ICM 1/35 Zil-131 Flat-bed Truck

[alextheblue]

Well, with 2 entries in the Vietnam GB and the Stude pretty much finished for this SiG, you'd think it was time to ease back a little and enjoy some free-time doing some other "stuff" - wrong!!! I thought I would peel back the lid of this little beauty and get another entry going.



The sprues are all stuffed into one bag, but there doesn't to be any casualties.



Four main sprues, wheels and tyres (rubber-ones), plus the clear parts make up the seven sprues.







Decal sheet, including the UN option, although I'm probably going to stick to traditional Russian green etc. After the decals from the Studebaker, I'm not expecting too much from these.


The instructions are very detailed and seem straight-forward and there's plenty of paint scheme options. Don't worry, the cover page isn't blurred, that's just my crap photography!




And onto the build. The first thing that I noticed is that the sprues are numbered, unlike the first ICM kit that I built where the parts were numbered on the instructions, but not on the sprue. The second thing I noticed was that the plastic seemed a lot softer than with the ICM Studebaker and there's not that brittle, "this is going to break at any moment" as you cut through the sprue gates. Two improvements duly noted and very much appreciated.

The build and fit quality with the Studebaker was great and I had no complaints and this kit is actually even better. Everything locates really nicely and it seems as though someone has put some real thought into how this kit should go together.

Cross-members, support struts for the chassis and what looks like a couple of oil cans.


Fuel tanks


And thats the chassis pretty much together. As I mentioned, this practically fell together.


Next step is the engine and this is very well detailed. However, there fit isn't as good as the chassis, but no major problems and nothing that the odd dab of filler won't fix. Getting all of the belts on was fiddly and one of them is incorrectly marked on the instructions. However, as you dry fit everything, it becomes obvious as to where it should actually fit.



Main exhaust and one of the sub-props (did someone say Sub Pop - love Nirvana!!! )


Front bumper and tread-plate.


It was here that the instructions call for the drive shafts and props too be assembled, but I decided I needed a change of scenery, so jumped ahead to the rear suspension assembly - mainly because you get to put some wheels on!!!



With all of this lot drying up and curing, I jumped ahead a little further and assembled the interior of the cab and the cab's floor pan. Again, the fit is superb and although it pays to carefully dry-fit everything first, it falls together beautifully.



I'm guessing that I should really call it a day at this stage, but I couldn't help going for the obligatory, "end-of-update" dry-fit.



I really enjoyed putting together ICM's Studebaker, but this kit is even better. I'm not sure if it's a newer moulding, but it looks as though someone at ICM has paid attention to the very minor niggles they had with early kits and fixed them - happy days!!.

Shouldn't be too long now before the main bits are are built and ready for a bit of paint!!

Thanks for taking a look!

[bobbewieter]

Gonna follow this build Looks good

[Deacon]

I've built a couple of ICM 1:72 trucks and they were great so really looking forward to seeing how
this kit come together.

[Tiger131]

Great another build to keep up with.. look forward to seeing you crack on with this

[kiwigav]

Your a machine Alex - look forward to more on this build also

[Nige201980]

Looking forward to seeing what your gonna do to this best good luck with the rest of the build.

[alextheblue]

Bob, Deacon, Tiger, Gav, Nige, thanks for the comments fellas!

[alextheblue]

Update One

When I first copped a sight of the steering wheel, my initial reaction was, "that's unfeasibly large for a steering wheel!" and then I realised that the wheel was mounted on a circular "frame", for want of a better word, in order to prevent it from breaking when removing it from the sprue-gates. This is a definite improvement from the the ICM Studebaker as this one broke in multiple places.



Originally I had planned on painting the chassis and running gear separately before joining them together, but due to the complexity of the suspension, it really has to be assembled and then painted. Not a huge problem, as an AFV builder I prefer to assemble the vehicle first and then paint all the details etc. The detail on this kit is really good and it's almost like building the real thing - everything is there, ant-roll bars, torsion bars, linkages - all the bells and whistles.





