Trade for Oranges?

Starting with the Tamiya motorcycle. So far the Voyager PE has been a bit of trouble with poor instructions IMO. The worst part was the rear seat support. The instructions are vague but it looks like they show the parts installed upside down. I'm not using a lot of the PE braces; they are just too fiddly. right behind the motorcycle you can see a jig I modeled and 3D printed so I could bend the spoke parts easily. It made a huge difference.  

Finished bike. If anyone wants it, the spoke jig file is available for free here: cults3d.com/en/3d-mo..us/dkw-nx350-rim-jig 

 

Miniart was nice enough to provide a jig and enough PE for two tries at the grille but I ruined them both. I think it needs to be soldered like Uncle Nightshift did on his. 3D printing to the rescue! 

The detail is beautiful on this Miniart kit, but I keep losing tiny bits and I'm looking forward to a Tamiya kit for the next build. 

The wheels on this kit are really wonderfully made. 

After a very long time I've done some more work on this. The truck is built and I've started assembling and modifying the figures to suit the scene. On the left is a US fellow examining Grandpa's bike. The fellow in the middle will be Grandpa, and the guy on the right will be painted up to look like someone just arrived from the States; a crisp new uniform, clean duffel bag and helmet, etc. In between Grandpa and the newbie will be the unrolled blanket with Grandpa's wares of German pistols, medals, etc. that he is trading for oranges. 

Another revision to the layout and I think I've got it settled. I've eliminated one of the figures; partly because it seemed odd to have so many people riding in a cargo truck, but also because I simply couldn't make the figure work anywhere given its pose. This arrangement is also helping to make my grandpa fig more of the focus. I've also added a tire and a jack to explain the truck being stopped.  

I couldn't find any reference to what sort of jack a truck like this would have had, but I felt it would help sell the scenario if there was a jack in view. I found a 1941 catalog of Hein-Werner jacks online, and I picked an 8-ton version. It seemed reasonable that the Army would just order a pre-existing product like this, paint it olive-drab and send it to Europe with the truck. So I 3D modeled one and printed it. I'll add a bit of brass or styrene rod for the handle.  

Figure on the left is my grandpa as I imagine him. I 3d sculpted his head from a UN id card I found in the Arolson Archives online.  

This is my grandfathers ID card that I found in the Arolsen Archives online. This is what I based my head sculpt on. 

The bike looks good. I had planned to build a PE saddlebag to show it open but the Voyager bags were a pain and i didn’t need the trouble so I added the PE handles and locks to the Tamiya kit bags.  

Finally some paint on things. The truck is mostly done with just some dusty weathering all around needed. I turned the truck around to hide a mistake.  

Ground work and base are completed and ready for paint. It’s not bad but the static grass was a bit limp.  

After two years I finally have my first of four figures done for this dio. I love Master Box figs; always great poses and faces with adaptability built in (IMO). I ended up using Vallejo German Camo Brown with an umber wash for the Ike jacket. This was as close as I could get to the reference images I could find. It was definitly NOT Olive Drab. More to come soon hopefully. 

It's finally finished. I'm happy with the way it turned out, and I hope my dad likes it. It all came together well in the end, but I did have trouble fitting the windshield, one of the last pieces I added. The text on the front is Ukrainian and says "Daddy, where did you find oranges?" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally got to use a sign from that Tamiya sign set I bought in the 80s. Mittenwald is where the DP camp my dad was in. The camp buildings are still there; it's a Bundeswehr base that trains mountain troops. 

 

You can hopefully make out the Iron Cross in this guys hand. A tiny PE part from the MiniArt set. I added a ribbon with a bit of Tamiya tape. 

 

 

 

This is an 8-ton jack I modeled and printed. The handle is a bit of brass rod. 

The 3D printed front grille worked out well.