I did mention that issue during the build, but genuinely forgot about it till it snapped off. I agree though, you’d of thought manufacturers would suss onto the fact that’s a very weak area and tweak the connection somehow.
Decided to do the wheel. Knowing my luck, if I did wait till later I’d probably end up losing it someplace lol…
Holes drilled… And amazingly both central 
Mixed a small amount of 2 part epoxy, and for the metal rod, used a 2mm steel nail cut down to about 12mm along the shaft. Filled both drilled holes with epoxy and then the length of nail into axle and offered up the wheel.
Thankfully, the wheel is in line with its mate and sits on the deck.
That’s the join, it isn’t pretty, but it works and can’t be seen. I have also given the whole outer join a thin coat of gorilla super glue gel.
Very happy and relieved that it went as well as it did …
Windscreen wipers and front lenses are on.
Washes, streaking and a filter next.
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The mark if a good modeler is how he recovers from mistakes/mishaps. 
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Coming along very nicely.
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Thank you both @Armorsmith DV and @HeavyArty Gino, appreciated
glad to see you over came that axle break ! The weathering looks good too
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Thanks kindly Jeff … I will be starting on the body weathering over the next few days once I am off duty tonight…
Gino ~ It is worth repeating here - your recent presentation model is nothing short of amazing and highly impressive!
Kudos
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Got the wash down and a filter in some areas.
Will detail paint a few areas I noticed that had been missed or looked thin, then will add a couple of the details, the veh type to the door sides, and a set of the VRNs, although the instructions don’t show them, I will add a set.
Will then do an application of the AK dust and dirt wash, and target specific areas
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Hello everyone!
I’ve just finished a build in the ‘Made In France’ campaign and I’m now drifting over here to start another build. Both campaigns are going great I must say- it’s been a pleasure scrolling through the various builds here and I look forward to seeing a lot more!
For my own entry I was thinking of something Russian but I’ve built a few of their 8x8 vehicles so I decided to opt for something a bit different. Meet the Republic of China’s CM-34 Clouded Leopard.
What drew me to this vehicle was partly the fact I’ve never built anything of the ROC’s military and I really like the camo scheme, a sort of woodland take on the Berlin Brigade scheme.
Interestingly, to me anyway, I found in the info about the vehicle in the instructions that there is a bit of an Irish connection. The predecessor of this vehicle was a 6x6 IFV called the CM-31- which Timoney Technology in Navan helped design. (Timoney worked on parts of the Aussie Bushmaster, among other military projects, and are experts in heavy duty off road systems. They are currently working on parts of the Bundeswehr’s new 8x8 Wisent.)
The CM-31.
As the CM-31 entered production the ROC were already working on this design. The kit I have is armed with a 30mm chain gun but there are other variants. The CM-33 mounts an RWS with a 40mm Grenade Launcher and 7.62mm MG. The CM-32 is the Command variant, armed with the same RWS as the CM-33. I have also seen pictures of a mortar armed version and one that appears to be a mobile gun platform.
The CM-33.
With 81mm Mortar.
The mobile gun platform.
In terms of the paint scheme I plan to do it as per the box art and via an IPMS USA review of the kit I discovered AFV Club do a pre-cut masking set so I ordered one of them.
The build starts with the hull tub and mostly concerns the suspension assembly.
So far I would describe it as satisfyingly complex and there is plenty of nice detail.
Oh, just one more bit regarding the name.
This is an actual clouded leopard- as you can see it has a very nice camo scheme of its own!
Thanks for reading.
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Welcome to the 8 wheelers Karl. Interesting build and nice bit of background on it… Cam scheme looks good as well…
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That is a very nice, unseen before camoscheme! Nice variation!
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I have crossed the line with the epic Pantsir S1… What a kit. First modern Russian vehicle, and first Zvezda kit I’ve done since they apparently turned a corner with their manufacturing and begun turning out great kits. Which this one certainly was. There were a few issues, but some were down to me so it wouldn’t put me off getting this kit again or recommending it.
