Gecko 1/35 Bedford MWC

[papa 695]

Cracking work so far Andy,

[Guest]

Thanks Ian, but unfortunately it's proved to much for me at the moment, so it's boxed up and on the way to Andy / Outrunner later.

[Guest]

So, a bit of an update on this.

The kit is now in Andy / Outrunners hands and it seems I've been the victim of a poor instruction / build order issue. I don't know how I didn't spot it myself but I guess after the early setbacks my heart wasn't in it.

I was trying to assemble the rear arches as instructed, with the flimsy PE trying to carry the weight of them. However, several steps further on, when the bowser tank is added, it seems the arches connect to it, giving all the support needed.

Andy's suggestion is to flip the build order around, mounting the arches onto the tank first. That way the PE could be added later once everything is solidly located, and it would be mostly cosmetic rather than structural.

Again, I'm a silly sausage for not noticing it myself, but well done to Andy for figuring it out, and I'm sure he'll make a fine job of it :smiling3:

[Guest]

Live and learn, I suppose I doubt I’d have worked that out without trial, error and swearing in various combinations.

[outrunner]

So, a bit of an update on this.

The kit is now in Andy / Outrunners hands and it seems I've been the victim of a poor instruction / build order issue. I don't know how I didn't spot it myself but I guess after the early setbacks my heart wasn't in it.

I was trying to assemble the rear arches as instructed, with the flimsy PE trying to carry the weight of them. However, several steps further on, when the bowser tank is added, it seems the arches connect to it, giving all the support needed.

Andy's suggestion is to flip the build order around, mounting the arches onto the tank first. That way the PE could be added later once everything is solidly located, and it would be mostly cosmetic rather than structural.

Again, I'm a silly sausage for not noticing it myself, but well done to Andy for figuring it out, and I'm sure he'll make a fine job of it :smiling3:

I would not worry about it Andy as there are not enough pages on this thread to list all the mistakes I have made in the past, and no doubt I will make more mistakes before I to the big modelshop in the sky. I tend to look closely at the instructions a few times to see how many sub-assemblies I can build before starting and I think it helps, but I still make the odd mistake. I don't know when I will get around to finishing the build as I am having a slight nightmare with the dump truck two part cab windscreen which needs to be fitted securely so that I can build the cab and mask the windows.

Andy.

[Steve Jones]

Life's a beatch mate. Its there for another day. Onwards and upwards with another challenge my friend

[outrunner]

It was too cold in the attic to do any painting today so I opened the Gecko Models Bedford that Andy (Paintguy) kindly sent me. After another long study of the instructions I decided to put some of it together, no easy job I might say, some of the parts are soo tiny and fragile it took ages to get them of the sprue and cleaned up.
[ATTACH]411944[/ATTACH]
Fitting the front mudguards to the chassis was easy enough, only 2 parts each but the fuel tanks were a bit more complex as each tank has 8 parts to assemble but it was a pleasant way to spend a winters afternoon. Mirror Models can be a bit fiddly and fragile, but compared this this they are a walk in the park. The box is full of tiny bits and some of the PE is, to me, just pointless as a lot of it will never be seen and some is so small a layer of paint will hide it so I will be selective in what I use.

Andy.

[Guest]

Starting to look the business Andy.

Reassuring to hear it wasn't just me that found it fiddly! :smiling5:

[outrunner]

Starting to look the business Andy.

Reassuring to hear it wasn't just me that found it fiddly! :smiling5:

You are not alone in thinking that, it takes ages to try and clean up sprue gates on tiny stuff and getting the parts of to start with is a pain.

Andy.

[JR]

Andy you can see why when I find it unmanageable I turn it into a wreak.
Small tracks , chassis that always twist, I just can't cope with it. Start off full of hope and gradually slide into a complete mess.
Bring back that Bendy Bus please.

[Guest]

Bring back that Bendy Bus please.

That's not going quite so well John.

After I think the 8th unsuccessful attempt to refit the front bumper I lost my head. I poured ca over the front end straight from the bottle then doused it in kicker.

That certainly did the trick as the bumper is now stuck fast, but it isn't a pretty sight. If I make a diorama I'll have to park it in some bushes or something.

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
I think some manufacturers feel that a high parts count = better detail = better kit = higher price. That is only true up to a point. I've just been looking at Barry's 1/24 Hurricane - big and well detailed and yet Barry said the parts count is not high.
Jim

[outrunner]

I kind of got carried away with this and have nearly finished all the sub-assemblies I can, just a few tiny bits of PE to do. [ATTACH]412285[/ATTACH] There is so much going on on the water tank that I will need to do a bit of painting before fitting things as it would be too easy to miss bits if it was all built.

Andy.

[Graeme C.]

You have been busy Andy, it's coming together nicely.

[outrunner]

Getting along with the build, tank is just placed on to have a look.
[ATTACH]412483[/ATTACH]
You will no doubt see the gap above the front mudguard, but it is not bad building by me as this page from the instructions will prove.
[ATTACH]412484[/ATTACH]

Andy.