Beyond The Sprues

Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Land => Topic started by: Frank3k on August 11, 2023, 02:00:07 AM

Title: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Frank3k on August 11, 2023, 02:00:07 AM
There aren't many 1/35 scale versions of the UAZ 452 drone target truck, the only plastic option is the AMG kit (https://www.scalemates.com/kits/amg-35403-uaz-452d--616555):

(https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/5/5/5/616555-10244-98-pristine.jpg)

Although Zvezda has a more recent UAZ 3909.

I got the UAZ 452 D pickup version at a fairly good price, compared to the more common "Bukhanka" boxing. This is a rough, rough kit, dating from 2014. The molding is OK - similar to the Eastern Express GAZ-66. Location marks for many of the parts is left to guesswork, but it's workable. I built most of the engine (not all is visible) and all of the chassis and that went OK. The real horror starts when trying to build the cabin. Much dry fitting and sanding is involved and in the end, nothing fits quite right.

The cabin back wall and lower front pretty much define the fit of the cabin. This is what I have so far:

(https://i.imgur.com/t8PZMto.jpg)

I replaced the steering wheel column and added the turn signal handle (or whatever its function is in the UAZ) with copper wire. I replaced the base of the stick shift with three plastic disks to replicate the flexible rubber boot on the real vehicle:

(https://i.imgur.com/2RECnFf.jpg)

AMG includes (and excels at) PE (made from soft brass or copper) and nice instrument placards. The instrument panel in the real vehicle is as simple as this:

(https://i.imgur.com/i7qIkNt.jpg)

All I added was the bag/holder to the left of the big dial. I have lined up the pedals since - they were just tacked on for this picture.

The windshield is next, and I already know that the doors won't fit well without considerable use of putty or plastic strips. They may end up being displayed open.
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Buzzbomb on August 11, 2023, 06:25:59 AM
Frank, you are on the AMG frequent buyers list. That is two in a row with the Sphereoid Tank thing.

Looks like a bit of a challenge with warped parts and "dynamic" parts location, but more that sure you will nail it all down
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Frank3k on August 11, 2023, 06:32:37 AM
That's three AMG in a row, with the Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess!
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Jeffry Fontaine on August 11, 2023, 08:48:43 AM
That chassis has so much warp.
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Old Wombat on August 11, 2023, 09:08:22 AM
Quote from: Frank3k on August 11, 2023, 02:00:07 AM
Much dry fitting and sanding is involved and in the end, nothing fits quite right.

Quote from: Jeffry Fontaine on August 11, 2023, 08:48:43 AM
That chassis has so much warp.

Sounds about right, then, for a Soviet-era truck. ;)
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Frank3k on August 11, 2023, 09:46:33 AM
The chassis "warp" is an optical illusion of how it was photographed. Despite the vague locations for all the parts, it's flat in all axes and all four wheels touch the ground at the same time. That part was a fairly quick build.
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Story on August 12, 2023, 11:18:47 PM
Sooooooooooo... what's the projected End State?  What's it gonna do?
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Frank3k on August 13, 2023, 12:49:27 AM
It's going to be an ex-military civilian vehicle (hence the green interior) either post-apocalyptic or just generic cargo.

With maybe a "Not a target!" (Не ціль! Не цель!) in Ukrainian and Russian on the roof.

So far, the doors, front and windshield have been glued together - forcefully, with clamps - with plastic cement and super glue. Maybe the kit was intended as a post-droned vehicle, because the (lack of) fit of the cab is hard to understand otherwise.
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: killnoizer on August 13, 2023, 02:14:35 PM
A Buddy of me bought a Buhanka two years ago , brand new from factory .
There was a dealer here in Germany for that breadboxes.
And working since then to get it all into the right position and working , in 1:1 scale .
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Story on August 24, 2023, 07:10:07 AM
Quote from: Frank3k on August 13, 2023, 12:49:27 AM

With maybe a "Not a target!" (Не ціль! Не цель!) in Ukrainian and Russian on the roof.


Make Beni the driver.

(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f3/e7/48/f3e7489016c5950372fa217d076113f2.jpg)
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Frank3k on August 24, 2023, 10:38:15 AM
Quote from: killnoizer on August 13, 2023, 02:14:35 PM
A Buddy of me bought a Buhanka two years ago , brand new from factory .
There was a dealer here in Germany for that breadboxes.
And working since then to get it all into the right position and working , in 1:1 scale .

Well, that means this kit is 100% accurate!

I'm all but done with this build and it was a mess. When I put the tires on, I had a Russian low rider. I looked at the instructions and my build, and can't figure out what I did wrong... so I jacked up the axles and springs by about 3mm to make it look like the real vehicle.
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Frank3k on August 25, 2023, 10:33:14 AM
Holy crap this kit was a PITA.

