I saw the add in the Squadron flyer for the Bronco Staghound for a pretty good price and I thought it was a really unique looking vehicle that I had to buy it.

I got it a few days later opened it up and looked at the directions and was intimadated at what I saw. Does anyone have any tips on the construction sequence? I would think that the detail parts would go on last after the vehicle was built.

There's not alot of color information for the running gear or the detail parts. Is this normal for armor kits? Are there any reference books about this vehicle like the squadron in action books.

If anyone who built this kit can get me going in the right direction it would be appreciated.

Out of the air and onto the ground,

Jim J

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=MT2013

I have not started my kit, so I can't help wth any tips.
Good luck.

With most vehicle kits, I try to build as much of the vehicle as possible before adding detail parts. With armor its pretty simple too when it comes to painting, since nearly everything is the vehicle base color. British AFVs of that time were painted a color very similar to US Olive Drab, just slightly greener. The chassis and suspension will all be that color, as will any visible interior surfaces like the inside of the hatches.

Myself, I prefer the Tamiya/Italeri Staghound... less fiddley.

Hi Jim:

The Bronco Staghound is an excellent kit (better detailed and more accurate than the Italeri, in my opinion, although some of the bits are pretty fiddly), but it is a complicated vehicle and the kit instructions are most unhelpful. I would absolutely not recommend following the construction sequence as laid out in the instructions, but rather build the basic hull and then add all of the detail parts (you could add those much later, if you were so inclined). I would also leave the wheels off until after painting, since a lot of the inside of the fenders can be seen after assembly and you will want to paint and weather in there without the complication of the wheels.

Here are a couple of Bronco Staghounds (the Canadian one is my wife's, and I built the New Zealand one):









As for references, I think the best one out there now, especially in terms of value for money, is the new Ampersand book on the Staghound by David Doyle that Bill mentioned above (I have to admit to being a bit biased here, since a number of photos I took of a preserved Staghound are in there, but it was a huge help in building the models shown above). The Military Modelling issue from late 2007 with Steve Zaloga's build of the Bronco Staghound was also really useful.

If you end up with specific questions about the kit or are looking for photos of particular areas of the real thing, please feel free to email me.

Cheers,

Scott

Scott Taylor
Thachweave Products
http://thachweave.tripod.com

Check it out at http://www.warwheels.net/Staghound1Index.html

And, to add my voice to the choir, David Doyle's book is a must have for any Staghound lovers; and the price is reasonable too. You can see my review at the AMPS website at http://www.amps-armor.org/ampssite/reviews/showReview.aspx?ID=975&Type=BR

Regards.

Patrick Keenan
Editor - WarWheels.Net
http://www.warwheels.net