SD Kfz 1. Type 170 VK

Starting with the motor.... 

I have since gone back, and removed the obvious mould seam. The distributor is in the wrong place, so has since been removed.....and lost to the carpet monster. I will need to make a replacement. 

Working on the chassis and suspension. 

Painting fictional colours.... 

Whilst the chassis parts set, body work can be progressed. 

Some highlights as pre-shading, on body panels. Interior painting and detailing progressed in parallel. 

Test fit with the fan belt and fan added, after seating the motor in the chassis mounts. 

Some wear on the driver's and rear seats, then a general leather colour added. 

The dashboard beckoned.... 

...so I had to respond. The instrument dials are only raised circles, so all details are free-hand. I'll add a gloss coat to each instrument, for shiny glass effect. I've re-touched the background paint on the dashboard since seeing the close-up 😉 That grab handle is going to bug me until I change it for bent wire! 

Yes, both U pieces shattered whilst being removed from the sprue, and my repairs didn't go well. So, spare PE strips to the rescue!  

Correct shape, so just need to cut to length.  

Fitted, and ready for paint. 

Radiator and pipework done. Yes, both wheel arch supports shattered too. One repaired, and one still to be done. Replacement distributor still to be made. 

So, the grab handle has been replaced with copper wire. Much better than the dodgy repaired plastic... 

Progress is slow, but heading in the right direction. Both front windshield frames shattered so are repaired already. Tiny door handles installed inside and out. 

Bodywork painted. 

Front grill with winter baffle chosen, as I'll also use the main canvas roof. 

The engine bay space. The paint on the wings has a ridged texture, so I'll rub it down smooth and add a further coat more carefully. 

Body dry fitted onto the chassis, so I can see how the engine looks. Is it worth seeing, or shall I close up the covers? 

It's a very tight squeeze.... and the high tension lead is not perfectly positioned. 

Main lead re-positioned, and so just the loose ends of the four cables to connect to the distributor. Then I'll add extra CA before trying to paint the cables. 

Lots of fragile and small parts prepared, and some assemblies started too. 

Some clear sprue stretched thinner, then a cut end heated til it formed a blob.  

Two blobs for two headlamp bulbs. 

Wiring painted. 

I'll re-visit the rusty manifold before hiding everything under the bonnet. 

I do like a good shovel 😉 

Handrail for the rear seats added, in bent wire. The kit part had shattered into three.... 

Lot's of flash had to be removed, before assembly. One is a mirror and the other a spot light. 

An experiment with the spare bonnet. Four colours for rust.... 

.... Plus an undercoat of grey, then the top coat. I'll let that dry before trying out something new..... 

Without a bonnet.... 

....and with a barn find patina.  

I'm tempted to use this on the next one 🙂 

So, I managed to break the fine connection between the steering wheel and the column. To ensure the wheel is glued central to the column, I needed to form a sleeve from spare PE strip. The old glue nozzle is the ideal size to wrap around. 

And there it is. Much easier to do, after heating the metal and letting it cool again 

Sleeve glued to the wheel, and the tube was used to check it was central. 

It worked! Steering wheel now safety installed. 

Wing mirror and spot light are on brackets that also allow the (real) windscreen to hinge. On the model, it is simplified, but still used to position the brackets correctly. Unfortunately, I didn't quite install the windscreen perfectly.... 

I didn't fit the two rifles to the dashboard, as they would have clashed with the slope of the windscreen.  

Lot's of fine details painted and some subtle highlights added.  

For those with good eyesight, you may notice that the radiator is missing. It's a tight squeeze under the bonnet, so I chose to omit the radiator and fit the bonnet more comfortably. There are decals for tyre pressures to add above each wheel arch, but I'll leave them til today's glues and paints have matured. 

I've left the rear handrail bare for now, but will paint it later. The tyres need mare attention, for more even 'dusty' appearance.  

A little bit of rust on the exhaust... 

I need to tidy the number plate of that strip of white... 

The clear plastic edges of the headlights have been painted silver. They look better than bare plastic. I decided to leave off the hub caps, as I prefer to see the wheel nuts. 

Hmmm....so the bonnet is not well aligned, so has been dis-assembled. Re-assembly to follow. 

Rear handrail painted, so the copper wire is now covered. 

Still enjoying the dashboard gauges. No decals, no dry-brushing. Just a steady hand 🙂 

Spare wheel set deeper in the well.. 

And now declared finished 🙂