An Ugly Frog Prince

[GazzaS]

Stunning!

[RichO]

  HEY GUYS!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        I'm posting today to say that this WIP is still active, altho I haven't worked on the project for few weeks now.  I'm repainting the house, outside and inside, and packing to move about 40 miles away.  I'll be back when we get resettled, with a new man cave and project room.

 

Thanks everyone for watching this project,  I'll be back soon. 

[Martinnfb]

All the best with your move Rich, we'll be here

[GusMac]

Hope it goes well Rich and look forward to this getting a reboot.

[DocRob]

Wish you luck with the move. Don't overdo the weathering on your new men cave, it might look like an ugly frog prince .

Seriously, let your talent flow into your new place and start with new spirit

Cheers Rob

[RichO]

Hey All,

 

  Frog romance is back!  I'll be restarting this project in a couple weeks.  Stay Tuned!

[Winnie]

That's a crazy build!

 

Awesome scratch work!

[IainMackayDall]

On 6/15/2018 at 6:18 AM, RichO said:

Hey Everyone,

 

  I thought I would start this WIP with a little back info.  I came to the decision about this scratch project when I was working on the Maz build about a year ago or so.  I tend to work quite a ways ahead of myself.  I have spent that time now, gathering everything I need for this build and I'm almost ready to give this a timid start.  I say timid because this will be my secondary build for a bit while I finish my DIO. build for another site, so not as much time devoted to this project just now, but slow and steady to start.

 

 MAZ 543/Scud B

 

 

 

  I have very good references for scratching this large Russian launcher.  There seems to be a number of good kits available on this subject. 

 

 

  I really like all the body panels on this beast.  I thought I could stretch myself a bit with these body panels and I like the overall big feel of this.  You know me, big Russian trucks with many tires.  However after getting most of the materials together to the point that I have everything for this build, and really started looking at what I had for a scratch project, and I realized that underneath the body work is the same Straight Rail Ladder Frame with the same Suspension and Drive System that I just built in the MAZ project.  I didn't want to build another Maz.

 

  This will be a great project later on, but I want to build something not a MAZ.

 

 

M25 DRAGON WAGON

 

 

 

  My second choice to scratch was the huge American M25 Dragon Wagon.  I like this monster large tractor very much, with so many possibilities to work with.  And for me, the single thing that really makes me want to attempt this project is the idea of scratching a Quad Chain Double Axle !!  Oh! the chains of bondage and torture we model builders put ourselves through.

 

 

  I was a bit worked up to start this project when everything stalled.  I need to find clearer, cleaner references for the engine and transmission components.  So for now that is where this project is.

 

FROG-7

 

  Now it brings me to this. 

 

 

 

  A,  Zill- 135 carrier, with a Luna-M Tactical Missile, and a 9P113 Launcher.  That's a bad boy!  That can be nuclear armed.  The 9M21 missile is the very one pointed at my back yard during the Cuban Missile Crisis when I was a kid.

 

  

 

  I finally chose this for a lot of reasons, that I know are just going to hurt me.  The main thing that grabbed me about this, is the idea of these rounded body panels and how molded they appear.  In fact, they are molded.  Sprayed into a mold, fiberglass body panels.  All the body panels on the launcher are fiberglass with the main chassis and drive line iron and steel.  I have no clue how I'm going to do that.

 

   Thinking back, I could just kick myself for not thinking of how to do a lot of things on the Maz build.  So keeping that in mind I have a list of things that I want to accomplish with this build.  The very first thing with this build is the scale.  I'm so used to building in 1/16 and 1/20 scale, that anything smaller is getting to hard to see and work with.  I had considered building this ugly Frog prince project the same scale as the Maz so I could put it in the same  junkyard.  But when I looked at how big this is, even at my build scale, 1/25, the frame is just about as big as the Maz was at 1/20 scale.  I also considered that at 1/25 scale I have a new world open up to me with all the aftermarket details.  Just about anything I need to accomplish the details I want to try.  I have recently discovered something that i'm sure that all you guys already know.  In that, it is a hobby unto itself just collecting items for our hobby. 

 

I would like to articulate the doors and panels.  I tried this with limited success during the Maz build.  But also the suspension, the steering, the windows, the launcher and the crane...  I also need a good stretching in the detail department with hose fittings and wiring and such.

 

 

Look at all that junk to detail.  This going to be a real royal pain!

  I've been here a few years now and have seen some great builders with great techniques and materials usage, and I'm looking forward to stealing everything I can from everybody to help me work in a smaller scale with more details.

  The last thing I do in my personal build style is , after I get all the patterns and references together.  I gather the build materials.  I have all of the basic styrene material, and I'm looking for the 3rd party details as their need arise. 

 

  The first part of the build is the main, Straight Rail X-Frame.  I'll be back, Thanks All.

 

Was Zil not the builder for all those Politburo Limosines?

[RichO]

They get around, don't they?

[GusMac]

3 hours ago, IainMackayDall said:

Was Zil not the builder for all those Politburo Limosines?

Aerodynamics of a house brick!

[RichO]

Hey All,

 

  So, "in a couple weeks" has turned into 6 months.   I will be starting again slowly.

    Most everything has survived the move.  The storage box for the Frog held up fine for a year and a half, despite being buried under a bunch of other boxes.

 

 

I was a little afraid to open this at first.  I haven't see this in a year and a half and did not remember the box being so thin.

 

  it looks like everything is in ok shape.

