A few 1/35 IFV's and AFV's

[Ramba]

Here are some of the stowage I will be loading onto the GAZ-66. I need a few more backpacks and a lot more ammo crates though.


I don't think the Oyumaru reusable mold will pick up the wood grain and slat detail on the ammo crates so I will have to get some ammo crate sets one day.


I found these Eureka XXL 1/35 modern Russian ammo crates. I might get these instead of trying to make my own from the Oyumaru reusable molds. The 7.62mm crates are out of stock but there are some available on Ebay.
https://spruebrothers.com/eure035-1-35-eureka-xxl-modern-russian-ammo-crates-type-i-for-7-62mm-ammo-for-ak-47/
https://spruebrothers.com/eure038-1-35-eureka-xxl-modern-russian-ammo-crates-for-115mm-u-5ts-2a20-gun/

The backpack should come out OK with the reusable mold so will try to make a few extras.


The flak vests will go on the doors as shown in the Tank product image.

[Ramba]

Test fitting the driver figure to see how it looks. The seat, steering wheel and door are missing so the driver won't fit properly. Threw some stowage in the bed along with another seated figure. As you can see, I need more stowage. I need to get some ammo crates which will fill up most of the bed.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Looking good with the updates so far.  Never gave much thought to how small the cab of this vehicle was until I saw the image of the guy sitting in the driver side of the cab. 

[Old Wombat]

Well, if you look at the box art image of the driver in the doorway of the Ural, he's pretty crowded in that; so I'd figure he'll be just as/more crowded in the GAZ but it should still look right.

Yes, bulk stowage; very difficult/expensive ........ I really should get some resin casting stuff & have a go at copying a bunch of boxes*, et al.




[*: I have a custom turbo-prop conversion I need to make a master for & mould the bits for one of my S-2E/G Trackers, this would be my learning experience.]

[Frank3k]

Looks good! The Gaz 66 cab is pretty tight - the shift levers are behind and to right of the driver's seat. Plus the engine cover takes up a fair amount of space in the cabin.

Guy - get some Value Gear; great stuff and relatively inexpensive.

[Story]

  I need to get some ammo crates which will fill up most of the bed.

?

[Ramba]

Well, if you look at the box art image of the driver in the doorway of the Ural, he's pretty crowded in that; so I'd figure he'll be just as/more crowded in the GAZ but it should still look right.

Yes, bulk stowage; very difficult/expensive ........ I really should get some resin casting stuff & have a go at copying a bunch of boxes*, et al.

[*: I have a custom turbo-prop conversion I need to make a master for & mould the bits for one of my S-2E/G Trackers, this would be my learning experience.]

The figure definitely won't fit in the GAZ but I will try to squeeze him in somehow.

I tried the Blue Stuff reusable mold but that uses self hardening putty. My results were not as good as I expected. I am sure resin casting will be better though.

Looks good! The Gaz 66 cab is pretty tight - the shift levers are behind and to right of the driver's seat. Plus the engine cover takes up a fair amount of space in the cabin.

Guy - get some Value Gear; great stuff and relatively inexpensive.

Thanks! I already snapped off one of the shift levers when I was test fitting the back wall on the cab but was able to find it. I will reattach it later so I don't snap it off again. Yes, the GAZ-66 cab is very tight, the driver figure definitely won't fit once the steering wheel and seat are attached even with him sitting side saddle out the door. The door itself will have to be fully open perpendicular to the cab to have him somewhat sitting on the edge of the seat.

Looking good with the updates so far.  Never gave much thought to how small the cab of this vehicle was until I saw the image of the guy sitting in the driver side of the cab.

Thanks! The cab looks big enough without the figure but once the figure is in, you cab see how small the cab really is.

[Ramba]

  I need to get some ammo crates which will fill up most of the bed.

?

Thanks for checking on the stowage. I actually don't need any as I forgot I already had some. Thanks for the offer though.

I found some Value Gear stuff in my stash that was packed away in the garage.


I also forgot Jeffry Fontaine had sent me some crates a while back. I think they were from an Italeri set. The biggest crate in the back is from the Dragon BMP-2E Afghanistan kit. Thanks again Jeff.


With the stuff from Jeff and the Value Gear, I have enough to load up the GAZ-66 now. Thanks again for checking.

[raafif]

Check these out for crates etc - they're HO/OO but I've been using them for 1/35 trucks for years
I bought mine (originally a Heller accessory kit) back in the 1980s & am just starting to run out.
Below is my DUKW with a mixed load - red points to the items from Knightwing.

http://www.knightwing.co.uk/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?cart_id=1665007334.134&product=OO-HO_Building_Kits&pid=165

http://www.knightwing.co.uk/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?cart_id=1665007334.134&product=OO-HO_Building_Kits&pid=303

[Ramba]

Check these out for crates etc - they're HO/OO but I've been using them for 1/35 trucks for years
I bought mine (originally a Heller accessory kit) back in the 1980s & am just starting to run out.
Below is my DUKW with a mixed load - red points to the items from Knightwing.

Thanks for the links. I will check them out.

[Ramba]

I bought the I Love Kit 1/35 JLTV for myself for my birthday


My plan was to make mine into a USMC vehicle and add the Live Resin MCTAGS turret.


Unfortunately, the I Love Kit is of the early production and doesn't include the later style front bumper and winch. It also doesn't include the USMC specific raised exhaust. Even the early USMC JLTV's had the raised exhaust so it should have been included. The stuff missing from the I Love Kit are pointed out.


Here is a line up of a few USMC JLTV's. You can see the first one has the front bumper and winch and also see the raised exhaust. The others don't have the front bumper or winch but I wanted to do a later version as the first one in the photo. Hoping someone makes the raised exhaust, front bumper and winch as a resin or 3D printed set so I can update my kit.