Decided on a good dusting and weathering, considering the conditions it would of been through in Syria.
All paints were Tamiya on this one, and all weathering, washes/filters were AK and some Vallejo steel pigments.
Really good build and very nicely detailed, sadly a really cool and super detailed engine and chassis is mostly hidden from view, but it looked impressive as it built up. This was straight out the box and it holds up very well without having any extras thrown at it … Any Q’s then ask away, if not … Enjoy
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Very cool looking 8-wheeler 
Nice finish! Looking really good!
I have the same one on the way. Going to do it in winter-camo.
As for the THAAD, it got sidetracked a little. I’ll get it on course again next week 
That’s the first time I’ve seen this vehicle in that color- very different to the usual green and catches the eye nicely. The weathering is spot on and it’s good to see all the details you’ve picked out.
Great finish John. This is the same camo I intend to apply to my own Pantsir when I paint mine some day.
@Karl187 I’ll follow your build with interest. I have the model by Freedom Model kits. It should be not far from the AFV Club one. I’ll be interested in your experience with the pre-cut masks for the camo.
Olivier
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Such a beast of a thing. Ugly to boot. Might have to break down and get some type of massive Russian thing despite not having a place to put it. They just look so menacing.
Well that sure is a fantastic looking vehicle, love the color and weathering!
Fantastic finish John. It really will stand out amongst the collection.
An 8x8 model kit that is really ripe for a retooling:
This particular model is already built soit does not qualify for the group build but the vehicle type should be mentioned in any forum discussing the big 8x8’s none the less.
(Attn: ADMIN: If this critical review of the model is considered inappropriate for this particular thread please don’t simply delete it but give me the word and I will copy and then remove it to then be moved to it’s own dedicated thread.)
MAZ-537:
In all honesty while on the surface Trumpeter’s kit looks fairly well done if you look deeper you will find major flaws in the driveline mechanism and interior ~ plus NO ENGINE!
If built totally OOB the provided driveline could not/would not even function mechanically.
Scratch built transfer case and transmission:
Also the final drive gearboxes are missing completely from the stock kit!
All this is doubly sad in that all Trumpeter’s recently created series of new MAZ-543 8x8 kits have all these components present and these vehicles all use the same engine, transfer case, transmission and final drive line as the 537! (Only driveshaft lengths and exhaust pipping are different!)
Come on Trumpy, you already have ALL the necessary tooling in hand. Get with it, pay some attention to your old, Old, OLD MAZ-537 kit!
Also am working on an engine for this model:
Using the Verlinden resin tank engine as a starting point:
On a few other points: The cab interior could use some improvements. The seats are incorrect, the rear cab wall is incorrect and even though you have the exhaust pipe for the auxiliary cab heater running up the outside of the cab there is no hint of it on the interior.
No bracing behind the front bumper:
Incorrect bracing on the engine bonnet. (Only one very flat piece of PE included to represent this bracing.)
Not to mention that you can look in just above the gas tanks and clearly see THERE IS NO ENGINE!
My model with the winch housing installed:
I made mine removable so the driveline could be more visible when desired
Trumpeter even fails to include the small driveshaft that connects the PTO on the transfer case to the winch mechanism above.
While on the subject of the winch: Trumpeter places their winch on the centerline of the vehicle when in reality it should be off-set to the right side.
Missing air reservoirs between the third and fourth axles:
The trailer run up ramps are set too wide. They should align perfectly with the rear fingers of the fifth wheel: (This is still wrong on their current day offerings.)
Run up ramps are also missing the small fifth wheel rests
Seen below with the rests installed:
Shown here without the rests; the fifth wheel should never be angled like this!
You probably won’t believe this but I actually enjoyed this kit quite a bit ~ but that was BECAUSE of the scratch building challenges it offered!
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