Military Wheels Lublin-51 - cab assembled, wheels attached, and a problem encountered.

Once I made up a new gearlever to replace the one lost (made is perhaps too strong a word, I just cut a length of styrene rod to suit) I glued the upper and lower parts of the cab together;

I used an elastic band to hold them whilst the glue set, which has left some marks that I need to remove. Ho hum.

Attaching the wheels was the next job, easy enough until I fitted the spare. This sits between the chassis members and the load bed, but is actually too wide for the space provided so there was a gap between the bed and the chassis when the wheel was fitted. The solution was to file down the top of the spare wheel and carve away part of the underside of the bed, as seen below;

Now the bed sits as it should;

Its getting there.

I bought, for a modest fee via eBay, a Czech magazine from a partwork on East European vehicles featuring the Lublin-51. I was hoping that it would include a decent photo of the rear end showing the light arrangement, but in that I was disappointed. There was however a decent photo of some hardworking Polish citizens fitting the wheels onto a wooden cabbed example;

The next jobs will be to touch up the paint on the spare wheel and load bed where I've filed and carved, make up a rear view mirror for the drivers side, and weather the chassis before final assembly.

Paul.

Military Wheels Lublin-51 - painting the cab, decals and glazing.

Sometimes I do things in the wrong order...

I primed the cab with Vallejo grey surface primer, but not before I removed the raised circle on the drivers (left hand) side of the cab, and drilled a hole for and fitted the petrol filler. Then the cab could be sprayed with Vallejo 890 Refractive Green. This was followed by a coat of Vallejo gloss varnish along with the load bed sides and rear, ready for the decals to be applied. I had a few problems with the decals, probably my own fault, luckily only the large rear decal shows slight damage. That one, along with the drivers cab side and the front numberplate came apart when being slid off the backing sheet, but with patience and prodding I managed to align the separated parts. Another coat of gloss sealed them in place, and helped to hide the carrier film although it can be seen on the load bed where the decals haven't settled into the planking. I used Carrs Decalfix, but I think that I shall invest in a better setting solution.

Driver's side, this decal gave me trouble;

As did the numberplate, which separated into about five pieces, the smallest piece being less than a millimetre long;

The load bed rear, note the damage to the 'U' and how the decal sits on rather than in the gaps in the planks;

Luckily the decals on the passenger door and bed sides slid into place without issue;

After giving the cab and load bed a couple of coats of Vallejo matt varnish I turned my attention to the glazing. This is a job that I dislike, so I usually put it off until after painting. This was a mistake.

I used the front windscreen that came with the kit, but rather than fitting it from the inside as intended I filed down the outer lip so that it could be fitted flush into the cab, improving the fit and look of the windscreen. The side and rear windows weren't used as they were a poor fit, instead I made up 5 new panels from 1mm acrylic(?) sheet. This meant that I could make the glazing flush fitting like the windscreen. To reduce the 'prismatic' effect that you get when using quite thick glazing material the edges were painted body colour before fitting, and the windscreen surround was painted black. All that fitting meant that the cab needed a lot of handling, which despite careful handling wore away the paint in several places, most noticeably on the rear of the cab roof;

So I had to carefully mask off the cab door decals and touch up those areas that needed it, a perfect job for my Aerograph, which was also used for varnishing. In future I must remember to sort out the glazing before painting the cab, even if it is to be fitted afterwards.

With the glazing fitted;

The windscreen fit isn't brilliant, but it will do. The 'screens fold outwards on the prototype.

A drop of Johnson's Kleer sealed the glazing in place.

And another page from the manual;

Just so you know where everything sits...

The next jobs will be making a new gear lever to replace the one that I lost, glueing in the dashboard and steering wheel, then assembling the cab.

Paul.

A quick and simple photoplank. With the emphasis on simple. And quick.

My modelling will soon going off in a different direction as I'm about to start messing about with 1:72 scale aircraft. I want something other than a piece of card to photograph them on, so I've knocked up this;

Thinking along the lines of a well kept grass airfield I bought an off-cut of 'summer meadow' grass mat from t'bay, and glued it onto a piece of MDF which was painted black. Total cost was not-a-lot, the only bought item being the grass as everything else was taking up room in the house.

I've kept it super simple deliberately, so that the focus is on the model and not the setting, although I should really find a piece of blue card to use as a background rather than the neighbour's rubble wall.

(The lorry is for display purposes only and does not come with the photo-plank. So there.)

Paul.

Paasche model H airbrush

'Tatty but useable' read the description in its entirety. And for less than a tenner I became the owner of a Paasche 'H' airbrush, along with a matching hose (since given away). The finger button for the air valve was missing, as was anything to hold paint.

Its a single action brush, like my recently aquired Badger 200NH, but unlike the Badger its external mix. Most Paasche 'brushes have the rear part of the handle made of plastic, on this one the rear is plated brass like the main body, which I feel makes for nicer balance.

Tatty it was, and quite dirty. First of all I fitted a quick disconnect coupling (a rather smart Harder and Steenbeck job) and blew some air through it, which proved that the air valve was working as it should. Then with a Badger colour cup fitted I sprayed some screenwash, playing with the paint flow adjuster, which also worked as it should. However the end of the tip (the conical part that fits over the needle and is moved back and forth to regulate the paint flow) was damaged and needed replacing. The entire colour adjuster can be removed by loosening a set screw and sliding the needle assembly out of the body. Which would have worked if the needle wasn't stuck fast, refusing to budge even when held tight in pliers. So, I sawed the needle in half and drifted the stuck part out with a hammer and a suitable length of steel. Strong-arm tactics in airbrush repair... Then I stripped out the air valve and set to the body with Brasso whilst it was in pieces. The finish isn't perfect, but now it looks like a tool that someone uses rather than one that's been abandoned in the back of the shed.

Here's the remains of the needle still stuck in the body;

And removed;

Air valve stripped down;

I bought a new needle/tip assembly. This wasn't a problem, spares are easy to find and I planned to replace them anyway. Here's the old and new ones;

And complete again;

Also fitted is a new finger button (I planned to turn one but the replacements are so cheap it wasn't worth the effort of making my own), and a colour cup;

Again, I've had the pleasure of making good an old and neglected tool.

Paul.