G scale Lanz Bulldog

 

And with one bound, we were finished. 

First thoughts - this is an impressive size. 15 1/2cm long and jus under 11cm tall, the complete model certainly has presence. I suppose in G scale (1:22.5), it really should, and I really ought not to be surprised. 

Part fit was excellent. Apart from opening out some holes for the steering (which does work), it's a case of sticking part A to part B. The paint seems to stand up to glue pretty well, and while the weathering isn't sophisticated, it works pretty well. Mud and panel wash would enhance it, but I plan to load this on a railway wagon at some point, and assume it will have had a little bit of a wash before shipping. 

Posed on the prototype, all I learn is that tractors are a can of worms as far as details go. The real thing has a different exhaust, but another in the collection uses the same stack. I'm thinking that on-farm modification was common, and if prototype fidelity is your dream, pick one, and model it. 

Did I enjoy the build? Yes. I wasn't in the mood for heavy modelling, I just wanted to stick bits together. At least a large box has been removed from the office. Or at least it will one I've squirelled away some useful parts, including a rather nice tractor seat. But that is for the future...

Steering and suspension

 

Now for the fiddly bit - the steerting. A couple of pre-bent lengths of brass wire are included, which have to be slotted through the plastic pivots and arm. 

I'd pre-painted everything, and let it dry for a couple of days. No point in letting soft paint gum everything up. As it was, every single hole required cleaning out with a broach as the stubs to fit in them are all slightly too large. 

Having done this, I was surprised that it all worked. If I'm honest, the setup isn't exactly robust, and I can see it all being glued up solid at some point, when part of it breaks. 

There is even movement in the front axle so the tractor can stand on uneven ground. It pivots from a support in the middle and on the back or what I assume is a gearbox thing sticking out of the front. All very clever. 

 Interesting to note, something I only spotted in the photo, the kit dates from 1995, so it's nearly 30 years old!

Big bits, swift progress

 

Detailing the Bullodog isn't a slow process. Great big lumps of plastic clad the inner body shell. Part fit is excellet, so it's just a case of splodging on some Contacta cement and pushing the part into position. The nearest to difficult, is making sure the louvres on the side are the right way up. 

Around the back, there is a hatch that can be opened behind the seat. Is this a boot for the farmer to store his tools and sandwiches during the day? 

All the mudguards are on a single part, and it locates on to a few stubs, but I found a clamp helped it sit perfectly on the side of the body, there is a couple of mm gap otherwise. No problem getting the clamp in on such a large model though!

Talking of big lumps, I made up the wheels. Each tyre is solid rubber, and quite a weight. The centres just clip in, making sure the treads are the right way around at the back. I'm not sure if the colour on the tyres is mould release, or some sort of weathering. I don't dislike it, so it can stay. Maybe a wash of brown will sink in and give it a bit of colour eventually.

Do NOT glue...

 

 

 

The Bulldog should, if built correctly, have working steering. This means there are quite a lot of parts that mustn't come into contact with the glue. 

First, we have a sterring stuport, which is made in two halves with a plastic axle within. First go, glue seeped where it wasn't wanted and gummed it up. I quickly pulled things apart, and then had the good sense not to try and rush thing - leaving all the parts to dry before sanding and reassembly. 

On the second attempt, with some really tiny dots of Contacta cement, all went well. 

The cog you see poking out of the bottom of the support, should engage with a cog inside the body. A cog, I had forgotten to fit. 

My excuse is that, if fitted when the instructions tell you too, one end is floating free and will fall out. So it's Pola's fault. 

Anyway, the bidy had been assembled by this point and a sensible person would just write off working steering as a gimmick they didn't need. I'm not sensible, so forced a blade along the join and prised the body halves opon. OK, a bit of plastic cracked, but it's plastic, a touch of glue will fix this if required - it wasn't. 

I'll admit the job was a bit brutal, but at least the steering should move!

Need some black

 

Assembly starts well enough with a shelf stuck in one side of the main casting, but then it's time to move on to the cab area. 

Here, we find that everything is painted, except the black bits, which are self coloured. Were I a bit more with it, I'd get the airbrush out and shoot some Revell 9 over the sprue, but right now, I'll got for the easier opion of spot painting controls and pedals. 

Talking of these, someone at Pola didn't measure the holes as they are too large for the support. I'v flooded the hole with plastic cement and plonked the pedal in, with the plastic touching one edge. They stay upright, and in the morning are solid enough, just requiring the underside to be sanded flat again. 

Bit of a bodge there, but it works. 

A pre-painted Bulldog

 

Time for a simple kit. Last year, I finally sucumbed to a G scale Lanz Bulldog kit from Pola. An odd choice you might think, except that my first novel (still available) culminates with a tractor chase featuring one of these. Inspiration came from the tractor collection on the farm my model railway and boat club live on. When I found out this was the sport model, well, it had to be the hero vehicle. 

My collection now includes several models, but this will be the largest one so far, and a nice load for the garden railway. 

There are plenty of bits in the box, and a surprise. The kit is not only pre-painted, but pre-weathered too! OK, it's a basically a dirty wash, but the results look pretty effective. 

Most of the model is plastic, but the chunky, solid tyres are rubber, and it will have some weight when built because of this. 

This isn't going to be a serious project. Used outside, there's no point in wiring up the engine or adding too much fiddly detail, but I'm not in the mood for this. Anyway, there is a MiniArt kit in the stash for the same prototype that would be a better bet...