Even the doors are double-skinned just like the real thing!



Cab interior all finished up with the aforementioned steering wheel plus seats, pedals and gear levers.



Stowage bin and spare wheel housing, which all sits on the chassis behind the cab.



Next the rear deck and flat-bed.




One little tip here for anyone thinking of building this one, when fixing the crossmembers to the underneath set them at a very slight angle as the deck will be easier to fit to the chassis. If you marry them up before the cement has time to cure it should save any dramas later on.



I must have been having a very uncommon burst of inspiration as useful tip number two suddenly hit me. According to the instruction you are supposed to attach the engine onto the chassis, then attach the fenders before finally attaching the main body of the cab. Looking at the engine dry-fitted onto the chassis, the clearance for the fenders seemed really tight and it looks as though the air filter will foul the fire-wall as you try and attach the cab.



Sure enough, trying to dry fit it all was troublesome at the least, so I decided to go my own route. I attached the fenders and the grill to the cab first and then inserted the engine roughly in place, but not before removing the air filter (this can be re-attached with some CA).



The cab can then be dropped into position and with a tad of maneuvering the engine can be set in place. Once done its just a matter of re-attaching the filter - jobs a good 'un!



I would like to reiterate at this point that this all theoretical as I only gave it a dry run. Anyone wishing to follow my advice should be reminded of the famous saying, that just as great minds think alike, more importantly, fools never differ!!

Next up it's a quick dry-fit of everything to see how it's going and it's really starting to look like a 2.5T truck!!




I had a few more minutes to spare so decided to get the rearview mirrors fitted.



And that's where I'm at so far. Next up it's time to get some primer down and then onto the base coat!

Thanks for taking a look!

[Tiger131]

you move like a thief in the night paint already look forward to seeing the colour alex

[Nev]

Nice work mate

[peppie]

You gotta love these ICM trucks

Looking good so far, good luck with the rest of the build.

[martin57]

nice truck , your making a good job of it , best of luck with the rest of it

[alextheblue]

you move like a thief in the night paint already look forward to seeing the colour alex

Thanks Tiger!



"thief in the night" - love it!!

[alextheblue]

Nice work mate

Thanks Nev!

[alextheblue]

You gotta love these ICM trucks

Looking good so far, good luck with the rest of the build.

Thanks peppie! This is my second one now and I'm loving these ICM kits!

[alextheblue]

nice truck , your making a good job of it , best of luck with the rest of it

Thanks Martin!

[alextheblue]

Update Two

It's been a pretty busy weekend for me, building-wise that is, but what with the rain pizz-ling down constantly for two days - what else is there to do!!

So onto to the paint and this is where the real fun starts, well for me anyways. Those of you of a nervous disposition please look away now as there will be gratuitous shots showing the usage of both Vallejo Surface primer as well as Vallejo Model Air - yeah, that's right baby, both of those bad boys, one on top of the other!!

I know a lot of people have binned this primer now and its undeniable that it does seem to cause problems. I've had no problems with it so far and as there is no masking involved, I'm going to stick with it for now.

A load of bits primed black - move on, nothing real interesting to see here!!



I'm opting for good old Russian green for the base coat and for me, I like the green in the VMA range. Lifecolour do a nice range of greens for WW2 Russian AFV's, but as this is going to be shown as a vehicle from the 80's I feel that the colour needs to be a bit darker, well not quite darker, more of a deeper........ah heck, you know what I mean!



The base coat is down and everything is given it's initial base colours to give it that, "fresh from the factory" look.







The flat bed was painted up to look like wood (paint from the Lifecolour Wood Effects range). I used the same technique as I used on the Studebaker, so I won't go through massive detail here. I use a light colour first to form the base and then apply a heavy dry-brushing of a dark shade, almost dragging the brush to give a slight mottled look. A lot more work would need to be done if this were to look like wood, but as it's only to show through under the paint just a representation is fine (well, for me anywho!).




A quick dry-fit of everything.



