Quick Ford V3000S (G198TS)

Picture source: Engines of the Wehrmacht

You know I said that I wouldn't mind trying to paint up one of my five new Valiant resin V3000s 'as is'? Well, I lied...Sort of.

To be honest I just couldn't resist tinkering about with one to make the one-piece model more like the multi-part kit that I am using for my Finnish army project. But, having said that, I still wanted to do this with as little fuss and as quickly as I could...So some sort of compromise was in order.

What I decided to do - in essence - is as little as I possibly could to complete this model. Just enough to satisfy my aesthetic sensibilities, but without the normal fiddly and time-consuming alterations that typify my normal conversions. So without further ado, let's get going...

1. Let's get rid of that one-piece integral chassis and base...

What I have in mind is to replace the one-piece wheels with  as set of wheels made from one of my kits. In the same way that Moonlite Modelwerkes makes it's resin trucks...

Moonlite Modelwerkes makes their wargaming models 'free standing' by
adding a set of resin wheels to the 'one-piece' body.

This free-standing method - as opposed to making the model integral to it's resin base - at least makes the model look a little more like normal multi-piece kits.

2. I next alter the other characteristic feature of one-piece 'ready to roll' wargaming resin trucks - the filled in cab and solid windshields...

This is a wee bit tricky and demands a steady hand. Basically I carefully drill out the solid insides of the cab using my trusty Dremmel. I will have to finish off the edges of the windows by hand to make sure I don't destroy any of the nice detail and - of course - I cannot excavate all of interior. What I will end up with is an empty area at the top half of the cab, from the dashboard to the roof.

However, if I paint the interior a dark colour and then dirty up the windows I intend to fit then you perhaps won't notice the interior isn't all there. Hopefully.

OK, moving on quickly - I next will make my new chassi and add the wheels.