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Post by 406 Silverado on Feb 26, 2019 11:22:00 GMT -5
Lima type 604 Construction Shovel
By Masterpiece Models
1/35 Scale full resin kit Build review
With the in box review done it's now time to start building the Lima 604. As I had mentioned before this is a lot of flash on nearly all of the parts, some of it is so thin it just falls off, some will require a bit of work. The first thing I did was to assess what parts go where by referring to the instructions, and separating these parts in containers before I started any clean up. Since the cabin is very big and all the excess thin resin removed from the windows I started with this part first. For removal of all the flash and excess resin I dug out various shaped metal files, sanding sticks and knives with #11 and scalpel blades.I first removed the bulk of the thin resin from the windows one section at a time and sanding down using the metal files. This is tedious work and care should be taken so as not to break any of the fragile panes. I did break one pane due to applying too much pressure in the wrong spot while cleaning the rear windows,but this can be repaired with some super glue. A test fit on the cabin floor to check fit. I next followed the instructions and started the build with the suspension rails, wheels and center support section with traversing ring. Clean up of all the parts was easy and no fit issues with assembly.The only issue was the exact placement of the traversing motor on the large ring. Thinking ahead to the painting of the model I went ahead and airbrushed black primer between the rails before attaching the sprocket and return wheels. I knew that once the wheels and tracks were on it would be difficult to paint between the rails and the bright white resin would be visible. So far not too bad. Next will be the time consuming part of cleaning the flash off all the drive chain sections and the track links. Stay tuned for more fun....
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Post by 406 Silverado on Feb 27, 2019 21:14:02 GMT -5
I decided to start work on the shovel dipper arm and Boom. The hole in the sleeve wasn't large enough to slide the arm through, so I used metal files to hollow out the sleeve the arm is inserted into so that it would move freely.
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joelsmith
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Member since: July 2012
There no winners in war, only survivors.
Posts: 1,404
Jul 5, 2012 22:33:58 GMT -5
Jul 5, 2012 22:33:58 GMT -5
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Post by joelsmith on Feb 27, 2019 21:47:35 GMT -5
Lookin real nice Rob. What vintage is the crane?
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Post by 406 Silverado on Feb 28, 2019 9:47:51 GMT -5
Not really sure since there isn't much info out there on this one. But I think it was early to mid 20th century. There were dragline and cranes also on the Lima.
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M1Carbine
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Member since: November 2012
Posts: 1,616
Nov 16, 2012 2:49:11 GMT -5
Nov 16, 2012 2:49:11 GMT -5
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Post by M1Carbine on Feb 28, 2019 15:42:46 GMT -5
Looks real nice Rob. Also looks to be extremely delicate.
-Bob
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joelsmith
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Member since: July 2012
There no winners in war, only survivors.
Posts: 1,404
Jul 5, 2012 22:33:58 GMT -5
Jul 5, 2012 22:33:58 GMT -5
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Post by joelsmith on Feb 28, 2019 16:54:27 GMT -5
So painting it OD, and adding a census number is not out of the question?
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 2, 2019 9:34:02 GMT -5
So painting it OD, and adding a census number is not out of the question? LOL no OD on this one my friend. I'm going with the gray over red colors.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 2, 2019 9:36:01 GMT -5
Looks real nice Rob. Also looks to be extremely delicate. -Bob yes and no. I haven't broken any parts yet except the one window pane, but that was due to me putting too much pressure while holding the cab to clean the rear window. The drive chains are a bit fragile but should be no issue.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 2, 2019 10:09:23 GMT -5
I spent a couple of days working on the boom, dipper and shovel. After drilling out holes as noted in the instructions the shovel is workable with the supplied pins. I had no problems in this area or mounting the shovel on the dipper. The finished boom minus the drive chain. The two large pulleys are not glued in place so they can be painted separate from the boom. Boom and dipper with shovel test fitted. I decided to pre prime the winch before gluing it in position, mainly because it may have been difficult to reach the underside of the drum and inner part of the mounts when painting. With the flash removed from the cab and a closer inspection of the exterior I did notice some of the rivets were either not fully cast and a couple missing on the rear. Also looking at the rivets on the front where we have all the windows some rivets, or bolt heads, seemed to be too 'soft' for my taste. Again, thinking ahead to primer,paint and weathering I feared some would disappear or be barely visible. So I decided to replace all of the rivets/bolt heads. I used my home made punch and die/ rivet puncher I made nearly 20 years ago punch out two sizes of rivets. New rivet/bolt head details stand out more and will be easier to paint and weather. After studying what reference images I could find of the Lima 604 and other similar equipment I decided to add a bit of detail to the counter weight at the rear of the cab base. I first drilled four large holes roughly 1/8th inch and glued resin nuts/bolt I found in my spares box. I had intended to build the kit as is out of the box but decided to add some details here and there that will work more with what I have planned. The rivets/bolt are fine except for the few that didn't cast well and I could have just replaced those, but again I am thinking ahead and how it will be displayed.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 5, 2019 10:34:25 GMT -5
Some progress from the past few days. I have deviated a bit from the kit instructions in order for easier assembly and painting. I decided to add a bit more detail to the cab by adding two grab handles for climbing in and out of the cab, an exhaust on the roof as well as new control levers made from copper wire. Next up was some base primer on the interior and the exterior details and panel lines as a preshade. I also started to add some dark rust base on the cab. Now that she has some color the details are more visible compared to the white resin which made seeing any details difficult.
