1/35 Egyptian M-22 Locust

[Frank3k]

Story sent me some images of an Egyptian M-22 Locust that appears to have the mantlet mounted upside down (some other captured Egyptian M-22s have the mantlet in the correct orientation). I bought the Bronco M-22 kit to build the tank - it's a tiny tank in 1/35. How hard can it be?

Here's the tank mantlet:



Flipping it around would sorta work, but for best effect, I would print a 3D copy "flipped" and dimensioned to fit the turret. I have the files for a 1:1 version, so I think I'll be able to print it soon.

Meanwhile... since this is a Bronco kit, there's a small but packed PE sheet with parts that could have easily been molded in plastic, but that wouldn't provide enough suffering. Also a Bronco trademark - tiny, tiny attachment points and instructions with very vague orientations for parts that require critical orientation...

This is two days work:



Thankfully the tracks are links and length, with only a few individual links at each end. I would have expected individual links with to-scale and critical connectors in PE:



I just finished gluing six 1mm long PE parts to the rear of the tank and noticed I need to add six more to the turret. Of course there are no locator marks anywhere...

[Buzzbomb]

You said Bronco and tiny vehicle. That means even tinier parts and sub assemblies

Meanwhile... since this is a Bronco kit, there's a small but packed PE sheet with parts that could have easily been molded in plastic, but that wouldn't provide enough suffering. Also a Bronco trademark - tiny, tiny attachment points and instructions with very vague orientations for parts that require critical orientation...

I just finished gluing six 1mm long PE parts to the rear of the tank and noticed I need to add six more to the turret. Of course there are no locator marks anywhere...

After putting the Bronco Airborne jeeps together in intricate microscopic detail, I hear ya brother 

[Frank3k]

You said Bronco and tiny vehicle. That means even tinier parts and sub assemblies

Yes! Many tiny plastic sub assemblies. There are two sub mm knobs that I managed to glue without losing, plus two equally small covers for the visor hinges that should have been molded in place...
What's particularly annoying about this kit is that some assemblies require precise positioning (drive wheel and idler) yet the locators are non-existent or in the case of the idlers - a nice, sharp square hole in the body ("oh great! This will make a secure joint and at the right angle!") while the mating pin is undersized and not quite square, so the whole assembly just wobbles in place until the glue sets.

[Story]

You have the patience of Job.

[GTX_Admin]

Story sent me some images of an Egyptian M-22 Locust that appears to have the mantlet mounted upside down

Are you able to share the images?

[Frank3k]

I'm wrong there - Story reminded me. It's an Egyptian M13/40 that has the Locust mantlet/gun.



The Egyptian M-22 (as a war trophy)

[Frank3k]

This model is taking forever. I think it would take less time to put the 1:1 tank together with some wrenches and a small crane.

Sub-assemblies:



The 1/35 figure gives a sense of how small this model is.

Typical for Bronco - they giveth then they taketh away. The tracks are nice... but they have to go on before the side skirts/fender assemblies. And no, they can't be attached to the upper hull first (even though they fit perfectly) because they decided to make the firewall extend over the fenders. Arrg,

[Story]

Are you able to share the images?

Stand by for a future build.

[Frank3k]

Our long Bronco build is almost over... I used most - but not all - of the insanely small PE parts these pinheads included in their kit. The plastic parts are ridiculous as well - the driver's hatch has 9 parts; four of them 1mm or smaller.

JFC those headlight brush guards...



I trimmed the firewall so that I could attach the fenders to the upper hull. Stupid Bronco and their stupid love for over complicated builds. Some of the interior will be visible through the turret:



At least the paint job was relatively easy:



Ahmad, Mustafa and Kahled did an OK job painting their tank:



Still missing the exhaust bits and tools. Plus weathering and a small decal. I was thinking of adding a "shoot here!" Egyptian roundel to the turret, but alas, the Egyptians neglected to use one on their M22s.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Good save on your Locust.  It came out looking so much better than the first WIP images were showing. 

[GTX_Admin]

 

[Frank3k]

This miserable POS of a kit is finished. The weathering didn't go as I'd planned, but it's good enough for Egyptian work. The number, "2201" is the year and month this was built (I guess it can also be read as "0122" same result)













The track is weathered - for some reason they look almost wet in these pictures. Maybe Ahmad, Mustafa and Kahled drove it through a puddle.

I'm giving the other Bronco kits in my stash a dirty look. I know I have one of their M1114s in the stash. Not looking forwards to that one.

[Ramba]

That's a cool looking tank. You did a terrific job on it!

Can't wait to see what you do with the M1114.

[Buzzbomb]

Great work Frank 

Bronco have terrific subjects, but they do themselves no favours trying to max out the part count. Leave that to Ryefield and the like.

[GTX_Admin]

 

[Story]

This miserable POS of a kit is finished. 
I'm giving the other Bronco kits in my stash a dirty look. I know I have one of their M1114s in the stash. Not looking forwards to that one.

1) Yeah, but you make everything look easy

2) The real ones where a Mil-Industrialist's con job and despised by the End Users, so you're good to go for Art imitating Life.
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/bronco-cb35092-m1114--134362

[Frank3k]

That's the one. The instructions don't look terrible, but you can see all the unnecessary PE (visors in the cab, wheel well armor that could have been molded in, ditto with tiny PE on the sides of the rear seats)

[Dr. YoKai]

I was just reading about the Locust this morning, never mind where. I had no idea the Egyptians had wound up with some, but it's a great looking build.

[Claymore]

Simply beautiful!