Trumpeter 1/35 BTM-3 High Speed Trench Digger - completed

[Airborne01]

One of the longest continuos builds I have done, with nothing else on the bench ( no room ).
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Quite a marathon. definitely not a sprint. Over 770 parts, although the tracks take up 170 off those. An engine is included, - a waste of time - there is no way you can display it and it's not complete, it has no cooling system/radiator! At times Trumpeter/HobbyBoss do this, it looks like they planned more detail, but stopped short.
This is a model where the instructions have to be read, and understood before cutting any plastic. Some of the assemblies aren't clear until you actually have the bits in your hand & dry fitting is essential. The engineering and fit of the parts is excellent, no filler was used. The instructions are pretty good, but the complex assemblies can sometimes be vague, with a simple line drawing. The sequence of assembly can seem a little odd - adding small bits before large assemblies just invites damage. I suggest you work out your own sequence, and when you are going to paint! You can't leave it to the end - that will just make things more complicated than they already are.
One thing I would suggest is adding location pegs to the side frames/decking. There are small pimples & shallow holes on the model. Drilling out and adding pegs will make a much more secure construction - this model is turned in your hands so many times it's easy to dislodge parts! It came apart several times & eventually CA was resorted to.
You can assemble this with the bucket wheel assembly up or down. I did it with down, as I thought it showed the working to advantage - it does make it much longer - 290 X 90 X 90mm. With the bucket up it will be shorter, but higher.
This is definitely a model for a more experienced modeller, the large number of parts can be offputting, when you open the box.
I had had a dip in my mojo & this model was a real test. It can be a real challenge, but not so difficult that it ends up as landfill. I can say I really enjoyed this, but I wouldn't like to make models with this complexity on a regu[ar basis!
The model is still available - not cheap!
Thanks for dropping by - comments and questions welcome!
Dave

Once again I'm echoing other commentators by saying 'Superb' ... your commentary has only added to it's excellence!
Steve

[Gern]

Beautiful

[Gern]

The dirt was flung out to either side by two powered rotors ( garden swing seat thingie )
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Doesn't answer the question of how the spoil was removed if the soil was dry & sandy - probably another of the limitations of this thing!
Dave

It also begs the question of how those buckets would pick up loose sandy soil with just some chain at the back. I wonder if Dave's idea of those being added in the field and other alternatives were available depending on the terrain?

[Neil Merryweather]

Super job, Dave,and a real epic!
Glad to see it's revived the mojo too.

[Tim Marlow]

It also begs the question of how those buckets would pick up loose sandy soil with just some chain at the back. I wonder if Dave's idea of those being added in the field and other alternatives were available depending on the terrain?

Are they actually supposed to pick up the spoil though Dave? They may be designed to simply break up the ground so it is loose enough that the plough arrangement at the back can push it up and aside, so forming the trench and parapet?

[The Smythe Meister]

Late seeing this,
That really does look excellent Dave!
Very nice indeed

[Dave Ward]

Are they actually supposed to pick up the spoil though Dave? They may be designed to simply break up the ground so it is loose enough that the plough arrangement at the back can push it up and aside, so forming the trench and parapet?

I'd thought that, Tim, but surely the plough would be angled to either side from the centre? Watching the videos doesn't really help, there's too much drt flying around!
Dave

[Guest]

It seems to work well enough in dry soil:

I’m more wondering what it would do in heavy, wet clay now

Aha, you can sort of work out how it works in this video, from where it starts here if you hit play:

The chains are much longer than I had the impression: I thought they formed a sort of mesh floor to the buckets, but they actually make a much larger “pocket” that retains the soil until they get to the top part, where the soil then falls out so it can be kicked to the sides by the rotor thingies.

[JayCee]

Fantastic build, Dave. Great finish too.
John.

[Tim Marlow]

I'd thought that, Tim, but surely the plough would be angled to either side from the centre? Watching the videos doesn't really help, there's too much drt flying around!
Dave

Looks like Jakko has aced it with those videos Dave. The “plough” obviously just keeps the depth consistent. Still think a straight line isn’t ideal for a defensive trench though, it needs zig zags……Wonder what the wear rate on the various components is as well :tongue-out3:
As a complete digression, something like this, making slightly thinner and deeper trenches would be a quick and easy way for electricity companies to bury rural power lines :smiling5:

[adt70hk]

Dave

As others have said a simply brilliant build that has been most interesting to follow.

Very well done indeed for preserving.

ATB.

Andrew

[Dave Ward]

Looks like Jakko has aced it with those videos Dave. The “plough” obviously just keeps the depth consistent. Still think a straight line isn’t ideal for a defensive trench though, it needs zig zags……Wonder what the wear rate on the various components is as well :tongue-out3:
As a complete digression, something like this, making slightly thinner and deeper trenches would be a quick and easy way for electricity companies to bury rural power lines :smiling5:

Tim,
there is a pipe/cable laying machine around it's called 'trencheless' laying & uses a plough to part the soil

There is also a bigger version that can lay drainage pipes

The whole apparatus seems to be pulled by a winch on a power vehicle - not seen on te above piccies, but can be seen in this entertaining video

- I've actually seen one of these working locally, laying fibre-optics, I'm told
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

Wow, great stuff. Why are they not in wider use to bury rural power lines I wonder……
Looks like an update of this hundred year old technology doesn’t it…..

[Gern]

This thing clearly works with loose soil but I have no idea how! If I wanted to build a sandcastle on the beach, my weapons of choice would be a bucket and spade - not a bucket and fork! :upside:

[Graeme C.]

Cracking build Dave, very complex, but you managed to conquer it.