Magic Factory MRZR D4 Ultra-light Tactical All-terrain Vehicle (1/35)

[Frank3k]

This kit is far larger than I expected for such a small vehicle. It contains two kits (armed ATV and anti-drone) and a trailer. Click on the image to go to the Scalemates page:



The molding is outstanding and so is the fit. The kit is well detailed without the Hobby Boss level of modeller torture.  The PE fret is nice - the connections to the brass sheet were etched away, so no cutting is needed. The parts are sandwiched between two sticky plastic sheets.

The only negative so far (and a major one) is the design of the vehicle - not Magic Factory's fault, though. They had they option to detail the very visible engine area or simplify it by making a busy blob that would make construction easier. The problem is that the rear deck is a major structural part and you either have to paint it before hand (tedious) or assemble and mask and paint later (annoying). I decided to go with plan B because it was taking too long to build.

Here's the engine area:



I'll probably paint everything in its final color, then touch up any overspray in the engine area. The suspension does NOT work, despite the metal springs.

The use of PE is appropriate and the PE is relatively thick and easy to bend (when needed). There are attachment points in the plastic for most of the PE:



The cockpit interior floor is supposed to be black, so I'll mask and paint it after I pick a color for the vehicle.
So far I'm leaning towards either desert tam overall (easiest) or a mix of NATO green and tan. I'm thinking of adding a Stugna-P team and some Javalins and make it a Ukrainian SOF tank hunting vehicle. I don't know if they're using MRZR D4 for this yet, but they have used the smaller Polaris vehicles in the same line as very effective tank hunters.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

The small circular features in floor pan = Drink holders? 

[GTX_Admin]

The small circular features in floor pan = Drink holders?

 

[Buzzbomb]

Like what you have done and especially what the plan is.

Lightweight tank killers work for me, more shoot and scoot but without the massive "here I am/was" cloud that the RCL versions produced

[Frank3k]

The small circular features in floor pan = Drink holders?

Gotta stay hydrated!

[LemonJello]

Neat! Definitely on my wish list.

I like the tank hunter team, will you be throwing a lot of mud all over it?

Re: painting - going with painting it after done, you could just weather the paint off the exposed engine parts where movement/heat would affect the paint and write it off to field expedient camo being applied in a rush to the front.

[Frank3k]

That's one "feature" of armor or field based vehicles - dirt and mud can hide many mistakes or problems.

[Story]

Derivative inspiration Mothership

[Ramba]

Looking good!

There is an error in the kit. The right side is missing the roll cage tab to attach it to the lower cabin.

This guy on Facebook shows the error and how he fixed it.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02tM7rr2gcrx2eRLY9sTzv2aKMLZg9f5fhD6r93VnWTu84wD3NURjYtmtbuN6xFJuNl&id=100063490295253

[Frank3k]

Thanks for that, Ramba. Indeed it's missing.

If anyone builds this kit, the best way to build and paint in sections. Try to build as much of the upper body/shell as a unit (don't glue to the lower frame), paint the interior floor pan, then attach all three. It's a slow, annoying masking job to do it otherwise.

[Buzzbomb]

Good stuff here Frank.

Agree on the modular nature of these type of Cage builds. Found the same with the HobbyBoss Ranger Landrover, leave the top off until a final construct, touch up phase.

[Frank3k]

I thought that between the small size of the vehicle and the great fit of the parts, it would be a quick build...more than a week later I'm still struggling with the painting.

[Frank3k]

I expected this to be a quick build, thanks to the model's small size and excellent fit. The design of the vehicle itself makes painting a real chore; when I decide to build the second one, I'll build as much of the chassis and body shell as separately as possible (the construction makes this difficult) then paint them before joining them together.

While armor models have individual tracks as a motivation sapping exercise and aircraft models have canopy masking,... this model has the roll cage from hell! A complex, delicate structure with PE belts that have to attach to the floor as well.

I was going to go for a Ukrainian digital camouflage over the default desert tan but now I'm not sure:



The front part of the roll cage isn't glued in place. After the third time it broke off, I decided to keep it off until the end:



I painted the seats in a different tan yellow, because it looked bland in the same body color. The decals are great, though.



