The Nakladac UNC 060

(Or Roughly the Equivalent of the American Bobcat Construction Machine)

 

 

Thanks to papermodelworld.com, I was able to purchase the ABC Magazine Special Number 3, and am very pleased.  This is my first experience with a Czech model and Special 3 contains no less then seven different models. I opted to take a chance and build the UNC 060.  The paper at first seems very light.  Ideal, I thought for making buildings, but for other types of models I was not so sure.  The printing quality was good and oh! How they can use up almost every centimeter of space on a single sheet of paper.  Parts and references cover every inch of the sheet making it almost impossible to cut out a part without cutting into a reference here or there.  I would suggest that before cutting out the first piece, photocopy the sheets for future reference.

 

 I can usually tell after putting the first few pieces together whether this is going to be a good model or not.  The fit of each part was like hand to glove (O.J. excluded) and I knew it was going to be a nice model.  I was not sure what to expect for like many of us, we surely have had some nice looking kits that just did not assemble well.  It took a little figuring to determine if I was to mountain or valley fold certain parts, but once that was understood it became quite simple. The reference supplied is great and assembly is easy enough.  There are three exploded view drawings with part numbers clearly indicated; and two nice pictures of the built up model, all of which help a great deal.

 

When assembling the model, you need to pay attention to the drawings.  Part 3 is a good example of this.  There is a sort of projection on each side of the bottom plate. (This is the part with “ABC” on it) I took this part and folded over these projections thinking it was meant to enforce the main shell. Wrong.  Had I looked at the drawing a little more carefully, I would have seen that the two side plates are attached here at the bottom for more strength.  I also found it easier not to glue the roof (part 4) onto the cab this early in the game.  It seems to get in the way and so left it off until the model was almost finished.

 

Building the hydraulic cylinders was fun, because these are designed to work. What you use for the pins to attach the cylinders to the frame I leave to your imagination. I used Bamboo sticks for the large end of the cylinders and wire for the small ends. Just decide on what material you are going to use before cutting the holes out where indicated.

 

When you reach that point in construction where you need to attach the headlight frame it will require a little different approach. Assemble the frame but do not attach it.  Now cut, fold and glue the rearview mirror next. I cut mine out rather then cut it as a rectangle.  The bottom plate attaches to the head light frame thus allowing you to now attach it to the body at exactly the distance from top to bottom that it is suppose to be. If the frame sits a little lower then it is suppose to, the front wheels will rub against the frame unit.  Describing this is a lot harder then just waiting till you reach this point and it will all make sense.

 

Tires have never been my strong point whether it be on a vehicle or an airplane.  The tires on this model at first looked challenging, but even I had to admit they went together really great.  For axles, I again used Chinese Bamboo sticks, the kind you find at the local super market. Once the tires were done, a few pieces here and there and the model was finished except for the attachments. The attachments include a scooper, forklift, and scraper, all are pretty easy.  I chose to build the scooper as most of it is on the second sheet of the three sheets that make up this model. In conclusion, I look forward to building other models from this special and it did provide a pleasant change.