M1A1HA, 9/18/23 update. Delay of Game, two week penalty!

[HERMAN BIX]

Don’t know about the others, but I’m glad the trumpeter and shapewxys parts were no good.
That way we all get to marvel at your extraterrestrial extravaganza in brass !

[lmcq11]

Good choice Barry, I agree. Once you start putting brass on a tank, there is no stopping. Plastic and 3D printed parts create obvious lower grade areas that can't be tolerated next to perfectly looking brass components.

Superd modelling as always.


Louis

[c.rainford73]

Barry is the mothership adorned in brass details.....

[BarryC]

I love a good bustle

Me too!

[BarryC]

Don’t know about the others, but I’m glad the trumpeter and shapewxys parts were no good.
That way we all get to marvel at your extraterrestrial extravaganza in brass !

Thanks Herman!

[BarryC]

Good choice Barry, I agree. Once you start putting brass on a tank, there is no stopping. Plastic and 3D printed parts create obvious lower grade areas that can't be tolerated next to perfectly looking brass components.

Superd modelling as always.


Louis

Thank you Louis!

[BarryC]

Barry is the mothership adorned in brass details.....

Not being of this world, he may have a father ship

Note to Barry, please don't miss the postings before this one at the end of the previous page

Thank you both, Mick and Carl!

[BarryC]

Greetings folks!

As I take a small break form my build to help prepare my family's Thanksgiving Feast I thought I would post an update.

After posting the pics of the bustle I decided that the expanded metal deck just was not going to make the grade. The grids were too tall and not wide enough. I also determined after looking at some previously unseen pics that the recessed floor trays in each corner were too large in height and needed to be a scale 1.5” smaller. So, I pulled out the mesh decking and the recessed floor trays and corrected them.

First using another piece of the same expanded mesh (that makes 6), I “stretched” it in width which had the effect of narrowing the height of the diamond and lengthening the width. I cut down the recessed floor trays then went about reassembling everything.

The smaller piece on the right is the original mesh, the left is the "stretched" version.


Well now I’m back to where I left off at the last post. I fabricated the lower belt from brass strip, But I had some detail work to do on the APU Platform before I could solder it into place.

The bottom of the APU platform has 5 louvers and cut outs (holes) for the 4 bolts that hold the APU bottom panel in place along with 6 mounting bolts (small holes) that attach it to the platform. There is also an opening in the louvers that requires that two of the louvers be notched for access to it. I have yet to determine exactly what is in the access hole. It “appears” to be bolt that perhaps is a drain for the APU enclosure or maybe a plenum drain. I can not find a single photo where it can be clearly be seen.





After adding the details to the APU platform I soldered it and the belt enclosure to the bustle structure.











Here are some pics of the nearly finished bustle with the APU and a water can in one of the recessed floor trays. Yes Mick, it is only nearly finished holding that painting out to the end, perhaps by the end of Feb. 2019!







Once I recover form my Turkey Comma I'll get back to work. I think I’m going to tackle the railing on the sides of the turret stowage boxes next before I go after the bustle extension.

Thanks for looking in and for all my American friends have a safe an Happy Thanksgiving!
Barry

[nexusys]

i get angry every time i visit this topic. I just cant stand Barry's work. Really annoying!

too good Barry, too good for my eyes

[Son of a gun-ner]

Barry, that APU, is it an air conditioning unit? If so, it will probably have water in it. That water needs changing/removing from time to time and flushing out, so that the water doesn't become stale and accelerate bacteria like legionella that causes Legionnaires disease. I should imagine it would be doubly important to do so if the tank would be sitting idle for some time.
Therefore it could quite easily be a drain plug.

Mick.