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Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Fri May 10, 2019 2:32 pm
by jimbo_wa
Won this on the the Bay of e last week and it turned up today.

Image

First thing to do was take out the smoker...

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Checked that it all mostly works - the turret is a bit clutch dependent and there were a couple of bits snapped off during shipping. Overall I'm a happy camper as I didn't realise it came with metal idlers, sprockets and tracks - the gearbox is zinc rather than steel though (can anyone confirm please)?

Image

It also came with an IBU3, will plug that in later if I can find a cable that fits, so I can configure it first!

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Re: Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Fri May 10, 2019 2:42 pm
by Son of a gun-ner
Nice find, especially if you got it for a good price :thumbup:

Yeah, silvery looking heng long gears are usually zinc alloy, heng long steel are usually blackened.

Oh, and love the second half of your thread title :D

Re: Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Fri May 10, 2019 4:09 pm
by jarndice
The more I see Challengers and Abrams the more I consider "Willocapris" Oshkosh Tank Hauler to be an essential adjunct to the Tank especially as both armies use pretty much the same equipment to do the job.
When you consider that British and American Tanks have almost always travelled by road within Europe unlike German and Soviet forces who primarily sent their armour by rail it still surprises me that apart from "Dinky's" Antar in whatever scale that is there has been almost no mainstream maker of Tank Transporters in 1/16,
SO Will get on with it Pleeeze. :haha:

Re: Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Fri May 10, 2019 4:37 pm
by jarndice
I have considered sending a bill to the US Defence Department for the Hours lost stuck behind convoy after convoy of American Transporters in Germany during the 60s/70s :haha: The British were not much better around Sennelager :thumbdown:

Re: Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Fri May 10, 2019 5:27 pm
by Black Knight
jimbo_wa wrote:Won this on the the Bay of e last week and it turned up today.

Image

First thing to do was take out the smoker...

Image

Checked that it all mostly works - the turret is a bit clutch dependent and there were a couple of bits snapped off during shipping. Overall I'm a happy camper as I didn't realise it came with metal idlers, sprockets and tracks - the gearbox is zinc rather than steel though (can anyone confirm please)?

Nice! Always good to see not another Tiger :haha: :haha:

Image

It also came with an IBU3, will plug that in later if I can find a cable that fits, so I can configure it first!

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Re: Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Sat May 11, 2019 10:23 am
by jimbo_wa
Thanks Mick, thought that would be the case!

jarndice, can't afford a carrier in terms of space or cash!!

Wardog wrote: That's a big tank with a lot of room,and a lengthy track.If you have metal tracks your need steel gears to cope.
You're not wrong...

Image

Slightly larger than expected!

One gearbox does seem to have a bent shaft, they're noisy and flex a lot too.

In an ideal world I'd get a DKLM replacement, but that's for the future...

Should be able to knock up some aluminium angle to stiffen the lower hull first.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Re: Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Sat May 11, 2019 11:07 am
by Black Knight
jimbo_wa wrote:Thanks Mick, thought that would be the case!

jarndice, can't afford a carrier in terms of space or cash!!

Wardog wrote: That's a big tank with a lot of room,and a lengthy track.If you have metal tracks your need steel gears to cope.
You're not wrong...

Image

Slightly larger than expected!

One gearbox does seem to have a bent shaft, they're noisy and flex a lot too.

In an ideal world I'd get a DKLM replacement, but that's for the future...

Should be able to knock up some aluminium angle to stiffen the lower hull first.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

The DKLM kit is fantastic! I bought the metal chasis and PDSG - no flex at all now !!! However, from what I've read - many people have had great succes using aluminium strips/angled edge - good luck :clap: :D

Re: Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Sat May 11, 2019 1:39 pm
by 43rdRecceReg
Chris Ludwig does a metal internal frame for beefing the Challenger up and eliminating torsional movement. It looks fairly decent, and a reasonable price at 55 Euros (+ post)...
http://www.ludwigs-hobby-seite.de/Chall ... 0Tank.html

Re: Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 7:23 pm
by tankme
Easy way to tell what your gears are made out of...if a magnet sticks to the gears they are steel. If it doesn't they are zinc.

Re: Challenger 2 - for me, not you!

Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 8:50 pm
by jimbo_wa
tankme wrote:Easy way to tell what your gears are made out of...if a magnet sticks to the gears they are steel. If it doesn't they are zinc.
Good point, well made.

They're zinc!

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