I've always liked motorcycles... but the two times I've ridden one I've come close to having to use my organ donor card.
While doing 3D printer janitorial work, I grabbed the
Thunder Models 1/35 US Military Motorcycle Indian 741B to pass the time. The box has two motorcycles in it and I had the vague notion of turning one into a Tuktuk or three wheeled cargo motorcycle. The kit is so nice I decided to build one as a civilian bike. Maybe not as
The World's Fastest Indian but just as a nice generic bike.
The kit has some PE (two parts - the spokes - are critical) and many tiny parts with small or vague attachment points. Unlike Bronco or some Hobby Boss kits, the PE and the parts engineering is well thought out. There's a tool to bend the soften brass spokes to shape (the brass must be softened by heating first - I learned that the hard way) but it's been a straightforward and enjoyable build so far.
I don't enjoy working with PE and superglue, but all this brass was pretty easy to attach. Very little swearing has been done during this build. The upper rear headlight is pointing up - I've since fixed it:
The gap between the fuel tanks is there on the real bike. I think the gap is still too big, especially at the front. The brake and speedometer cables are copper wire, supplied in the kit:
There's a PE and a plastic drive chain in the kit (barely visible in the picture below) I went with the plastic one because it was better detailed and it seems slightly more realistic:
There are still a few bits to add, but I want to start painting. I think I can remove the wheels without too much fuss. I may paint it red overall.