The kit has an error on the right side - the roll cage attachment tab on the body is missing. I made a copy of the attachment on the left side from styrene sheet:



The PE set in this kit is excellent, since it doesn't have to be cut from the fret. However, if an aftermarket seat harness set (prepainted and from resin or thin PE) becomes available, that would be a better option.

[Ramba]

Great job! Nice to see you overcame the kit's obstacles. The different seat color definitely makes a difference.

[Buzzbomb]

Great work.

Nice area for the Golf clubs in the back as well.

[LemonJello]

That is some fine work, looking forward to the next update.

[Old Wombat]

 

[Frank3k]

This is what I have so far on the second vehicle. Building it in sub-assemblies will really help in painting and it's a lot less frustrating than trying to paint in the suggested assembly order. Testing for the best assembly method has been a modelling version of "Reconnaissance by fire"

The body pan/engine section can be painted black and detailed later if desired. I'll glue the cabin floor first, since it's also black. The rear cargo shelf is the problem spot - it needs to go on to line up the rear of the vehicle, but it's supported by a mass of tubes and pipes coming up from the engine. It's hard to get all the pipes in their respective sots, but the two critical ones (between the engine and the muffler) have a nice recessed channel and can be glued into place. The other pipes/tubes can be snapped into their connecting holes (or close to them). The upper rear wall of the cabin floor acts as another solid location point.

The wheels are straight; I don't know why they look like they're turned in these pictures.

The front assembly can be tricky to snap over the front suspension assembly, but once in place, the instrument panel snaps into place in slots on the front of the cabin floor. Leave the square part (upper left in the picture) off until the front is assembled, since it can prevent the front from angling forward far enough to make it over some suspension support arms.




Here it is snapped together. The sides can be clamped in place as the glue dries. I also added the missing roll cage tab support on the right side of the body:

[Frank3k]

At times, it's felt like I've been working on these two kits for months on end. I think the desert version is finished, just needing cargo and water bottles. I got these pictures in the afternoon, so the colors are a little warmer than in reality:



Almost no whiffing done - I skipped the gun and mount for the rear right passenger and added a small California flag on the rear gate.





"Mes cheveux ont l'air bien ?"/"Does my hair look OK?"

It's not that small a vehicle:



I'm about 3/4 done with the Ukrainian tank hunter version, which is (probably) a whif (for now):



I'm using the platform for the anti-drone version to attach a Stugna-P ATGM. The digital camo on the hood was (poorly) done with tape. The soft cover over the front passenger seats was made from Washi tape strips over Tamiya tape, then hand painted in a rough Ukrainian digital camo pattern. I was surprised to see that it works pretty well, at least against the rocky ground cover that I'm using:



I made a Ukrainian flag for the rear gate as well:


I'll try to get the UKR vehicle finished this week, then start working on the crew.

[Ramba]

Terrific job on both. Looking forward to seeing the Stugna-P on the Ukrainian version.

[Old Wombat]

They're both looking great, Frank!

It's not that small a vehicle:

I'm guessing about the size of a WW2 jeep, which is fairly small, & anything much smaller can't carry enough to be as utilitarianly useful.

Plus, when you take into account that the "jeep" grew into the Humvee .....

[LemonJello]

Oh, those are nice. 

Well done!

[Claymore]

Great job! 

[Frank3k]

Thanks, guys. I'll be glad to finish this.

[Frank3k]

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Hopefully, not a train...

Stgna-P from the ICM kit. I added some of the visible cabling and some carry handles made from tape. The ammo box in the cargo area was shortened - the original box would have fit except for the equipment box on the left side:



Here's another look at the Stugna-P. The cable is 30AWG wire wrap wire. The display is from a decal sheet i made a while ago:



This is the temporarily headless crew from the ICM kit. They still need some cleanup. The Javelin is a resin kit from DANmodels. I may try some Ukrainian decals on the figures:





I used a dichroic film on the IR sensor. The effect is sort of visible here: