1:48 Komatsu G40 (TAMIYA)

Photo-etched set 1:48 for the Komatsu G40 bulldozer (Hauler)

An accessory of photo-etched metal for the Tamiya plastic kit of the construction machine. The set is sold separately and does not hold the kit. The maker is the Czech brand Hauler, whose range includes hundreds of accessories for ground vehicles and aircraft alike.

The real subject

The Komatsu G40 was a Japanese tracked bulldozer used in the Second World War by engineer units. Machines of this kind shaped terrain, built and repaired field airfields, pushed soil for fortifications and cleared roads. Compared with combat vehicles it is an unobtrusive object, but one that immediately creates a story in a diorama, because it explains why the scene looks the way it does.

Building and painting tips

Working machines are rewarding precisely because they can be dirty. First, though, deal with the photo-etch: degrease the parts, apply a primer and paint them in the base color of the machine. Only then comes the wear. The blade and the tracks are polished in service, so it pays to reveal metallic sheen on them, for instance with the lead of a soft pencil or with a silver pigment rubbed over the edges. Make the build-up of soil restrained and in one layer, so that the machine does not look like a lump of mud. Let a dark wash into the seams and unify the surface with a matte varnish.

Who the set is for

• builders of dioramas with engineer and construction equipment in 1:48
• modelers of Japanese Second World War vehicles
• those who want the detail of the sheet items on a machine to stand out
• modelers with experience of photo-etch and weathering

The set is an accessory for a plastic kit, which is not included in the package. It is supplied unpainted; glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.