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Heggy · Silver Star Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 2302

Good luck with the jeep

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Michael
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DavidM · Posted: Tue 23 Jan 2007 09:23 am Post subject:

Since it's nearly Jeeping time, I'd better set out my stall.

Thanks to my pre-Christmas assault on my CC this will be a strictly 'come as you are' build, using models I already have in my stash.

So I will be building:

Airfix 1/76th Jeep from the Buffalo kit

Matchbox 1/76th Jeep using parts from the LRDG set (minus guns)

Nitto 1/76th Jeep.

Be interesting to see how one manufacturers' 1/76th compares to anothers

This should allow for a range of colour schemes and markings. The Airfix jeep has Canadian Army serials, despite being carried in a British Buffalo and having a US crew in the boxart (confused yet?). Matchbox's will get desert colours, like the one from the Greek Sacred Squadron I spotted in a book on General Leclerc. And the Nitto one wil be in US Army markings if I can find where I put the transfer sheet (which has markings identical to the old Tamiya 1/35th jeep).

David
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Heggy · Silver Star Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 2302

Wow three different paint and decals schemes ! Will you have time ?
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Michael
What's the use between death and glory?
BabyShambles

DavidM · Posted: Wed 24 Jan 2007 08:38 am Post subject:

Well we do have two months

Think it'll only be two sets of decals as the Greek one doesn't have any visible markings - it's such a distant shot that you can hardly see more than it is a Jeep

David
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DavidM · Posted: Thu 19 Apr 2007 09:17 am Post subject:

Which reminds me - I forgot to post anything about actually building the Jeeps. As the Matchbox jeeps have been extensively covered, I won't say anything more about them.

The Nitto/Fujimi one was a real trip back to the 70s. Nitto had evidently had a good look at the original Tamiya jeep and scaled part of it down. This meant that there was an engine-shaped lump, but no way of seeing it as the bonnet was closed and the chassis was moulded solid. The underside did have drive shafts, but there wasn't any attempt at a transfer box. For some unknwn reason the hubs were devoid of any detail, apart from a bit of flash, I've no idea why Nitto left them blank, but they did.

The old ejection pin mark had to be filled on the bodywork, some were on the outside just to annoy. Shapes were a little crude and the radiator grill was on a par with the Academy one unfortunately. Rear reflectors were moulded as little raised features like bolt heads and needed flattening off to look right. There was no attempt to provide a raised hood and the frame for the folded one was a little square. Seats were quite chunky and only a gear stick was provided - so no 4-wheel drive then

Windscreen didn't have any clear part, but there was a depression for me to add some myself from some clear sheet.

I left off the driver as he would have found it a little difficult to drive without any legs. Also dumped was the .50cal which was v chunky.

Marking were US Army only, therefore OD it is then, and identical to the original 1/35th Tamiya model.

So at the end the result is something that is in some ways slightly more detailed than the nearly contemporary Matchbox example, but lacks the delicacy that the Matchbox one has. IMHO neither really tackles the wheels properly, though Matchbox (again) is slightly better.

David
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Ratch · Posted: Thu 19 Apr 2007 17:03 pm Post subject:

any pix

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DavidM · Posted: Fri 20 Apr 2007 07:51 am Post subject: