HobbyBoss 1/35 Soviet Cold War ASU-57 Assault Gun

[spanner570]

I bet that's made your day, Dave!

I doubt few would have noticed, let alone bring it to everyone's attention......

Ron

 

[Dave Ward]

Jakko,
hmmmmm - I followed the instructions..............

Not going to do anything about it, anyway!
Dave

 

[Jakko]

let alone bring it to everyone's attention.....

Now I have to ask: What is the horrible faux pas of pointing out that a part on a model is the wrong way round? Because several reactions here seem to imply that it is, and I don’t understand why.

Jakko,
hmmmmm - I followed the instructions..............
View attachment 396566

Heh … the instructions have the two tracks on in opposite directions. Even more interesting

Not going to do anything about it, anyway!

Like I said, chances are good this happened on the real thing too, until the sergeant noticed I suppose

 

[spanner570]

Sorry Dave. Quite right. (see Dave's post below)
Comments deleted.

 

[Dave Ward]

The error has been made, and noted. Don't go on about it!!
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

No progress on this at the moment, I've been suffering from a stiff & painful wrist, which the doc has diagnosed as osteoarthritis................it's my right hand, which is a bummer. He reckons it will come & go, but there's not a great deal that can be done at the moment, things would have to get a lot worse before moving on to cortisone injections etc. So just normal Ibuprufen, when it hurts too much. The pain I can cope with, but the stiffness is another matter, I'm going to have to learn to use my left hand a lot more! The joys of growing old!
Dave

 

[spanner570]

Sorry to read your latest post, Dave.

For sure, we are all gradually falling to bits in some form or other, and we have to try and adapt as best we can . It can get very frustrating at times.

Easy enough to write, but try and keep positive and keep your spirits up!

 

[Dave Ward]

Back to the bench - over the weekend, I've been using Ibuprofen Gel on my wrist, and it has worked pretty well, it's a bit stiff, but the pain has just about gone.
Rather than jumping straight back in with the tracks, I assembled the gun - the muzzle brake is dry fitted, as you can't fit it though the mantlet.....................Then I worked on the tracks. I've completed one side, but I managed to snap off one of the return rollers on the other side. I've had to use the CA to repair this, and I'm going to leave until tomorrow, before adding the final track length.

It's very fiddly, and tweezers are a must. It helps to remember to breathe now and then, when doing the really delicate bits!
Dave

 

[KarlW]

It helps to remember to breathe now and then, when doing the really delicate bits!

Yeah, that bit is pretty essential........

 

[Dave Ward]

Getting fairly close to completion

Not quite as neat as the other side, but completed track runs.

The interior is sparse, but when the mounting, gun & ammunition added, there isn't a great deal of space..........


The upper hull will have the addition of all the PE, for grilles, racks etc. The ammo needs the projectiles painting, I used AK True Metal Brass for the cases. I've decided against a crew, and I'm going to leave it in 'showroom condition'
Dave

 

[Jakko]

Very luxurious interior, I’m sure the crew are glad you’re not making them go in it

 

[Dave Ward]

What I can't understand is how the crew kept tabs on their tank, as it was floating down on it's parachute. As far as I'm aware, the crew jumped separately, closely followed by the tank ( on it's trick retro rocket 'chute ) - it must have been a stressful period, trying to land yourself safely, then find your tank! Any winds must have affected a single parachutist more than the heavier tank, and they could have ended up miles apart............
Dave

 

[KarlW]

I think the Soviets jumped relatively low, which would of reduced drift, but even with that look at the confusion after any major airdrop operation, no wonder the German Fallschirmjager didn't actually drop after Crete.......

 

[Tim Marlow]

Even more of a problem Dave would be trying to avoid the tank landing on other personnel. Jump sites could be very crowded and that lump of metal could do some real damage.

 

[minitnkr]

Looking good Dave. Airborne & airdrop are significantly different. Airborne means you can stuff it into an aircraft or hang it underneath, not necessarily drop it by parachute. I think most armed forces have gone to helo borne & skid dropping for the most part due to all the reasons stated above. PaulE

 

[Dave Ward]

Paul,
if you look at the video on post #10, you'll see the ASU-57 being air dropped...................
Dave

 

[Jakko]

https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm100-2-2.pdf

Page 2-6 has basic airdrop procedures. Though it talks about the BMD, I suppose much the same practices were used with earlier vehicles. In short, drops are made from low altitude to keep scatter low, and steerable parachutes are apparently used to help keep troops together. First is a security element to make sure the DZ is in Soviet hands, and vehicles are preferably dropped using retro-rockets so they descend faster than by large parachutes. All this should probably make it easier to allow troops to get to their vehicles and prepare them for use.

 

[Dave Ward]

Further progress...................

There are no real locations for the PE grilles, so I've had to roughly paint the areas behind black
Dave

 

[Jack L]

Looking smart Dave. The shells in racks always add a new dimension for me.

 

[Dave Ward]

It's all coming together quickly..........................

This'll be the last picture in the WIP section - the next will be of the model in the 'completed' section
Dave