Next, two liberal coats of Mig's Chipping Effects is applied, allowing it to go tacky before applying the next coat.



And then the base coat is applied.




This I leave overnight before attacking it with a toothbrush and copious amounts of water.




The chipping I used gives a quite "heavy" effect, but I believe there is another version if you wanted a lighter finish. I'm aiming to get it to match with the Studebaker I built as I was planning on displaying them next to each other - what can I say, my OCD dictates that everything has to match!!

Another dry-fit and I'm glad I opted for the VMA Russian green. I love the finish these paints give and I must say, I didn't have any problems with clogging or tip-drying with this one.




Next up I need to get the interior of the cab weathered and finished and then this can be buttoned up and then it's on to the engine!

Thanks for taking a look!

[Yevgeny]

You doing a lovely job. It looks great.
When I was working as a lumberjack in Rissia many moons ago, we used trucks like this one. But with cabin at the back. Indestructible things.

[Tiger131]

Love the flat bed looks a worn work horse..

[Deacon]

Love this mate, fantastic work both construction wise and painting.

[schweinhund227]

interesting effect .....
Will give it a go now that I have seen what it can do !

Keep up the good work !

[kiwigav]

very cool effects on the wooden deck - nice work

[JayCub]

Looking amazing Alex your a very talented builder who is not afraid to experiment, have you ever tried or thought of using electronics in any of your builds
Tom

[alextheblue]

You doing a lovely job. It looks great.
When I was working as a lumberjack in Rissia many moons ago, we used trucks like this one. But with cabin at the back. Indestructible things.

Wow, that sounds really interesting!!!

Not to mention dangerous - bet you've got some stories to tell.....

[alextheblue]

Love the flat bed looks a worn work horse..

Thanks Tiger. I always start out thinking, "this one I'm going to be a bit more subtle with", but the combination of my lack of skill and total ham-fistedness, it ends up getting the "well worn" look. Oh well, at least I'm enjoying myself!!

[alextheblue]

Love this mate, fantastic work both construction wise and painting.

Thanks Deacon, appreciate you taking the time to stop by!

[alextheblue]

interesting effect .....
Will give it a go now that I have seen what it can do !

Keep up the good work !

Thanks Norm, appreicate the kind words!

And I'm sure this technique can do a whole lot more in the hands of a master like yourself!

[alextheblue]

very cool effects on the wooden deck - nice work

Thanks Gav, appreciate the kind words!

[alextheblue]

Update Three

I must be getting older than I think, I could have sworn that I had taken pictures of the interior once it had been beaten up a bit and also the glass after it had been masked etc., but do you think I can find them anywhere?? Anywho, there wasn't too much to look at anyway, so onto the pics that I definitely did take - well, they got onto my phone somehow!

With the interior all done it was time to fit the windows, windshield etc and get the cab all buttoned up. I started with the windshield, added the glass to the doors and then added the rear and finally the roof. I try and do this as all one stage as you can make sure everything is in just the right place whilst the cement is still tacky. This kit is an excellent fit and there is little or no fettling to do as everything is very clear as to how it should go together. Once done it was masked up for it's base coat.

Last time it will be seen in its junkyard-dog guise! (I guess thats a matter of opinion!!! )




Got the engine all painted up and it looks nice and factory fresh! Tempted to "dress" the engine up a bit and add some bling and chrome - but, not very appropriate I guess. Pass me the bottle of engine stains and dark dirt wash!!




This is the bit that I enjoy the most - getting the base colour down. For those of you who have done up cars or tackled a restoration project, you'll know what it's like the moment you first see your labour of love with its first lick of paint. It's transformed from a pile of rusty metal, nuts and bolts (in this case plastic and clear parts) into a shiny car again - pure magic!

Love the look of the paint once it first goes down as it looks like a high gloss finish - just what you want from a heavily abused Russian military vehicle of the late eighties!!



And after it's dried for a bit....



I called it a day at this point, but not after a couple of pics of one of many dry-fits - "just to see what it looks like".




