Following up on my inbox review of Roden's combination kit of their Holt 75 Tractor and 8-inch Howitzer and Limbers sometime ago, I thought I'd post a build log now that I've actually gotten around to building the kit. Right up front, I need to say that what looks good in the box, isn't necessarily the case once we start the actual construction. Bear in mind here that we have two separate kits in this box so problems associated with one won't necessarily apply to the other. Time will tell.
I've started construction with the Holt 75 tractor. My advice to anyone considering building it is to come well armed with files and sanding sticks. And patience. Lots of patience. The major problem seems to be rooted in substandard tooling which has resulted in a pronounced mold shift. There are thick and deep mold release lines on most parts that take considerable effort to remove, as illustrated in this ring that is part of the front wheel assembly. This is supposed to be a flat faced ring. Rod shaped parts can be somewhat oval in shape too, requiring some finessing.
I've done some research online together with discussing it with a couple of friends building the tractor kit, and they have experienced the same issues, so this isn't a one-off problem limited to my example. However, the saving grace here is that once you invest the elbow grease, everything fits together very well.
The major problem with the Holt 75 kit, and it's a big one, is with the corrugated roof. On the underside, we can see the centre stringer that is molded to the roof, and eveything is good, as the corrugation is quite well done.
The topside of the roof is a different matter though. In my inbox review, I completely missed the pronounced sink mark that extends from one end of it to the other. I must have been blind at the time. The problem is compounded in that it affects both the troughs and the ribs. If you look closely, you'll also see the extent of the mold shift on the tree runner.
I employed sprue-goo, round files and sanding sticks to correct the issue, and it came out looking not too shabby.
Not too shabby until viewed from a different angle and lighting, where some sanding flat spotting was in evidence.
I wasn't sure that I could completely eliminate this issue, so I decided to make a replacement roof. I used the repaired roof as my template, and employed 36 gauge pewter sheet and a rounded off wooden skewer stick as my embossing tool. Unlike lead foil, the pewter sheet is thick enough to hold the curved shape of the roof and the embossed pattern.
As one would expect, the embossing process transferred the flat spotting to the pewter sheet, but it was just a matter of sliding the new roof off centre a little bit and re-embossing that area again to remove the issue. All in all, I was pleased with the result, and being so much thinner than the plastic roof, it's more scale appropriate.
With the roof fixed, I decided that it would be worthwhile continuing on with the project.
