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M29 Weasel family 1/72 (scratch) by Backer Finished


Baker

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A long time ago I bought a resin model of an M29 Weasel at an IPMS exhibition.
The idea was to use this model as an example and to make a series of Weasels.
The construction stopped for reasons I no longer remember. The unfinished models went in a box in the closet and the magazines that served as information were later also lost (sold).

 

Recently, the Weasels unexpectedly reappeared while searching for parts for the Centurion. 

20210118_093304.thumb.jpg.9bf685c7e2a57c5ed4e61340f1f257b3.jpg

And after searching the internet I found enough info to restart this build.

http://www.lzmodels.com/135-American-M29-weasel.html

https://lzmodels.wbs.cz/35501/m29_instructions.pdf

 

http://www.lzmodels.com/135-American-M29C-Weasel.html

https://lzmodels.wbs.cz/35503/m29c_instructions.pdf

 

This build will be slow, making a series of models is very time consuming. So, this build will only be continued if other models require the glue or paint to dry.

But with time, patience and plastic this build will be finished. And now I have a good reason to finish this project, MSW members are watching 🧐

 

General info of the Weasel family

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M29_Weasel

 

Current state of the models and my new source of info. 

20210207_114428.thumb.jpg.341dc0b0f24073596467b7f5b55aa312.jpg20210207_114433.thumb.jpg.4e82042e64c50615f6e24bbd666b49fd.jpg20210207_114443.thumb.jpg.f776ae9b34fa3762b697f1f683e98352.jpg20210207_114523.thumb.jpg.9387ac1ee8e0835de4009262e7667681.jpg

The scratch chassis were then made of plastic sheet. 
For the time being, there is even no idea how the tracks will be made.

 

To be continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Backer
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Yep I'll be watching...

 

My Father said they were deathtraps without the fore and aft sponsons, and they would barely throw a wake.... But, once you got them ashore, they would drive over almost anything....

 

He much preferred DUKW's.....

Current Build: F-86F-30 Sabre by Egilman - Kinetic - 1/32nd scale

In the Garage: East Bound & Down, Building a Smokey & the Bandit Kenworth Rig in 1/25th scale

Completed: M8A1 HST  1930 Packard Boattail Speedster  M1A1 75mm Pack Howitzer  F-4J Phantom II Bell H-13's P-51B/C

Temporary Suspension: USS Gwin DD-433  F-104C Starfighter "Blue Jay Four" 1/32nd Scale

Terminated Build: F-104C Starfighter

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:

"Relish Today, Ketchup Tomorrow"

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Interesting subject, Patrick. be a good one to follow along.

Ken

Started: MS Bounty Longboat,

On Hold:  Heinkel USS Choctaw paper

Down the road: Shipyard HMC Alert 1/96 paper, Mamoli Constitution Cross, MS USN Picket Boat #1

Scratchbuild: Echo Cross Section

 

Member Nautical Research Guild

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this should be real neat to watch :)   

I yam wot I yam!

finished builds:
Billings Nordkap 476 / Billings Cux 87 / Billings Mary Ann / Billings AmericA - reissue
Billings Regina - bashed into the Susan A / Andrea Gail 1:20 - semi scratch w/ Billing instructions
M&M Fun Ship - semi scratch build / Gundalow - scratch build / Jeanne D'Arc - Heller
Phylly C & Denny-Zen - the Lobsie twins - bashed & semi scratch dual build

Billing T78 Norden

 

in dry dock:
Billing's Gothenborg 1:100 / Billing's Boulogne Etaples 1:20
Billing's Half Moon 1:40 - some scratch required
Revell U.S.S. United States 1:96 - plastic/ wood modified / Academy Titanic 1:400
Trawler Syborn - semi scratch / Holiday Harbor dual build - semi scratch

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Update,

 

Progress , with a Staghound Mk.2 under construction. 

 

The first step is backwards. Everything that was not good has been removed.

20210209_201354.thumb.jpg.b4cc060a85753b636511178941f4d7b5.jpg

Building the hole in front of the vehicle. The radiator of the engine will be placed in this later.

20210210_192553.thumb.jpg.9d4242a179dca0eb40949f5aa1de9e8b.jpg

20210212_193431.thumb.jpg.c4dd9dab0d61920147121c4957261563.jpg

These 4 will all become c models.
A standard, a ambulance, a 75 mm recoiles and a Wasp flametrower.

