Dragon 1/35 Sd.Kfz. 250/3, Tunisia, 1942.

[Stikpusher]

I’d suggest other brands of liquid cement before Testors. Pretty much any other brand. Tamiya extra thin and Humbrol liquid poly are my two primary options now. For a more viscous cement, Model Master cement in the black squeeze container with a needle nozzle is a good item to have as well.

[speedgraflex]

For a more viscous cement, Model Master cement in the black squeeze container with a needle nozzle is a good item to have as well.

Aye. MM is the one I ordered. I called it Testors by mistake.



These photos are from "Dreamworks" on eBay. Builder's code name is "Volcano." These photos reveal the potential of the kit!

[Stikpusher]

I’m a firm believer that most any kit can be whipped into shape. It all depends upon the skills, talents, and imagination of the builder. That is a good kit, with typical early Dragon fit issues. Not over engineered, but not Tamiya shake & bake ease. The build you posted here now is more finishing technique rather than any wild build modifications. At least as far as I can see in the photos.

If you look here at how heavily modified this Sdkfz 232 was into a Sdkfz 263 by Sheperd Paine, and then his finishing technique some 40+ years ago...

http://sheperdpaine.atspace.com/spahwagen.htm

[speedgraflex]

You are the master, Carlos. I completely agree with you. One reason I stuck with the old Hasegawa Mustang is the fidelity of the kit. My belief is that a well-sculpted by hand not by pixel form is gonna be formidable. There are still many X-Wing experts who think the Estes Rocket Version was copied directly from the original ILM molds when in reality it was formed by hand sculpting... it's just that the hands doing the sculpting caught something... maybe something of the soul of the original model. I digress. Here, although the kit is 18 plus years old, it was probably built with CAD.... with too many individual parts cut out of the forms and poor instructions. Tracking back to Payne. He is an artist and I have been studying his work to come up with something for this...

https://www.spruefest.com

Also this image is important for study of the front end. They took off a fender...

[KSaarni]

Also this image is important for study of the front end. They took off a fender...

Or it got stucked in something and was ripped off...

- Kari

[speedgraflex]

Thanks, Kari. That is an interesting speculation! I had not thought of that.

Kit plastic: I need to rethink. Yesterday I loaded Model Master primer in the airbrush and made three passes. The paint reacted badly—gummy and tacky—and refused to cure after degassing. I am in the process of gently stripping off sections, but I may have to go the brake fluid route to get rid of the primer in nooks and crannies.

[Stikpusher]

The fenders are just sheet metal stampings, like any standard civilian vehicle. If they are damaged to the point of impeding vehicle operation such as the turning of the front tires for steering, they will be removed or repaired. The deciding factor being how quickly it needs to be back in service and the fix can be performed.

[speedgraflex]

Thanks, Carlos! I sincerely appreciate your explanation, which makes a lot of sense. I am still bummed by the primer fiasco—as well as still figuring out how to clean everything. Plus, one of the sides popped open slightly...

Stripped!

[KSaarni]

Well stripped! But how did you actually do that?
Liquids, times etc ?

- Kari

[speedgraflex]

Kari, thank you so much! Apologies for leaving out what I did, but basically this is an overview of how I stripped enamel primer from plastic. I soaked the plastic pieces in water, then used small sheets of folded 2,000 grit paper to start pulling off clumps of paint. I also use a little water at first to reduce friction. As the sandpaper clogs up I keep using it; the tack is actually increased. It is important to avoid bolts and panel lines and any soft detail areas and concentrate on flat surfaces. Then I let the plastic rest overnight. I actually let it rest for twelve hours. Since this was primer, I also soaked the pieces in vinegar for thirty minutes. Vinegar is my usual plastic degreaser before primer; not soap as this leaves oils behind. What worked really well here on the bolts, rivets and panel lines was toothpaste in an old electric toothbrush! That was how I finished stripping.

This is my variation on scraping to remove paint or in this case primer, followed by solvents, which would be the traditional methods. As far as time per step, it took me about 45 minutes to scrape/sand the flat exposed surfaces, then about five minutes to use the rotary toothbrush to polish the delicate areas.