I started building the Hasegawa 1/48 jeep, super-detailing because this kit has a full engine.  I'v been adding parts from the Tamiya jeep out of the Infantry at Rest kit because these parts have better detail than the Hasegawa parts.  Then I decided to use the unused Hasegawa parts to complete the Tamiya jeep as well.  So when complete, I will have a kit-bashed, super-detailed Hasegawa jeep and a ki-bashed Tamiya jeep that will resemble a more OOB build. 

The link below will take you to my first post with photos for this build. http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/3/t/149277.aspx

On the Hasegawa chassis I cut loose the steering linkage and scratch-built new linkage with wire and styrene so that I could turn the front wheels.  Below are photos for the next steps; I cut the shocks off the leaf springs and attached them separately to the frame and to the leaf springs.  I also used the Tamiya leaf springs on the Hasegawa kit because the detail on them is much sharper that the Hasegawa pieces.  I cut off the forward leaf spring mount that attaches it to the bumpers, front and back and made a more accurate looking mount with bent wires. 




The drive train and axles on the both kits are separate from the frames so I glued these onto the frames. But on the Hasegawa kit there are two styrene posts on each axle that are glued to the frame, I guess only for stability.  So once I got the leaf springs and  shocks mounted providing more stability for the axle to the frame, I cut these little posts out so the undercarriage is more accurate.  You can see one of the short posts in the photo below, the other is already cut off.  I used wire to mount the shocks, drilling through the shock mount points and using the wire like mounting bolts.  Turned out pretty good. 

The below photos show the different parts and sub-assemblies for each jeep, next to each other.  On the Hasegawa super-detailed jeep I'm using the seats, leaf springs, wheels, canvas top frame, windshield frame, and a couple other parts from the Tamiya kit.  And the corresponding Hasegawa parts are going on the Tamiya jeep.  I also scratch built several parts and used PE parts on the Hasegawa kit, like the hood, the fan shroud and misc engine parts. 

This build has taken me a few months so far, but I'm getting close to applying paint and putting things together.  When they're complete, I'll use one or both of the jeeps for dioramas.

Thanks for looking and I hope to post another update soon. 

Steve