WC-51 3/4 ton weapons carrier

[Chariots of Fire]

I've put the top aside for now.  Got some 'wrinkles" to work out on its construction.  But here is where the build is of today.

Last thing done was to paint and assemble the headlight buckets, make up a blackout light and two small running lights for the front.  Time to start on the winch and front bumper.

Interior of the cab is done with all of the levers, controls etc.  I've added just a bit of wear on top surfaces such as the running board and the plate on each side the the cab where shoes would normally wear the paint away.  Still have some windshield wipers to make up and secure the clear sheet for the glass.

[Mattilacken]

Epic work on this truck! Great engineering! I am inspired! 

[hct728(Bob)]

Nice detail work on the dash! The model is really coming to life!

[iamsuperdan]

Most impressive!

[Chariots of Fire]

Quite a bit done since the last posting.  The project is nearly done.  Need some markings on the hood, bumper and sides.

[hct728(Bob)]

Nice save on the roof! Big improvement over the first (full) one, the rolled up sides and straps add so much realism to it! Love the winch and rope detail, you don't miss a chance to make it real, awesome! Photography's great too, no visible flaws to hide, I guess! LOL

[Chariots of Fire]

I love working with flat paints!  They hide a lot of those flaws!  Just finished the rear view mirror.  Now it's on to the slat seats in the back.  That's one reason I decided to roll up the tarp sides so you can see inside the body better.

[Paul Payne]

Any chance of a close up or two of the dash? It looks fantastic, would also like a pic or two of the power train shifting levers. Great modeling!

[Chariots of Fire]

This is about as good as I can get without removing the top.  I can do that if I am careful but in the meantime here is what I can show.  I need some better lighting as well.

[slusher]

Looking great!

[HJK]

Hi Charles, wow, this truck looks fantastic again. But to be honest, I didn't expect something else from ya . Can you please tell us a bit about the materials you used for the roof canvas and the leather straps and how you made and painted the parts? Thanks, Juergen

[Chariots of Fire]

Hello, Juregen:  The canvas roof, or tarp,is a single ply sheet of "kleenex" tissue that I draped dry over the brass frames.  Then I painted the tissue with a mixture of water and white glue.  The tissue needs to be plain with no imprints or designs otherwise they will show up in the final product.  I let it dry over night.  After it dried I gave it an outside only coat of Tamiya AS-6 which is the color of the model.  I let that dry.  I decided to roll up the sides rather than show them tied down.  Once rolled up I glued the sides in place.  Then I painted the whole thing again this time both inside and outside.  This sealed the "tarp" to the frame.  The straps are only strips of brown paper bag.  I used a small piece of brass wire to represent the buckles.  They are just glued down with CA which tends to seep into the paper.  To hold the straps in place under the rolled up tarp I made a small brass "U" out of wire, folded the end of the paper strip around it and glued it over.  Then I tucked the "U" under the rolled up tarp and glued it in place.  The final touch was to use some weathering powders to highlight the edges of the top and where it is drawn tight against the frames.  Military modelers use this technique all the time.  So I decided to give it a try.  Worked well. 

[Paul Payne]

Thank you so much for the additional photos of the dash and interior. The explanation for creating the tarp top is excellent- were you ever a teacher?

[Chariots of Fire]

Paul:  No, I was never a teacher but my work as a professional engineer and land surveyor required me to be able to put down in writing things that were clear and to the point.  Hopefully I have done that here.  In the meantime here are some updates of the dashboard area that you had inquired about.  Wow!  Closeups really exaggerate the flaws!  I've got some touchup to do in a couple of places.

The dash was made up separate from the rest of the interior from photos and drawings of the the truck taken from a technical manual.  I drew the gage cluster out in CAD, sized them to 1/25 scale and printed them out on clear decal film.  The bezels around the gages are photoetch items.  The instruction plates were done the same way using the ALPS black and silver cartridges.  The diamond plate floorboards are photoetch stainless steel that I got from a fellow modeler friend.  All of the knobs and switches at the bottom are common pins dabbed with some black marker on each face.  I can see I should have at least dusted off the interior before taking the photos.?

[Flynlo]

Another masterpiece Charles. your work and productivity are amazing!!!

[GLMFAA1]

Great job, What no stars? hope you are sage and sound, keep that model away from Henri?

greg

[Paul Payne]

Charles, thanks much for the additional photos- I see no flaws! I was a foundry tooling engineer for over 30 years and also learned the value of proper communication.

[Chariots of Fire]

9 hours ago, GLMFAA1 said:

Great job, What no stars? hope you are sage and sound, keep that model away from Henri?

greg

Some had stars and some didn't.  I think it was mostly the early models.  Later ones had identification of all sizes and placement was not necessarily standard.  They did put small stars on the sides of the body and one on the front bumper though.

Henri was a big bust for us.  It went on a westerly track that kept us clear of the wind.  We got some rain and there was a bit of coastal flooding that was more than normal as the full moon cycle came along at the same time.  Just lingering showers now.

[HJK]

Charles, Thanks very much for your explanation of the canvas roof. What flaws do you mean? I can't see any. No, honestly, you know where they are but I can't spot any. I really admire your building capabilities. Thanks again, Juergen