Panzerserra Bunker- Military Scale Models in 1/35 scale: Henschel 33 D1 trucks - radio and cargo versions - A tale of a birth and a reincarnation

Gentlemen
This is a history about a build of a model kit and a reencarnation of a damaged kit. It began with a commission to build a kit... The colleague wanted a Henschel 33 D1 radio truck with interior. For do that, he chose the ICM´s Henschel radio truck and the IBG conversion resin kit.

The players...

While we combined the details, he told me that he had ordered the construction of a kit with a colleague and that kit had arrived badly damaged in your home. He asked me if I could would fix the damaged kit ...As I like challenges, I replied: why not?.

So, he sent to me the damaged truck, in a very good package. When I open the box, I saw it: Besides many small parts broken, the kit (very beautifull) was falling apart ...

Henschell with damaged rear suspension

... broken parts

...and many of their parts detaching!!!

I began to remove the parts that were detaching. The builder used cyanoacrylate to glue the parts of the kit...

Take care!! Shocking images!!

Not recommended for children and people
with heart conditions ...

The little pieces looks like leaves in autumn ...

Dismantling ...

... Dismantling ...

...and this is the Henschel German truck, ready to be built with a stronger glue !

For this, I´ll use a plastic welder, chemically similar to Tenax 7R. The bond between the parts of the kit is going to be strong and reliable.

Uff !!!

After this madness, let´s re-build this "truck". You will see the "virgin" build and reconstruction, in parallel ... Starting by the book:

The beauty and the beast...

The engines: many parts were not built in the damaged truck...

Chassi parts...Oh, Gods !!!

And the two chassis almost ready. The alignment is crucial...

Well, the reconstruction continues....

the chassi

The rear suspensions of Henschels are a "religious experience". Very complicated and fragiles. The alignment is a nightmare and in the "reincarnation kit", the nightmare is even greater. I had to adapt a gauging device with pieces of wood to ensure perfect alignment. The wheels receiving reinforcement in metal pins.

alignment of wheels and chassi in the "reincarnate" Henschel

Henschel OOTB - uff...

And to further stabilize the gluing of the pieces, I used dental acrylic as reinforcement. It got really solid!! See the technique in the pictures below:

Dental acrylic - Nectar of the Gods !!!

Moistening the brush to collect the powder

capturing the acrylic powder

reinforcing the seams ...wait 10 minutes...

The new and the old...

The build (and rebuilding) continues...See some pics of the work, in the last weekend. A comparison between the chassis. The reconstructed features numerous missing pieces (red arrows):

Missing parts (red arrows)

Fenders and radiator:

Alignment of the firewall

Alignment of the radiator, in the "virgin" model...

The radio shelter...

As yet there is no interior kit for the ICM truck, the colleague asked to adapt the interior of IBG. The Devil is the IBG´s shelter is much smaller than ICM´s .... Let's see what will give ....

Testing the IBG parts...Hmmm...

I predict storm ahead!!

I started marking the bottoms of cabinets of the shelter. I´ll make the cabinets with plasticard:

Shelter´s cabinets botoms

The exterior of the cabinets...

Cabinets.

The wooden floor of the IBG kit is very small. I'll build a new one in plasticard, cutting and scribbing the plastic like wood:

Testing the new floor

Many parts of the IBG kit will be adapted to the new layout of the shelter of larger size ...

New layout. Notice the cabinet´s bottoms...

First of all, I painted the shelter´s interior in light-cream. After that, I painted the floor in wood aspect...

The new floor in "wood".

The roof in cream, too...

Painting the IBG resin parts:

IBG´s parts

And the interior done!!

The telephone shelter. Notice the decal above the table (with telephone...)

I used as much as possible the parts from IBG kit

I did some light spots with plasticard and small glass balls of bijoux

And the shelter interior is done...

Rear view

Side view

Well, the trucks will get some rest now, because I'm crazy to build the Tortoise ....

I finished the reconstruction of the old truck:

The damaged truck rebuilt.

Front view

Henschel 33D1 standard truck

And the communication truck is growing too...

Henschel Communication Truck.

Yesterday, I built the cabin of the Henschel radio, paint and closet the front area of this truck:

Panzer-gray in this truck

In this truck from ICM, the alignment of the bonnet with chassis is critical to the "snout" not to get bent ....

Well, gents...The Henschel communications truck is almost ready...

The roof racks...

Finished !!!

Now, is paint time !!!

Henschel Comm and Cargo truck

Ufff... This project is being much more complicated than I thought. But the trucks are amazing... In special, the shelter truck. A gem...Let´s go...more advances...Painting time, in Panzer-gray:

Panzer-gray in tones, with toilette paper for masking

In the windshield and windows, masking-tape..

Rear view

After the panzer-gray dry, I did the cammo winter, with white-matte. The glossy aspect is Future (airbrushed...)

After the decals (horrible quality...cracking... from Luftwaffe), washing, weathering and matte varnish. I built shelter doors open to allow viewing of the interior ...

Open the door !!!!

The truck is huge !!!

Winter cammo...

Side door

Rear door. Notice the propaganda poster...

The trucks in the final sprint...Making the roof´s cargo with styrofoam...

Cargo made with styrofoam..easy and light weight...

And in the cargo version, too...

styrofoam blocks...

the structure...

and the shape....

After the glue dries in the blocks, I'll coat the styrofoam with tracing-paper softened in a solution of 50% water-50% white glue ...

Using tracing paper as canvas....

And the paper "wet and conformed" in the cargo. The wet paper is soft and easy to fit into desired shapes ...

The "canvas" in position...

Well, Now is wait for the drying of paper and we will paint tomorrow ...

I finished the Henschel girls! The project was long and complicated, because rebuilding is always more complicated than building a virgin kit ... But I think it was worth it. The Henschel kit is fantastic, very detailed and complete. A delight to build.

The canvas made with tracing-paper...

...and painted with acrylics.

...as the cargo version!

I added the load to the roof of communication version and put two logs (the truck goes through many bogs ...). The logs are pomegranate tree branches. They are ideal in scale effect. The final pics