Mirage Hobby Transporter Renault UE

A new manufacturer to me, but the moulding looks nice and crisp, except for a little flash here & there.

The running gear is a bit more complicated than some and has some EP marks and one or two sink marks. The hull needs a bit of Mr Surfacer around the outside edges.

The more I look, the more EP marks and sink marks I find. I might buy shares in Mr Surfacer at this rate.

Well, I've actually managed to assemble some of it at last. I think this is going to be one of those build, paint, build, paint, repeat until finished kits.

Progress is slower than I was anticipating as I had to detach the trailer hitch from the bottom of the trailer. The hitch consists of 10 (!) separate parts, none of which fit together well. I'm finding that a constant issue with this kit.

The vehicle moved around on a pair of inline skates by the look of it. Fiddly to both assemble and paint.

Test fitting the wheels & fuel tank on the trailer.

Lots of Mr Surfacer required, which I've still got to cut back.

It's gradually coming together. Tomorrow, I'll get some primer on it, then a base coat.

The tracks are link & length on the carrier and rubber band on the trailer. There looks to be enough rubber band track to do the carrier as well if you prefer. I wouldn't want to try metal tracks on this!

The base coat is done & the running gear fitted (except the drive sprocket)

The fuel tank in the trailer is a very vague fit. How far down in to the trailer should it be pushed? It doesn't sit flat if you push it all the way down.

Semi-gloss coat done. Now for the washes, filters, etc.

The exhaust is rusted and fitted. I think the tracks will be next.

First side of tracks are in place. I can't say I'm that happy with the result having never attempted this type of tracks before. Hopefully the other side will be a bit better. I had to add an extra single link at both drive and idler end. There are 10 spares in the kit, so that's not a problem. At least I managed to get a bit of sag into the top run without breaking the parts! Edit: Gas Hans have just released a set of tracks for this.

And the other side is done. That went a bit better.

The tracks have had a dose of track wash and the treads rubbed with dark steel pigment.

That shovel is supposed to be mounted further to the left, but there is not enough room between the hull side & the track for it to fit. Looking at several photos, it doesn't seem to have been mounted very often anyway. This kit is leading a bit of a charmed life. Yesterday I knocked over the glue bottle...and twice again today, and the black paint too. Missed it every time.

The decals are on and the chipping is (mostly) done. It's barely visible under this lighting.

A comparison of the original and FC Model Trends MG's

Streaking & dirt added. I might tone down some of the dirt a bit, but looking at old photos, these crates did get filthy, probably due to the open tracks.

Still to do: Trailer wheel units (when the tracks arrive), varnish effect on MG butt, mount MG, oil/fuel stains,smoke on end of exhaust/front of storage bin, fit fuel pump to tank & matt varnish coat. I'm experimenting with making a tarpaulin to cover the tank, as shown on the box art. This also shows a hose wrapped around the tank.

Finally, they've arrived! I'll get back on this soon. The tracks look good. Let's hope the fit is okay.

The fit is not okay. I wonder if I could remove a few links? Nothing to lose by trying, I suppose.

I decided to save the new tracks for another project. In the meantime, back to the original rubber band tracks. I cut them to a little longer than needed, then test fitted and removed one link at a time until I was happy with the fit. The rest was CA all the way. The biggest issue is that the tracks are far wider than the wheels. I think the track horns are a bit small too. It's not too bad though. A bit of wash & dirt will hide any flaws.

The trailer tracks are in place. I'm going to have a go at the tarpaulin tomorrow. Let's see if my skill with a needle is up to the job!

Phew! This is a new tarp, as I managed to get the cotton too tight on the first one and ripped it. Just having a break to let the pipe set in place, catch my breath and mop the sweat from my brow after that. Once the cement had set, I can very carefully tighten the cotton a little and secure the loose ends. A dab of CA should secure each of the four knots. Then I can add some staining to it.