Compared to the PST kit the Airfix one is a breeze. I built a whole fleet of PST GMC and Studebakers (with a Cooptiva kit for good measure now that kit was a big pain, a wafer of styrene flash you carve the pieces out of
)
I built the Airfix kit last and loved every minute. Even the fiddly MG mount wasn't that bad. The cab just needs a little TLC and a rubber band, like so many airplane fuselages.
Anyone wants me to build theirs for them,(wargame builds ?)I will. I think I could almost qualify as an expert on building braille scale 2 1/2 ton trucks. Then there were the all those Opel Blitzes and the 5+ PST Russian trucks and the Morrises and the Matadors and a dozen jeeps for good measure.
Anyway some answers to your questions as best I can.
Quote:
Also regarding these clear doors, there seems to be more raised detail on one side than the other, but if you follow the instructions, the raised detail ends up on the inside of the cab, which I find dubious. Should they be reversed so that they are on opposite sides of the cab?
I think the raised detail on the inside are the zippers for opening the window. This door was canvas over a metal frame.
What exactly are these extra doors anyway? Are they just extra armour for the sides of the cab that were welded onto the smaller side doors behind, or were they hinged so that they swing open independent of the side doors?
This model of the truck has no doors. It was an open cab. The ones included are the optional canvas foul weather doors.
Moving to the rear end now, are the benches in the rear compartment to be painted a natural wood colour, or would these be painted olive along with pretty much everything else?
Olive drab. The paint doesn't wear much either. Only if the wood has chipped from having heavy things dropped on it by careless types.
Is the floor of the rear compartment made of wood or metal plates? (need to know for when I come to weather the floor). Again, is this just to be painted olive all over?
The one in the kit is metal. It scuffs but mostly around the rivets. Amazing how the rear bed of one of these beasts hasn't changed much in 60+ years.
And some minor painting questions - what colour should I paint the front seats (leather or green? instructions say green?)
Icky green canvas. Something else that hasn't changed in 60+ years. I think they recycled the seats over and over again. The REO's I drove were mostly built in the 1950s (as early as 1952)
Should the dash and dash instrumentation be painted olive, or a metal colour?
OD. It it moves salute it, if it doesn't paint it.
And would all the controls and gear stick all receive a coat of olive paint, or would these just be left metal? Is the gear stick knob to be painted olive, or black?
The knob is black, almost gloss from the palm of the driver. The stick could be black enamel or OD. Most likely black enamel but there are always exceptions. (See above.)