The boxes are just some I made and printed up in thick paper a while ago. The rest is Meng and a coupe of others. The groundwork is by MiG (probably repackaged train groundwork):
(https://i.imgur.com/vNjxqe7.jpg)

"Vova, I think we should tie down our load!"
"Blyat! Misha, you worry too much!":
(https://i.imgur.com/ASoxX7O.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/TmEZZXG.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/x5reE7x.jpg)

I forgot the license plates, so I made some up. Year and month, plus "LA" because....
(https://i.imgur.com/V9aCKnv.jpg)

The fit of the parts was all over the place - some sections clicked together, others had gaps. Where some of the parts went together was mostly guesswork. The cabin is made up of many parts, with the windscreen a crucial structural component. I replaced the side windows with clear plastic cut to shape and separated by a thin strip of plastic. I had to make the door hinges because the plastic didn't look at all like the real vehicle.

The upper part of the transmission is missing in the kit (and very visible) so I replaced it with something that looked like it from my spares. I added a "fuel pump" as well. The side mirror supports are copper wire (I'm surprised I didn't knock them off!)

The fuel tank straps are thin copper and some leftover PE from another kit.

The biggest problem with this kit is the suspension. I don't know if I screwed something up or if the kit did... but when I put the wheels on, it looked like a Russian low rider. I had to raise the suspension up by 3mm, and shim one corner because I didn't cut it properly and the wheels weren't touching the ground at the same time.

The kit comes with a pretty comprehensive PE fret in copper (or very soft brass) which was very easy to work with, compared to most PE.

Other than the above, the kit was a breeze...

I also finally added some armpit sweat stains and dirtied up the coveralls of the French mechanic. He's still too clean!
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Old Wombat on August 25, 2023, 11:01:37 PM
Fantastic job, Frank! Absolutely looks the business! :smiley: 8)

Quote from: Frank3k on August 25, 2023, 10:33:14 AM
Holy crap this kit was a PITA.

The fit of the parts was all over the place - some sections clicked together, others had gaps. Where some of the parts went together was mostly guesswork.

Well, it is a Russian vehicle! ;)

Quote from: Frank3k on August 25, 2023, 10:33:14 AM
I also finally added some armpit sweat stains and dirtied up the coveralls of the French mechanic. He's still too clean!

Yes! Yes, he is! ;D
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Kerick on August 25, 2023, 11:34:06 PM
That really looks great! Beyond my skills in weathering and ground work!
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: apophenia on August 26, 2023, 10:22:07 AM
The kit sounds like a hair-tearing beast  :P

Quote from: Frank3k on August 25, 2023, 10:33:14 AM
...The boxes are just some I made and printed up in thick paper a while ago...

Yeah, I don't think the word just belongs in that sentence! Those cardboard boxes are amazing. The clear packing tape on the box in the aft starboard corner is totally convincing. And you can almost feel that cheap, sh!tty Chinese corrugated on the 'Handle With Care' box. Nice!  :smiley:
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Frank3k on August 27, 2023, 12:58:11 AM
Thanks, guys! I think the box with the tape was a picture I found online of a real box, that was used in a video game or similar.

I'll dirty up the mechanic the next time I need a figure for scale. He'll eventually look like a real mechanic.

I have a few more AMG models, but I think I'll lay off them for a while...
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Buzzbomb on August 27, 2023, 07:06:39 AM
Quote from: Frank3k on August 25, 2023, 10:33:14 AM
Other than the above, the kit was a breeze...

 ;D ;D

As usual you have made a very nice and somewhat different model out of a less than average kit. So well done, all in all the vehicle looks very nice. Totally nailed the cardboard boxes, as pointed out by others, very convincing.

Clearly not going to be on my "top of the list" buying list.
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Story on August 28, 2023, 01:14:26 AM
As always, Frank's builds push me down the rabbit hole.
Start with this joke -

(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/322/379/be6.jpg)

https://twitter.com/AlexRaptor94/status/1591345132196229120 (https://twitter.com/AlexRaptor94/status/1591345132196229120)

(https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.08130f8290b094fb8afab40677892cf3?rik=B5hwQSxqgyEwPg&riu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wio.ru%2fanti%2f11%2fuaz452.jpg&ehk=zJkd9cL3R6JHsyRJE45cuB6pV2uQFBoPFEpFABHG6k8%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0)


But what I was really looking for was a comparison drawing of the suspension.

(https://puzoterok.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Podgotovlennyj-UAZ-452.jpg)
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Story on August 28, 2023, 01:22:23 AM
Quote from: Frank3k on August 25, 2023, 10:33:14 AM


"Vova, I think we should tie down our load!"
"Blyat! Misha, you worry too much!":
(https://i.imgur.com/ASoxX7O.jpg)
 

Looks like you nailed the corrective surgery to the suspension but for folks following in Frank's footsteps, here ya go

(https://www.armedconflicts.com/files/uaz_452d.gif)

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/de/68/b8/de68b8e6fcc8d4020ae2948315893a5f.gif)
Title: Re: 1/35 UAZ-452D "Golovastik"
Post by: Frank3k on August 28, 2023, 09:36:19 AM
Thanks for that drawing, Story. By the time I got to correcting the errors, I was well past researching.I had some pictures of real life vehicles and guess the height from them - "as built" vs "as designed". The cargo area is lower than it should be - I left out parts because their locations just didn't make sense. I've since seen builds with the correct location of the missing parts... so I did build a whif.