This is a weird feeling

My friends, building something that's not a tank is definitely odd! Especially if the kit is simple, small, and just doesn't contain too many parts. Even more when there's not much to modify, improve, or add texture to! 

Well, to keep this short, I started by milling out the thick plastic from the fenders. So much so they were thinner than paper and this was very easy with a ball burr. Once you can see through the plastic, it behaves very realistically, like real sheet metal! It just likes to return to its original form, so a little more brute force and some softening with modelling cement is required. 

The roof was more complicated because it's a large surface. I removed some of the material but it wasn't enough, so I employed the Dremel butane torch and bent the roof with the aid of some heat. 

I didn't like the plain look of the model, so I stippled some extremely subtle texture with diluted Tamiya putty. This "cleaned" up the dented parts, added some interesting texture to those areas that were eaten through by rust, and overall it'll make painting more interesting. 

The interior, engine, running gear, etc, were built completely from the kit parts, I just omitted a lot of stuff such as seats, wheels, drilled out the wheel axles, etc. 

Simple rubber seals/window frames were added from lead strips and lead wire, and I added some cushioning into one of the doors according to photos. A tarp was made from the leftover putty in hopes it'll add more texture to the plain model :D 

Honestly, that was pretty much it. I might've spent more time scratching my head thinking if I'm doing something wrong or if I should add something more, but I think when you're approaching a completely alien subject, things should be kept simple so you don't get overwhelmed. 

The only modifications I did, trying to make the car look more like the post-war production vehicle, were about removing the window brace at the back, and adding 0.5mm wide Evergreen strips into the door windows. 

I think this post helped me to realize the model is ready for painting, haha. But again, it felt really strange and there wasn't much to show from the building process... maybe if I give this topic another try, I'll document the progress in more detail... after all, an abandoned Soviet military truck rotting somewhere doesn't sound so bad either, right?