Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Land => Topic started by: Jeffry Fontaine on June 17, 2017, 03:29:10 AM
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Original title: Horribly Warped Kit Parts.--jjf
My infatuation with this vehicle started at a very early age thanks to the old U.S. Army propaganda series on television that I used to enjoy watching as a young kit while living in Panama back in the early sixties. I always thought the concept of such a versatile vehicle was a great idea that the Army managed to acquire and put to good use in helping the infantry move around while carrying the heavier loads and keeping everything "mobile" or so I thought. In later years and having discussions with people that used to operate these marvelous little vehicles I learned that they were a real maintenance nightmare and not something that could be relied upon to get your stuff from point A to point B. That being said, I still like the vehicle and the idea behind what it was supposed to do in helping the soldier carry the heavy things.
Wikipedia link: > M274 ½-ton 4×4 Utility Platform Truck (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M274_%C2%BD-ton_4%C3%974_utility_platform_truck)
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Original post:
I was on a quest some time ago for a 1:15th scale Glenco M274 Mechanical Mule kit. Found several at a reasonable price. Was not overly concerned with the accuracy as I wanted to experiment with a bit of kit-bashing and a dash of scale-o-rama. So the recoilless rifle bits and other parts not useful to the project were removed and I was left with the flat platform of the M274 Mule. Much to my dismay, every kit had the same problem, the platform was horribly warped and not just in one plane, it was as if the thing had been pulled from the molds, tossed at the wall before falling to the floor in a rather crumpled heap of green styrene.
Adding to this problem is that each of the M274 platforms had a guard rail molded to the platform that was also subjected to the deformities of the platform. I gave up on the whole thing for a time and put the parts away in a time-out as I focused on other more easily to keep my interest things to do.
This week I decided to revisit the project/problem. I decided to just cut away the guard railings on the M274 platform and be rid of it. It could easily be replaced with something else later if I were to have any success in fixing the multi-dimensional warping of the part.
My last foray into using thermal therapy to unwarp a part was an internal frame from a 1:48th scale C-130 Hercules. I had the good fortune of having a chunk of flat steel that was about 6.0" X 6.0" square that I heated up on a stove burner and then placed that warped C-130 part on top of it with a weight on top of that to hold it down. While that effort resulted in a part that was no longer warped the Glenco M274 Mule platform was a lot larger and solid unlike the Italeri C-130 part that had a framework to allow the heat to dissipate more thoroughly. Also the steel was not available this time so I opted to use a large Corning Ware pie/torte plate as the working surface with a bit of boiling water inside and the part placed under the plate on a glass cutting board. The effort was further enhanced with a pot of boiling water placed inside of the pie/torte plate to concentrate the heat directly over the M274 Mule platform to keep it warmer for a longer period of time before it cooled down to room temperature. I heat-treated two of the M274 platforms under the Corning Ware plate and had some success but it took three evolution's of boiling water to finally see a visible success to the point that the warpage is now minimized.
What little warpage that is left in the parts can hopefully be further minimized during assembly, otherwise it will mean more heat treatment until morale improves...
***Edit to change topic title to "Mega Mule (Glencoe 1/15th scale M274) Scale-O-Rama to 1/35th scale"--jjf
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Yikes! :o
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Have same kit somewhere in depths of armor stash. When found, must check for that "feature"
Did find Glencoe Jupiter C to be warped beyond trying to deal with it.
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Not sure if the warping problem is due to the age of the molds or just shoddy production technique. The original plan was to scale-o-rama the 1:15th scale Mule into a 1:35th scale cargo truck with all of the features of the M274 Mule for the driver in 1:35th scale.
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After a long break from this project I picked up where I had left off on the ancient Glencoe 1/15th scale M274 Mule and decided it was time to start over on the build. I destroyed the work I had done previously since the chassis frame was warped beyond repair. This set of frames was also repaired previously when one of the frames broke. During repairs the parts may have been reattached at an odd angle which contributed to the whole warping problem later encountered. I removed the cross members and frame from the cargo platform then started removing all of the obstructions from the bottom of the cargo platform to get a flat scrap of plastic. No idea what to do with it but it was something to take my mind off of the failure to get any further with the construction of the Mule.
My next attempt has been a little smoother since the frame is now attached to the cargo platform and it is still warped (new parts by the way, I have about six of these damned things) but the warping is not as severe now that the frame/chassis is holding the cargo platform to a better shape. With that done I let the whole thing dry under some weight overnight and took a look at it last night and it was worth the wait as it appears to be a strong assembly now that all points are attached to the underside of the cargo platform. I was not aware of the very "Toy-Like" steering features on this kit until now. The All-Wheel" steering feature requires a linkage between the front and rear axles that includes an extended portion that juts out the front of the Mule so you can turn all wheels at the same time. A straight pull forward and back feature that is very clunky and primitive and resembles nothing like the actual features on the real M274 Mule. I assembled the steering linkage to get an idea of what it does without having to glue it all in place. Thankfully the axles attach to the frame tight enough to allow you to set the Mule right side up or upside down without much issue. Now that I know what I am dealing with I will remove the portion of the one link so that it is not sticking out the front of the vehicle and glue all of the axles in place.