The RFM JLTV shows the late style front bumper and winch but no raised exhaust. The RFM kit is not out yet and I have no idea when it will be released. I should have waited for the RFM kit to at least get the front bumper and winch.

[Old Wombat]

Happy Birthday, mate! Hope someone brings out an update kit for you, soon!

[Ramba]

Happy Birthday, mate! Hope someone brings out an update kit for you, soon!

Thank you! It is a week early though but the kit actually arrived a week earlier than expected.

I am really hoping someone makes those parts as an update set. 

[Ramba]

Here is the Live Resin MCTAGS turret I will be using on the I Love Kit JLTV. The turret was started way back in March, 2018 that was originally going to be used on the Bronco M1114 but I set the MCTAGS turret aside to use on the JLTV instead. Who knew it would take another four years to get a kit of the JLTV?



Mostly assembled but the clear parts are separate so I don't have to mask them off for painting. The .50cal and gun shield are only dry fitted for easier painting as well.





This is the JLTV I hope to end up with when done. I like the overall sand camo with the green turret. I already have quite a few USMC vehicles that will be in the overall sand camo so I might do the JLTV in the NATO camo with the turret in sand. I actually like it in the NATO camo better.




This is the Bronco M1114 with the Live Resin MCTAGS turret test fitted. I won't be using it on the M1114 anymore though.


This is the USMC M1114 I was going to do.


This is the one I will be doing instead. It is in the NATO camo with the armor in sand. I have the Warlock IED jammer from a Black Dog LAV-25 A2 set I will use on the M1114 instead.

[Old Wombat]

 

[Ramba]

Working on a few HMMWV kits.

First up is the Bronco Up-Armored HA Tactical Vehicle.


Going for this one.


It will have the Live Resin MCTAGS turret, Legend Ibis Tek bumper and Legend Rhino Anti IED Device.




I had started it July, 2018 but my airbrush had died so I had packed it away.





Lots of PE parts and tiny ones at that.



Started doing some of the PE. The doors have a ton of plastic and PE and the clear parts need to go in between the door and the armor. I didn't get the doors done as so many parts and with the airbrush dying, I decided to stop at the doors. Instructions show the assembly of the doors and you can see how many parts needed.

[Frank3k]

It's a Bronco kit... so over-engineered with a needlessly excessive number of PE parts (with some tiny parts being critical).

[Ramba]

It's a Bronco kit... so over-engineered with a needlessly excessive number of PE parts (with some tiny parts being critical).

This was my first Bronco kit and yes, it is way over engineered. It has great detail though.

[Ramba]

With me restarting the first Bronco M1114 that was set aside from 2018, the glutton for punishment that I am, decided to start the other Bronco M1114 in my stash. This one is the Up-Armored Tactical Vehicle.


I will be making this particular version. I will also be using a Live Resin MCTAGS turret and Legend Ibis Tek Bumper. The Live Resin turret came with an M240 but will be replacing it with a Mk.19 same as seen in the reference photo. The particular M1114 in the reference photo has the Marine Armor Kit (MAK) on it.




I will be using the Perfect Scale Modellbau (PSM) MAK conversion set. It is a decent set consisting of resin and PE. As you can see, the resin has a lot of flash on it .






Got the resin cleaned up.



Here are the Bronco kit sub assemblies.


Parts dry fitted.


The PSM resin MAK side armor plates glued on.


The PSM resin MAK doors are only dry fitted.


Here you can see a better view the M1114 with the MAK.


Unfortunately, the right side of the PSM MAK armor plate that runs up to the roof line was short shot. You can see in the second photo that the left side was molded correctly but is still just shy of reaching the roof line. If you look at the reference photo, you can see the MAK armor reaching up to the roof line. Not sure I will fix it on mine and just live with it as is. In the photos, the Bronco roof isn't flush with the body but even when the roof sits flush with the body, the resin MAK parts still don't reach the roof line as shown in the reference photo. Even with the roof flush to the body, the gap is still the same.

[Ramba]

Since I was already working on the two Bronco M1114 kits, I decided to also start an Academy M1151. Seeing they will all be in overall sand, I can hopefully get them painted in one session.



Sub-assemblies.


Parts are only test fitted.


This one will also have the MCTAGS turret.

[Frank3k]

For the MAK armor gap - you can put some acrylic putty (Vallejo, AK, etc.) in the gap. blend it then make the seam when it's dry.

[Ramba]

For the MAK armor gap - you can put some acrylic putty (Vallejo, AK, etc.) in the gap. blend it then make the seam when it's dry.

Thanks for the tip. I am going to just leave it as is. I don't have the patience to fix it.

[Ramba]

I spent a good 7 hours today doing just the PE on the Bronco M1114. I really, really hate PE. The doors have two sets of windows each. What a pain setting them in between the armor panels. I have to mask them before painting and hoping I don't knock off all the PE on the doors. All the PE parts included could have either been in plastic and or already been molded to the plastic parts. All that PE was absolutely unnecessary. I still have to do the PE on the second Bronco M1114 but it is a different setup so there will be less PE to do, thank goodness.

[Frank3k]

Bronco really hates its customers, or they just love complicating models with PE. You have my sympathies.

[Ramba]

Bronco really hates its customers, or they just love complicating models with PE. You have my sympathies.

Not that they hate their customers, they just want to torture them a bit. I worked on the second Bronco M1114 today and I did most of the PE in just over three hours but there were less PE on the one I did today. While not as much PE as the previous one, still plenty enough though. I also knew what to look out for the second time around so it went smoother and faster.