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Post by Leon on Mar 5, 2019 11:18:23 GMT -5
This is coming along nicely Rob
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 5, 2019 19:12:25 GMT -5
Thanks Laon. Just figuring things out as I go along lol. Not sure yet what the color scheme will be or how much rust to show so I went ahead and put down a rust base lol.
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afvfan
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Member since: December 2012
Bob
Posts: 1,772
Dec 10, 2012 17:32:38 GMT -5
Dec 10, 2012 17:32:38 GMT -5
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Post by afvfan on Mar 6, 2019 12:23:03 GMT -5
Though they aren't many, the added details really help. This is a prime example that you don't have to go overboard to make the model more interesting. I like the direction the base coloring is going.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 7, 2019 9:57:20 GMT -5
Though they aren't many, the added details really help. This is a prime example that you don't have to go overboard to make the model more interesting. I like the direction the base coloring is going. I was very tempted to do more, like improve on the winch, add a motor, open the rear doors etc but decided not to. If this was a plastic kit I probably would have done a lot more.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 7, 2019 11:02:16 GMT -5
Time for more an updat on the Lima. The kit includes one of what is described as a motor, which in fact is a roller and should be four of them. I contacted Masterpiece Models and they sent me three additional roller parts. The kit instructions will also be updated to show the four rollers and their correct placement. The underside of the cab floor has location mounts for the four roller. When installing the rollers it’s best first to only place two of the rollers, either at the front or rear, then slide the ring in place. Then the final two rollers will hold the ring and suspension assembly in place. I will keep two of the rollers off and install them later on when painting and weathering of the suspension and cab is completed. This will make the painting/weathering process much easier in the long run. I also worked on the tracks and cleaned the many drive chains supplied in the kit. Looking at reference pics I noticed most of the tracks had four drain holes in each link, and so after a few hours of carefully drilling holes in each link I finally had all the links cleaned and ready for assembly. To assemble the tracks it’s best to start with drive sprocket since the links are not workable and cannot be adjusted later. I did notice that when the tracks are on the sprockets there is a gap between the links that is a bit too big and should be closer together, keeping in mind that they are held together by track pins. A couple of hours later the track runs were completed but not glued to the rollers and sprockets. I made the tracks removable in order to paint them off the suspension and also making painting/weathering of the suspension accessible from all angles. With the tracks assembled I started working on the drive chains, first on the suspension. This part is a bit fiddly so take your time and test fit each run of chain first before gluing them in place. With the chains on the suspension assembled I airbrushed primer and base rust colors on the chains and also both runs of tracks. The chains assembly on the boom underway, again, slow process of test fitting each section of chain. I cut down link section for a good fit over the gears sprockets. Test fit pics of the cab mounted onto the suspension. The major sub assemblies with primer and base rust color, minus the cab.