 

Thanks for following

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Building the rear "floating tank"

This seemed to be the simplest of the 2 to build, so I started with this.

 

Top

20210213_135455.thumb.jpg.cf721b89be04ac50d9595a4c250ab4f9.jpg

sides20210213_141112.thumb.jpg.ee8efe56784d797dd7af7ca8753e3f02.jpg20210213_151909.thumb.jpg.c9edb7fb3ee520ec5085efcfc27ff836.jpg

"bottom"

20210213_154136.thumb.jpg.a03a77fcf68723572d36867d77b122bd.jpg

 

rear plate20210213_165436.thumb.jpg.b13a78005dc906e9078f83486c5a6620.jpg

Ready for sanding an cutting

20210213_172114.thumb.jpg.62c280b2fc494f6943bbbc70c3fa2b39.jpg

 

rough shape ready20210214_112511.thumb.jpg.3240662bd7ec354820f20e55dd0e2903.jpg20210214_112526.thumb.jpg.27f2055689f38c3325ce4b084378ee22.jpg20210214_112633.thumb.jpg.4dcf68b0f90549a28f23e2a1b5496fbc.jpg

Next to do, the front floating tank.

Thanks for following

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Not just about the size  - but you have Four on the go at the same time.......😲

 

OC.

Current builds  


28mm  Battle of Waterloo   attack on La Haye Saint   Diorama.

1/700  HMS Hood   Flyhawk   with  PE, Resin  and Wood Decking.

 

 

 

Completed works.

 

Dragon 1/700 HMS Edinburgh type 42 batch 3 Destroyer plastic.

HMS Warspite Academy 1/350 plastic kit and wem parts.

HMS Trafalgar Airfix 1/350 submarine  plastic.

Black Pearl  1/72  Revell   with  pirate crew.

Revell  1/48  Mosquito  B IV

Eduard  1/48  Spitfire IX

ICM    1/48   Seafire Mk.III   Special Conversion

1/48  Kinetic  Sea Harrier  FRS1

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10 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Not just about the size  - but you have Four on the go at the same time.......😲

 

OC.

I imagine I'm Henry Ford
I invented a "assembly line" for plastic models.  haha 😂

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You are the exact opposite of Popeye, (Denis) here on the forum. You are using an assembly line for mutable builds, he has little factories all over the house, each one with one project under construction and jumps from one to the other as the mood strikes! I think he has more than four at present as well.:D

 

I am really watching your work as when I was a child I built the Monogram kit. I can't remember if I tried to float it and if so if it was successful but I have always liked the design for some reason. I'm not normally an armor guy. Your work is impressive. 

Edited by lmagna

Lou

 

Build logs: Colonial sloop Providence 1/48th scale kit bashed from AL Independence

Currant builds:

Constructo Brigantine Sentinel (Union) (On hold)

Minicraft 1/350 Titanic (For the Admiral)

1/350 Heavy Cruiser USS Houston (Resin)

Currant research/scratchbuild:

Schooner USS Lanikai/Hermes

Non ship build log:

1/35th UH-1H Huey

 

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Smal update

 

Since I only continue on this build occasionally, progress is slow.
As expected, the front float tank is not an easy thing to make.
So there is a lot of fitting and measuring to do. And for now, nothing has been done wrong that needs to be removed again 😉

20210215_191443.thumb.jpg.0d7cc42d4e62ea83ab2b71a04060d4b8.jpg20210222_190637.thumb.jpg.6c8b83f1f3bccd0fab56e34fd964c1f1.jpg20210222_193540.thumb.jpg.b48a4240d1fbcbb8a573a1ba8e843447.jpg20210224_193607.thumb.jpg.6123f56f415413ba63403560fef38768.jpg20210224_194819.thumb.jpg.e0103156e4b941ddc7ce6ca01b5f2a4b.jpg

Meanwhile : wheels, wheels, wheels for a russian tank trailer.

20210222_190451.thumb.jpg.de715ff599b4b2cfb94e97eb11f69598.jpg

The ChMZAP-5208 under construction and a heavy truck from the shelf

20210224_194808.thumb.jpg.7d5ff8215a45d1d556f5021160ee786b.jpg

Thanks for following, comments and likes.

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Very cool - that's a lot of wheels!