Some of the other improvements I have been trying to apply to the Glencoe Mule include fitting a battery box to the underside of the cargo platform to imply that the vehicle has an actual electrical system to allow the engine to be started with something other than a rope. Not needing an actual starter motor helps but space between the tires is critical since the fuel tank occupies the one side this leaves the opposite side as the only space or spot available on the underside of the cargo platform. The other realization that came up while fiddling with this is that the what-if vehicle needs some kind of steering control that is not mechanically linked since this is a what-if I am leaning towards some kind of electro-hydraulic-mechanical feature that relies on some control boxes at the front and rear axles with some hoses and wires to reflect this feature. Trying to create an actual linkage for a mechanical connection is beyond my abilities and imagination at this point not to mention my patience.
Images to be added at a later date.
***Edit to change subject title--jjf
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It will still probably build as well as an ICM truck that has the chassis down to components that require the builder to get it straight and square.
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It will still probably build as well as an ICM truck that has the chassis down to components that require the builder to get it straight and square.
My enthusiasm for this project has pretty much disappeared. While I am still keen to try and build some kind of vehicle, at this point I am of the opinion that any further efforts involving this Glencoe Mule are just a waste of time.
That being said, I pulled out my HobbyBoss AFT-9 4X4 ATGM vehicle that I had acquired a couple of months ago when it was on sale at HobbyTown (my LHS). I have started preliminary work on converting the lower hull of the AFT-9 into a cargo platform which looks like a better choice now that I have attached the rear hull bulkhead to the rest of the lower hull and cut it down to the same height. The entire lower hull of the HobbyBoss AFT-9 provides a larger area to use as a cargo platform plus it covers up all of the internal features that were exposed on the Glencoe Mule which means less to be seen which I think is a great solution to part of this problem I got myself into with the whole scale-o-rama idea. Some parts of the Glencoe Mule can still be put to use such as the cargo platform which is large enough to park a 1/35th scale HMMWV on top of so I can use that part with my twinned AirGeep flying cargo platform.
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Not wanting to waste good parts from the Glencoe Models 1/15th scale M274 Mechanical Mule kit, I decided to convert one of the wheels from the kit into a 1/35th scale by removing the five-lug nut rim that was molded into the tire and replace it with a rim from an AFV Club Stryker IFV kit. The replacement rim is included in one of the Stryker IFV accessory kits so I had a few spare that needed tires. The 1/15th scale tires appear to be almost perfect in size to the tires used on most 2.5-ton and 5-ton trucks (M35 and M54 series vehicles). This was my second attempt at this as my first attempt resulted in too much material being removed the first time. While it was a minor success the Stryker rim did not have a snug fit. I set this project aside for several months to focus on other things and decided to try again last night. This time I was successful and the Stryker rim has a snug fit in the tire.
Four images attached showing the the original wheel/tire, Stryker rim, the converted tire, and the converted tire with the new Stryker rim inserted.
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Looking good there Jeff !
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Looking good there Jeff !
What Bill said! :smiley:
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That looks good, Jeff!
Those AFV Stryker add-on and M151 RWS kits are awesome, well worth the price just for the extra bits on the sprues.
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That looks good, Jeff!
Those AFV Stryker add-on and M151 RWS kits are awesome, well worth the price just for the extra bits on the sprues.
Yes they are an excellent source for some rather specific and peculiar bits and pieces. The most satisfying sound that I have heard in years was the sound of the Stryker rim snapping into the center of the Mechanical Mule tire. It was such a snug fit that I had to really push on it to get it free. Now I have to craft more of the same to these very same tolerances that were achieved with "by guess and by gosh" and this will be another small win for me.
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Now the question is, what are you going to build with these new wheel combos?
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Now the question is, what are you going to build with these new wheel combos?
I am so glad you asked. Not that I was looking forward to providing an explanation but I suppose it is for the better that I reveal some of the things I have in mind for these modified wheels and tires. :smiley:
I realized there was a need for some decent looking wheels/tires for the Scale-O-Rama Glencoe Models M274 Mechanical Mule. I wanted to make the Glencoe Mule 1/35th scale and in doing so it needs a better set of tires and rims. Sizing the M274 down or is that up to 1/35th scale means you have a larger cargo platform with a much greater payload. The actual M274 could carry a 1-ton load on hard surfaces and about half that when traveling overland. So a 1/15th scale M274 scaled to 1/35th scale all of a sudden becomes a 2.5-ton cargo platform. While the tires in the Glencoe Mule kit look to be appropriate in size for a 2.5-ton truck the rims are rather out of place with only five lug nuts per wheel, something more appropriate for a regular size automobile or light truck, definitely not for a 2.5-ton truck. So a casual search through the spare parts bins and discovering that I was a bit skint on decent size truck tires and wheels left me with two options; make my own or outsource from one of the on-line stores that offer resin replacements which are getting to be stupid expensive. Since I am not going for exact details, I felt no pressing need to spend more money when I had the resources at home. Thus began the first attempt as mentioned above where I bored out the centers of the Glencoe Mule wheels a bit too much and had to set it all aside to give me time to get my head back in the game. Measure twice, cut once instead of charging through and failing again. While this Scale-O-Rama M274 Mechanical Mule is only in the initial stages of construction it was really bothering me with the wheel issue so I see this as a step forward with that project.
