Dogs of War

[Gary Boxall]

Not an in depth blog, but a comparison of how these two build up...



As I mentioned elsewhere, I'm not a huge fan of Takom kits due to their soft styrene and large sprue gates. I also think that Meng have better detail, but a direct comparison between the same subject matter should hopefully prove interesting.

Each kit is made up in different ways - not unexpected. I started with the Takom kit and right from the outset, decided that better detail was required.

The exhaust is just a cylinder with a larger diameter centre section. The real ones used an asbestos type rope wound around the muffler/silencer. Also, where the pipe work goes through the side wall, the protective plate is moulded as a solid piece. I decided it was easiest to completely rebuild the exhaust from scratch using styrene, fusewire and brass tube with some nylon string.
Secondly, the engine vents. Far too chunky in styrene and not at all realistic looking compared to the real ones. Again, some scrtachbuilding is required. And a lot of head scratching too. While the side pieces are simple enough, I spent a few days trying to work out what material to make the louvres from. Lead foil seemed to work best but was too thin. Eventuially, I hit upon the idea of simply folding the lead in two to make it thicker. An obvious solution but one that I still took a while to come up with

A comparison shot of the two hull sides - one detailed and the other with kit parts dry fitted...



And the scratched parts in detail...



Gary

[Philipp Gross]

Great start

The Meng kit has no wrapping on the exhaust either, but at least it's thin enough to make adding it yourself very easy.

I suppose the main advantage of the Takom kit is the larger selection of decal options and the inclusion of the stowage bins. I'm tempted to get it just for the Freikorps decals

Philipp

[Mark Aldrich]

Very convincing looking!

[Chris Smith]

I had real problems with the Meng kit and so have other people I have spoken to. My advice is change the sequence of building so that you build the hull first and then the superstructure and use the hull as a former for it. I followed the instructions and ended up having to take everything apart again as the roof wouldn't fit.

The Meng kit is €20s cheaper than the Takom here and I can't see anything to justify the difference although I do prefer the marking options in the Takom kit. If I built another Whippet I would quite like to do one from the Anglo-Irish War.

Chris

[Adam Durrant]

Got to agree with Chris. I felt the Meng was the better of the two kits but the build sequence is wrong. Like Chris I built the hull first and used it as a guid when "folding" the superstructure. It was then easy to build each sponson. The tracks are too tight so I did what was suggested on the net and trimmed the teeth off the drive sprocket so the tracks sat flush. Everything else was a piece of cake and the storage boxes are an easy scratch build.

[Gary Boxall]

Chris, Adam - thanbks for the heads up.

Started on the other hull side of the Takom kit - photos later. Am really looking forward to starting the Mang kit - and that's more of a reflection on the Takom kit

Gary

[Gary Boxall]

The Takom kit was becoming a little frustrating so I decided to crack open the Meng box. And before I knew it, the hull was almost complete!

I actually used CA glue to put together the superstructure parts. This gave an instant bond making parts placement easier, but I also didn't have to worry about any cement oozing out between the panels - something I did have some small issues with on another WW1 build subject.
I can see why Chris and Adam altered the build steps, but I did manage to get things together okay with a little fettling here and there...







I did make a few alterations along the way. The solid roof vent above the driver's station was cut off and replaced with one fashioned from lead sheet...



The moulded on rails for hanging the track grousers were shaved off and replaced with styrene strips...





And the tool brackets were enhanced by using PE parts ffrom the spares box...



And Tamiya Surface Primer was used to add a litle texture to the armour plates.

Gary

[Gary Boxall]

Put the hull together on the Takom kit. Unfortunately I had to bail halfway though and by the time I could get back into it, the cement had cured and any wriggle room to move parts had gone leaving some gaps with the remaining panels. Frustrating in the least - if you do this, it needs to be done in one sitting. Anyway, I'll put it together and just keep it as a painting test kit.







The Hotchkiss MGs differ in size quite a bit between the two kits. Takom at the top with the other two being Meng...



The Takom offering does seem rather toy-like in its rendition and therefore oversized. I can't find any exact measurements for the tank mounted Hotchkiss, but research does seem to point towards the Meng offerings being more to scale. You can get AM brass barrels, but i simply opted to use brass tube and a small piece of PE solldered to one end for the sight. CA gel secured it in place.
You also get some ammo belts in teh Meng kit and while superfluous here (inside the hull and hidden), they could be used elsewhere so off to the spare box.

[Peter Smith]

I've got the Takom in my stash, so watching with interest. May have been a bad choice ........ I got the Airwaves etch set intended for the old Emhar kit: not sure how much use it will be, but no-one else seems to have done one yet - which I find surprising.

I too considered the Magic Models full brass Hotchkiss barrels, but they're not that easy to find and damn expensive. You see the singles here and there, but rarely the better value 4-pack. However, I happened across the resin offerings from Zebrano and I think they're OK. Much more reasonably priced too and far better than the Takom things, although only slightly easier to find.

I was fondling the real Whippet at Bovington last week and took a few photos. Only 1 panel really showed any surface texture that you'd notice in this scale, the angled plate at the front left of the cab. And I'm not sure that this isn't just a damaged previous paint layer rather than the steel surface. I don't do photobucket etc but I should be able to Dropbox the pics if you want: I'll need your email.

[Gary Boxall]

Hi Peter

I'm suprised too by the lack of a PE set for the new Whippets. There may not be a huge amount of parts required, but still needs some to enhance both kits. The engine vents for sure would be a good subject for photoetch.

The texture on the surfaces will be extremely minimal - certainly nothing like a cast turret for eg. I've found quite a few walkarounds on the net (thankls for the offer though ) and the plates don't appear to be glass smooth. The surface primer will all but disappear under some paint - hopefiully leaving the meerest hint.

I've fitted just one gun at this stage - the forward facing one as the others are easily knocked while construction is still ongoing....





Next up is the running gear....



Takom and Meng take different approaches to the tracks...

Meng:


Takom:


This is the first time that Takom has the edge over Meng. Just a small injection point on each link is the only clean up required on the Takom tracks - easy peasy construction. A 5 min job while watching TV

I don't know if they'll fit the Meng running gear, but it's worth a go...

Gary