28mm Morris CDSW conversion

[Steve-the-Duck]

So, the next project, as already previewed, is a Morris CDSW artillery tractor, converted from a 3D printed CS8 15cwt truck. I can start it while practicing the Polish camouflage for the Protze

In other words:

One of these into one of these...

There are several different variants of the six-wheeler tractor, including two different artillery tows and a breakdown crane carrier. An earlier version of the chassis was a command / reconnaissance car, that was made as a tin-plate toy pre-war

The model I'm using is a 3D print, which is going to need some surface work, with extra wheels supplied by the nice lady Fiona at Highlands 3d printing. The finished version of the CS8

...is the Warlord resin and white metal casting, painted as a platoon transport of 1 KRRC at Calais in 1940

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

First step is major surgery to remove the wooden GS body. The print also has solid aeroscreens on the front which were the first to go

Fortunately, 3D prints are often 'layered' so they're relatively, easy to cut. Plus they don't produce the dust of most resin castings

I also cut off the steering wheel as it had a too chunky support

Here you can really see what 3D printing builds up as. I will be smoothing some of the upper surface, and adding a little to the underside, The second rear axle lines up pretty much with the tow-bar on the CS8
The old Airfix kit, which I'm using as a guide (and have never, actually, built!) has copious small detail on the underside, but most of the interior is hidden by the tilt. Think mine is going to be open

 

[JR]

Looks a great scratchery job, will be interesting to see this .Will follow Chris .

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Welcome aboard sir. Plenty of seats in the back
Well, about five in the middle crew compartment anyway!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

I managed to blow up the Airfix paint plan to, very roughly, 28mm-ish, just so I can get proportions about right. Of course, this is a slightly small ('standard') model, so it doesn't line up at all, but there you go

Looking at references, and an old review of the Lead Sled CDSW, I realised the back wall of the driver's compartment is further forward than the wooden body of the GS CS8 truck so...

Duly sliced, with the passenger seat attached

And moved
I've also gone over it with some filler and Mr Surfaced, just to tone down the print striations. Not that they'll show up too much

 

[Allen Dewire]

Good Lawdy Chris!!! How many builds do you have on the bench now Sir??? This looks like a really cool conversion and you're off to a great start. Hell, I'm still trying to ketchup with the other 10 builds you have on the go...Slow down, will ya.....Please......

Prost
Allen

 

[Waspie]

Ok, black magic in action!!
You guys are amazing. I wouldn’t have the bottle to do half what you do.
I’ll be popping in if I may to check on improper use of wands!!!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Good Lawdy Chris!!! How many builds do you have on the bench now Sir??? This looks like a really cool conversion and you're off to a great start. Hell, I'm still trying to ketchup with the other 10 builds you have on the go...Slow down, will ya.....Please......

Prost
Allen

Eight. Not including 28mm figures undercoated and waiting. Or a couple of other really OLD stalled builds
For a partial breakdown (not my nervous breakdown) checkout the 'how many builds on the go' thread

Ok, black magic in action!!
You guys are amazing. I wouldn’t have the bottle to do half what you do.
I’ll be popping in if I may to check on improper use of wands!!!

Ah, if I could do magic, I'd be getting my youthful apprentice to do all the hard work

Now, which grimoire had the spell for colour matching...

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

So, I've facsimiled the rear suspension, just because the Airfix kit has it complete, and it will be kind of visible behind the wheels

As you can just about see

This is what you can lash up with some sprue cut-offs, microstrip, a 1/35th German helmet cut down, plus a 1/32 German gas-mask case halved
Magic scratchery? Well, fudgework fill-ins more like
It does the job

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Well, looking at the chassis and underbody of the Airfix kit, there's quite a bit visible I need to add

First of all, cut back behind the wheel mounts. Those big semi-circles are not part of the actual vehicle, but they will be invisible when the wheels attach

Now, on to the chassis extension

The uprights support the main bodywork, and they're quite prominent as the rear wheel arches are really BIG Still managing not to attach the wheels just to show how much space is needed around them. The pen line shows the front end of the rear body, which is the back of the crew compartment

Looking at the photos of the difference between the A/A tractor, which I'm doing, and the artillery tractor, I may just have to do the latter some time
Or the earlier command / recce vehicle...

Maybe later

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Checking and checking again, I decided to move, very slightly, the bodywork supports, and then added the rest

I also filled out the rest of the chassis frame. NOT that it will be visible at all tho'


Next added the body floor and the side panels. I cut them short as I couldn't quite work out how the crew compartment seats were supposed to go

And then I realised, after looking carefully at the photos of the Lead Sled model, the floor of the crew compartment is higher than the driver's floor. So a new floor was added. I also removed the kit front mudguard pieces, to add some thinner plasticard sheet. At which point I found myself wondering how the rear seats weren't interfered with by those mudguards
And then I saw that the seats are actually mounted on quite a high base


The rear panel mounts all the way down to the chassis. the tow hook and bar mount at the bottom. Hatch detail will be added later

Rather than separate wheel well tops, I added one large piece so they'll be flat right across


And here you see just how much of the underbody is going to be visible
The tops of the wheel wells have so much height above the wheels, you'd think the beast had one of those widely travelling suspensions like the Scammel Pioneer. I've seen no evidence it does though

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Right, on to the rear bodywork and some interior detail

Added a piece right across then the off-set seat mounting. I don't know just why there's a turnable fifth seat on top of that box in the crew compartment, rather than a rumble seat attached to the front wall
Also added a curved bit of sprue for the cover of something in the driver's cab

Rather than mount a piece overhanging, the rear body top is inset, with a line of microstrip around the top edge. Rear mudguards in place, but will need flaps at the base
There are two fuel can racks behind the rear mudguards, but I've nothing suitable to fill the space as yet, as all the jerry cans I have are too large and too late


Added the cab side walls, floor edges, and a couple of 1/32 rolls to simulate the canvas door covers

I think I've used up all my old Airfix multipose rolls now!
After forty-plus years!

