Andy's 1/35 Meng K-4386 Typhoon, for Simon

[Deleted member 7181]

Hi all. I know I'd planned something more impressive and more in keeping with a tribute to Simon, but after several very stressful trial assemblies, I've chickened out! It'll still happen, but only once my head's in a better place, and probably behind closed doors.

So instead I'm doing a straightforward OOB build of this Meng Typhoon. Nothing fancy, but it's the thought that counts, and it has to be fun!

According to the blurb this vehicle was designed for the Russian Special Forces (VDV). The kit itself seems very cleanly moulded, which is a good thing as the light grey plastic makes it hard to spot any mould lines etc. It has movable steering and even sprung suspension, a well detailed interior, and an optional 3 colour camo scheme that I'll probably be trying to replicate.

Obligatory sprue shots first:







And the paint schemes



First up was the lower hull, shaped to deflect mine blasts. There were quite a few step to get to this point, but I got carried away and forgot the pictures



And a top view, after adding the front bumper. The brake assemblies are loose fit for now as it'll be easier to paint them off.



Then we come to these parts, which push and turn into a key slot, so the springs actually work. A bit of a gimmick maybe, but at least I should get all 4 wheels on the ground.



And fitted to the floor section



The floor and hull were then married together, after much fiddling to get the spring assemblies clicked into place on the suspension. The springs were forcing the two sections apart slightly, so they'll be clamped up overnight.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
Great choice. Simon built anything and appreciated whatever others built so this is fine. It looks a very nice kit. I like the one piece body although it would be extra work to show it with open doors. Those springs probably are a bit of a gimmick but they're fun.
Jim

 

[Lee Drennen]

Andy. Nice choice I’m sure you will do your magic and it will turn out great

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,
looks like a great kit I will pull up a chair.

 

[stillp]

That looks like it'll be fun ANdy!
Pete

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks chaps, good to have you all here.

It's a chunky looking thing which is why I like it, with the obvious bonus of no tracks! Meng do a set of sagged resin wheels as an upgrade, but for ~£23 I think I'll pass

Jim, the box reckons the doors can be posed open or closed, but there's no mention of it in the instructions. Will have to investigate that as I move along as it would be a shame to hide the full interior. The glass will also be something new for me as it needs tinting then laminating from a couple of pieces the give the thick bulletproof look.

I'm off work for a while, maybe quite a while if I get furloughed again, so should have plenty of time for this.

 

[Mickc1440]

I’ll keep dropping in too, you’re off to a great start

 

[Andy the Sheep]

Nice choice, Andy.
My second choice for this GB was very similar to yours as it would have been...

It lost to the BV 206 just because.... the painting scheme .
I'll follow your build with interest.
Andrea.

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks Mick and Andrea.

I seem to have more interest in this build than expected

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Family day today and our "traditional" lockdown walk, so not much progress, but I've put the seats together, including the explosion absorbing bases for driver & passenger, then primed & painted some of the interior

Flat white was given as the interior colour. It's hard to distinguish from the bare plastic here but I've only done the visible areas. Mr Primer Surfacer, then MRP white



Dashboard is nicely detailed. I haven't decided whether to just dry brush or (try and) paint the switches individually yet, but there are some nice decals to add later. The bulkhead / firewall was called out in the instructions to be the same grey colour as the dashboard, but I thought that would look weird, so painted it white to match the floor. Delicate masking on fresh paint was needed

All the colours listed in the instructions are either AK's Meng range, or Mr Color Acryson, neither of which I have, and both of which are hard to find equivalents for, so as usual I'm winging it. The dash is MRP Extra Dark Sea Grey as it looked close to the generic plastic many cheap cars come with



And the seats are in primer, although again, it's hard to tell! They should be some kind of dark khaki colour, but I'll make something up that's similar, with black frames.



I'm sorry if it offends anyone that I'm not using exactly the right colours, but close enough is good enough for me, and I've got plenty of practice mixing them anyway.

I've even just mixed a custom colour to decorate our hall, stairs & landing at home! I couldn't find exactly what I/we wanted, so found a few that were close, and mix & matched until I was happy

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,
Don't worry about colours mate I never worry about the "right" colour.

 

[JR]

It will be fine Andy, looking fwd to watching this .

 

[papa 695]

Looking very good.

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks again chaps.

A bit of an up & down one today. I started by painting the seats, but then was too heavy handed with the weathering and they are much grubbier than I wanted. I'll try and clean them up a bit, but if not, I might start over.

I also built up the thick armoured doors and got the base colour on them, then blacked a few exterior parts like the fuel tanks that will be hard to get to once fitted. I'd rather leave a bit of black showing than that really light bare plastic.



Decals got applied to the dash, then I did some dry brushing to bring the details out a bit. All was going well until I tried a light wash, which ended badly. I've resprayed the right hand side of the dash here to try again. The left will have to stay like it is.



Then onto the glass. First attempt was a nightmare with dust & fluff everywhere lol, so I cleaned them up, went again, and was really happy with the result. I used a clear blue & green mixture, and ignoring the instructions I've sprayed the inner surface of the outer pane, thinking that once the two are together, the tint will be protected from future masking and/or overspray. You can see on the sprue how each tinted section has a matching, smaller inner piece, to make up the thickness. I've kept the colour so could always add a few coats on the outside (as per the book) if they don't look dark enough once I've done the painting, but they seem spot on right now.



Hopefully I'll have more success tomorrow. On every build I've done so far washes have kicked up a problem one way or the other. I almost dread reaching that stage. Maybe they're trying to tell me something

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,
looking good mate. The glass looks good.

 

[Steve Jones]

I'm so sorry Andy. I could have sworn I commented when you started this build. It looks an awesome kit. Your doing a terrific job with it. Keep up the great work my friend

 

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
Amoured glass has worked a treat. Nothing wrong with the seats or the dash.
Jim

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks chaps, I'm chuffed with the glass too.

Steve - no worries mate, I'm sure there are still some group builds I haven't visited yet.

Jim, just a bit dirtier than I was going for really. I'm going to have to sludge up that pristine white interior to match

 

[Lee Drennen]

Andy. Looking good to me

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks Lee.

I ended up dry brushing some paint over the seats, which cleaned them up a bit. More to my liking now.

Here they are with the dash & steering column fitted too.



I've also been working on the base for the unmanned turret. Lots of fiddly pieces for something that'll hardly be seen. The hand controls and screen for the rear seat passenger had a fair few tiny decals too.



Here's a view from the back. Snug!



The rear door is quite inset, with lockers and equipment either side. Painting it like this would be a nightmare so it's all just dry fitted for now and will get a coat of primer at least before assembly.



And the fuel tanks / storage lockers, similar both sides. Again these were primed before fitting as there's no way I'd get any paint down those deep narrow gaps. Once painted at least any bare patches will just look like shadows.