Gecko 1/35 Bedford MWC

[Deleted member 7181]

I got off work an hour early tonight so thought I'd have a go at the steering mechanism. It almost broke me

Illustration below to show how many parts are involved, then a picture including my smallest #15 blade for reference. Maybe that puts into perspective my clean up problem lol. The sprue gates are as big as some of the pieces





I managed to lose part Ab25, which kind of loops around the axle to join the steering arms together, so improvised with some tiny copper wire.

Still going.....

 

[Tim Marlow]

Well they always say to eat the elephant one bite at a time and you’ve just swallowed a bit more. Keep chipping away Andy, but if you get too stressed stop and do something else for a while.

 

[outrunner]

Thanks Andy. If it proves too fiddly for me I'll box it up and sling it your way

No thanks, I will pass on that as the Mirror Models Diamond T dump truck I have started is very much the same type of sprue and numbers of parts, some of them almost microscopic.
However, never mind me, your model is coming along fine. A method I use is, if something fiddly is really getting to me then I will look further through the instructions for an easier sub assembly to build and this usually calms me down a bit.

Andy.

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Just had a look Andy, it does seem a similar type of kit. Good luck!

If I had something else to build Tim, I'd probably have shelved this by now.

I suppose if things get really bad I could pinch a miniature from my lad and see what a mess I can make of it

 

[Mini Me]

Stay with it Andy..........I think you're just getting a handle on this. Rick H.

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Sorry Rick, I missed your reply. Thanks, but I've actually had a bit of a break from it.

I have nothing stashed so my son gave me one of his cast off Warhammer pieces. He'd put it together but had no intention of painting it, so let me have a go. Almost as fiddly as the model I was escaping from, but in a different way. It's certainly a whole different ball game for me lol.

Nowhere near as good as I want it to be yet, but I'll keep working in it. I think I need to turn the contrast up massively as it's almost non-existent on camera, despite spending hours shading and highlighting. It's a welcome distraction though, and something completely new to me.

Oh, and yes I know the decals aren't correct, they are just something from the spares box to jazz it up a bit.





Back on topic:

I've done a little bit more to the Bedford, assembling the wheels out of more pieces than is necessary, but little else. I'm not back at work until Jan 5th, so plenty of time to get back to it.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Andy. Mr Smythe got some of those for Xmas
It’s looking splendid in yellow. That’s never an easy colour to work with. If you want the panels to stand out look up “edge highlighting”. It will probably be more effective than shading and highlighting alone. If you are going to pin wash the yellow, don’t use black....it’ll go green on you (made this mistake myself before).....it will bring out the detail well on the exhausts though......
The contrast is not showing on the picture probably because the black background is making the camera overexpose the image. Try shooting it against a lilac or purple background to make it really pop.....

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Yeah I saw that too Tim, it's kinda what prompted me to post this pic.

Thomas seems to have a mass of 40k stuff going spare so I may even do some more after this.

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,
Apologies I have missed this up till now mate. just had a catch up from the beginning some nice additions to the engine and those little bits are fun aren't they lol.

 

[JR]

Showing that blade Andy really brings it home, that is really small. Keep going as you definitely are winning.
Like the bike, that yellow really stand out .

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks Paul & John.

A quick recess to clear my head then I'll be back at it

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Ah well, it had to happen some time, this one has beaten me

I have a few kits "on pause" but this is the first one I've drawn a line under. Definitely made for the more accomplished and patient modeller!

I'd seen this bit coming up so was expecting trouble, but an afternoon of tearing my hair out is enough. I can feel my guts twisting with the stress already so I need to stop now before I put myself back into hospital

The rear mudguards are held on purely by PE brackets. These need a 90° flange bending onto them then twisting in an unclear manner, before gluing to the chassis along their thin edge (the thickness of the PE sheet). I got so far, but when trying to pre-bend them to shape I couldn't get it right, and trying to shape them in situ, whilst only fixed by the tiniest of mounting points proved a nightmare. How they are supposed to survive painting with a relatively heavy weight on such a flimsy mounting is beyond me.

Yes I could bodge some new brackets out of styrene rod or something, or even have some hidden mounts to the tyre, but that's not going to happen. It's all boxed back up so if anyone wants to have a go at the rest of it for the cost of postage, just let me know

 

[Tim Marlow]

That’s a shame, but those mudguards do sound unbuildable. As they say, when the fun stops stop! Nothing wrong with tricky bits to give you a sense of achievement, but that is just ridiculous! Onwards and upwards Andy. Plan the next one.....

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Yeah, I've just pre-ordered a kit from John which hopefully shouldn't be more than few weeks. In the meantime I'll probably put my bendy bus back together, twiddle my thumbs, and maybe even talk to the wife!

I've already figured out one possible way to build the arches, making a jig to hold them firmly in the right position and work the PE around that, but as you say, the fun has gone so I'll leave that for someone else to attempt

I might even invest in a pe bender now, in case I come across something similar in the future.

 

[scottie3158]

Yeah, I've just pre-ordered a kit from John which hopefully shouldn't be more than few weeks. In the meantime I'll probably put my bendy bus back together, twiddle my thumbs, and maybe even talk to the wife!

I've already figured out one possible way to build the arches, making a jig to hold them firmly in the right position and work the PE around that, but as you say, the fun has gone so I'll leave that for someone else to attempt

I might even invest in a pe bender now, in case I come across something similar in the future.

Sorry to hear this has beaten you mate you were doing a fine job. Still time to get back in the saddle and make a start on a new project.

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Cheers Paul.

Yes it's a shame but if I'm not enjoying it I might as well move on.

 

[outrunner]

Andy, sorry to hear that you have given up on the model and there is no shame in it as I have done the same thing myself, although for different reasons. As you know, I am in the middle of a pile of fiddly bits myself but if you are sure I will take that off your hands and see what can be done with it.

Andy.

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Sure Andy. Shoot me a PM with your address and I'll get it sent over.

 

[Allen Dewire]

I'm sorry to hear that too Andy. It looked like a nice kit, But if it isn't fun and causes too much stress, the kit ain't worth it....

So what do you have planned for your next build??? A thumb twiddling machine???.......I bought a PE bender and to be honest, I rarely ever use it for anything. A small pliers and tweezers work for me.....

Prost
Allen

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Hi Allen.

I've nothing to build right now, apart from Tamiya's dog of a Harrier, which I'm slowly wrestling in to shape as and when the mood takes me.

I've ordered the new Zvezda SU-57 in 1/48 which will be released imminently, and am just trawling through John's site for a couple of Tamiya kits. I feel safe with those manufacturers as I know the builds won't be too taxing