I haven't built many models so far this year, mainly because I picked two models with either an insane number of parts or tiny detail parts (Micro-Mir 1/144 Yak-23...).
Last year, Jeff commented that my
Morris-Martel two man tankette just needed a bulldozer blade, implying that it looked like a tractor. That got me thinking, and this year (in January!) I started on the Trumpeter 1/35 scale ChTZ S-65 tractor (with cab). It took until page 7 of the construction booklet before it even started to look like a vehicle.
Trumpeter - of course - can't make a kit without a glaring, obnoxious mistake. In this case, the Cyrillic on the radiator was completely wrong. I replaced it with an inexpensive resin version with the correct lettering from
LZ Models, who made a wide number of resin conversion sets for this kit, including one to convert it to a Caterpillar 60 (the base model of the ChTZ S-65).
The tracks took forever to make. But I got them done. Here's the tractor as it stands now:
With the tracks, which took almost a month to finish:
It still needs to have the interior painted, glass attached to the cab and further weathering. Then I can attached the tracks and weather them some more.
I did mention tractor
s in the title...
Best Paper Models has/had a 1/35 scale paper model of the Stalinetz S-100 tractor, which is also known as the Stalinec S-100 in other Eastern European countries:
I decided to make a 3D version of the tractor, based in part on the paper model and on images of the real thing. Most S-100s seem to be used as bulldozers, with a dirt moving blade attachment. This would have meant having to build an engine as well, since it's visible through the hood... so I went with just the tractor version. As a test, I just made the engine and cab sections.
This is what I got back from Shapeways (printed in Frosted Ultra Detail):
It hard to see, but the holes in the radiator came out correctly (and helped lower the cost of the part...). There's some minor warping in the cab door jamb, but that's easy to fix.
They did manage to screw up the doors. I got three doors back - one broken and two left hand doors. they probably broke the right hand door, then printed three versions of the left hand door, which has some unacceptable printing artifacts. I'm having them reprint them correctly. Annoyingly, some of the ultra fine details (like the rivets in the door handle) printed fine:
Some details, like the louvered vents on the hood, handle holes (I'll use fine wire) and the T latches came out beautifully:
Here it is with the partially built paper model. I'm not a very good paper modeler:
What to do about the rest of the tractor? I have a few options:
1 - sacrifice the almost finished S-65 and replace the cab and engine section with my 3D printed parts. The running gear and rest of the tractor are almost identical.
2 - buy a second kit and use it for parts. That would waste all the tracks. I'm not building those tracks again! I'll use the Takom Mk IV tank tracks, since they're almost identical and take minutes (vs months) to put together.
3 - use the paper model and Trumpeter kit to make the remaining parts from plastic sheet. I can make the wheels and other drive bits in 3D and have them printed, or use the similar parts from an old FT-17 tank and the Takom tracks.