A bit of touching up with the base coat and I've just noticed that I forgot to mask the wing mirrors , but thats an easy fix.

As always thanks for taking a look!

[wappynutter]

Well done Alex, looking real good now buddy.....
You sir are the dark horse of the GB..... Sneaking up on the outside to snatch a place up front..
Keep doing what ya do mate..... I for one will keep watching!

[alextheblue]

Well done Alex, looking real good now buddy.....
You sir are the dark horse of the GB..... Sneaking up on the outside to snatch a place up front..
Keep doing what ya do mate..... I for one will keep watching!

Thanks for the kind words Andy appreciate it!

I'm not sure about being a dark horse sneaking up the outside, more like an old donkey plodding up Blackpool beach!!

[alextheblue]

Update Four

Firstly, I must apologise for some of the previous photos as they appear to have fallen on their side! I'm not sure if I'm the only one that struggles with Photobucket, but a lot of times when I try to change the orientation it just keeps reverting to the original image. Also tried checking the settings on my phone (I use my iPhone for taking pics, due to the ease of uploading them). I'm sure this fault is down to "operator error" and I have the finest IT minds working on it - "have you tried switching it off then turning it back on again............grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Anyways up, this little truck has pretty much hijacked most of time and other builds that I should be cracking on with have taken a bit of a back seat. But I'm soooooo close to finishing it now, it would be a shame to stop. Next on the To Do list is the decals and after my experience with the last ICM kit, I'm not expecting too much. That being said, the rest of this kit has been a definite improvement on the last one, and that was actually very good - apart from the decals!

I was not going to be put off, after all, just because a dog bites you it doesn't mean that all dogs bite, right !?! Well, on this occasion I should have listened to that other great saying, "once bitten, twice shy!" F**@#"**



I'm not adverse to correcting mistakes with kits and this has included rebuilding split decals like a jigsaw puzzle, but this little fecker disintegrated like a sugar cube in a hot cup of tea! Still, there were other options and I only need decals for the number plates, so I thought I'd give it another go. This time round I only left the decal in the water for a few brief seconds and whilst they did start to split, they did seem a bit better - not much, but a bit!!




All of the lenses were then painted up and then attached along with the windscreen wipers.



I debated whether to weather the cab first and then attach it, but in the end I decided to attach it first and then do the weathering. I prefer doing it this way as I feel it gives a more "overall" look, although you wouldn't be able to tell the difference if I were to do it the other way. I was a bit nervous about attaching the cab, for if you remember, I departed somewhat from the instructions which called for the engine to be attached first and then the cab was to be built around it. At the time I felt that doing it this way could lead to some fit issues, so decided in the words of the great song, "to do it, my waaaaaaay!!"

Had a quick last dry fit of the rear deck to see if it might be better to fit this before the cab, but in the end decided against it.







Luckily it all seemed to go together fine and whilst you couldn't see the locating tabs that married up into the cut-outs on the chassis rails, you could "feel" whether or not they were in position. The engine needed the tiniest amount of fettling to get that to sit correctly and the job was a good 'un!

One final pic with the bonnet on and I'm one step closer to completion!!



As always, thanks for taking a look, it's very much appreciated!

[Tiger131]

aarrrrrrrrr!!!!! dam demon decals again...

you pulled it out the bag at least looking a good green beast

[Nev]

Well done mate! Shame about decals. Convinced me to not use the ones in the kit for my build. This is gonna be an awesome model

[gustavlekstal]

Getting there even when having decals of pain. Great work

[UKguyInUSA]

Beautiful piece of work, mate!

[alextheblue]

Tiger, Nev, Gustav, Martin, thanks for the comments fellas, much appreciated!

[alextheblue]

Update Five

Once the cab and engine were all in place it was time to add the rest of the running gear and the exhaust. There were a couple of fit issues with the exhaust but nothing a bit of trimming couldn't fix. Who knows, perhaps if I had stuck to the instructions these issues would never have arisen. I guess I'll never really know unless I build this kit again some time in the future, but without going off-piste. But you know how the saying goes - better to be off piste than piste off!!




