Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

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lmcq11
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by lmcq11 »

mcevoyi wrote:There seems so few of us now
that actually take styrene sheet and measure cut and glue
To create a master piece
with out the aid of a 3d printer
Thank you lain. This is a very pleasant multi-media build. Every builder uses what works for him. Plasticard handling is easy for me, fast and they make such smooth armor plates. As a scale modeler requiring precision, 3D printing works well for intricate parts or kits with best quality printing, but then it's expensive. I do not like the effect and can't stand sanding lines for hours on low quality printing. The Mexas will end up costing me about $20 in material. If ever available, I imagine someone would sell the equivalent 3D printed parts for $600 on shapeways. I will likely buy a good quality 3D printer next year after my retirement to give me more options for special parts. I realize this is where the world is going, but i won't give up my plasticard plates.

This post is for the add-on mantlet armored module.

The Meng mantlet is studied, dimensions extrapolated, core parts are designed and cut.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
As done with the Mexas, all angles are captured directly from the Meng model part by positioning it over the 1/16 joints when gluing. This is the best method of ensuring the parts will look good, and it's fast. Trying to eyeball the asymmetrical parts and their angles of assembly would certainly create questionable results when left to luck and a few fuzzy pictures.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
After having reinforced the interior, a tricky step is to create the hole for the gun barrel. This needs precision and no screw ups. Done mostly with the Dremel at first and then slowly with a rounded metal hand file for the last millimeters.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Because the mount points are partially visible under the mantlet, i reused the resin mounts for the 1A5 turret kit flat armor, and positioned as shown on the Meng kit for the C2 mantlet.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
And here we have the C2 mantlet Mexas armor installed, minus the finer details (mostly bolt heads...) that will be added at the end of the build.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Viewed under the mantlet at maximum elevation.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Regards, Louis
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Jimster
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by Jimster »

Man, that last photo is most awesome. You have many talents.
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lmcq11
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by lmcq11 »

Hi,

With this post, the heavy scratch building is done. Presenting here the Leopard C2 turret rear bins.

Again, the Meng 1/35 parts are summarily assembled for measurements and shapes. Whoever designed these bins did not have the modeler in mind.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The mounting on the rear of the A5 turret is also intricate.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The core is scratch build in 1.5mm polystyrene plates, extrapolating the 1/35 kit to 1/16 without the need to be too creative.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The core is built, to which the lids of the bins will be added in 1mm plasticard.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The is an intricate rack on each sides of the bins that need to be reproduced.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
I have chosen to totally reproduce them in brass with strong anchors going into the turret. These are the frames being soldered.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Capture5.JPG (95.53 KiB) Viewed 2417 times
The Canadian weather this summer allowed for all the dirty scratch building to be done outside on all my builds, with the sanding done in a nice warm breeze, and cleaning the deck with the water hose. However, the wife complained that her gardens are full of white plasticard strips residues, superglue tubes and melted plastic balls. I had to establish some garbage management process.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The mounting of the rear bins is tricky. It needs to be at the right height and position.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Thanks to the Meng kit and some ability on my part, a miracle occurs and the rear bin module is integrated very easily with the Mexas side armor. The linking is perfect, as per specs. The parts that bridges the two bins and Mexas are created and installed.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
View of the 3 attachment points. They were made in solid 3mm polystyrene for RC purposes. The underside of the bins was not detailed, not worth it.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Continuing on following post
Last edited by lmcq11 on Mon Sep 07, 2020 1:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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lmcq11
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by lmcq11 »

Close ups on those side racks
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Overview of the model as it stands today. I have added some of the turret details. I am pretty sure a Leopard C2 with its completed Mexas core is a rare sight.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
It hard to believe there is a Leopard 1A5 underneath. It would be a shock to the previous owner of the 1A4 to see his tank now.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The Perfect Scale Modellbau kit comes with nice regular 1A5 flat add-on armor in resin and rear turret components that i will not use on this build. They will go in storage for future use or to sell.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
With the heavy construction done, the fine detailing can start.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Regards, Louis
Last edited by lmcq11 on Sun Aug 23, 2020 2:28 am, edited 2 times in total.
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lmcq11
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by lmcq11 »

One last pic
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
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Jimster
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by Jimster »

Super impressive modeling! I don’t know how many times I’ve said that to you but it sums things up perfectly. Your ability to scale up parts so accurately is definitely one of your many skills.
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HERMAN BIX
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by HERMAN BIX »

Never mind the previous owner, its a shock to US to see how this poor old wreck looks now :O
What gets me it that under the fairly well known shape is actually a turret that looks like a T55!!!!
HL JAGDPANTHER,HL TIGER 1,HL PzIII MUNITIONSCHLEPPER, HL KT OCTOPUS,HL PANTHER ZU-FUSS,HL STuG III,HL T34/85 BEDSPRING,
HL PZIV MALTA,MATORRO JAGDTIGER,HL F05 TIGER,TAMIYA KT,HL PANTHERDOZER,HL EARLY PANTHER G,TAIGEN/RAMINATOR T34/76,
HL AN-BRI-RAM SU-85
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lmcq11
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by lmcq11 »

Thank you Herman and Jimster!

This post is for the rear plate.

As seen in the book Leopard C2 Mexas in Afghanistan, this is the typical configuration with folded mud guards, greatly oversized tow shackles and lots of dust. Those shackle are so huge. The rear hull mount will probably give in before that shackles breaks.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The previous owner did not install any items on the rear plate. Its better like that. I found the Tamiya plate to be a bit thin so i reinforced it with another 1mm layer inside. I also plugged the holes for the switch.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
These are the parts gathered for the rear plate. It include AFV-Model items for the tow hooks, gun travel lock, resin tool box and telephone box, with some Tamiya originals that were available on the sprues, and shackles from Dioramaparts.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Building the rear plate was uneventful. Only the spare tracks remain to be installed and will be added once i am at that stage. The shackles are not big enough, but these are the biggest i could find. However, they seemed to be of better proportion for the tank than the real ones. The tank might actually look weird to most people with huge shackles seen in first picture and they would think it is a mistake.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The AFV-Model telephone box is somewhat disappointing. The opening handle is molded in.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The ability to open it is countered by the fact that it does not hold in closed position by itself. In the end, with nothing to show inside and no big fan of gizmos, i ended up gluing it closed with little benefit compared to the Tamiya part.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The gun travel lock is non functional but can flip up/down. The plate at the bottom is an item i got from Ludwig for another build and not used.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The tool box needed to have its latches reworked. The provided shapes did not match references. Otherwise, its good.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
The mount for the tow hook is too thin and was beefed up with a 1mm plasticard.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
A 3mm red LED was inserted inside the plastic Tamiya tail light after a hole is made. I did not see it required to buy the expensive ones from AFV-Model, with little benefits compared to this setup that costed a couple of LEDs.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Continuing on following post.
Last edited by lmcq11 on Mon Aug 24, 2020 12:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
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lmcq11
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by lmcq11 »

Interior view with the LED cables solidified and protected by a plasticard strip.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Overview of the model as it stands today.
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build
Regards, Louis
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c.rainford73
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Re: Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

Post by c.rainford73 »

Beautiful tank Louis as only you can do it. :thumbup: :clap: Such an amazing thing to see it coming together. Following along

Carl
Tanks alot.... :wave:
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