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When Takom first released their twin pack of MAZ 537 tractors I had an idea for a dio. I've been mulling it over since and expanded the idea, and have finally made a start. Since it's my first dio blog it might be a bit all over the place, and I'm obviously taking a risk as it may not work out at all, but better to crash and burn publicly I guess 
The main stars of the show
Essentially our intrepid heroes decided to go out for a drive in their battered old MAZ-537 after imbibing a little too much vodka and consequently ended up in a bit of a pickle. A rescue attempt ensued but the Chief back at HQ took pity on them and dispatched a brand new replacement vehicle on the back of a trailer.
I've already finished building the tractor/trailer unit, with the build log being here, it just needs a bit more weathering to suit whatever scene it ends up in.
Main construction of the newer KZKT-537L is done, and it's now sat in primer. I won't go through the build as it's pretty much identical to the unit above. There will be some additions made to it like a winch cable, canvas tilt for the load bed, and maybe more, but they will come later.
So then I made a start on the well worn example. I wanted to have one of the large access panels open. I've seen it done on a 1/35 so figured I'd give it a go. Lots of careful scribing and cutting later saw it removed. I've thinned down the plastic as much as I dare for a more realistic thickness, and also tried to give and impression of the inside of the smaller access panel that sits within it. It's a bit rough and ready, especially when magnified, but at least I tried. A bit of thick primer and some more sanding should make it look a bit more acceptable.
The big problem of having the hatch open is that this kit comes with no engine, so after a miserable attempt at scratch building I caved and bought a resin one. It's clearly not the right engine for the job but it's the closest V12 I could find, and after a few ropey scratchbuilt additions like exhausts and the large boxy air intake, CA blobs for rocker cover detail etc. it'll pass.
Looks much better in matt black primer
I also scratched a radiator & shroud, and some masking tape fans. Here's what little you'll see of it though
I also wanted this vehicle to have a load bed, rather than the included 5th wheel towing assembly, so using the one from the KZKT as a guide I made one from styrene card and strip. Not brilliant, but with some damage, rust, and heavy weathering it should pass.
Also, as an additional detail for the trailer I bought some tiny brass chain. I made a copper wire loop for one end and some thin wire was sharpened and bent to form a hook for the other. Primed in black, dry brushed in silver, ends painted body colour.
That's it for now. This is likely to be a long drawn out build by my standards as I've loads to learn still and I've never done anything this size, so I hope you (and me!) can stay the course.
Thanks for looking,
Andy.
The main stars of the show
Essentially our intrepid heroes decided to go out for a drive in their battered old MAZ-537 after imbibing a little too much vodka and consequently ended up in a bit of a pickle. A rescue attempt ensued but the Chief back at HQ took pity on them and dispatched a brand new replacement vehicle on the back of a trailer.
I've already finished building the tractor/trailer unit, with the build log being here, it just needs a bit more weathering to suit whatever scene it ends up in.
Main construction of the newer KZKT-537L is done, and it's now sat in primer. I won't go through the build as it's pretty much identical to the unit above. There will be some additions made to it like a winch cable, canvas tilt for the load bed, and maybe more, but they will come later.
So then I made a start on the well worn example. I wanted to have one of the large access panels open. I've seen it done on a 1/35 so figured I'd give it a go. Lots of careful scribing and cutting later saw it removed. I've thinned down the plastic as much as I dare for a more realistic thickness, and also tried to give and impression of the inside of the smaller access panel that sits within it. It's a bit rough and ready, especially when magnified, but at least I tried. A bit of thick primer and some more sanding should make it look a bit more acceptable.
The big problem of having the hatch open is that this kit comes with no engine, so after a miserable attempt at scratch building I caved and bought a resin one. It's clearly not the right engine for the job but it's the closest V12 I could find, and after a few ropey scratchbuilt additions like exhausts and the large boxy air intake, CA blobs for rocker cover detail etc. it'll pass.
Looks much better in matt black primer
I also scratched a radiator & shroud, and some masking tape fans. Here's what little you'll see of it though
I also wanted this vehicle to have a load bed, rather than the included 5th wheel towing assembly, so using the one from the KZKT as a guide I made one from styrene card and strip. Not brilliant, but with some damage, rust, and heavy weathering it should pass.
Also, as an additional detail for the trailer I bought some tiny brass chain. I made a copper wire loop for one end and some thin wire was sharpened and bent to form a hook for the other. Primed in black, dry brushed in silver, ends painted body colour.
That's it for now. This is likely to be a long drawn out build by my standards as I've loads to learn still and I've never done anything this size, so I hope you (and me!) can stay the course.
Thanks for looking,
Andy.
