Tamiya 1:35 French Armoured Carrier

[Fenlander]

Had to go to Hobbycraft for some paint today and of course I had to buy a kit. I saw this and found it such a ridicules looking vehicle, I had to make it. The kit is tiny, and I mean tiny. Love the barbecue lids that cover the crews heads. Even though it is small, there is tons of parts. The road wheels are in two parts each and there are six per side, it is like working on a 1:72 kit. Oddest part is that the kit comes with a set of tweezers, Tamiya rightly thought that building this sweetly odd tracker needed them.

The History notes on the instructions tell that after the French Capitulated, the Germans used loads of these as carriers, aircraft and gun tractors and as self propelled guns. Has anyone got any info on this?

Anyway, the product and first evening progress shots.

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[dubster72]

Wow, how tiny is that! Almost cute! I don't know much about this one, but the Germans had a long history of pressing into service captured enemy vehicles, such as in North Africa or using the Skoda works with the 35t chassis.

I did find a pic of the UE on my hard drive-look at the guy in it, doesn't he look embarrassed! "don't make me drive the baby tank!"

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Patrick

 

[Fenlander]

Managed to find some decent pics on Wikipedia which will be great reference. I would say it is a tad wider but not much longer than a jeep, the detail is superb though as is the trailer and stowage. With the two early French soldiers, it will become my first mini diorama. Yep, I am committing myself, this will be a box top dio folks. get ready to laugh

I know I wouldn't want to drive it in battle especially with the BBQ lids down, there is a very thin slit cut in the bottom of the lids for the crew to look through wile buttoned up. Now way would I have done it.

never worked with the plastic link and length before so I am not sure how to go about painting the tracks. I assume they have to be painted in situ but I don't know. Other thing is that you cannot fit the crew bodies in after the final top deck panels have been fitted so these will have to be left unglued for the hull painting and carefully glued down after the crew are sealed into their tin can. Fortunately, the fit of the parts is so good, this may not be an issue.

If anyone has experience of these link and length tracks, I would be pleased to hear how you do them, painting wise.

 

[Gern]

Hi Graham,

It may be fiddly, but at least you don't have to clean up after the horses! What's happened to your convoy?

Looking at pic. 11, I noticed the sprue attachments at the back of the sprocket. Most times it's at the edge and you end up having to re-shape the tooth at the attachment point. If it's possible to do this with other shapes, does anyone know why that's not normal practise - it would save us an awful lot of work cleaning these points up 'cos about 90% of them end up either where they will be seen or on mating surfaces where they interfere with the fit of the parts.

Gern

PS. Sorry mate! Forgot to say it looks very tidy so far.

PPS I'm also sorry if your thread gets hijacked if anyone can answer my question!

 

[dubster72]

Graham, here's a link to the building of my T-34 which came with link and length track, it might be helpful to you. http://www.scale-models.co.uk/under-construction/8621-painting-t-34-85-a-4.html

Also, with regard to the crew, if only their top half will be visible, you could cut them in half (ouch!) to allow you to build the whole thing & then slot them in. I only say that as I've found leaving hull assembly to last often causes problems.

Patrick

 

[yak face]

hi graham ,I just love things like this! Ive never seen one before and youre right its so weird but cute ,id have to have bought it too. The crew look a bit cramped though,looks like one of those turkish bath things!!!! Ill be watching this with great interest , Itll look fab in a mini dio. cheers tony

 

[Fenlander]

Yes, I posted the pic of the way they had attached the sprocket as I was really impressed, especially given its size. The figures for the crew are torso only with their arms moulded on, very cramped. The fit of the top panels is so good I should be able to paint it with them just clipped in position, maybe a bit of tape sticky side up inside the hull to help.

The convoy is still ongoing Gern, I have been distracted with the Eurofighter Typhoon. Looks a simple kit but it is so 'Paint & build, paint & build' Been a bit of an eye opener for what may be my one and only modern jet lol.

Also need to brush up (pun intended) on my figure & horse painting. Also got to get materials together to make a small base for the Armoured Carrier. So many things, so little time lol.

Patrick, will re read your thread tonight when I get home. Fitting it will be awkward due to the size of the parts. It is the painting that worries me, do I pre paint and stick it on with a bit of touching up or are you supposed to paint it in situ, which I don't fancy.

