SimonT - 1/35 Miniart Dingo - Rons Recon GB

[SimonT]

Thanks Richard

Done a little more on this one


front stowage box assembled and added


bracket bases for the roof supports added to the rear face of the fighting compartment

these are rather tiny so had great fun dropping them and chasing them around the carpet a few times - luckily I found them each time and eventually managed to get them stuck down



I then added a few more suspension parts after deciding to ignore the instructions and choose my own construction order - hopefully this will minimise problems further down the line

the instructions would have you stick bits of suspension on at various points during the build in isolation of other suspension parts - if I do that there is no way it will all fit together

 

[Steve Jones]

Coming along nicely Mr T. I am surprised to hear you are reading the instructions. I thought you did everything on a wing and a prayer like me. LOL

 

[Jim R]

Hi Simon
Good steady progress. I'll remember that idea of cleaning up plastic dust with a wipe of cement. I have heard of it before and it looks to work.
Jim

 

[SimonT]

Morning Steve - normally I have a quick read through and then ignore them for the most part but this has so many little bits and bobs I find that I am having to refer to them more often than usual

Hi Jim - not using it to clean off dust as such, that gets blown off. It does make sanded areas look neater though

 

[rtfoe]

Hi Simon
Good steady progress. I'll remember that idea of cleaning up plastic dust with a wipe of cement. I have heard of it before and it looks to work.
Jim

Jim, I use Mr Cement orange scented with the orange cap to clean up sanded areas on figures as it isn't strong and doesn't glue that well. It is just as thin.

Simon, I know what you mean if its a Tammy kit you can basically build without the destruction sheet but with these new over engineered brands and their tiny parts its hard to keep track.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[colin m]

Looking very nice. How did you re-instate the welds, just in case I ever come across an externally welded aircraft you know.

 

[SimonT]

Thanks Colin - I used a pyrogravure

 

[SimonT]

cleaned up some of the suspension parts and promptly lost one of these little bits that holds the uprights in place and forms part of the upper and lower suspension arms

Had to make a new one as carpet did not want to give me back the original part - it needs a clean up but should otherwise do the job


rear stowage bins added to each of the rear wheel arches


I then tackled the two rear suspension/drive shafts which were rather fiddly - eight pieces per side and all rather wooly in terms of assembly as there are no locating pins and the fit of parts is somewhat vague

Got something assembled in the end

Since these early versions had four wheel steering I have turned the hubs, which are free to do so

Although the hubs are designed to steer the tie rods are meant to be fixed in the straight ahead position

I shouldn't have fixed the short arms to the chassis so early on - I will now need to remove and adjust them to fit the new position of the steering rods

 

[scottie3158]

View attachment 362823
cleaned up some of the suspension parts and promptly lost one of these little bits that holds the uprights in place and forms part of the upper and lower suspension arms

Had to make a new one as carpet did not want to give me back the original part - it needs a clean up but should otherwise do the job

View attachment 362822
rear stowage bins added to each of the rear wheel arches

View attachment 362821
I then tackled the two rear suspension/drive shafts which were rather fiddly - eight pieces per side and all rather wooly in terms of assembly as there are no locating pins and the fit of parts is somewhat vague

Got something assembled in the end

Since these early versions had four wheel steering I have turned the hubs, which are free to do so

Although the hubs are designed to steer the tie rods are meant to be fixed in the straight ahead position

I shouldn't have fixed the short arms to the chassis so early on - I will now need to remove and adjust them to fit the new position of the steering rods

Simon all looking suitably fidly but great job on the replacement part

 

[SimonT]

Thanks Scottie - will try and get the front suspension assembled today as have the day off work

 

[SimonT]

front suspension now in place - as fiddly as the rear but at least I knew what to expect this time

 

[Jim R]

Hi Simon
Rather you than me with that suspension. Looks difficult even without no proper location points and turning the wheels.
Jim

 

[SimonT]

Jim - bit tricky getting everything to line up, could do with six hands


I removed the short track rods that were previously mounted to the chassis and opened out the slots that were moulded as indentations

I have a MkIII in the stash so at least I will know what needs doing when I get to that one


the steering arms were added to the bottom of the hubs - they needed their locating pins removing as there was no corresponding hole in the hubs

the main track rods were then attached to the steering arms

the short track rods were then attached and fed back into the slots in the chassis

 

[Jakko]

Not to spoil the fun, but wasn’t the four-wheel steering on most of these disabled by disconnecting the rear linkages and using rods to lock the rear wheels in place?

 

[JR]

Jim, I use Mr Cement orange scented with the orange cap to clean up sanded areas on figures as it isn't strong and doesn't glue that well. It is just as thin.

Simon, I know what you mean if its a Tammy kit you can basically build without the destruction sheet but with these new over engineered brands and their tiny parts its hard to keep track.

Cheers,
Richard

?
Excuse me Simon .
I get confused with instructions, so with out them I might get on better !

 

[SimonT]

No idea Jakko - haven't come across anything myself saying that but whatever, it is too late now. It is staying four wheel steer. I have seen a statement that inexperienced drivers failed to get to grips with the system and that is why it was dropped on the last MkI's onwards

Mine obviously has a good driver

John - you could set fire to them.....

 

[JR]

No idea Jakko - haven't come across anything myself saying that but whatever, it is too late now. It is staying four wheel steer. I have seen a statement that inexperienced drivers failed to get to grips with the system and that is why it was dropped on the last MkI's onwards

Mine obviously has a good driver

John - you could set fire to them.....

Now there's an idea.

 

[Jakko]

No idea Jakko - haven't come across anything myself saying that but whatever, it is too late now.

The model looks more interesting this way anyway

I have seen a statement that inexperienced drivers failed to get to grips with the system and that is why it was dropped on the last MkI's onwards

Mine obviously has a good driver

Build a diorama with the vehicle on its side and the driver crawling out

 

[SimonT]

not a lot to report on this one - just added the two stowage bin lids

had to remove the lip off the inside face and sand smooth to get a good fit

 

[SimonT]

Typically the carpet monster decided to give me back the tiny suspension mount now that I have scratched the replacement and assembled everything


suspension springs - as usual with kit items they are not great due to moulding constraints

I had a look at some Dingo restorations and they showed that the spring is actually a double spring arrangement, one inside the other so.....


I wound some brass replacements

The wire was wound around two different drill bits so that the resulting springs would fit inside each other

Only done this side, need to repeat the process for other side