Another project that is in need of some better wheels is a the Great Wall Hobby K44 12.8cm Towed AT Gun (https://www.scalemates.com/kits/great-wall-hobby-l3523-128cm-k44-l-55--107081). I recall seeing something very similar to the K44 at a Russian artillery test center many years ago on imagery that was called the "Perm Gun" (temporary name given for reporting purposes before formal designation was assigned). While not quite an exact match it was close enough to the 12.8cm K44 to get the imagineering juices flowing. The Great Wall Hobby K44 kit comes with the usual and very ugly wagon wheels that many of the WW2 German artillery pieces were fitted with. I had to get rid of those wheels and felt no remorse in doing so. This however, left me with a pressing need for replacement wheels. So if luck is on my side, I may find a way to get some new shoes for the K44 that do not require purchasing some resin replacement wheels from some on-line store. Fingers crossed that it works out.
I have some other injected plastic wheels from an ancient Trumpeter VAB 6X6 clone that are absolutely horrible looking but they have that clunky/thick appearance that I am hoping will work out for the K44 project to turn it into a "Perm Gun" wannabee.
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Round Two with wheels and tires.
This evening I worked on the wheels from the Trumpeter Chinese PLA clone of the French VAB 6X6 wheel AFV. The wheels is slightly wider than the Glencoe Models M274 Mechanical Mule wheels which made it easier to work on. I bored out the wheel/rim portion in the center of the tire to a diameter that provides a snug fit. I have seven more of these to deal with and I am not sure if all the efforts are really going to be worth it. I suppose by the time I have finished all eight I will have determined a use for the things. I will say that I am happy with not having destroyed this first wheel from this batch.
First image showing the original and modified parts with the AFV Club Stryker IFV rim.
Second image shows the original and modified parts together.
Third image shows the modified wheel again.
Fourth image is a closer look at the modified wheel.
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That’s a nice combo of wheel and rim. Not sure about the tread pattern but I suppose it depends on what you are building. A little file or razor saw action would help get rid of the glue joint and give a continuous groove across the tire. Just thinking out loud, I’m sure you thought of that. How many of these Stryker rims do you have? I wonder if they would fit on some wheels I stole from some toy monster trucks? I might have some of these rims at home, I need to check when I get home. It could lead to a Mad Max survival vehicle!
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Ambitious job Jeff. Is rugged looking tire/wheel combo :smiley:
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Not much ambition, more like procrastination on my part for taking so long to getting around to doing it. Something that has been on the to-do list for ages but always hesitant to take it on for fear of ruining it. So far I am two for two on success, I hope to not cock this up so will be taking it slowly on all of these wheel/tire conversions.
@Kerick: Ken, good luck with your own pursuits on this. Not having a workshop and a drill press kind of sucks so all of my efforts have been with hand tools and a hole-making device/tool that was intended for R/C car enthusiasts to cut holes in their car bodies. It is handy but also quite dangerous if not held properly. It can make the work easier but it can also ruin your efforts if too much rotation is used while working on the piece in your hand. It also cuts fingers easily!
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How about some images to support my description and rants in my original posts?
Two images to show the platform with all of the associated issues. As described in my previous posts above. The warp issues were nearly impossible to ignore. Some of the warping was addressed when the tubular frame was attached but on closer inspection it is still warped. Some of the warpage was addressed by a very hot water soaking followed up with a very heavy steel weight applied for a couple of days. This brute force application did a lot to improve the situation but it was not a complete fix.
I sanded one platform top to remove all features and the second platform had all of the bottom features removed. I considered gluug the two platforms together to double up the thickness but the warping issues remained on the platform that retains the top surface features and other imperfections on the bottom surfaces.
***Edit to correct spelling errors from wayward fingers on my mobile phone --jjf
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Do you have medium or fine round file that’s just smaller than the hole in the tire needs to be? Might be worth the cost if it prevents cut fingers. I know I don’t mind using hand tools for 98% of my model work.
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Do you have medium or fine round file that’s just smaller than the hole in the tire needs to be? Might be worth the cost if it prevents cut fingers. I know I don’t mind using hand tools for 98% of my model work.
That file would need to be around 1/2-inch in diameter so, no I do not have a file of that size available. I have been using sandpaper and alternating between my index finger and the conical aluminum protective cover from that hole boring hand tool.
Attached images showing front and back of two more modified wheels with the spare wheel rims so you know that I have not "cheated" on my efforts. :smiley:
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Gee Jeff,,, you be the official wheel & tire guy for BTS :smiley:
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Additional progress this evening since I had the project out I decided to work on it. I mated up the platform without the top surface features with the platform that has no features on the bottom. This did not go as well as I had planned due to the warped parts and my use of CA glue that did not allow me to align the parts as well as I would have liked. The edges did not match up at the front and back ends and the warped edges created some ugly gaps.
After sanding the problem area smooth I added some Evergreen plastic strips along the edges with the exception of the curved corner edges since the plastic strips were not that flexible. Once this has cured/dried l will do some sanding and try to blend the strips with the edges at the corners.
I also added a Trumpeter pre-cut plastic circle over the hole in the platform.
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The angled shots, in the previous post from you, Jeff, really shows how good those tyres look. :smiley:
Just wondering;
Would it not have been better to maintain the Glencoe attachment method, or are you intending to upgrade the drive-train to match the Stryker attachment method? ???