Seats and back rest in the crew compartment, all just shaped 40 thou plasticard

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Now, I've an unused tilt for a Morris, from the Warlord job at the top here, so that'll go for the driver's cab

After a quick chop, that is

The crew tilt will have to be entirely scratched, probably out of the Apoxie putty.
MUCH later!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Finally, some extra detail in the cab. Gear stick, Handbrake, and another lever that's a bit of a mystery. All cut from the same pin

Plus some strips for the stowage box bases on the rear bodywork.

So, having cleared out all my 1/35 accessory sets a while back, I now have no random boxes to use to add stowage. Time for some more careful scratchbuilding

Or find some cheap Italeri sets again. D'oh!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Having found a video on YouTube of the restored one (I've been using a mag article as reference for) I've made a few alterations and additions

The crew compartment has a step back between the mudguards. It is just visible on the one photo I have, but the lighting makes it less obvious until the vid. Also, there's a big storage box in the back

The Airfix kit has the big box with the grill on it, in the driver's cab, so that had to go in. No idea what or why it is tho.
The real one has a big hole in the floor in front of the passenger seat, tho' I'm not sure if that shouldn't have a hatch over it, so I'm not drilling that out
Also, the foot wells in front of the driver and passenger open onto the engine itself. that means ANOTHER big hole to open out

But not on the driver side because, with a little hacking about, this figure will go in there

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

So, after much surgery and two replacement arms, the driver is now in place

The strips on the bonnet are to hold the aseroscreens in place as I'm going for the early version, even though the full windscreen version was in service before Dunkirk

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Also, the side and rear hatch details have been added, simple 10 thou placcycard and strip bits


Also now, the first of the top boxes have been added. Simple plasticard

They will have hatches added in due course
I've added some strip for the rear mudguard supports, invisible at these angles, before I add the Can racks at the back
Still have to work out where the rear view mirror attaches to this version
Next addition will be the two boxes, or trays, on the rear back top. The Lead Sled model shows what might be hatches in the back, between the two boxes I've already added. However, there seems no way of mounting onto the rear, without climbing up through the crew compartment. You'd think there's be some sort of ladder there

I will be putting on a tilt cover for the crew compartment, after everything is painted up, just as i did for the Light Dragon

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Well, having worked on this solid (I'll get back to the Breda soonest!), the build is about finished. So here are the final stages


I realised the top boxes were too wide, so a quick slice with the razor saw, and there we go. I used the Airfix kit for the top hatch pattern, as no photo I've got of the real thing has this angle. I thought the two trays would be simple, but after they were completed, and filled (see below), I found a photo of the restoration that shows them with lower fronts. Oh well, all I could do with that was a little scrape and file


So, the trays were filled with some sized Warlord and Perry parts. Likewise the tools. If I'd known about the cut down on the trays, I wouldn't have had to resize the packs. Might need a bit of filler on them...
Also, the rumble seat has been added to the crew compartment

Next up, the can racks, built around some OLD white metal 25mm jerry cans. I've had them since the 'eighties, and were part of a 'modern' weapons and gear set.

Added the tilt frames from brass rod. Probably won't fit the connecting rods as they're really only there to build the tilt onto. The cab tilt I've got is going to need some re-shaping for the driver's head to fit. Also added the rifle racks, from more Warlord spares. I did find some extra 1/35 rolls for the crew compartment covers, but took them off again until after the tilt is fitted


Then the tow-bar, just out of strip pieces. Couldn't see all the hairs when I put it together, b ut that's not going to be a problem
And finally

A couple of steps for the crew access out of some old etch strip. I'm not sure they'll last, and they're a bit more bent that I'd like so they may get replaced with strip
Time to walk away for a day-or-so to let everything set, then on with the undercoat
BTW, you may notice a little strip shim on the front axle. This is to give the wheels a slight turn

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Right, on with the primer we go. Just needed a couple of coats of Halfords Black, which, as you can see, is VERY matt

Did need to re-spray in a couple of places because, for some reason, the paint didn't like the glue residue. That's a rarity, I find

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

A good coat of rattle can dark green (Humbrol 163 here), mask the tyres and spray the wheel hubs
And so, on with the wheels. I did try drilling some holes in the wheel centres for pins, but then the sprue I used for the rear axle wouldn't take the drill. Hmm. Of course, NOT pinning gave me some freedom of movement while the slow cyano was drying

The book, BTW, is Les Freathy's British Military Trucks in WW2
I'm really rather pleased with how this has turned out. Next for the finishing painting, details, and markings

As can be seen from the Freathy book, the artillery tractor is quite different from this, the AA tow. I may do one of those some time, though it will need a suitable gun to attach. The 18/25 pdr I've got is slated to go with a Guy ANT (converted to an FAT from a GS truck). Need to find a 3" howitzer in 28mm, or something similar, but 3D print artillery is very thin on the ground