Willys Jeep |
| By James Tainton |
| Started: | Mar 17, 2004 | | Updated: | May 4, 2004 |
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Earlier this past summer ('03) I ventured away from my usual arena of absorption. Researching and building WW II German panzers and such is how I spend most of my valuable "hobby" time here on earth. However, sometimes just for a change of pace I will wander off into the Allied side of things. Well one of these roamings is to be the subject of this blog. A first attempt at building the newer Tamiya release of the venerable Willys Jeep of W.W. II. I have not used any photo-etch in the 1/35th scale replica but I have added a few scratch built tweaks and some stowage to add interest. For reference I searched the internet and a used an articles from Tamiya Modelling Magazine #65. |
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| Chapter 15 - Some Final Touches | May 4, 2004 |
| Here one can see the replacement of the wire cutter attachment, and adding of rope around the front bumper often seen in war-time photographs. |
| Chapter 14 - Jerry Can and Stowage | May 3, 2004 |
| Stowage added. |
| Chapter 13 - Armed to the Teeth... | May 2, 2004 |
The kit Jerry can stowage rack were replaced with a home spun brass version. The Jerry can itself is from an Academy detail set.
The lower picture shows the installation of the gun on its pintle. |
| Chapter 12. Done and Dusted... (Almost) | Apr 29, 2004 |
The tyres are sprayed with Tamiya Buff and charcol was rubbed on high points
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| Chapter 11 - Getting Interesting | Apr 27, 2004 |
Now I have added the clear plastic headlight parts. The inside of the green plastic shell was painted silver. I wanted them on before more dust was applied. They would get dirty on the real vehicle which is what I want to portray.
I've kept the wheels off to avoid coating them with an inappropriate... more |
| Chapter 10 - Trying to Gloss Over it All... | Apr 25, 2004 |
| The top picture shows the parts dry fitted for the application of the Future protective gloss coat that also aids in the application of decals. The gloss coat prevents silvering that can happen when applying decals to a flat or matte finish paint surface. The colour has gone dark but this will change... more |
| Chapter 9 - Rust Never Sleeps | Apr 22, 2004 |
The top picture shows how I have picked out the rust with Humbrol 133 on the exhaust manifold, pipe, and muffler. The leaf springs received some too. Most of this will disappear in subsequent weathering but it adds another layer.
The lower shot shows the wheels after the tires were painted grimy black... more |
| Chapter 8 - Drab Day | Apr 18, 2004 |
| Here in these unfortunetly under lit pics one can see the drab applied to the appropriate surfaces. The hub areas of the wheels where painted onto the flat black free hand while the tyres will be picked out later with Pollyscale grimy black. The paint is applied to the cental area of panels and parts... more |
| Chapter 7. Olive drab - not just a colour | Apr 5, 2004 |
| Picture # 1. shows the variety of drab colours I picked up. Some were recommended in an article that was written by Steve Zaloga in Military Modelling (Vol.32.No.3), on olive drab. These include Humbrol 155, Tamiya XF-62, Model Air (Vallejo) 043. Some on the list I counldn't find. I chose a few... more |
| Chapter 6 - Prep and Prime | Apr 1, 2004 |
#1. Shows all the parts layed out ready to prime/preshade in flat black.
#2. The flat black applied to the major componnents.
#3., #4., #5. Show little details, (white bits), I've added to the front chassis and fenders.
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| Chapter 5 - A Mad Dash To Improve The Dashboard | Mar 26, 2004 |
#1. shows the back of the kit's dashboard. I have removed a small plastic detail so as to be able to sand the plastic thinner. The reason for this is so I can add dial detail from behind.
#2. shows the thinning down process using wet/dry sandpaper with water and sanding on a flat surface.
#3.... more |
| Chapter 4 - Body Parts | Mar 24, 2004 |
Here you can see the fiddly bits I've added to the one piece molded body of the Willys.
1. I have cleaned up the mold seam marks ands gotten rid of some of those pesky knock-out marks. I use steel wool to burnish it up nice.
2. shows the feeble attempt at gas, brake, and clutch pedals from... more |
| Chapter 3. Nice Chassis | Mar 22, 2004 |
Here you can see the mounting of the engine into the chassis assembly.
1. Here I have cleanded up the injection mold seams and blemishes on the one piece chassis. This one piece molding ensures a straight frame.
2. This picture shows the installation of the engine onto the chassis.
3. The... more |
| Chapter 2. Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! | Mar 19, 2004 |
The engine that comes with the kit is pretty good but I made a few adjustments.
#1. shows the basic parts that make up the engine. The battery, radiator top air cleaner,oil filter, ect. are all molded as one piece.
#2. shows the parts seperated and some additions to some of them. The engine... more |
| Chapter 1 - Nice Things Come In Small Packages | Mar 17, 2004 |
| Here is a montage of the various aspects that come with the kit- the box top art, the cover and the paint schemes on the back of the leaflet type instruction sheet. Below that we can see the contents of the box, two main sprue trees, a clear sprue for windsceen and headlights, the main body and the decal... more |