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buddho
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Feb 24, 2019 11:08:36 GMT -5
Feb 24, 2019 11:08:36 GMT -5
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Post by buddho on Mar 8, 2019 9:06:49 GMT -5
Excellent SBS thread, and fun to watch come together.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 8, 2019 11:22:58 GMT -5
Ready for some base colors. A mock up of the cab with boom and dipper before I had applied the base rust color to the cab. Although the boom and dipper are movable, you have to decide on the position in order to glue the drive chains to the boom from the cab/winch are in place. I am leaving the chain in two sections in order to have the boom/dipper off for painting. The drive chain is now in place and I have painted and weathered the operators position in the cab. The model is now ready for base colors. My thoughts on the kit and assembly, is that it's a nice kit kit but there are some things I didn't like. The color of the resin (white) makes clean up a chore as it is difficult to see any details and you risk removing or damaging some of the finer details. Although the flash is very thin on most of the parts there was still a lot of it. The use of a stiff nylon brush helped remove most of the finer flash and a knife took care of the rest. My eyes aren't what they used to be so I did miss some flaws in the resin casting that was only visible once I applied primer and the base rust color, again this may be due to the white resin. I would recommend applying some primer color on the larger parts to check for flaws before you start the assembly if your kit comes in white resin. The drive chains are very fragile and I did break a couple, but there are extras in the kits if you do break a couple during clean up. The window panes are also delicate so be very careful removing the thin flash and sanding the frame and panes. Follow the kit instructions, especially when it comes to gluing the cab to the floor. The drive chains and cables need to be installed to the winch before you do the final assembly of the cab. With the build up done I will only post some random photos of the painting as I anticipate doing a magazine article of the Lima and so I don't want to give too much away lol.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 8, 2019 11:30:39 GMT -5
For painting and weathering of the Lima I had planned on doing a nice old rust bucket, and so I had applied an overall rust base color and a couple of light coats of chipping fluid. I decided not to do as much rust after all and want to show some of the base colors. Here is the reference photo of kind of what I first had in mind. Instead I will go with something like the one in this reference photo. Still rusty but retaining the original base colors, but with lots of weathering for aging effects. Lat night I spent a couple of hours applying the base colors and some chipping effects. For me this will be the fun part of building this model. I will post some up date pics now and then so you can see how she is coming along.
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Post by Steve Zuleski on Mar 8, 2019 11:48:03 GMT -5
Nice choice Rob, perfect exercise in rust work. Masterpiece models has some incredible rare kits, awesome. Bookmarked!
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 8, 2019 11:55:00 GMT -5
This one is a very cool kit Steve. Also good to get back into the rust thing again lol.
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Post by Leon on Mar 9, 2019 8:40:27 GMT -5
Nice start on the base colors and rust Rob!
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buddho
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Post by buddho on Mar 9, 2019 16:43:20 GMT -5
Wow, does that look good!
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afvfan
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Member since: December 2012
Bob
Posts: 1,772
Dec 10, 2012 17:32:38 GMT -5
Dec 10, 2012 17:32:38 GMT -5
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Post by afvfan on Mar 10, 2019 0:28:15 GMT -5
Good start on the paint, Rob. I didn't realize how small that thing is until I saw the first pic with the guy standing behind it.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 10, 2019 12:06:18 GMT -5
Thanks fellas. Did a bit more rust over the last two days, still more to do on the cab before I tackle the boom/dipper.
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buddho
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Feb 24, 2019 11:08:36 GMT -5
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Post by buddho on Mar 11, 2019 5:05:03 GMT -5
Fantastical weathering on the crane...😮
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 15, 2019 11:46:56 GMT -5
A teaser of the progress so far. Slow going at the moment but she's getting there.
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Post by Steve Zuleski on Mar 15, 2019 12:06:00 GMT -5
Dang Rob, this is nuts realism, wow!
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 16, 2019 15:18:12 GMT -5
Thanks Steve. Slow progress due to having to take photos of the weathering process.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Mar 18, 2019 7:54:19 GMT -5
Update on the Lima. Finally have the suspension nearly completed as far as weathering goes. I still have to add some weathering to the tracks today. As I mentioned in the review, I plan on replacing the provided string that is used for the cables with what I had on hand, but it was a bit on the thick side so I ordered some new nylon string for the cables. I'll be using .6mm and .8mm string for all the cables once they arrive. Until then I have to hold off on the assembly of the cab to the floor. In the meantime I'll work on the glass for the windows this week. Here are the strings I'll use for cables.
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Post by Steve Zuleski on Mar 22, 2019 11:01:56 GMT -5
Thanks for the intel on the cable thread, very useful! Can you repeat the link or location where you got the thread from Rob? I need some better stock myself.
Cheers, Ski.
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