Once the rear bed, spare wheel and stowage bin were attached, it was just a matter of getting this thing weathered. I decided to keep the process fairly simple as I didn't want anything too heavily weathered, so to start things off I applied a pin-wash of burnt umber oils to areas that I wanted to highlight shadow or a build up of grime and dirt. The dusty dirt was AKi Dust very lightly airbrushed on and then Ultimate Mud wash was applied to the wheels, knocked back and then re-applied until the desired effect was achieved. I purposely left the engine and engine bay untouched as I will display this with the bonnet in place, although I won't glue it into place.













And that's about it finished. I'll leave it to fully dry and then assess if the washes need any attention or if there's any bits that need adding, taking away etc.



Thoroughly enjoyed my dalliance with trucks and I can't believe that I've pretty much got two across the line for this SiG a fair way before the finish date. On the other had though, I really need to pull my finger out and get my Vietnam GB entries finished!

Thanks for taking a look!

[UKguyInUSA]

They look so good together, both nicely executed examples. How do you create the misted/dusty windows effect?

[alextheblue]

They look so good together, both nicely executed examples. How do you create the misted/dusty windows effect?

Thanks Martin!

The misty/dusty effect is down to more luck than judgement! The paint is AKi's dust which comes with the Tracks & Wheels set (Tamiya's buff is also a great colour for this) and I mist it onto the bottom part of the window using just the slightest of pressures on the AB, both for air and paint (I mostly use a H&S Infinity). The luck part is getting the distance right - too far away and the coverage is nice and light, but too much of the window gets covered and too close and the paint can lay down a bit too thick.

[Tiger131]

Superb work on both veichles the weathering is bang on.

[wappynutter]

Pure awesome right there... on this post.... and not just once but twice.....




Well done Alex, looking almost real mate... fantastic paint and weathering there!
I love these trucks........ figures and a small dio for the end of the month i reckon! lol..... No pressure..
You have done a superb job Alex, well done again Sir.....
Stay safe and well....

[hansolo]

This is absolutely amazing work!!
Great eye for detail.
The weathering of the wood is bloody brilliant!!!
How did you get it to chip in that stripy fashion?
It looks the absolute bizz!


Cheers

[gustavlekstal]

you highlights the details very well. Weathering is spot on. Very realistic.

[Nige201980]

Wow Alex both looks stunning mate really love them.

[alextheblue]

Superb work on both veichles the weathering is bang on.

Thanks Tiger!

Absolutely loving the Stryker dio by the way - the beast on it's own is blooming fantastic, but with the dio as well....WOW!!!!

[alextheblue]

Pure awesome right there... on this post.... and not just once but twice.....




Well done Alex, looking almost real mate... fantastic paint and weathering there!
I love these trucks........ figures and a small dio for the end of the month i reckon! lol..... No pressure..
You have done a superb job Alex, well done again Sir.....
Stay safe and well....

Thank Andy, you're far too kind mate!

If I didn't have the Vietnam builds going on I might just knock up something, but who knows!

[alextheblue]

This is absolutely amazing work!!
Great eye for detail.
The weathering of the wood is bloody brilliant!!!
How did you get it to chip in that stripy fashion?
It looks the absolute bizz!


Cheers

Thanks Han, that means a lot, your brilliant work has given me a lot of inspiration since joining ISM and I can only hope to get as good as you one day. The chipping I did with an old firm toothbrush and tried to keep the direction of the strokes all going in the same direction. I was hoping to try and imitate how the paint would crack and chip along the grain of the wood - not sure it entirely worked, but its getting there!

[alextheblue]

you highlights the details very well. Weathering is spot on. Very realistic.

Thanks Gustav, appreciate the kind words!

[alextheblue]

Wow Alex both looks stunning mate really love them.

Thanks Nige!

It was only after I had finished that I realised I should have used your foil technique for the wing-mirrors. It was looking at these that made me realise just how scary it would be to do a whole plane!!!