 

 

Once I got things unwrapped, there was some small damage to the suspension system that will have to be taken care of before I start building anything new.

 

 

 

  I'll be back with some close ups of the damage and the start to the fix. And then off to the build, proper.

 

Looks like this is where I need to start after I get thing sorted.

 

 

  I'll need to get everything squared away for this build, but it looks like this is about where I left off.

 

  I'll be back with a real update soon.

 

  Thanks everyone for watching.  Rich

[HubertB]

He’s baaaaaaack  !

Hubert

[GusMac]

Great to see this back Rich. Glad everything survived the move fairly intact.

[harv]

The party is back !......harv

[GazzaS]

Glad to see you back!

[DocRob]

Nearly forgot about ugly (in a unique way) Russian multi wheelers in desolate condition. Good to see you back with the Frog.

Cheers Rob

[RichO]

Thanks for the great comments guys!!  It's good to be back.

 

  

 Hey All,

 

    Upon farther inspection this weekend, I found several places where I need to repair the build before I proceeded.

 

  I need to replace a small support triangle frame that has been broken off.

 

 

You can see the back piece of the part still stuck to the frame. 

 

  The next repairs will be a good place to start with cutting and building.  These small pieces have a lot of small parts.

 

 

In this photo you can see the top mounting for the shock absorbers on the top of the frame.

 

 

I am missing one of four.  I found three corners of supports.  

 

 

I don't know about the rest of you scratchers, but trying to replicate just one and get it to match the rest is not going to happen'.  So I'll rebuild these four to match each other.  Then I will be just where I left off, some time ago.

 

 

 

I have all the parts to start with the suspension system, and soon it will be up on it's feet.  Stay tuned.

 

Thanks for watching, Rich

[RichO]

The shock mounts have been replicated and are ready for install.

 

Cutting fresh parts,  This is the first cuttings in a year and a half.

 

The pieces...

 

 

I'm using MasterClub resin bolts, a very good product.

 

Fresh made shock mounts.  The three old one in the back.

 

 

And fresh back from the paint Dept...

 

 

These represent the parts that had come off in the move.  Once I get these installed I will be even with my postings, and starting anew with the Suspension System.

 

  I'll be back with the parts for this next step, (more parts than I remember).

 

Thanks for watching, Rich

[Bomber_County]

Good see this one back.....

[RichO]

Hey All,

 

  The Suspension System is in full build mode.  I managed to replicate all the parts I needed for this part of the build.  Parts have been painted and ready for assembly when,...I saw that the vehicle Braking System is fully integrated into the Suspension System. 

The parts for the Suspension System....

 

 

When I got ready to build this, I discovered that the housing for the brakes are integrated into the supports for the entire wheel assembly.

 So,....The first serious building in a looooooooooong time.

The parts for the brakes,  I sort of got into a zen mode and didn't take as many photos as I should.  

 

 

The four corner brake housings are very different from the mid brake housings.  The brass fittings are from Scale Hardware.

 

 

Eight new built brake housings........

 

 

Fresh back from the Paint Dept.

 

 

  I'll get these dirty and installed with rest of the Suspension System, then the Wheels are next.

 

Thanks Everyone for watching,  Rich

 

[harv]

Well now, I love this. Excellent scratch work....harv 

[RichO]

Thanks everyone for watching and the great comments.

 

     OMG!!  there is something wrong with me.  I'm not sure why I try to build these things.  I don't think I have ever run into so many fiddly bits to try and manage and also keep hold of, at the same time, ever.  

   I was thinking that this was because I have been away for a bit, but this has forced me to take a look at myself.  I mean really!  I'm glad we're all in the same boat here.

   Anyway,...The first thing to mount of the brake system was to start with the center brakes, which are different than the corner brakes.  Once I got everything painted, I simply mounted these to the center axel supports and was done, easy.  

 

  You can see the center brakes mounted....

 

 

  Always test fitting the parts...

 

 

  Here you can see how the brake assembly integrates into the suspension system...

 

 

 

  Once I had all the parts worked out, I also had to build some extra features.  My reference phots show brake lines and mud boots for the axles.

  Wrapping the brake line.  I used hard brass to bend for the shape, then wrapped with lead wire.

 

 

 

  The Mud Boots.  My photos also show that a bit of the axle extend outside the frame between the frame and the brake assembly.  This bit of axle is protected by a flexible rubber boot.

   To replicate the wrinkled texture I have seen in some photos, I did what I have seen with armor guys and your wrinkled tarps.  

 

 

I cut a bit of evergreen tube and rolled them in tissue with the water and glue.  The tube held the shape and the tissue wrinkled just fine.  

 

  I let it all dry over night, then trimmed and painted...

 

 

 

  You can barley see these in the photos.  After hours of really cool swear words,  I finally managed to get all the parts at one location, and to get them to get along with each other for a bit.

 

 

In this photo you can see how all this fits together and is integrated with each other.

 

 

 

 

 

  I have a bit more dirtying up to do but it's looking grimy already.  I also did something really dumb some time ago.  When I was test fitting all this together, I flipped the frame over and realized that I had not painted the bottom side of the frame.  I'll get to that presently.

 

 

 

It will take some time while I get to the building of the other three corners, and get all this painted.  

   I'll check back with some other corners built.

 

Thanks Everyone for watching,  Rich

 

[GazzaS]

Amazing detail.

[Jeff]

W O W ! Incredible attention to the finest of details......  this is really good stuff....

[Rowdy]

Wow, I really love the wheatering!!

 

Lovely work.