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Modeller Build Logs
SAS Land Rover 110 DPV |
| By James Wechsler | | Started: | Sep 26, 2007 | | Updated: | Feb 9, 2008 |
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When Paul asked if any one was interested in writing a blog, I offered but my requirement was no more Shermans! Instead I proposed this project because I thought it would be an interesting subject and I haven’t seen a blog of a wheeled vehicle for some time.
The Land Rover 110 DPV is the most current version of the famous SAS Land Rovers that include the more well known ‘Pink Panther’. This version is based on the Defender 110 commercial Land Rover. It is still in service with the SAS seeing action in both Afghanistan and Iraq along with other not named place around the world.
The build will use the following kits:
Accurate Armour LR009 SAS Land Rover 110 DPV
Accurate Armour FS11 SAS 110 DPV Crew Set #1
For reference, I’ve found a few photos on the internet and in some publications but the main source is this new book:
Military Land Rover, Development and in Service, Pat Ware, ISBN 0711031894, from Ian Allan Publishing
This is a new book that covers all of the Land Rovers in military service and is quite detailed and well written. A must for all Land Rover enthusiasts.
In addition, I spent some time in a commercial version of the Defender 110 this summer and took a lot of notes on some of the details. It may not seem it, but it’s a pretty large vehicle, bigger than most SUVs but a bit smaller than a HUMVEE. |
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| Gunner and Grenade Launcher | Dec 20, 2007 |
Well the last major step in the construction of this kit is to assemble the grenade launcher and fit the gunner into position.
First off, a thank you to Derek at Accurate Armour. My weapon ring was misshaped and all it took to get a replacement was one e-mail and a couple days. Now that’s customer service!
Assembling the grenade launcher is a challenge. There are lots of parts and again the photos on the instructions aren’t too clear. A big help are the photos at the back of the painted model where it’s easier to see the parts. The instructions clearly state that you must fit the gunner in place before completing assembly of the grenade launcher. Definitely true. Even though it will make painting harder, there’s simply no way to get everything to line up if you don’t do that.
In looking at this assembly, I decided to completely abandon the kit’s recommended build sequence. The instructions would have you build up a series of modules and then assemble them together. The problem with this is that if the parts are slightly misaligned, then when they’re put together you’ll see this and have no way to fix it.
Instead I decided I’d find a part to be the reference point and then add the other parts. In fact I ended up using two parts. For all of the movable items, I used the main grenade launcher body as the reference point. My logic was that everything had to line up with it to be correct. I also used the weapon ring for all of the parts that didn’t mount directly to the grenade launcher. Again my logic was that items like the grenade launcher mount needed to be positioned correctly to the ring or else they wouldn’t be lined up and would look funny.
This method ended up working really well and greatly reduced the risk of misaligning all of the little parts.
So once I’d built up the two assemblies, I then located the gunner figure’s body on the seat and glue it in place. The grenade launcher has a bar that comes out from the rear and is intended to rest on the figure’s left shoulder. That allowed me to mount the launcher in its support bracket and glue it in place there and on the figure’s shoulder, making a strong assembly.
After that I fitted the gunner’s arms which did require a bit of shaving and putty to get right. But the result is that he’s nicely gripping the weapon and sitting in the seat. Pretty cool actually.
One thing I did realize was that I needed to wait until these steps were completed before attaching the linkage that connects the bottom of the grenade launcher to the weapon mount. I believe this is a damper that keeps the weapon for bouncing all over the place while the vehicle is moving. But you really need to wait until this point to position the pieces or they’ll likely not all connect together.
So this was a tough step. But to be fair, I don’t think Accurate Armour could have done a better job on this assembly other than the assembly sequence. Let’s face it, some things are just really complicated and the only solution is to go slow and be patient. |
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