Anyway, time to go to work. Thanks for the comments guys.

 

[colprit]

Looks like an interesting kit, looking forward to seeing some build photos no dought it will be up to your usual standard. Some of them parts are small,hope you've been to specsavers.lol

Colin

 

[noble]

WOT NO LIVESTOCK OR HORSES FEN!!! lol seriously this is tiny... it looks like it will be a very nice kit though, keep posting the pics.

scott

 

[Fenlander]

lol, no I didn't go to specsavers but I did go to the Pound shop and buy a pair of +3.5 reading glasses, they really help. I was thinking of putting the mounted German soldier on the diorama threatening to let the horse stamp on the carrier lol.

Yes these are both the same scale, OK, the carrier is not on it's tracks yet, but you get the idea lol

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[yak face]

"but I did go to the Pound shop and buy a pair of +3.5 reading glasses" Me too graham, i got the x1 ones theyre great for giving a bit of magnification when youre doing the fiddly bits. tony

 

[Fenlander]

I would need the x1 to find my x3.5s Tony lol. Much cheeper and more comfortable, if not as powerful, as the headband magnifiers.

Anyway, a little more progress today, none on the Eurofighter as I have not been spraying and that paint gobbler has had enough for 24hours.

I have got most of the hull finished, bar the tracks. The top plates in front of the crew clip in nicely so I will be able to remove them after initial painting to put the crew figures in. I am really sticking my neck out on this one as I have entered it into a Group Build on Promodellers forum, way out of my class but hey, the challenge gets the juices running.

Just got to build the tracked trailer and it will be all hands on the compressor for a joint Eurofighter and French carrier spray fest.

techie question. The call out and box art shows the two (4 part) oil drums in the trailer as being silver/plain metal. Can anyone confirm this remembering the period s pre French Capitulation?

I have read a review on this kit where the review was moaning about the axel nut on the drive sprocket. Apparently, on the real thing it is a castelated nut with split pin. he suggests that careful work with a sharp pointed blade could correct this error. The nut is just over 1mm across..... get a life.....

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[Fenlander]

Here is the little sweetheart ready for priming and painting. I have decided to try a black primer for this project to try to get deeper shadows as it is small but quite shapely and a bit of variation will help it have some depth. Of course, this depends on me getting it right so it may not work out lol.

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[Fenlander]

Well, she is painted and weathered to give a dust/dirty look rather than a muddy/rusty look. I may do some more depending on how it fits into the diorama base I will be starting next. Along with the oil drums, boxes and figures etc.

As this is my first piece of armour, I am not too dissatisfied with it, still time to make changes.

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[yak face]

graham you should be well proud ,it looks fab. Youve done a great job and its so unusual too ,i love it. Kind of looks from the front like a mechanical frog,what with the eyes sticking up! Makes me wonder just how much it could really carry as well , im sure a big bloke with a wheelbarrow could have carried about the same !!!lol! cheers tony (5 stars on the way)

 

[Fenlander]

Cheers Tony, the final reveal will be when the dio is done but, I am reasonably happy with progress so far, not a 5 stars though trust me lol. The weight of the vehicle was about 2.5 tons and the load carried in the trailer and the tilting stowage bin on the back was 1 ton. It is not clear if that was total or in each.

 

[tonyb6000]

Looks superb! Love it.

Why did they put tracks on the trailer? Surely if there's no drive wheel it's a waste? I'm not blaming you Fen!

Tony B

 

[Ian M]

Thats so cute! Seriously though: Nice little build there. Looks like you got the tracks sorted out well too.

Trailer with tracks, Think it was a weight spreding thing. Soft ground would just suck the wheels down and slow everything down to a halt.

Impresive build.

Dare I make the comment "and people wonder why the French got stomped on so quickly by the invading Germans"....

 

[Gern]

Nice one Graham.

What with everyone swappin' what they do every 5 minutes I'm fully expectin' to see Sci Fi guys doin' Fantasy - and vice versa - any day now! An' I never thought I'd live to see the day THAT happened!

Gern

 

[Ian M]

I was in the model shop today and saw this very kit on the shelf. I just had to have a look in the box! Dude that thing is tiny!

So how about one in Capturede German markings next time !