1/32 Aktiv Snowtrac

[Stabliofarmer]

This has been bubbling away since Easter as something I could do in an evening between uni work. While not particularly Agricultural based I've only seen these in the flesh on farms in the Scottish Highlands, they where also employed by the forestry commission across Scotland and by some Scottish police forces. 

Work started with a laser cut chassis, this has holes for three axles, two large carrier wheels and a forwards raised drive sprocket. 

The drive gear is also laser cut, the joy here is perfect circle's everytime with zero hastle. 

The lower body work is then built up in mount board cut by hand, you could laser this but to measure and draw up all the parts would take longer than by hand. 

The upper body work is then fabricated from plasticard. The bonnet is kellogs cereal card to get the organic curve. The roof is a lower base of 1mm plasticard with two layers of shaped mount board on top. 

[Stabliofarmer]

The tracks were going to be a sticking point but I had an idea I wanted to experiment with. 

Using 1mm thick rubber sheet 5mm strips were cut out. 

This gave the rubber loops but I didn't want to have to cut and then paint all the grousers. I therefore got some more kellogs cereal card and applied a layer of aluminium tape to either side. Now when cut into strips for grousers the metal colour was already there. The cereal card and tape squish slightly when cut with a knife hiding the card edge slightly. 

A basic jig is then drawn to space the grousers out and they're glued on with gorilla super glue. 

When complete the strips are simply gorilla glued at each end to form a band. This bond is surprisingly strong and easily with stands the force of pulling it over the idlers. 

The racking on the side of the track arches is then added using 1mm florist wire, holes are drilled and the wire pushed into the spaces. 

[Stabliofarmer]

All in primer ready for the top coat

And the top coat on, just waiting for things to cure before building up the idlers and fixing everything in place. 

There was no brochure style blueprints available for this build so I've worked off what little info was available, overall length, height and width along with the tyre sizes of the idler wheels. This is then built up into a pencil drawing. 

Next to a Land Rover Defender for scale

Just got the glazing, lights, some interior touches and a top track idler to put in. 

Thanks for looking 

[fordmajor]

Fantastic [ as usual ]

[Tractorman810]

blimey . not  seen one of them for a long time, matchbox used to do them, and british telecom had them way back up Scotland as well .think they used to have one for dartmoor as well before i started ,but we don’t  get so severe snow on dartmoor so landys  we used ,we used to maintain the masts ect in winter for call out ect

[844john]

Very nice James, I like that, can’t help thinking of The Shining though!

[Stabliofarmer]

12 hours ago, fordmajor said:

Fantastic [ as usual ]

Thank you Jim

[Stabliofarmer]

4 hours ago, Tractorman810 said:

blimey . not  seen one of them for a long time, matchbox used to do them, and british telecom had them way back up Scotland as well .think they used to have one for dartmoor as well before i started ,but we don’t  get so severe snow on dartmoor so landys  we used ,we used to maintain the masts ect in winter for call out ect

Yes I considered buying the Matchbox one for dimensions. There are two on a farm along the A93 up to Glenshee Ski Centre that always caught my eye when we were there on holiday. Should fit in nicely with the snow gear I currently have, and with a forestry dio idea I'd like to eventually make.

 

[Stabliofarmer]

4 hours ago, 844john said:

Very nice James, I like that, can’t help thinking of The Shining though!

Thank you John, had to do some googling there to understand though 😁 Looks very like another build I have in mind now the track theory has worked, a 1970's Pisten Bully Snow Groomer, again a fascination created by holidays up to Glenshee Ski Centre.