Masking tape woes!

It was a case of masking tape woes as I head back to building the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 started at the beginning of the year. There are some cab related parts that require painting on both sides. As is my normal way, I attached the smaller parts to a board with masking tape. The problem was that having been sprayed on one side so long ago, the glue on the masking tape had in the recent heat begun to melt onto the parts that were attached yo it! The result was that I had to rub down a number of parts before respraying them and once touch dry, removing them from the masking tape to avoid another similar woe situation!

Mercedes Polar White. Well it is a Mercedes truck!

Finally! The weather was warm, the sky bright, no rain and I had the time! These factors coming together meant that I could continue with spraying the cab parts to the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 truck kit that went into hibernation for several weeks! Now this was not as simple as I had hoped as is always the case with what I am involved in! The original rattle cans were a shade of Nissan white that was for 1980s models. I think I inherited these from my Dad so they must be at least 10 years old if not more. The first can had exploded over me and the second can did much the same! Not to be put off I thought I would get a new can. Now that was not going to happen as the paint is for 1980s models and no longer stocked as a rattle can on the shelves of auto-factors. I could get a can mixed up at £25 to £30 but that would be insane1 So I bought a £4 can from the range of....

..Mercedes Polar White. Well it is a Mercedes truck!

With a fresh can of stable paint in my hands parts were repainted.

I still need to do the other side of the parts on the board on the left but most of it is done and awaiting drying and inspection. Hopefully that will show a good result!

There is an instruction to the Instruction Booklet that instructs reading all the way through before starting the build.

Waiting for some warmish and dryish, note the accommodating 'ish' as anything near to warm and dry will do, weather to finish painting the cab panels with a rattle can, I did finish the cab interior with the two windscreen pillars and grab handles. 

With that done and the promise of more cold and wet weather I looked about for something else to build. I turned to this Gecko Models 1/35th scale kit of a A10 Cruiser Tank. 

Opening the box was an interesting exercise in understanding how the kit had been packed, but once in there is a very nice A4 sized poster of the box art to the kit and a very comprehensive booklet of instructions. Now there is an instruction to the Instruction Booklet that instructs reading all the way through before starting the build. 

I can see why that is the instruction as there are a lot of parts to this kit including my arch nemesis, photo etched parts!

By the time I had got half way through reading the instruction booklet I had decided that it is a wonderfully detailed kit but at the moment my mind set is not in the right place to build it at the moment. Sometimes you just know that building a certain kit at that time will be a struggle rather than a pleasure and it is best to but the lid back on the box and set it aside for when the right time comes! 

In fact it has a leak of some sorts that manifested itself by explosively depositing paint all over my hand!

With some warmer and drier weather I had another go at painting the cab components of the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 with a rattle can. My last session had resulted in the paint bloomimg as it absorbed moisture from the wet atmosphere. This time I was more successful. Still needs another coat but it is certainly better.

Unfortunately, the rattle can is not better! In fact it has a leak of some sorts that manifested itself by explosively depositing paint all over my hand! It also made using the can somewhat difficult. No idea why this has happened but I do have a spare in stock! Good old WMD Stores!

One consequence of the rattle can explosion was that I ended up with a run and some spots of paint on a cab side panel. I will need to wait until the paint hardens off and I can smooth the blemishes and repaint. Hopefully there will be another dry and warm day soon!

The rattle can was shaken but not stirred!

Sometimes you take a risk and it works out. Other times it doesn't! I took a risk in trying to paint the cab of the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4. It was dry. The temperature outside was about 8C. The rattle can was shaken but not stirred and so outside the cab parts, rattle can and I went. 

Unfortunately, whilst it was dry, the air was moist so the paint bloomed which is what happens when the paint absorbs moisture as it leaves the rattle can and lands on the object to be painted. The effect is that what should be glossy dries matt. Not the effect I was after! However, it is at least a base coat which will take another coating of paint on a dry, moistless and warm day and should dry glossy. When that day will come with the current weather forecasts is something that maybe some time off!  

No wonder it is called the Gigaspace Cab!

It's now time to think about the cab itself on the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 kit and the main parts make up an entire sprue.

