1/35 Trumpeter Faun SLT-56 Tank Transporter

[ForbesHutton]

So I'm in with this:



Opened the box to find:



804 parts!

Did I mention it's a big box? How about a comparison to a more normal size kit:



The box says the model will be 570mm long! That 22" for the Americans and other stuck in the 1800s. The box side even gives you an idea of how this monster compares to a Leopard 2:



Since Norm already did an excellent in box review, and he knows more about these monsters than I do, I'll refer you to his video if your interested:

[youtube]TqQfE5X_CLc[/youtube]

I'm going to build just the transporter for the SIG and will add the hauled vehicle later. I'm also going to build it as seen in Afghanistan, there's only a couple of pictures that show up in a quick search, such as:



It seems I can use the NATO 3 colour camo and just add ISAF decals to the doors. Some Peddinghaus decals are already on the way:



As for the riding vehicle, I'm not sure if Germany sent any Leopards to Afghanistan, but I know they sent Pzh 2000s, and I've already built the Revvell version, but I'm considering the Meng version with the add on roof armour:





The Pzh 2000 is a monster in it's own right, and it may make the Faun seem smaller than it is with with such a large SPG on the back. I may going with a smaller vehicle just to maintain the impression of bulk.

That's all for now...

[ForbesHutton]

BTW - 34 wheels. I think I meet the requirements....

[gaz45]

Very nice choice good luck with the build

[Lysus]

Woah...you're gonna need a bigger case to display that in...and maybe some aspirin for all those parts.

Nice choice, I'm following this for sure.

[ForbesHutton]

So a quick update:

The tractor is going to be a pain, step 1 is to install all the windows in the cab, I'm pretty sure I'll assemble all the plastic, paint the interior, THEN install the glass and drop the cab on to the frame. While I mull this over I started on the trailer:



The loading scissor ramps still have to go on, along with more PE .



Except for the front two axles on the trailer, all the wheels can be moved if you ignore the instructions to glue the pins in place, there's enough friction to hold everything in place if you don't sand like a madman. This would be a really interesting development if you have the space to build a diorama (or base) big enough to show this thing in a turn.

While bored, I unbagged the cab:



Yep. That's white stressed plastic at the top of the window pillar:



It must have been damaged while in the loving tender hands of the postal office.

Making the problem a little clearer:



I'm going to have to warm the plastic in warm-hot water and force the door into place before it cools....

[Lysus]

Damn.

Good luck.

[Matt58]

Cant wait to see that all done. Have you tried to contact Trumpeter maybe you can get a cab from them

[ForbesHutton]

So the trailer is done and ready for paint:





The tires will go on after paint.

Did I mention she's a big girl?

[ForbesHutton]

So I got some paint on the trailer and stuck the wheels on:



I'm going to leave the detail painting and weathering until the tractor is done, that way I'll not forget what I used/did to the trailer and it'll look consistent between the two.

I put the tractor frame and cab in front, just to give an idea of the size:

[ForbesHutton]

So the cab has been saved!



A bowl of boiling water. Dipped the plastic in for a minute, pulled it out and straightened it a bit with PE pliers (shown in the photo) and repeated a couple of times. Then one more hot water bath to soften the plastic again and jammed the door into the opening and held it there for a moment as the plastic cooled. It's not completely straight and the door was ready to pop out but some Tamiya extra thin is holding everything in place.

I can now continue without having to build it as a roll-over accident.

[Lysus]

Nice recovery. As neat as an overturned truck might be, this is a better outcome.

[gaz45]

Looking good mate

[ForbesHutton]

The original plan was to build the cab interior and the cab exterior, paint both, dry fit them together and place them on the model with the openings masked from the inside, paint everything, the pull the masks, put in the glass and then glue the cab onto the interior.
The construction of the cab didn't allow for this, the front bumper and lower steps span both the interior and exterior sections and would have required, if I used the above plan, placing them on after everything else was done, including the camo colours, and painting the steps last. I didn't want to do this so instead the inner and outer were built and painted, including the camo colours so I don't have to paint near the windows later, glues together and the bumper and steps added.


The running gear is also done, the tires are only loosely on the rims to create clearance for the mudflaps when then go on, otherwise they'll break when I add them and put the model down. The cab is just placed on the frame for the photo, with the beacon poles and mirrors it's too delicate to keep on there while I work on the rest of the model (despite what the instructions want).



I know I've mentioned it before, it's a monster, even the tractor is bigger than a Panther

[Matt58]

That's coming along very nice

[ForbesHutton]

So the assembly on the tractor is pretty much done.





What's left before painting there's tons of wires and tubes to go on:



The tubes are dark enough to make out, but I used highlighters on the different wire runs:





I had no desire to be a plumber or an electrician, let alone one in 1/35.

[ForbesHutton]

The wiring was a mess. I used the wrong wire in one spot, which didn't leave enough for where it was supposed to go, so I had to improvise with wire I had lying around. Combined with the difficulty of glueing the tip of the wire to plastic....
I put some thinned white glue on the thread/cable to stiffen it a bit before painting:





And with that I was finally able to splash some paint on it:

[Davethepitch]

Nice build I enjoyed doing my Faun as well.

[ForbesHutton]

The painting is done.
Gloss coat went on.
The decals went on.
Two more gloss coats went on.
And a quick pin wash was done.











Flat coats and weathering will wait until I have something to ride on the back so I can match the weathering better.
At this point I'm stopping with this build. As stated, I don't feel I can completely finish it with a passenger, and I want to get on with the Pz4 build before time gets too tight with that.

[Lysus]

Really is one big sucker. Where will you park it while it waits for a rider? Not in the Detolf, maybe the driveway?

[ForbesHutton]

Really is one big sucker. Where will you park it while it waits for a rider? Not in the Detolf, maybe the driveway?

I'd have to twist it into a spiral to get it in the Detolf. The neighbor's dog never uses his dog house, I might be able to rent it for the winter for a couple of Scoobie Snacks a month.

[Lysus]

Really is one big sucker. Where will you park it while it waits for a rider? Not in the Detolf, maybe the driveway?

I'd have to twist it into a spiral to get it in the Detolf. The neighbor's dog never uses his dog house, I might be able to rent it for the winter for a couple of Scoobie Snacks a month.

Sounds like a bargain, then. I'm sure the housing market being like it is he could use the renter income.

[Matt58]

Wow nice job looks great

[gaz45]

awesome job there mate looks great