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:smiley:
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The angled shots, in the previous post from you, Jeff, really shows how good those tyres look. :smiley:
Just wondering;
Would it not have been better to maintain the Glencoe attachment method, or are you intending to upgrade the drive-train to match the Stryker attachment method? ???
That is an excellent observation and question. I am not sure at this point how I will address the wheel/tire issues on the Glencoe Mechanical Mule since it is now a "scale-0-rama their is an opening here to perhaps beef up the drive train on the Mule with parts from a 1/35th scale military truck. The Glencoe Mule has a very toy-like steering mechanism that was to be operated by an extended tab at the front of the Mule which was connected to the steering arms. A very crude set up that I am not all that impressed with. I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to that point on the Mule project. As for these particular wheels/tires, I wanted to build the things so that I had "options" and would not be forced to spend more money on aftermarket bits and pieces. Lord knows, I have enough of that stuff already for many other projects and I thought it would be nice to save a bit of money while enjoying the mundane moments of the hobby.
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Well, I'll be watching the build thread with interest to see where you take it! :smiley:
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Great job on those tires. They look like they would be good for a sci fi moon rover vehicle or a 4x4 with a lift kit.
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The Trumpeter tires certainly do look like candidates for some science-fiction subject. Not really a lot to like about the things but they will serve as excellent "place holders" for establishing an idea of wheel placement on my Great Wall Hobby 12.8cm K44 Anti-Tank Gun that has a requirement for replacement wheels and tires to replace the wagon wheels that were in the kit.
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Two more of the Trumpeter wheels converted this evening. All of this hand work is starting to make my hands a bit sore.
Attached images showing the two modified Trumpeter tires still wet from the final wash and the second image showing the hand tool that I have been using to modify the wheels.
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my dad bought the glenco model a few years before he passed. it was missing a whole sprue so he could not complete it. he WROTE A LETTER explaining what he was missing and they sent him a damn near complete whole kit to fix it.
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my dad bought the glenco model a few years before he passed. it was missing a whole sprue so he could not complete it. he WROTE A LETTER explaining what he was missing and they sent him a damn near complete whole kit to fix it.
Old fashioned customer service! :smiley:
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my dad bought the glenco model a few years before he passed. it was missing a whole sprue so he could not complete it. he WROTE A LETTER explaining what he was missing and they sent him a damn near complete whole kit to fix it.
The current owner of Glencoe Models is really good about helping out customers. In my case, I contacted him about obtaining some of the AirGeep kits without the boxes, instructions, clear parts, and decals. He obliged my request and sent me seven AirGeep kits for a very good price. Having these additional AirGeep kits for a basement bargain price meant that I could experiment with several different ideas using the AirGeep as a what-if.
I am tempted to contact him again to see what can be done about obtaining some more of the M274 Mechanical Mule kits for the same purpose and to increase my chances of getting a cargo platform without the severe warping issues that most of my current Mechanical Mules appear to have.
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the severe warping issues that most of my current Mechanical Mules appear to have.
Here's something to try if you have a spare available. I had a Glencoe Curtiss Condor with a warped wing panel. I placed the part in a lrge roasting pan, then poured boiling water over it. At first, the part curled up alarmingly (it literally formed a horseshoe shape) but then relaxed and went flat. Once things had cooled down, I had a usable part . . .
cheers,
Robin.
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After a couple of days away to give my hands/fingers a much needed break I managed to get another pair of the Glencoe Mule wheels converted to take the AFV Club rims. I believe that this will be enough for now.
Attached image shows the two modified Glencoe wheels with the Stryker rims.
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Progress! :smiley:
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Another six of the Trumpeter wheels modified this evening. Rather quick and easy this time, only the back half of the wheel required modifications to allow the brake drum from the GWH Rheinmetall 12.8cm AT Gun to be fitted to the Trumpeter wheels.
Image shows the six wheels plus one of the brake drum pieces.
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Just wondering;
Would it not have been better to maintain the Glencoe attachment method, or are you intending to upgrade the drive-train to match the Stryker attachment method? ???
Back to your question with an answer.
The Glencoe Mule wheel hub has a spindle that is supposed to attach to a small disk that is placed inside the wheel. The wheel is then attached to the spindle so that it is free to rotate if attached and glued properly. It all looks easy on the instructions but it is a bit janky when you have to find a way to glue the wheel to the spindle without gluing it all together and losing the wheel rotation. Not that I intend to roll the damned thing around on the floor but it does create some fit issues.
The replacement Stryker wheels have a spindle moulded on to the back and this feature is mated to the brake drum and the suspension arms via another circular part.
Dry fitting these parts to check how this can be modified suggests to me that the best approach to making this work will be to remove the spindle from the original Glencoe part so it becomes a flat surface and then attach the Stryker parts to it. An easy modification to allow the Stryker part to be secured to the Glencoe part.
Attached images showing the Glencoe spindle (unmodified) and the Stryker parts in and out of the modified Glencoe Mule wheel.
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8) :smiley:
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Four additional images of the Glencoe Mule spindle and the Stryker parts which are now modified with a larger hole to fit the Glencoe Mule spindle.
I believe that the best option now is to cut the Glencoe spindle down to a short nub to allow the Stryker rim to fit and avoid removing the stem from the Stryker rim. Dry-fit so far shows no issues that a good dose of cement will secure it all together.
