Scratchbuilt Churchill Mk.IV AVRE SBG

[tankme]

Seems like you are off to a good start.

Derek

[RiskyR]

Very cool project, nice to see it coming together!

[MonsieurTox]

Hello guys ! Thank you very much for your support and interest, it keeps me going on !

I haven't posted much but I made a lot of progress. The chassis is now done and the tank is running fine ! It's probably the most agile tank I have so far. Very impressed by it.

So lets go with some pics !

This is how I made the suspension, I used diam 12mm springs. The diameter is correct at the scale but the wire should be a tad thicker. I wasnt able to source more accurate ones and they would have been too hard anyway. They do the job fine.

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I milled from aluminium the parts that support the track adjuster screws.

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The idler are full 3D printed resin parts as the teeth don't need to be that strong.
They both are made of 2 parts and got 2 ball bearings.

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Transmission cover parts :

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The "RH" molded text is a pure guess. I had pics of an original parts that were going on the left of the tank and it reads "LH", I assume it stands for "left hand" so I guess the counter part reads "RH" for right hand.

The sprocket is made from a 3D printed resin hub with FDM PETG crown for durability. I probably made too much details as those parts are completely unseen, that's why I didnt bother cleaning the black PETG part furthermore.

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[MonsieurTox]

The boring thing with the Churchill is the amount of suspensions/wheels.

Those are the shafts that link the swinging boggey arm to the chassis frame.
Of course they are 2 different lengths, otherwise it would be too easy ! I cut them on the lathe.

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Assembly done :

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Next is the rivets. I wasnt able to source rivets with the correct shapes and sizes so I had to print my ones to be accurate.

Here are the rivets for the idler arms, they are pretty flat :

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Here are somes rivet and the sprocket plate cover. Of course as usual on the Churchill, nothing is easy, you have for some reason 2 kind of rivets : half round and flatter ones (but more rounded than the one of the idler arms ).

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First kind of rivets, they dont need to be glued, assembly is very tight, just press then into the hole and they are firmly secured :

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Second kind of rivets :

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Now the small support with a tiny hole in it for the track guards :

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Done ! The part still need more details.

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[MonsieurTox]

Some view of the model as it stands today.

The wheels :

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The front, with the flat rivets on :

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I'm sorry I haven't taken any pics of the track adjusters building. It was quite hard as it has many parts, I tried to stick to the original. The good thing is that everything can be disassembled.


Pic of the rear with the sprocket plates attached, they can be removed if needed :

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Some general pics :

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I still have a lot of details to add but things are going well.

I'm still finishing the 3D model of the turret, I'm almost done with it. I'm going to 3D print it, mold it in RTV and cast it in PU resin.

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Thank you for watching !

[MonsieurTox]

Hey guys, not sure if there is any followers but here are some pics of the turret. It's been 3D printed. I will add some casting texture next and I have to add the weld around the periscope base, the aerator and the antena base. I designed a groove so I can put the milliput in that channel. I have several details to add. Not sure if there's a lot of Mk.IV turret around, so it's nice to see one in 1/16 scale.

I've also started to work on the engine deck. Doors are not glued, they'll be hinged.

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[Ecam]

I thought some of my builds were tricky. Off the chart! That is some amazing work!

[tankme]

I always thought the Churchill was a damn ugly tank...but it's growing on me. She's going to be a fine looking vehicle when you are done.

Derek

[MonsieurTox]

I thought some of my builds were tricky. Off the chart! That is some amazing work!

Thank you Ecam, all builds have their tricky parts ! And the simpliest looking things are sometimes the most complicated things to get right !

I always thought the Churchill was a damn ugly tank...but it's growing on me. She's going to be a fine looking vehicle when you are done.

Derek

Thanks Derek, yeah it's ugly but in the good way ! I'm not a fond of the Churchills with regular guns, but I like the idea of the AVRE opening and securing the way for the other tanks ! And demolishing some bunkers at the same time !

Here are some progress.

I've made the rails for the tracks, the hatches for the turrets and engine deck, they can be opened. I've also made the hatch for the driver and the special AVRE hatch for the loader (sliding door). They are not functionnal as they would be an issue when you turn the turret. Speaking of the turret, it has to be put at 90° to open the engine hatches. Never noticed that before.

If you look at the engine deck from the top, you'll notice the connecting points for the exhaust are not symetrical (they made it symetrical on the AFV Club model) which impacts the large middle hinge, one has a specific shape and it also impacts the position of the rivets.
I made the rivets which are almost flush with the deck.

In those progress pics you will also see what makes this Churchill a AVRE, the equipment fittings on both side. I like the look of them !

The side hatches can not be opened, that was the plan, but I had to made them twice (the outer frame of the first version was sticking out the hull too much) and I did not take the time with the second version to make them hinged.

I have textured the turret and started to make some welds here and there.

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[MonsieurTox]

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