I could not resist but temporarily put the cab sides, back and top on to see what it looked like on the chassis. Big is the word. No wonder it is called the Gigaspace Cab! 

Having got that far it almost seemed rude not to put the front end on, temporarily held together with some masking tape. It looks even more impressive!

I did learn something from all of this though. As I suspected it will not be possible to slide the cab interior into a built cab! That makes painting interesting but I think I can get away with the sides and back glued together and then painted. Then add the other parts already painted and hope that the joins do not show!

Mrs. Woody prefers to avoid my advice on décor and colour combinations!

One of the reasons why Mrs. Woody prefers to avoid my advice on décor and colour combinations is perhaps best explained by the colours I have painted the bunk of the truck cab in! They look rather fetching to me but then that is my view! Anyway, the cab interior is on its way with the major parts assembled

With the interior top glued in place there are just a few more smallish parts to add.

I now need to put some thought to the assembly and painting of the cab itself. Normally I can assemble the cab and slip the interior into it after the external painting. However I have some concerns that this may not be possible with this kit which could make things interesting and complex! 

They looked like they were still in their PJs!

I could not help but smile and take a photo as I parked my bike up at a village store whilst out on a cycle ride this morning and these two poked their heads around the corner. They looked like they were still in their PJs! 

Back at WMD HQ and in the Man Cave, the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4, kit comes with a veritable array of decals and this is just one of the two sheets! There are enough number plates to decal up a fleet of trucks!

Now I am not at the stage of being able to use them until the cab is assembled and painted but there were five decals that I did need for the interior - numbers 1 to 5 logically enough! Small they are but they will make a difference.

Close up digital photography is very unforgiving as this shot illustrates but you can see the detail of the decals.

 From normal viewing distance the whole cab area looks a lot better and it certainly looks a lot more comfortable with th seats installed..

It still looks grey but just a bit less!

Moving onto the interior of the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4, it all looks a bit grey at the moment so to add some variety, I cannot say brightness, I have added some black panels to the seats. Looking at online images of the real truck, there appear to be as many differences in colour schemes as there are locks on Mrs. Woody's purse! So I have taken the easiest route gone with my take on what is suitable for the interior and given up trying to get into Mrs. W's purse!

The dashboard is also getting some detail with the air vents painted black and the screen painted a translucent black.

It still looks grey but just a bit less!

The chassis fit up starts on the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4.

 Following the WMD film crew's YouTube production these are the rear light units of the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4. Initially, the backing to the light lenses was painted silver to give a 'backing' to the translucent lenses. 

The lenses themselves were treated to Tamiya clear red and orange to depict the rear lights and indicators.

Once fitted using varnish as shown in the YouTube video they looked just the part.

With the mudguards done it was time to start fitting all those parts that I have prepared over the last few days. So on went the mudguards, the left hand fuel tank, the ad blue tank and front mudguard. In addition the front and rear hub covers have been fitted to the wheels. Hopefully tomorrow will see some more progress but it is certainly looking very truck chassis like"

All small jobs but they do take time!

There are so many small jobs to do on the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 which take time to do but are important to achieving a realistic model. The fuel tanks are an example. The tanks themselves are aluminium and are painted as such. They are however attached to the chassis with steel straps which are moulded as part of the overall tank. These need to be painted in the chassis colour of Gunmetal Grey. Not the easiest to paint so out came the masking tape.

Now this is a risky thing to do as the aluminium paint can peel off with the masking tape when pulled off. I found that out several times in the past! I had already coated the tanks in semi gloss varnish so that would help prevent this possibility - hopefully! Masking tape was applied leaving the straps ready for paint. I brushed painted them rather then using the airbrush. After a couple of coats of paint it was time to see if I would be making a swear jar contribution as I removed the masking tape!

Fortune was with me and the aluminium paint remained in place and the straps looked good! Just need to add the filler caps, paint the feed pipes and then apply some more varnish! All small jobs but they do take time!

 The WMD film crew have been busy with another epic production! 

How do you attach transparent kit parts without glue marks is the subject of this video!

Slow work but nice to see something emerge from a pile of plastic parts!