***Edit to attach additional image showing all parts together. --jjf
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A couple of WIP images showing some additional progress on the Glencoe M274 Mechanical Mule what-if.
I used CA glue to attach the modified brake drum/spindles and realized too late that the damned things were upside down in relation to the steering arm connection. Disappointed in realizing too late to make the corrections it is what it is. I suppose it is a small blessing in that I will not have to dwell on trying to make the steering gear functional. An additional and annoying discovery was the clearance between the tires and the underside of the platform is a bit botched at the front. All in all a very janky arrangement with the very toy-like features on this model.
I consider this project to be successful even with the setbacks as I was able to modify the wheels and achieve the intended goal of Scale-O-Rama in making this 1/15th scale model into a 1/35th scale what-if.
***Edit to fix image uploads--jjf
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Two additional images from my front porch in overcast with wheels in place but not glued on. Right side and left side.
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Those wheels turned out quite nice. This is an excellent scale-o-rama project, keep it going!
What's the cargo going to be?
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That looks great, Jeff. Are you going to build a cabin (or seat/driving equipment)?
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I opted to spray the underside yesterday afternoon right after I took the last two images (right and left side with the wheels on). While not the optimum temperature for spray painting I decided it was time to do something about obscuring all of the toy-like details on the underside of the mule. Also it forces me to take a step out of my comfort zone and be adventurous. Of course the rattle can was not that cooperative and I think the paint went on way too thick but what the hell, it is done and now there is no turning back. Too be honest, the Glencoe Mule kit was horribly warped from the start and my original attempts to sort out the cargo platform were only slightly successful as evidenced with the warping that is still inherent in the cargo platform even after doubling up the damned things. There is no escaping the problem. A quick inspection of the next pair of Glencoe Mules (double-boxed to save space) reminded me that this warping problem is just as bad in every example of the Glencoe M274 kit that I have in the stash. Why do I always fall for these horrible kits? Is this some kind of psychological fault on my part to always be attracted to the shoddy things? Philosophy observations aside, it really sucks some days to open a kit and find yourself in possession of a turd no matter how much you try and dress it up.
Attached images showing the turd with a coat of black paint on the underside.
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In the interest of continuity, I merged the wheel topic with the Glencoe Mule topic for anyone that noticed the increase number of pages for this project.
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More WIP on the wheels with a bit of sanding to get rid of the seams between the tire halves. Hoping that also addresses the interference issues with the two front wheels and the cargo platform.
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On a roll this evening with some more WIP on wheels for this project. Three images to show thee different tire/wheel options.
First image with the Glencoe Mule tires and AFV Club Stryker rims.
Second image with the Trumpeter tires and AFV Club Stryker rims.
Third image with ESCI LAV-25 wheels.
Fourth image shows the stock ESCI LAV-25 wheel halves and the plug for the wheel hub. Modifications were only necessary for the rear half of the wheel which required removal of some material of the rim so the brake drum for the AFV Club Stryker would fit inside the wheel. It was an easy task to accomplish and get four wheels ready to mount on the Mule.
Of these three, I am finding the ESCI LAV-25 wheels to be the best option of these three. My reasoning for this is because of the slightly smaller tire diameter which does not conflict with the underside of the cargo platform.
Both the Glencoe wheels and the Trumpeter wheels are too large for the limited amount of space available. I believe that some of these fit issues are from the warped cargo platform which at this point are pretty much irreparable without destroying the model.
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On a roll tonight while I bask in this minor victory with this project.
Three more images with all four of the ESCI LAV-25 wheels dry-fitted to the Glencoe Mule.
in order to make the wheels fit, I had to remove the top half of the AFV Club Stryker brake drums. All separated with minimal fuss but one of the remaining bits opted to stick to the ESCI wheel when I removed it from the Mule. Fortunately an easy fix and the wayward part was reattached with a liberal amount of the "home-brew" Tamiya thinner/cleaner mix I have now come to rely on.
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Lookin’ good :smiley:
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My prototype scaled up Mule has been destroyed in the process of prototyping. It had lasted as long as possible before realization finally checked in to make me finally admit that this horse was indeed dead.
Not a complete loss though as I learned what not to do on the next iteration of this idea. This after all was a learning experience and that means mistakes will be made in pursuit of the idea. Sharing the WIP will continue as I began again on Mega-Mule Mk.2.
Some work was done on the new cargo platforms last night/early this morning to assess how badly warped they are. Also some minor cleanup of surface features that are out of scale.
Thank you all for the support given and suggestions on the Mk.1 Mule. I hope to get further with this second attempt.
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You have my sympathy and heart-felt respect - sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t. For what it’s worth, I am hugely impressed that you are moving on to the Mk 2 - remember, that which does not kill us makes us stronger! :icon_alabanza: :smiley:
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Hi Claymore. No need for the sympathy. The prototype Mega Mule Mk.1 was just that, an experiment to see what could be done. While along the way there was some "permanence" to the modifications so disassembly to continue the process was a dead end on progress going forward with the existing Mega Mule Mk.1.
