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Modeller Build Logs
Scammell Pioneer R100 |
| By Alex Hill |
| Started: | Sep 18, 2004 | | Updated: | Jan 31, 2005 |
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The Scammell Pioneer must surely rank as one of the most charismatic military vehicles. Having been around in various guises since 1927, many Pioneers are still earning a living as show-mans wagons and recovery trucks, so the design can probably lay claim to the title of longest serving vehicle as well.
This kind of longevity only comes from good solid engineering and strokes of genius from the designers at Scammells’ Watford plant and Gardners’ Manchester engine factory. In many ways it was the fitting of the Gardner 6LW power unit to the Pioneer that made the vehicles reputation for soldier proof reliability. The engine featured advanced (at the time) lubrication and injection systems. Combined with Scammells’ transmission and static, non-pressurised, cooling system (hence the ‘coffee pot’ radiator), Pioneers could be expected to give a hundred thousand miles of trouble free running. Most of Gardners’ competitors were struggling to produce an engine that would pass one third of that mileage without at least needing the main bearings replaced. The attention to longevity didn’t stop there. The winch mechanism is something close to a work of art. At a time when a winch was basically an overgrown cotton reel hitched to the vehicles’ p.t.o, the Scammell employed every trick in the book (to be covered in more detail in later chapters) to ensure the winch rope was never kinked or over stressed.
Truly a magnificent machine with a capacity to invoke a sentimental fondness that means there will probably still be a handful of Pioneers earning their living on (or off!) the road in fifty years time when most of the current crop of M.V’s are relegated to gathering dust in museums.
Which brings me to my (hopefully never-ending) quest to build the perfect 1/35 Pioneer. The kit is of course the excellent Accurate Armour rendition of the R100 artillery tractor. In my BLOG I’ll be adding as much detail to the base model as I can, improving those parts which can be improved upon and making one or two changes just to illustrate the differences which were built in during the Pioneers’ production run. Of course an artillery tractor needs something to hang of the rear hitch, so I’ll be adding Accurate Armours’ 7.2’’ Howitzer.
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| Chapter 13 - Crew and Base | Jan 31, 2005 |
| A gun needs a gun crew, partly to give an impression of scale and partly to add a bit of life to the scene. As usual, I’ve used my favourite combination of Ultracast bodies with Hornet heads. This might seem an expensive choice, but I’m no great figure modeller or painter, and using these top quality... more |
| Chapter 11 - First Stages of Howitzer Construction | Jan 29, 2005 |
| With the tractor finished, it’s time to move on to the 7.2’’ howitzer. Although, technically speaking, the 7.2’’ was introduced in 1941, it was in fact little more than a re-hashed 8’’ howitzer of WWI vintage and as such it was never a great success in service. The out dated carriage and recoil was never... more |
| Chapter 12 - Howitzer Completion | Jan 29, 2005 |
| With just a couple more additions from the last chapter, the gun is completed. I’ve made a replacement travel lock, the kit item seemed to put the barrel at a slightly strange angle, a problem which I suspect stems from changing the wheel mounting points earlier on. I’ve also made a small addition to... more |
| Chapter 10 - Completed Tractor Unit | Jan 28, 2005 |
Finally the finished result, of the tractor unit at least. Just a few additions here, I’ve added the straps and rope details to the rear canvass, new two-bar rear view mirror mounts and round section width indicators. Last but not least, a wing nut on the radiator cap.
Markings are for a 53rd heavy... more |
| Chapter 9 - Nearly There | Jan 27, 2005 |
It’s time to start drawing all the components together. Thanks to endless dry fitting earlier on in the build (I think we’ve all learned the value of that particular job the hard way!), the assembly went smoothly, with none of the additional parts needing modification.
With the bulky work done, I... more |
| Chapter 8 - Tracks | Dec 24, 2004 |
| I’d decided to add the overall tracks at the beginning of this project, but once I’d started wrestling with A.As’ photo etch kit I began to think I had made a mistake. I’m happy to accept the problems made be down to me, but if anybody has built these things and found it easy, please let me know... more |
| Chapter 7 - More Bodywork | Dec 22, 2004 |
| The upper body section was one of the few damaged parts in my kit suffering with a bit of under pour up one side. This was easily remedied with a brass insert and a bit of Milliput. Other modifications were to ensure a good match with the lower half, hence most of the jointing surfaces and bracing... more |
| Chapter 6 - Lower Body Work | Dec 12, 2004 |
| The main area of work on the lower body is to ensure a good match with the roof section. I found that on my kit the sidewalls needed building up a little and AA have over engineered the seat for the joint, so I opted to remove the whole section and rebuild it for a more discreet union between... more |
| Chapter 5 - A few components | Nov 20, 2004 |
This is a chapter in four parts to cover the modifications to some of the larger elements that won’t be getting attached until the final assembly stages, beginning with the stowage box.
On the full size vehicle this was intended as the home for the overall tracks. I intend fitting some of... more |
| Chapter 4 - Adding a bit of colour | Nov 10, 2004 |
| What a difference a lick of paint makes. |
| Chapter 3 - The Chassis | Nov 6, 2004 |
The main areas for attention on the chassis are the brakes. Unfortunately, being taken from AA’s Pioneer Tank Transporter, the kit items are inaccurate for an R100. With these parts built, and with the aid of the Tank Museums’ ‘Plans Pack’, I turned my attention to the less visible linkages underneath.
... more |
| Chapter 2 - The Winch | Oct 30, 2004 |
| The Winch. It’s one of the features that sets the Pioneer apart. The mechanism was designed for longevity, which it achieves with some interesting, unique features. The main element of this is the automatic cut out. The entire assembly is able to pivot on the chassis against a spring. If the load... more |
| Chapter 1 - Engine | Sep 18, 2004 |
| The basic casting provided by Accurate Armour gives a good base for a lot of detailing. This was basically achieved with a brass rod, bits from the spares box and Modelkasten nuts and bolt heads. Unfortunatly my 1:1 reference pictures lack the starter motor and air compressor detail. The latter is nicely... more |
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