Now that my 2 Spitfire builds on Aeroscale are coming to an end, it’s time to think of something new. In August I’ve got this lovely dual kit of the VW Bus T3 and the Feldumschlaggerät at my hobby shop. I had only planned to order the FUG but I couldn’t resist to get both kits in the box for only 50 Euros. A real bargain if you consider what each kit costs solo …
But for now I will only build the FUG. The T3 has to wait for some later time. It’s my first Takom kit and I’m curious how it will go together. So let’s have a look at the parts …
… there are also some PE parts coming with the kit. I’ll build one of the ISAF vehicles, pretty sure it’s gonna be Thor as my name comes from that nordic god …
@BlackWidow You got to love those combos that Takom makes of their kits. I’ve actually bought the Leopard/Franziska-combo and also the Chieftain/FV432, both in 1/72. Now I just need to get around to building them !
The FUG is such a fantastic vehicle, I’m really into construction machinery so this one ticks a lot of boxes!
You’re right, the FUG is very different. I’ve never built something like that before and I’m really curious how it will look in the end. Have started yesterday evening with the first 3 parts, so nothing worth to show yet. I hope I can show first progress at the weekend.
More DualCombos from Takom? Welcome to my stash! Recently I’ve got the Bergepanzer 2 (we usually just call it Bergeleo) in 1/35 but as often as I look in the box, there are not 2 kits inside …
First small update of my FUG. On Tuesday I had done the first 3 steps of the build. The rear axle is movable, a nice gimmick but not necessary for me …
… further work was done in the last days and I have finished up to Step 7 now. The kit goes well together until now, no bigger problems so far. This is how the FUG looks right now. The wheel rims are also made movable and should only be clipsed to the axles but I noticed that they don’t hold on the rear, so I glued them to the axles. This is not a toy and I don’t wanna play with it later …
… a view of the rear side. Unfortunatly a piece of the right rear light broke out while I cut it from the sprue. So I used a resin saw for the left side and not my scalpel. It’s very thin material here. Have to see if I can use something from Evergreen for repairs …
Will leave out Step 8 now (attaching wheels and tyres) until late in the build. Next update follows soon, so stay tuned and have a nice Sunday everyone!
Can anyone educate me as to why this particular fork-lift has what appears to be double seating? Presumably it’s for more than driving on the other side of the road?
Torsten, thanks for posting this interesting build. One question so far:
What does “The rear axle is movable” mean? “Steerable”, in that the wheels can be posed for driving a curve, or “cantable”, for one wheel on the road and the other in a pothole?
Peter
It only has one steering wheel the other side is a passenger compartment.
"The fUG has a full 4x4 configuration with the front-lift mast situated centrally at the front between two cabs. These fully enclosed single-seat cabs are for the driver on the left and a passenger on the right, both cabs have heating and soundproofing. "
It is so the Frau has somewhere to sit when you take her shopping… and the forklift is to carry her purchases home… … and why both being soundproofed is so important
Both axles are steerable.
The rear axle needs to be cantable as well, the front axle carries the load so it would be a bad idea to have it cantable, or any suspension at all.
The rear axle must be cantable to avoid one wheel lifting off uneven ground.
The fenders on the front wheels are also much closer to the tires since the wheels can’t move up/down.
The rear fenders have more space to allow for wheel movement.
Perhaps I’m being a bit slow here but why oh why would a fork-lift - even a military fork-lift have a passenger compartment? I don’t quite understand the requirement. I’m sure the Bundeswehr knew what they were doing but it sort of beats me(!)
German way of thinking. The FUG is able to do a road march. So it needs a vehicle commander. Also, a second person is helpful with all the equipment( long forks, crane hook). And it´s not just a forklift, but rather a German Swiss Army Knife.
One driver and one commander to tell the driver what to do
One driver and one assistant, assistant rides in cab when moving to another site and runs around outside assisting with the loading/unloading when they are on site. Directing, handling chains and tie downs, second pair of eyes in tight spots …
Thanks Chaps; still seems a bit strange to me, sort of like the concept is over-engineered (not the vehicle) and even over-manned. Oh well, horses for courses and all that.