Zabrano YaG-6 - Cab improvements

Just when you think you have done enough...You spot something else. I'm determined to make this kit as good as it can be because it cost so much. There's no good doing a half-assed job with it.

The Zebrano cab rear has no detail, and it's very thin. I broke
mine - you can see the crack - and I also noticed that the small
window isn't centred properly.

In this case I noticed that the rear of the Zebrano truck cab is very plain, but when I checked the available reference material the real thing has a distinctive wooden construction.

Illustration reproduced with the kind permission of Oliver Missing of the
'Engines of the Red Army' web site. Source: © www.o5m6.de
(Note: These illustrations may not be re-published without permission.)

All these 'small jobs' add up - which is why I am having to do yet another post on the cab alone - but annoying as that is there is a simple fix for this one. I'm just using some more of that excellent metallic tape to apply strips onto the back of the cab to represent the planking of the original.

I drew a template for the wooden slats on my computer and
printed it out to scale, just to make sure I got everything
nice and even!

1.5mm strips of metallic tape represent the planked cab rear.

Metallic tape can be a wee bit tricky. I has a nasty habit of not sticking permanently and then lifts up again at some later date, so I'm experimenting with different liquid glues to stick it down securely. Also, after painting it the top coat can chip off revealing the shiny metal layer underneath.

I'm thinking I may have to use a good primer before adding the base coat.

Anyway, that's another little detour on the interesting journey that is Zebrano's YaG-6!

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End note: A big thank you goes to Oliver Missing of 'Engines of the Red Army' who has kindly allowed me to use his wonderful illustrations. His web site is undoubtedly one of the best sites for colour reference of WW2 Soviet war machines.

Next: Painting the interior.