The next iteration of Mule will continue with the modifications once I can get the cargo platform a bit less warped. Out of the box, the Glencoe Mule suffers from major warping issues with the cargo platform. So much so that I have had to remove the side railings on the cargo platform in order to even try and make the thing flat. A minor win on that effort is to take two of the cargo platforms and glue the things together to give it more strength but one platform looks like a a "C" in appearance from the end on view. The second platform has a bowl shape to it so combining the two is probably the best solution to the problem. Getting the damned things flat enough to do so is the challenge.
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Mega-Mule 2.0 WIP image teaser.
Thanks to Bill/FinsRin I now have two Glencoe M274 kits that are in good shape with almost perfectly flat cargo platforms to work with. I had given up on the first Mega-Mule after a losing battle with the warped cargo platform and details that failed after trying to add them on. It was after all a learning experience so lesson learned and keep it simple.
Attached images of the two Mega-Mules showing the two top surfaces of the cargo platform and one underside and topside to prove there are two under construction.
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That looks good, Jeff. The Mega Mule is about the size of a HMMWV or slightly smaller now?
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Hi Frank.
You are correct on the size comparison with the HMMWV.
Attached image confirms size relative to an Italer 1/35th scale HMMWV.
***Edit to correct sentence structure/grammar.--jjf
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I was going from memory, quadrupling the size of the DML Mule in my head. Looks like it'll be a great cargo hauler. You'll need a hefty engine under there, too, depending on the cargo.
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I was going from memory, quadrupling the size of the DML Mule in my head. Looks like it'll be a great cargo hauler. You'll need a hefty engine under there, too, depending on the cargo.
Current plans are to use the engine bits that came with the kit. Possibly add some bits and details to make it look more "engine-like" since the original M274 Mules were powered by a four cylinder, four-stroke air-cooled opposed piston engine that produced a measly sixteen-horsepower. Also no electric starter, hand pulled starter cord like a big lawnmower engine. Some of the versions were also powered by a two-cylinder, four-stroke air-cooled opposed piston engine so I guess I am lucky that Glencoe chose to model the four-cylinder engine.
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Dry fit of engine, connecting drive shaft, and axles to get things aligned. Used the driver's platform as the engine mount and it appears to be the ideal height for lining it all up.
***Edit to add additional image.
Second image showing the second Mega Mule with the original engine and the modified engine to show the difference between these two. All dry-fit at the moment. Still cleaning up the wheel spindles and turning arms.
The real M274 originally featured four wheel steering while later production models featured two wheel steering of the front wheels only.
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Additional images of the engine, modified driver's platform, and drive shaft.
Drive shaft in the kit has just a half section (big end). I cut that same piece from another spare drive shaft to give it a more complete appearance.
Clipp8the foot rest from the driver's platform to get the clearance needed to fit between the tubular frame and rear underside of the cargo platform.
Modified the engine by mating two upper half pieces together. Removed the air cleaner component from each half. The trans-axle is a bit larger so the differential fits easily within. The nub on the end of the trans-axle that connects to the drive shaft was attached after adding some plastic card to square it all up
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Great to see you back at the bench. Looking forward to seeing the end result.
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The engine looks good. Are those the cylinder heads at the sides of the big piece?
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And, were back !
Great to see this moving again
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The engine looks good. Are those the cylinder heads at the sides of the big piece?
Yes, on that. Very crude looking cylinder heads. The bottom of the engine depicts cooling fins and the exhaust port which is supposed to be covered by a length of exhaust pipe that connects to a muffler with a matching muffler and exhaust pipe on the opposite side. I am removing this feature in an attempt to simplify and unclutter the rear portion surrounding the engine so that a batter box and electronics boxes can be put in these same spaces or close to it.
And, were back !
Great to see this moving again
I feel like I am the living embodiment of the definition for insanity. Keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome :smiley:
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Back at it with some small detail work added to the underside of the Mega Mules.
Plastic straps to bulk up the bottom of the cargo bed since the payload weight has increased.
Added small extension to the ends of the frame for a bumper or stop lights/turn signals. Extension was an end section of the tube chassis that are now spare parts.
Damage to side rail near fuel tank was repaired for a second time using CA glue instead the fast-dry Tamiya liquid cement. Hope it does not break again
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Some additional work on the Mega Mule undercarriage to attach the front wheel spindles and the engine/trans-axle mount. The mount was originally the extended driver's foot rest at the front of the vehicle
I added some plastic straps for strength and attached it using eyesight to center it between the chassis.
I decide to stay with the kit engine with minimal modifications to avoid the pitfall of the need for details best left to the imagination.
Attached images to show engine mount with and without engine. Engine and drive shaft are still dry-fit at this time.
The all-wheel steering features of this model are being avoided/ignored due to the toy-like qualities of these features.
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:smiley:
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More bits. Great to see :smiley:
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Work accomplished last night on the Mega Mule power packs (engine and trans-axles).
Not much to see when installed. So details are sparse.
Added exhaust pipes from curved parts runners. This was done to suggest some small improvements over the original muffler parts that are now featured as part of the engine.
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Cool! 8)
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The exhausts look good!
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Thanks Frank!
I was going for an air-cooled, turbo-charged, fuel-injected four-cylinder opposed diesel engine without putting too much effort towards the details becoming overwhelming for the available space. I still need to figure out what the engine displacement is for this 1:15th scale engine that is now 1:35th scale.
