1/35 Scale WWII Caterpillar D7 Bulldozer

[Old Marine]

This is the Miniart Bulldozer kit.  It was a tough build.  The kit is incredibly detailed, but I think the attention to detail is kind of overdone for a static model.  There is an incredible number of parts, 35 sprues and about 700 parts.  The kit is so detailed, it’s as if they disassembled a real bulldozer and scaled all the parts down.  There is a lot of work required on the tracks, suspension and control levers, including photo etched parts that then get covered up by the track covers and floor plates.  I think the kit is way more complex than it needs to be.  The kit is nicely molded, but the thin, fragile levers and straight pieces have so many risers that they are impossible to cut from the sprue without breaking.  That requires, fiddling around and scratch building substitutes.  
 

Anyway, it’s done, and it’s a nice addition to the US vehicles.  Here are some photos. Thank for letting me post it here.

 

 

 

 

[Old Marine]

The reference photos.  I couldn’t resist adding the "Booger Kid" name and the gas can rack.

[Old Marine]

Some of the never to be seen details.

[strawberry 9]

That looks amazing!  Great work!  I especially like how those treads turned out.

[Old Marine]

The tracks, 

[mikie]

1 hour ago, Old Marine said:

Some of the never to be seen details.

Holy Carp! Look at all those parts! You did a beautiful job with them! 

[Tony V]

Excellent work, well done! Thank you for sharing

 

Tony

 

[cutiger83]

Dennis,

 

You hit this one out of the park! It looks stunning. I love how you made the wood track to put the track together.  Are you going to put this one in a vignette?

 

...Kat

[doyler]

Outstanding build. The weathering and paint details are amazing. Looked like a very complicated build.

 

 

[conn]

super, well done

[warguy]

Wow, what an amazing job you did on that. You have soooooooooooooooooooooooo much more patience than I do. Thanks for sharing this. Kevin

[Rakkasan187]

This is stunning work,

 

I am so impressed with the skills of all our model makers here..

 

These are truly works of art by some very talented people..

 

Thank you very much for sharing these with us

 

Best regards, stay safe

 

Leigh 

[Proud Kraut]

More than 700 parts? That´s 5 times more an old Tamiya tank kit had once.

 

You did an incredible job here. The painting is top-notch. Doesn´t look like a plastic model but made of steel. A real masterpiece! Thanks for sharing and keep up your fantastic work!

[sundance]

Very impressive work. You get an " A" for patience. I would have opened the box, taken a look and tossed it out the window. 

[Hookemhorns88]

Fantastic modeling.  Making it look real.  I would love to see this dozer model placed in a diorama.

 

I would like to "correct" the title of this thread.  What is seen here is Caterpillar D7 crawler tractor fitted with a LeTourneau blade and controls.  Caterpillar did not begin to make turn-key dozers until after the War.

 

The tractor would carry a Cat serial number and then there would be a separate LeTourneau serial number for the blade and the attached control unit.  It was a true partnership.  In many vintage photos you will actually see the name "LeTourneau" on the bar above the operator's position spanning the length of the tractor.

 

LeTourneau supplied many different types of construction equipment during the War.  Aproximately 70% of the construction equipment that the Aliies used was manufactured by LeTourneau.

 

In appreciation of LeTourneau's contribution during the War, the US government sold Harmon General Hospital (all property and buildings) to LeTourneau for $1.00 in October 1945.  Harmon General Hospital was a 156 acre site built by the government during the War as a military hospital and POW camp.  Harmon General Hopsital became what is known today as LeTourneau University in Longview, TX.

 

The LeTourneau equipment products has subsequently been purchased by Komatsu.  The Longview manufacturing facility that opened in 1946 continues to build leading-edge mining equipment.

 

Doing a bit of research about R.G. LeTourneau will really surprise a lot of folks.

[kammo-man]

It’s beautiful 

owen 

[Blacksmith]

I simply do not know what to say my friend.  You ran me plumb out of superlatives on your Tarawa diorama.

 

This topic reminded me of how much I (and I reserve this word) love your Tarawa build.  So I went back and looked at it, and by the end of the topic, I honestly had tears in my eyes.

 

As I said in that one, I don't know how you do it, but I'm glad you do.

 

What I can muster up to say on this dozer build, is that by about the second picture, I forget that I'm looking at a model.  It is BANANAS how realistic it looks.  There is not detail - anywhere - that you have not given treatment to.

 

This is a master and his canvas folks...

[ArtyScout]

Awesome job Dennis. I love the detail of the engine. I can feel for you regarding parts and excessive details on some kits. Sometimes I feel that some companies never heard of the acronym: K.I.S.S. But you did a great job, and it looks awesome.

 

Semper Fi.

 

Manny