Mike

 

Current Wooden builds:  Amati/Victory Pegasus  MS Charles W. Morgan  Euromodel La Renommèe  

 

Plastic builds:    Hs129B-2 1/48  SB2U-1 Vindicator 1/48  Five Star Yaeyama 1/700  Pit Road Asashio and Akashi 1/700 diorama  Walrus 1/48 and Albatross 1/700  Special Hobby Buffalo 1/32   IJN Notoro 1/700  Akitsu Maru 1/700

 

Completed builds :  Caldercraft Brig Badger   Amati Hannah - Ship in Bottle  Pit Road Hatsuzakura 1/700   Hasegawa Shimakaze 1:350

F4B-4 and P-6E 1/72  Accurate Miniatures F3F-1/F3F-2 1/48  Tamiya F4F-4 Wildcat built as FM-1 1/48  Special Hobby Buffalo 1/48  Eduard Sikorsky JRS-1 1/72

Citroen 2CV 1/24 - Airfix and Tamiya  Entex Morgan 3-wheeler 1/16

 

Terminated build:  HMS Lyme (based on Corel Unicorn)  

 

On the shelf:  Euromodel Friedrich Wilhelm zu Pferde; Caldercraft Victory; too many plastic ship, plane and car kits

 

Future potential scratch builds:  HMS Lyme (from NMM plans); Le Gros Ventre (from Ancre monographs), Dutch ship from Ab Hoving book, HMS Sussex from McCardle book, Philadelphia gunboat (Smithsonian plans)

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Indeed, this was something with a lot of wheels 😉.

 

The basic shape of the front floating tank is ready

20210226_184515.thumb.jpg.ab1d263b4cdc2d64a3ce340ee3f7d605.jpg20210226_191852.thumb.jpg.7fef34fdeeaa03cf1a6823f9e13b7d4f.jpg

Lost my patience and switched to filler for this 🤣

20210304_193928.thumb.jpg.6e6d24ff5edacff3c1005dbdb12e77f1.jpg

The basic shape of the weasels is ready

20210305_190738.thumb.jpg.2b0c1451d05cf967baff17d7e14eb9d4.jpg

On the epoxy model they used T34 tracks... 

20210305_190752.thumb.jpg.cb9b1861dc7352b9d4422d5c125e7690.jpg

If I have to make 4 sets of tracks for the 29c. then I can also make 1 extra set for the epoxy model.

 

Thanks for following, likes and comments

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Nice watching these little guys come together Patrick. I have always liked the design ever since childhood when I built the Monogram kit. Didn't know much about them but liked the looks. Didn't know that in reality they were just a box with treads!:D

Edited by lmagna

Lou

 

Build logs: Colonial sloop Providence 1/48th scale kit bashed from AL Independence

Currant builds:

Constructo Brigantine Sentinel (Union) (On hold)

Minicraft 1/350 Titanic (For the Admiral)

1/350 Heavy Cruiser USS Houston (Resin)

Currant research/scratchbuild:

Schooner USS Lanikai/Hermes

Non ship build log:

1/35th UH-1H Huey

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

More smaller parts have been added.

 

Instrument panels in the driver compartiment. And a radiator en some other small parts in the front opening.

20210323_200042.thumb.jpg.a1c33b8459c92002cb942963dea45b1b.jpg

Some copper around this opening

20210324_193301.thumb.jpg.1d341caf673b94c6ff89d2ab9f3aa530.jpg20210324_193602.thumb.jpg.8ee7c78adb9f312e0fedc2a5fdef4906.jpg

Removing parts from the resin model ( interior, exhaust)

20210326_182912.thumb.jpg.8efeb0a5fe6e0aa3bd8ddd9c7e096912.jpg

And. the wheels and tracks.

 

20210326_191946.thumb.jpg.2e8795e20620c0a452600c6eeda46b7e.jpg

current status

20210326_194000.thumb.jpg.fddc46b47dfbdec065007bdec8a4ecc7.jpg20210326_194024.thumb.jpg.3f3a2cc45f5d20b2794132bca98e40e6.jpg

The Weasel family is now temporarily in summer sleep.
In spring and summer I will continue to build the Pelican (and gardening, cycling, walking...)
This build will continue in October, November this year.

 

Thanks for comments, following and likes

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Lovely work.

 

OC.