According to Wikipedia, the engine is described as an AO4-4-53 16 hp (12 kW). Not sure if that is 53cu.in. total dispacement or 53cc total displacement of each cylinder.
A total displacement of 53 cubic inches (868.52cc) would make more sense. In which case each cylinder would displace 13.25 cubic inches (~217.13cc). Any suggestions on what this would be in 1:35th scale? My guess is somewhere in the range of 350cu.in/5.7Litre for displacement. Engine designation would be something like AOIDS-4-350 to describe the engine.
A - for Air-Cooled
O - for cylinder placement
I - for fuel injection
D - for Diesel
S - for Super charging/Turbo-Charging
4 - for number of cylinders
350 - for engine -displacement
Considering all of the short cuts taken in making this model to allow for the all-wheel steering features I am glad that this can be ignored otherwise this project would have been enroute to a landfill by now.
Attached image to show final details added to both power packs and the modifications made.
Added part from Heller AMX-13 to the bottom of the air cleaner.
Added part from F-35 weapons bay to serve as the starter motor.
Added half of a kit muffler to serve as an oil filter.
Added two pieces of curved parts runner to serve as exhaust pipes/waste dumps for the turbo-charger.
Added small gray rod to serve as the dip stick to check the crank case oil level.
Added part of the engine brush cover to hide the hole at the front of the engine.
Added end section from on of the tubular chassis sections to serve as a secondary intake for the turbo-charger. It gives it a bit more clutter.
Next step is to add the rear wheel spindles and some boxes for the vehicle electric systems plus the fuel tank.
***Edit to add image. --jjf
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Just finished attaching the spindles to the rear axle. Reinforced the parts with CA glue which also fills in the empty space between the two parts.
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So you're not going to be able to turn the wheels? That greatly reduces the
playtime technical evaluation potential, but removes the issue of it falling apart.
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So you're not going to be able to turn the wheels? That greatly reduces the playtime technical evaluation potential, but removes the issue of it falling apart.
I wonder how long this kit was supposed to stay intact in the hand of the kid that built it. Say it took a couple of hours to build, did the rolling wheels with steering last more than an hour on the sand pile in the back yard?
My first attempt with this had the steering ability and it did not steer very well.
Yeah, the steering feature and rolling wheels is overrated as far as I am concerned. :smiley:
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IIRC, the axle pins were just begging to wear or break off after a few tries.
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IIRC, the axle pins were just begging to wear or break off after a few tries.
A politicians promise has more going for it than the axles and joints on the Glencoe Mule. The things are held in place with a lot of hopium.
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Assembled the kit wheels and sanded down seams after assembly. I did consider using the kit wheels modified with the AFV Club Stryker IFV rims but I only had four modified and was not in the mood to carve out the rims on four more wheels. So stock kit wheels win this time around.
I did do a fit check using the Trumpeter LAV-25 wheels but the things looked to small on the Mega Mule so I went with the kit parts.
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Mega Mule!
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;D
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I did do a fit check using the Trumpeter LAV-25 wheels but the things looked to small on the Mega Mule so I went with the kit parts.
Did you try the chunky HEMMTT tires I sent you?
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I did do a fit check using the Trumpeter LAV-25 wheels but the things looked to small on the Mega Mule so I went with the kit parts.
Did you try the chunky HEMMTT tires I sent you?
Hi Frank. Yes, I did do a fit check of those tires and the things were too large to fit on the axles and under the cargo platform. I had hoped that maybe they would fit so I could use the things but alas, not to be.
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More WIP on the Mega Mule suspension. Applying more CA glue to all four axles to bulk up appearance and provide a strengthed component connection. It looks a bit janky at the moment and hopefully when paint is eventually applied the sins will be concealed.
As far as the CA glue goes, with paint it will represent a fabric dust/debris cover over the drive axle joint connection to the wheels. Not watertight but a preventative maintenance accessory to minimize FOD issues to the mechanical components. So in the spirit of Brian da Basher I suppose it would be correct to call these things Spats.
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Had to take another image and reduce the size so it would upload.
Both models positioned to show front and rear features. The light tan/beige parts are from a Tamiya Sdkfz 4X4 armored reconnaissance vehicle that had been in the spare parts stash, never had the complete kit. The small blue plastic rectangle just below the Sdkfz 222 part is a landing gear door from an ancient Monogram Avenger, Hellcat, or Corsair kit that was scrapped mant years ago.
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Forgot to include a b4 and after images of the work done on the kit fuel tanks. Original parts were quite simple looking with an open area on the top that would not be seen when attached to the underside of the cargo platform. Attachment was via two plug/pins on the fuel tank to the located holes on the platform. I removed these features from the platform and fuel tank so that I could add the two straps of plastic as reinforcement features.
Attached images showing the unmodified and modified fuel tanks.
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Yep, bits coming together :smiley:
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Looking good! What are you going to do about a radiator for that now massive engine? I don't think you can air cool an engine that big.
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Coming along nicely. Looking good!
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Looking good! What are you going to do about a radiator for that now massive engine? I don't think you can air cool an engine that big.
Going to stay with the whole air-cooled engine theme so no radiator required. As far as engine displacement goes, this engine would be in the same category as many other general aviation power plants so not that unusual.
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I'm not sure how big this is going to be (nothing to scale it against, yet) but aircraft radials are big air-cooled engines & the US used them quite effectively to power tanks during WW2.