Time to actually get the wheels permanently attached to the chassis. Italeri, do mould the parts such that the wheels rotate. Now much as I could just glue them solid and make life easier for myself, I like the challenge of keeping the wheels rotational! The secret is careful application of the glue to the plastic ring that fits on the end of the axels. However, not being careful but being a bodger, I do make life a bit easier by applying some petroleum jelly to the parts that I don't want the glue to adhere to!

With the front wheels in place, the rears were next to deal with. As the wheels are twins on either side two need gluing together. This new moulding by Italeri of their wheels makes life easier but care is still needed. I had to clean the paint off from the backs of the pairs of wheels so the glue could actually work. Gluing paint is never going to make a strong joint!#

I need to let them set now before adding the retaining ring to the axel but I did place them back on the chassis so that they were straight as the glue dried..

Slow work but nice to see something emerge from a pile of plastic parts!

Looking more like a truck chassis!

I have got to the stage with the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 kit where I can temporarily put the wheels on and see if I have built the chassis straight and flat - i.e. all the wheels sit on the ground.

The good thing is that they do which is a relief!

All in all the chassis begins to look like a truck!

Next up is permanently attaching the wheels so that they still rotate as well as stay on the axels!

In the shadows!

Much as people think that I move in a shadowy World, the types of shadow that I am talking about here are the ones that are created on a model to accentuate detail. The two wheels in the photo below are an example. On the right is the 'before' wheel where the detail of the wheel nuts and studs fades into the overall silver colour of the rest of the wheel. On the left is the wheel where some dilute black paint, in this case Nulin Oil from the Citadel range, has been pin pointed applied to create a shadow around the base of the nut which just adds that extra highlight. Look at things in real life and there is that shadow no matter how clean they are! Well that is what I tell Mrs. Woody when she questions me after I clean up the house!

I did all six wheels and then moved onto the chassis where the raised nuts and rivets on the chassis received a similar treatment as did parts of the engine which is now mounted in the chassis and connected to the drive axel by the propshaft.

Taking a closer look at the chassis the subtly but effectiveness of the shadow effect can be seen.

And even more so in this picture.

Now it is time for me to get back to my shadowy World! 

All in all a good amount of preparatory work for further progress!

With some warmer weather it was time to do some paint spraying. A lengthy session resulted in many of the parts for the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 receiving paint. The wheels are painted and ready to be assembled. The cab interior panels, seats and dashboard are in their base colour of dark grey and now require the details to be picked out in contrasting colours. The rear mudguards are ready to be fitted having been given a coat of black followed by some semi gloss varnish which was also used to give the chassis some sheen. The fuel tanks just need their attachment straps painted in chassis colour and they can then be fitted along with the catwalks. All in all a good amount of preparatory work for further progress!

Gunmetal grey!

The instructions for the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 kit suggest a gunmetal grey colour for the chassis. Normally the types and era of truck that I model call for a traditional solid colour to complement the cab so I was not too sure about this gunmetal but I thought I would give it a try and see how it came out.

Being a metallic colour, the gunmetal paint is best applied over a black undercoat so that it reflects. The chassis was given that black undercoat and then the Vallejo paint was applied. At first I thought that it was a disaster as it looked washed out but it just needed three applications to build up some depth to the colour.

Now I have got used to the colour I think it looks good. The chassis needs a number of parts painted in different colours, such as black for the rubber airbags in the rear suspension, so that will take some time but at least it looks more like a truck chassis!

It can steer!

It can steer! Well to the right anyway! The steering beam axel has now been fitted to the main chassis of the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 kit. The linkages have been added as per the instructions and the stub axels turn to the right but not the left! The design of the parts just does not allow the axels to steer to he left but this is something I have come across on Italeri kits truck kits before so I am not overly surprised. The important thing is that it turns in one direction at least!

The chassis is just about ready for paint. I just need some warmer weather!

The cab interior takes shape!

 With the underside of the cab sorted, my attention now turned the the upper side cab interior of the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4. Temporarily putting the parts together I can get an idea of what needs painting and what is the best way of doing that.

As truck cabs go in the UK, this cab is rather spacious for the driver hence, no doubt, why Mercedes term it as a Giga cab.

The moulding for the bunk has that strange hollow pillow from underneath! A thin piece of plastic card will solve that though.

Just need to wait for the glue to dry before cutting it to size around the original moulding.