at all, but better to crash and burn publicly I guess :smiling5:

The main stars of the show

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Essentially our intrepid heroes decided to go out for a drive in their battered old MAZ-537 after imbibing a little too much vodka and consequently ended up in a bit of a pickle. A rescue attempt ensued but the Chief back at HQ took pity on them and dispatched a brand new replacement vehicle on the back of a trailer.

I've already finished building the tractor/trailer unit, with the build log being here, it just needs a bit more weathering to suit whatever scene it ends up in.

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Main construction of the newer KZKT-537L is done, and it's now sat in primer. I won't go through the build as it's pretty much identical to the unit above. There will be some additions made to it like a winch cable, canvas tilt for the load bed, and maybe more, but they will come later.

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So then I made a start on the well worn example. I wanted to have one of the large access panels open. I've seen it done on a 1/35 so figured I'd give it a go. Lots of careful scribing and cutting later saw it removed. I've thinned down the plastic as much as I dare for a more realistic thickness, and also tried to give and impression of the inside of the smaller access panel that sits within it. It's a bit rough and ready, especially when magnified, but at least I tried. A bit of thick primer and some more sanding should make it look a bit more acceptable.

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The big problem of having the hatch open is that this kit comes with no engine, so after a miserable attempt at scratch building I caved and bought a resin one. It's clearly not the right engine for the job but it's the closest V12 I could find, and after a few ropey scratchbuilt additions like exhausts and the large boxy air intake, CA blobs for rocker cover detail etc. it'll pass.

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Looks much better in matt black primer :smiling5:

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I also scratched a radiator & shroud, and some masking tape fans. Here's what little you'll see of it though

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I also wanted this vehicle to have a load bed, rather than the included 5th wheel towing assembly, so using the one from the KZKT as a guide I made one from styrene card and strip. Not brilliant, but with some damage, rust, and heavy weathering it should pass.

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Also, as an additional detail for the trailer I bought some tiny brass chain. I made a copper wire loop for one end and some thin wire was sharpened and bent to form a hook for the other. Primed in black, dry brushed in silver, ends painted body colour.

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That's it for now. This is likely to be a long drawn out build by my standards as I've loads to learn still and I've never done anything this size, so I hope you (and me!) can stay the course.

Thanks for looking,
Andy.

[scottie3158]

Andy,
I can safely say I am impressed with the level of skills you are bringing to your builds given how new you are to the hobby. It took me years to develop the skills you are showing.

[minitnkr]

Coming along nicely. Think engine/fans were cool solution. Trailer chain came out great. PaulE

[Guest]

Andy,
I can safely say I am impressed with the level of skills you are bringing to your builds given how new you are to the hobby. It took me years to develop the skills you are showing.

Thanks for such kind words! Watching builds by yourself and others gives me the inspiration to push myself further than I could have imagined when I first started out.

Coming along nicely. Think engine/fans were cool solution. Trailer chain came out great. PaulE

Thanks Paul. Long way to go but I'm pleased with how it's going so far.

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
Like Scottie I am impressed with what you do and how quickly you have learned how to do it - great stuff.
Jim

[Neil Merryweather]

Andy,
I can safely say I am impressed with the level of skills you are bringing to your builds given how new you are to the hobby. It took me years to develop the skills you are showing.

I was thinking exactly the same!
looking very good from here,Andy.

[Guest]

Thanks Jim, I really appreciate that. Still lots and lots to learn but that's half the fun :smiling3:

And thank you too Neil.

[Guest]

Got a splash of paint on the engine today, looks a little better now and it's hardly seen anyway.

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I also decided I wanted to put a canvas tilt on the load bed of one of the trucks. Had to make the framework first so turned the house upside down trying to find a suitably sized former. Ended up using my car key! :smiling5:
I wrapped it in some Dymo tape to give me a consistent line, then bent some 0.8mm wire around it.

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This gave me four pretty even looking hoops

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These were held in place with plenty of CA glue

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Then I cut up a few pieces of (unused!) wet wipe, soaked them in dilute PVA, and had a go at fashioning the canvas.

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Currently drying then I can trim it off along the bottom. Hopefully with a lick of paint it won't look so bad.

With hindsight I wish I'd glued tubes into the load bed for the hoops to sit in, which would have made it removable and easier to paint, but too late for that now!

[scottie3158]

Andy,
Now your just showing off lol.

[Guest]

Haha, thanks Paul, that genuinely made me laugh out loud. Something I've not done a lot lately.

[Guest]

10°C out in the Love Shack today but I'd reached my favourite part - splashing on some colour, so dug out my thermals and cracked on regardless.

I couldn't decide between the two camo schemes pictured. I liked the colours of the one on the left, but wasn't so keen on the "bubble" effect, so did a kind of mixture of both

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I'd already laid down the blue/grey yesterday, so started masking up. I used the AK putty, which seemed to work OK, but needed a bit of working and warming up in the hands first.

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Now I'm not sure if it was the putty or the cold, but as soon as I put some green on the paint "wicked away" from the masked edges, like there was some kind of contamination on the surface. I tried to get a picture of it, but it was much more extreme in reality, with the paint just pooling in the centre, almost transparent near the putty. I doubt it was the paint as it went onto the "canvas" perfectly, but it's something I'll have to look out for if I use this product again.

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Pulling some tricks out of the bag I got the model as warm as I dared, and misted the paint on from a distance. This caused it to pretty much dry as it landed, rather than flowing into the middle. After about 6 or 7 misty coats it looked much better, but has obviously left a bit of a dry texture to the paint. I can deal with that though.

And after demasking, here's how it looks. A couple of touch ups will be needed but nothing too bad.

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Probably a bit too much grey when seen in isolation, but should give a good contrast when it's on the back of the trailer.

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[Allen Dewire]

Psst...Hey guys,

I think Scratchy (Andy) is actually Shep Paines younger brother and he's been pulling our leg all along with this modelling beginner thing.

Really good stuff you're doing here Scratchy!!!!!! Love it!!!!!!

Prost
Allen

[Guest]

Psst...Hey guys,

I think Scratchy (Andy) is actually Shep Paines younger brother and he's been pulling our leg all along with this modelling beginner thing.

Very much younger if you don't mind! :smiling5:

I have to admit I'd never heard of the guy until Jakko's recent thread, now I keep hearing about him all over. I have his diorama book on its way to me, and may look at getting some of his others.

[SimonT]

Looking good Andy

I got Shep Paines books back in the 80's and read the print off them - the Road to Damascus dio has always been my favourite (even if the M26 was never used by Israel). I reckon they still contain a lot of useful info

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
You're getting very good at this mogglin lark. Great looking results.
Jim