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I'm not sure how big this is going to be (nothing to scale it against, yet) but aircraft radials are big air-cooled engines & the US used them quite effectively to power tanks during WW2.
I posted an image that is now on page three showing the Mega Mules with a 1/35th scale Italeri HMMWV sandwiched in between the two platforms for a size reference. The platforms are just a little bit larger in width than the Italeri HMMWV and about equal in overall length. Attached is the same image again for you to see.
***Edit to upload image from mobile phone where it resides at the moment. -- jjf
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OK, missed that, somehow. :-\
Engines are definitely small enough to be air-cooled, then! :smiley:
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This looks better all the time! If I see one of these kits around I might just have to try this.
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OK, missed that, somehow. :-\
Engines are definitely small enough to be air-cooled, then! :smiley:
The size is about right for most 1/35th scale vehicles for use as a power plant. While working on my M5 Stuart I inserted just the engine portion minus the transaxle into the engine compartment of the Stuart and it fit easily within the space provided. That gave me some additional ideas for other projects if you don't mind the crude details of the engine and transaxle being ignored.
This looks better all the time! If I see one of these kits around I might just have to try this.
As long as you are not looking at it up close it seems to fall into that category. Once you get nose-length though it takes on a whole new image that defies logic and common sense.
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Some more WIP images from this evening. Struggling with how to make the driver's station fit to the front of the platform. Of course the plans changed while in progress as it became obvious that the original plan was flawed. It appears to have sorted itself out and the end results are much better than anticipated.
I added some small boxes at front and rear to provide more distractions and clutter. The small tan colored boxes are from the AFV Club SiG.33 ammunition set and were one of the cartridge boxes provided in the set.
The driver's position was built up using part of a pontoon deck from one of those DML/Dragon German WasserSchlepper kits that includes a pontoon. One of my pontoon sections was damaged so Spruebrothers replaced it and that left me with some spare bits of deck material that finally found a purpose as a new floor for the driver's position.
You may notice a fine patina of CA glue residue on the models that was the result of my applying CA glue to the wheel/axle connections to bulk them up and create a stronger connection and also make that connection look like it has some kind of weather cover over the mechanical connection now covered in CA glue. The CA glue fumes are quite noticeable when holding the work in your hand and I think with a bit of paint it will also give the vehicle a more weathered appearance when finished.
Still working out the driver's position and how best to add in the control features such as a steering wheel or perhaps two tillers, the brake and accelerator pedals, and the gear shift, parking brake, and transfer case controls. The concept is that the controls are all linked electrically and not by mechanical linkage so the driver's position can be removed if required and stowed on the right side of the platform. Some kind of remote control device still needs to be perfected so that the vehicle can be controlled from off the vehicle and that is still a feature that has yet to be sorted out.
***Edit to include additional text for the WIP so far. -- jjf
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The driver will be the first at the scene of any accident! Looks good, though.
The weather boot/joint cover looks good. You can mix talcum powder with CA to make a nice putty. It's easy to mold and sand.
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The driver will be the first at the scene of any accident! Looks good, though.
The weather boot/joint cover looks good. You can mix talcum powder with CA to make a nice putty. It's easy to mold and sand.
Thanks Frank.
The axles were an afterthought after being attached to the chassis and before I decided to not go through with the whole all-wheel steering feature. I will keep that option in mind for the next iteration of Mega Mule: Son of Mega Mule, The Struggle Continues...
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Purchased some acrylic marker pens from the local craft and hobby stores. Decided to add some colour to the front and rear axles where I had applied the CA glue to build up the ill-fitting wheel hubs/spindles. Still looks lanky AF but now with color to make more visible.
Also had to remove small box that was located at the left forward cross frame due to it conflicting for the same space taken up by the left front wheel. Lesson learned and not going to bother with putting another box in that location.
I did try to get close up images of the axles but they were too blurry to share.
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You can mix talcum powder with CA to make a nice putty. It's easy to mold and sand.
Well, well - every day’s a school day! Will have to give that a go. :smiley:
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@Jeff - the CV boots - or whatever you want to call them - look good.
You can mix talcum powder with CA to make a nice putty. It's easy to mold and sand.
Well, well - every day’s a school day! Will have to give that a go. :smiley:
The common suggestion is to mix sodium bicarbonate baking soda with CA, but this is a chemical reaction and can generate heat and cure quickly. The talcum powder (gypsum based) doesn't produce a chemical reaction - it just adds bulk. You have to mix the CA in well, since the surface tension will keep it from mixing at first. The thickness of the putty can be adjusted by changing the amount of talc or CA. When it hardens, the putty has a similar hardness to styrene.
Tested has a great video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA2XJ7PTT3M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA2XJ7PTT3M)
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The common suggestion is to mix sodium bicarbonate baking soda with CA, but this is a chemical reaction and can generate heat and cure quickly. The talcum powder (gypsum based) doesn't produce a chemical reaction - it just adds bulk. You have to mix the CA in well, since the surface tension will keep it from mixing at first. The thickness of the putty can be adjusted by changing the amount of talc or CA. When it hardens, the putty has a similar hardness to styrene.
Tested has a great video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA2XJ7PTT3M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA2XJ7PTT3M)
Thanks Frank, much appreciated. :smiley: