222 Build

[Rivetcounter]

Paint and Decals 

I wanted something a little different from what is supplied in the kit
There are two paint and decal options called out on the instructions but three decal options are provided
A, 24th Panzer Division Southern Russia this must be 1942-43 as the colour option is grey, yellow was introduced in 1943
B, 10th Panzer Division Russia
C, 3rd Panzer Division Russia “not shownâ€

[Rivetcounter]

Conclusion

This the first in a line of recognisance vehicles from Andrew Design A brave move that other manufactures have been to afraid to enter and concentrated on the main tanks not daring to be different I think Andrew design have done a brilliant first RC kit and things can only get better sure there are a few air bubbles in the resin but it’s nothing that cant be easily and cheaply resolved even the lack of turret rotation wasn’t really a problem and not expensive to sort, would have been nice to have a spare wheel but the dummy and cloth cover is a very nice touch the detail on this vehicle is very good for a first try with all the weld marks bolts and hinges being crisp they could teach Tamiya a thing or two about detail and what customers want I’m looking forward to the 234/2 Puma but might buy the 223 just to go with the 222 tings can only get better.

Thanks to
YT International for supplying the kit http://www.jetstreamrc.co.uk/
Andrew Design WWW.andrew-design.com

[Rivetcounter]

Cheers for the response lads, this was built last year and hosted on RC Universe and Panzer Forum (formerly THQ) problem was I hosted the pictures on photo bucket and after cleaning up my files I removed most of the pictures since then this forum has established it's self and now I have embedded the pictures so they will never be removed.

Time has moved on since I built the 222 back then I was living in Brussels since I moved back hear I have been busy with other projects and haven't looked at the 222 until recently, so it's time I upgraded some of the parts and pictured it next to other vehicles so you can gauge the size this will be done over the next few weeks

[grompix]

That's a smashing build Rivetcounter. Now how to persuade the missus the need for one of these!
Thanks for posting.

Cheers
Chris

[Rocketman]

Nice one Rivet, quality build and quality review. Thanks for taking the time to post up as well!

[Rivetcounter]

Chris, why have one when you can have the pair 222 and 223 just think how nice they would be together, just like matching handbag and shoes

Rocket, I know  I have posted this build on other forums but thought it would be nice to see it on hear, I have the Professional upgrade kit just waiting for new motors to arrive then I will carry on with the report before starting the 223 build may also have something new to build as well but more of that latter 

[Rivetcounter]

February 2009

I have decided to add the Xion “Professional upgrade kitâ€

[Rivetcounter]

Fitting the parts
This is just a simple case of stripping down the Vehicle to get at the gearbox and the axles once they where off the vehicle I started on the gearbox first by removing the standard parts adding the bearings and making sure that everything lined up correctly once this was done out came the gears to fit the new motor this just needed the help of my friend the dermal and slightly opened the circle for the motor to fit correctly once this was done everything was cleaned before I greased the gears and reassembles the casing at this point you need to connect the new driveshaft joints these are the thinnest pair I used Tamiya tread lock on the grub screws so they don’t come loose this done the gear box was installed back in the 222 next was the axles these where striped out came the old drive shafts in went the new shaft’s  with new bearings these where lined up correctly so as there is neither too much or too little slack on the bevel gears making sure that everything is free moving without too much binding of gears once you are happy grease and reassemble don’t forget the new drive shaft joint these are the fattest pair and also the new ball joints before I replaced my axles I installed the steering bush to take out any slack or wobble in the steering column then in went the axles and drive shafts then it’s time for the new wheels these have been changed from the original Hex drive that wasn’t the best fit and could easily strip the hex the new wheels and knuckle joints are an oblong shape and a firm fit with no chance of wearing so on they ent without painting, before I re assembled everything I tested the lower chassis the 222 ran smoothly with no binding what so ever so I re assembled the rest of the 222 the whole job from start to finish took less than 1 Hour and made a vast improvement.

[Rivetcounter]

Conclusion
The kit cost’s €99 and is a vast improvement over the original parts especially in the axles the standard gears where the crown type this was a bad design and would probably wear out quickly the new gears are bevelled this is a vast improvement helping transfer the power more efficiently, all the parts went into position without modification and apart from adjusting the bearings slightly the installation was hassle free.

Thanks to
Xion for the fast delivery http://shop.xion.de/index.php

Next
Well this build will continue I want to add the Xion PE kit and give the 222 a repaint I also want to add a slower servo for the turret rotation and a servo slow to slow the turret even more as it is it’s way too fast, I will also be building the Xion AD Kettenkrad and the 223 . 

[Mackem]

Superb build report Rivet. It's always nice to see someone tackling something a bit different.
After reading your report I visited Xions web site and immediately found 2 kits that are absolute must haves.

SD.Kfz 234/2 (Puma) Pricey yes, but just look at what you get!
http://shop.xion.de/SDKFZ-234/1-4-and-Accesories/SdKfz-234-2-PUMA::35.html

SD.Kfz 250. No price as yet, but it's half track, and hopefully it will be RC!
http://shop.xion.de/New-Products-2009:_:20.html

Apologies for the slight thread hijack.
John