Current builds  


28mm  Battle of Waterloo   attack on La Haye Saint   Diorama.

1/700  HMS Hood   Flyhawk   with  PE, Resin  and Wood Decking.

 

 

 

Completed works.

 

Dragon 1/700 HMS Edinburgh type 42 batch 3 Destroyer plastic.

HMS Warspite Academy 1/350 plastic kit and wem parts.

HMS Trafalgar Airfix 1/350 submarine  plastic.

Black Pearl  1/72  Revell   with  pirate crew.

Revell  1/48  Mosquito  B IV

Eduard  1/48  Spitfire IX

ICM    1/48   Seafire Mk.III   Special Conversion

1/48  Kinetic  Sea Harrier  FRS1

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  • 2 weeks later...

awesome progress.........your unit is coming along :) 

I yam wot I yam!

finished builds:
Billings Nordkap 476 / Billings Cux 87 / Billings Mary Ann / Billings AmericA - reissue
Billings Regina - bashed into the Susan A / Andrea Gail 1:20 - semi scratch w/ Billing instructions
M&M Fun Ship - semi scratch build / Gundalow - scratch build / Jeanne D'Arc - Heller
Phylly C & Denny-Zen - the Lobsie twins - bashed & semi scratch dual build

Billing T78 Norden

 

in dry dock:
Billing's Gothenborg 1:100 / Billing's Boulogne Etaples 1:20
Billing's Half Moon 1:40 - some scratch required
Revell U.S.S. United States 1:96 - plastic/ wood modified / Academy Titanic 1:400
Trawler Syborn - semi scratch / Holiday Harbor dual build - semi scratch

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  • 2 weeks later...

This popped up in my reads on the Warfare History Network.    You might find it interesting...

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/m29-weasel-wwii-track-vehicle-was-never-used-intended-182722?page=0%2C1

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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Thanks,

 

This is roughly the same explanation as on wikipedia and other websites.

The Weasel :  Designed to drive through the snow during operations in Norway. But ended up on all fronts except, in Norway

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  • 6 months later...

5 Weasels are slowly becoming active again

 

First to do is making the wheels and tracks. On the original resin model this was quite primitive.
The aim is to make an idler, sprocket and 4 bogies to determine the positions of the wheel assembly.
Work in (slow) progress

20211026_165820.thumb.jpg.7e83aaab4ce0791e89ad9d2f56af7614.jpg

a primitive test bogie 

20211026_191607.thumb.jpg.c86bc4af096d954849d7f6bf2656b2cf.jpg

Thanks for following

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nice to see them back on the table......... :) 

I yam wot I yam!

finished builds:
Billings Nordkap 476 / Billings Cux 87 / Billings Mary Ann / Billings AmericA - reissue
Billings Regina - bashed into the Susan A / Andrea Gail 1:20 - semi scratch w/ Billing instructions
M&M Fun Ship - semi scratch build / Gundalow - scratch build / Jeanne D'Arc - Heller
Phylly C & Denny-Zen - the Lobsie twins - bashed & semi scratch dual build

Billing T78 Norden

 

in dry dock:
Billing's Gothenborg 1:100 / Billing's Boulogne Etaples 1:20
Billing's Half Moon 1:40 - some scratch required
Revell U.S.S. United States 1:96 - plastic/ wood modified / Academy Titanic 1:400
Trawler Syborn - semi scratch / Holiday Harbor dual build - semi scratch

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bogie time 😉

I have to make 40 of them  😱  

20211031_153519.thumb.jpg.4f516968f8f46fcb2ae5a71d7fdeb9c2.jpg

The wheel press tool

20211026_165912.thumb.jpg.3027e2c0052011f9cc4ff1174f6b7f87.jpg

Dry test fit on the orignal resin model20211104_191601.thumb.jpg.2b0b2e43cf6842ff814dc71003421562.jpg

The 4 weasels with the extra float tanks will have side skirts. The running gear will therefore be little visible later on.
So I do these 4 first to practice.

1 side done (will probably need some extra details)

20211106_185701.thumb.jpg.c15a8780e7da6cc2e264c3db455e3788.jpg

A cannon, almost finished 

20211106_185904.thumb.jpg.1a9c5fdf2f7597f05bf91f19c2d389e3.jpg

Thanks for following

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  • 3 weeks later...

A regular assembly line you have going on there.   

