Saturday 31 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2 Puma #10

Model is finally finished. All interior and exterior details on proper places, turret fitted into the body. Model has got rotating wheels, turret hatches can be opened and turret itself can be turned. Assembly of the model went quite smoothly, with couple of minor problems which were quickly sorted out. I am very fond of the interior, despite its simplicity I enjoyed assembly very much, and in future, all my models if possible will have interior done as well.

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2 Puma #9

Main part of the model is finally finished. All details are in proper places: fuel cans, rear view mirrors, lights, tools, shovels, bumper, spare wheel, metal loops, opened visors and wheels.





Saturday 24 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2 Puma #8

Most of front details of upper body are done. Bumper, lights, fuel cans, shovels, lights, visors which I have put in open position to get as many points of view on the interior as possible. Antennas, rear view mirrors (for both drivers), spare wheel mounting brackets and tools are to be made yet. After finishing these details wheels will be put on and fixed to stay on the model. Rotating all 8 wheels will be possible as well.  


Tuesday 20 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2 Puma #7

Model is taking proper shape now, as I have added more details to the main body. I have made engine plate with all the hatches and grilles and side armor details as well. These were pretty easy to make but time consuming as most sides of each part had to be painted. Making gray extraction units took some time, especially approaching with cautiousness after being informed by fellow modelers that some problems may occur there. I did my checking ("try few times before fixing it") and it turned out to be quite alright. Main outer strip (round shaped, with the hole cut for extraction pipes which I will add up later on to avoid problems with handling) was 1mm too long on each end - that is nothing good pair of scissors won't fix. I made pipes out of copper cable (2mm diameter), painted to suit rest of the unit. 

Most of the model is already done, so now I will have all great fun with very small bits -  jerry cans, bumpers, lights, hooks, antennas and visors (visors will be made in open position to let some light in into the interior) . As some people say The Devils is in Details and I totally agree -  details will probably take more time than making the whole body... 

Sunday 18 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2 Puma #6

Working up late yesterday I managed to put together and fit one side and wheels cover, and second has just been completed. It was tricky assembly as plenty of different angles and angled connections caused paper to wave and move. I had some small issues with length and width of top part of side armor. Minor cutting was applied  and all visible imperfections have been removed. Small gaps and grooves were filled with Super Glue and after will be painted. There are some very small gaps between main hull and top parts of both sides which will not be filled with Super Glue as the other ones - most of them will be covered by jerry cans and other details.


Saturday 17 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2 Puma #5 /Update /



At last suspension is finished.  It will stay without wheels on until the final stage of assembly. Model with wheels on would be too bulky and heavy to handle, moreover rotating wheels on paper axis might cause damage.

Monday 12 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2Puma #4

Suspension is slowly shaping up, front and rear of the lower hull have been fitted with steering system brackets. 4 more to follow on the middle part of the body as soon as parts are painted.

I have done some first wheel checking, and as someone has said before about this model that it looks like a coffin on wheels, I totally agree. Also, even lacking spring unit, it stands firmly and with no visible bending on flexible joints.


Saturday 10 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2 Puma #3

Assembly of first suspension unit took some time but finally I managed to make it. Every part is made out of 3 or more smaller parts or card reinforcements. In that quantity, even with 8 units to do, it makes building process long, even boring at some point - patience is a real friend here as well as small change of subject like a good book, movie or a game from time to time.


Thursday 8 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2 Puma #2

Suspension takes some doing, especially rolling lots and lots of small tubes out of long strips of paper. Painting will also wait until all subparts are ready to put together. I have just done wheel drums and working on traction pins. When pins are ready, basic suspension will be mounted on the lower hull. Next step will be upper suspension mounted on the bottom hull and reaching mid section. It makes a unit of leaf springs,  one for two wheels.


Friday 2 March 2012

Sdkfz 234/2 Puma

  Sdkfz 234/2 Puma is my current project - German 8 wheeler, heavy armored car from World War II. It is a paper/card model, from MODELIK publisher. As the matter of fact, it is my second approach to this "kitten". A few years ago I started building it, made only carcass and cut out few other pieces but during moving house (I was leaving my university and going home for holidays)   I lost what I have done and left only with remains of the models. Recently I have purchased another copy of it and got back to work, from scratch after copying few sheets with missing parts.

So far I made 9 wheels (one spare mounted at the back), upper and lower hull's carcass with the interior (which is not too complex or historically accurate, but it is an interior after all, not entirely visible though; it was also my first attempt to do a model in full detail available) features front and rear drivers compartment, battle compartment (in hull as well as in the turret, not made yet). Carcass has been covered by outer body and suspension has been started. In every vehicle suspension is the most time consuming and patience requiring part of the model, so I brace myself and prepare for couple weeks of work.