One Cromwell is never enough..

[jhamm]

Testdrive at Backyard:

phpBB [video]

[43rdRecceReg]

Welcome to the Ludwig Cromwell club, Jurgen. As we might expect, you have some inspirational details there.
I might try your gearbox solution on my Cromwell, as the Asiatam Pz IV boxes I got with the kit, are made from crappy metals (they bend easily ) - you might say they are Uri Geller boxes.

[jhamm]

Welcome to the Ludwig Cromwell club, Jurgen. As we might expect, you have some inspirational details there.
I might try your gearbox solution on my Cromwell, as the Asiatam Pz IV boxes I got with the kit, are made from crappy metals (they bend easily ) - you might say they are Uri Geller boxes.

Thank you.
I always deal with the vehicle in advance.
Technology and history are always very interesting.
There is a special story here for me:
My home town Bremen was occupied or liberated by British troops at the end of March 1945 - that was the 22 Armoured Brigade:

The Cromwell command tank of Brig Tony Wingfield, commanding 22nd Armoured Bde_31 March 1945.jpg (94.3 KiB) Viewed 1014 times

There were also Cromwells of the 5th RTR 7th Armoured Division, which I have built here.
I came up with the PDSGB gearbox when I looked at how the drive in the Cromwell really works.
The book Osprey Publishing New Vanguard Cromwell Cruiser Tank 1942-50 was very helpful.
On page 10 it says about the gearbox:
It was a triple differential steering system with a five-speed and reverse gerrbox that
provided the tank with a range of turns depending on the gear selcted,
and a neutral turn (where the tank spins on its axis with one track turning in each direction) instead of the cruder skid turns.

realistic driving behaviour is important to me... just like the matching sound.

[43rdRecceReg]

By sheer coincidence, My Father and his elder brother (Reconnaissance regiment/Aufklärungsregiment) were there at the capture of Bremen, with the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, following heavy fighting in the Reichswald and Xanten campaigns.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/43rd_(Wes ... y_Division
I remember my Uncle telling me that Bremen was so badly damaged, by the time the fighting ended, that many Bremener folk were living/ sheltering in railway carriages.
After Bremen, my Dad and his brother were posted back to Britain, prior to 'demobilisation'. In fact, my Dad was posted to Glasgow- and that's where he met my Mother.
So......were it not for the World War, I would not exist. Then again, but for the Highland Clearances, and the Irish Potato Famine, I wouldn't exist either...and if my Dad had been killed.. and so on, and so forth.
I have good friends in Hamburg, and have made frequent trips out into Lüneburger Heide in search of good beer, and a decent schnitzel.
Ironically, The English (of which I'm not one) AKA 'Saxons' originated from Niedersachsen, Friesland and Schleswig Holstein, and the roots of English still stem from Plattdeutsch.Thus, It's such a shame that closely related folk ended up killing one another. , especially as until WW1, hitherto Britain and Germany had always been close allies (Waterloo usw.). Such is life.

[43rdRecceReg]

Cromwells, because of their speed and mobility, were also popular with reconnaissance units- and this is what garnered my interest in the first place. Sorry, by the way, for derailing your thread a bit, Jurgen.

It would be useful for potential Cromwell builders to see how the Turret looks inside (I'd love to see it too ).
By that, I mean: (1) how the mantlet pivots; (2), how the recoil works (and what type); and (3) how you managed to lever an elevation unit in there? One of the biggest challenges on the Cromwell and Comet, is that of squeezing a breech and elevation unit in the Turret. For easy maintenance, can you take the turret roof off? The sloped section of mine is not bonded in place- in order to allow access.

I'm also amazed that you could fit the metal turret ring in there, without cutting into the crossbeam of the upper hull. Also, where does the rotation motor for the turret ring sit?

Here's an interesting development version of the Cromwell, from Summer 1943. It was fitted out by Rolls-Royce with a welded turret (similar to the one fitted to the Churchill, and later to the Comet A34); applique armour, and slightly wider tracks.
Lots of extra build photos would be great!

Cromwell Pilot D project, Rolls-Royce Belper factory, 1943

[jhamm]

Hello,
I will make pictures of the turret ring ring with drive.
And yes, i cutt the crossbeam....
The turret roof is not removable, because barrel elevation and recoil are done with small servos.
The servos are protected from shocks via the linkage.

Here two Pictures from the Cromwell:

There are still a few small things to do, then it's ready.

[43rdRecceReg]

First class!

All the details look well made. More to come: even better!
Are the latches/locks on the storage bins, and the lock/catch on the Driver's Hatch from Shapeways?.
I'd almost finished my Cromwell build, before I found- a bit too late- Woz's (Warren Hudson's) prints on Shapeways, and these from Zavod- some of which I then used on the Comet. The ones I made, by hand, are not as good (petrol/oil tank caps, for example)
https://www.shapeways.com/product/W6BPM ... arketplace
https://www.shapeways.com/shops/warrenh ... omwell&s=0
While these prints offer amazing scale detail, I found the plastic on Zavod's offerings to be brittle and too delicate.

By the way, I think your Cromwell ought to be a candidate for T.O.M

[jhamm]

Correct, i use the Parts from Shapeways and additional Parts from Warprints Cromwell-Set.
If you have a 3D-Printer, the Warprints-Cromwell contains many parts that can be used.

TOTM is a good Idea....
Anyone with a good paint job can win, the technology gets no attention at all.
And I can't paint well, so I can't win anything there.

[43rdRecceReg]

Correct, i use the Parts from Shapeways and additional Parts from Warprints Cromwell-Set.
If you have a 3D-Printer, the Warprints-Cromwell contains many parts that can be used.

TOTM is a good Idea....
Anyone with a good paint job can win, the technology gets no attention at all.
And I can't paint well, so I can't win anything there.

There's no harm in trying TOTM!. Painting-wise, all tanks were new once- both models, and the real thing. They didn't come off the production line battered and weathered.

Wer nicht wagt, der gewinnt nicht. (Nothing ventured, nothing gained)

Indeed, I often prefer the 'direct-from-the Factory' look. Or, maybe just a light 'used' look. Your Cromwell looks fine, and 'weathering' is not an absolute 'must'. Looks like a winner to me!
I must check the Warprints Cromwell set out. Yes, I do have a 3-D printer, but- so far- I have never used it.

[jhamm]

The worst 3D printer is, the one you do not use!