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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On 11/28/2021 at 9:38 PM, mtaylor said:

A regular assembly line you have going on there.   

Indeed, 

But a little slow. In 1982, my first job was at General Motors, assembling Opel cars.

Production was faster  (but then there were more people on the Opel assembly line than now at my Weasel assembly line 😉).

There were once 2 Opel factories, one is now a cinema and the other has been completely demolished. 👎

 

Well, the Weasels have wheels. One also has the sprocket and idler wheels.

20211202_194035.thumb.jpg.d59ffe0737b96a46ac5a9cba6d9bdd72.jpg20211202_194550.thumb.jpg.9c827b7e2194986c2ec2d4576ed977fc.jpg

Now i make the tracks.
Never made them myself. So it will be trail and error until it works out...

i need 10 tracks

20211203_181609.thumb.jpg.d91b547ce9f8396017123ad1390cf2f2.jpg

 

 

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Tracks.

As mentioned before i never made them myself. So, unknown territory for me.

I also found the origin of the resin model (giesbers) https://henk.fox3000.com/giesbers.htm

01.jpg.b770d93322e79b42db7ac67e42290612.jpg

Base for the tracks is plastic sheet. With carved lines on both sides

20211203_183150.thumb.jpg.e7220ed2f4f6763910a17fde820be340.jpg20211203_184259.thumb.jpg.87e575ad64c942d2db01346c1d8f8566.jpg

This is glued around the wheels 

20211207_135752.thumb.jpg.fee8525894b95da857c643b60ac69a68.jpg

extra detail on the visible part of the track.20211207_135824.thumb.jpg.07f8d669678e7b8c01518032aebc2187.jpg

The holes for the sprocket teeth need still some extra work. But the tracks are already much better than the original T34 tracks.

20211208_182757.thumb.jpg.e5ce24a3825ab935409bc2c1ad685037.jpg

Next to do.

The M29C's will have "side skirts" . So the suspension will remain little visible.

20211208_182952.thumb.jpg.be1643f34e96c7fdf2441f3fe1fecebe.jpg

20211210_193557.thumb.jpg.b745f47d7cefd609439d26eddd4f596f.jpg

thanks for following.

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You can just say that you have "scaled down the assembly crew" along with the scale of the weasels. Is 1/72 of a full crew equal to one?

Your progress and detail is fantastic Patrick. It is nice to see these little known vehicles get some attention. I have always had a secret affection for the ugly little things. :ph34r::D

Lou

 

Build logs: Colonial sloop Providence 1/48th scale kit bashed from AL Independence

Currant builds:

Constructo Brigantine Sentinel (Union) (On hold)

Minicraft 1/350 Titanic (For the Admiral)

1/350 Heavy Cruiser USS Houston (Resin)

Currant research/scratchbuild:

Schooner USS Lanikai/Hermes

Non ship build log:

1/35th UH-1H Huey

 

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Thanks 

Indeed they are not, as we say "moeders mooiste"

translated to English "a mother's most beautiful child" 😉 

 

Haha, I am a single person assembly crew 🤣

 

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Buiding side skirts

 

The first one is the "prototype"

20211211_163935.thumb.jpg.782bd7f0952a027fc53900649d753c96.jpg20211212_094048.thumb.jpg.0a9d86055d43964b43c9c72fd7d991f9.jpg

8 ready

20211213_192837.thumb.jpg.2def538016ba05bf29d17af623607805.jpg

And in place

20211215_183740.thumb.jpg.0c56231012a26c6c2783fcca8ab4d34d.jpg

And the tracks are ready

20211219_104146.thumb.jpg.1032c1b24a4510ee637c637d0b1254dd.jpg

Not bad, once painted

20211219_104227.thumb.jpg.f6dfc075bda43ca7995d10607972ba57.jpg

Thanks for following

 

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Hello,

 

Add further details, started on the front.

20211223_191718.thumb.jpg.8dec5eb77c6e832d2c9cc4cf1b915d99.jpg20211224_142419.thumb.jpg.c84fa99b41563cd6f925db92e5eb09b2.jpg20211224_142444.thumb.jpg.266f9ac5a62e5f7960accbc131d4920a.jpg

And to everyone,

a merry Christmas from Felix and co.

20211221_091404.thumb.jpg.a0c4cb4b56086705a417b2ab3241be56.jpg

Thanks for following

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