Comet A34- Ludwig kit

[biertje]

Hi

Doing great mate.

This is what I meen with it should be flat.


Greetings Tim

[43rdRecceReg]

Hi

Doing great mate.

This is what I meen with it should be flat.


Greetings Tim

Here's a pic of the Mantlet, Tim, after a wee bit of sanding and contouring. I've added flats either side of the MG mounting, and the optical gunsight. Yes, you were right about the outer mantlet having a slightly flatter profile on the inboard sides (either side of the cannon). Given the nature of this resin casting, I don't want to flatten it much more, lest I weaken it around the gun tube mounting.

Comet Mantlet-sanding and contouring...

I think it looks a lot better. At the same time, I'm pleased with the relocation of the MG and optical sight. I may drill the sight out, and add a small tube... the MG will get a flashing (LED) MG barrel eventually.

[43rdRecceReg]

Hmm.. the more I look, the more I see the need to add a bit of brass or styrene tube here, to reflect the actual shape of the Optical Sight's slight shroud (now, there's a tongue twister... )

Comet- Optical Sight's protective shroud

[43rdRecceReg]

The transplanted resin MG housing and optical sight bump, still don't appease the inner-nerd.
To get a look I could live with, I drilled out the optical sight, and cut the resin MG mounting out altogether
In the process, I made a slight recess for a new MG to be bonded in, using a sharp, square- profile modelling chisel.
Next, I bonded a piece of styrene tube into the optical sight position, using 2-part epoxy. Then I made a new MG housing out of layered and cemented styrene sheets- cut, drilled and sanded to shape.
After this, It was bonded in the MG recess using epoxy.
This is what it looks like now. Obviously, it's covered in dust, and needs final bits of abrading, but this is as far as I go with alteration to the original. Any more, and this part would morph into a labour of hate.

Click to ENLARGE these:

Comet Mantlet...final configuration

Comet Mantlet-final shape

Comparing these pics with this one, below, you'll see (hopefully) that the optical sight shroud now looks much more like the real deal.

Comet-optical sight shroud detail

I've also used this Duxford Comet pic to help shape the MG housing in styrene, as the lines of it are clearly defined here:

Duxford Comet-MG housing detail

Time for a cappuccino...

[biertje]

looking great mate

Here is my lazy 3D printed one next to the resin one.





The dimensions are the same as the resin one.

Imagine spending so much time to get it right and than covering it with the canvas dust cover


Greetings Tim

[43rdRecceReg]

Yes...the question of how to keep the rain out. Well, Tim, Tom Hugill had a pretty good go at reproducing one of the waterproof tarpaulins, or whatever they used for Mantlets, on his Centurion Mk 3.
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=28468&p=272672&hil ... ld#p272672
By contrast, I don't think I'll find the time, or the will, to attempt one of those.
The early Comets went into action without the mantlet 'Pacamac', and mine will be one of those, I guess. (The 'Pacamac' was an ultra portable disposable rain-jacket)
In any event, it is- after all- just a model.
Yes, I can see how the printed one differs from the resin version. Then again, the resin version can be re-shaped to look more authentic. I have a 3D printer, but I really don't have the time, at present, to explore CAD. I have a host of musical projects waiting...
Another thing I don't like with printed components is the amount of filling and levelling needed (e.g. with Mr Surfacer) to remove the 'layered' lava-flow look. I prefer styrene. It's nice and flat to begin with, and makes an excellent pallette for 'enhancements later (Weathering, and so on).
Of course, I'm eager to see how you resolve your own mantlet issues.

[43rdRecceReg]

While my modded version of Christian's resin Mantlet wouldn't stand up to the most exacting, most intensive, scrutiny of the committed rivet-counter- it has at least ironed out some of the original's shortcomings.
(It now has some flat areas, and the MG and sighting telescope have been relocated in the correct position). More important to me is that it will elevate properly. The grownup version of the A34 was designed to have
a barrel elevation of 20deg, and depression of 12deg. Mine will do that with ease.
As a stopgap, and until I finally decide what recoil/elevation tech I'll be using, I thought I try out the Christian's solution. I looks like this (as ever, click on a pic to ENLARGE it):

Comet-breech attachment- platform

These are the component parts:

Comet-breech platform- component parts

With that loosely in situ, I then made some caps to represent the trunnion bearings (gun pivots) that can be seen on the movable mantlet. The real ones a slightly bigger, but I made mine by cutting styrene rings off some styrene tubing, and bonded them to the mantlet. Thereafter, I used two-part epoxy to fill the rings. It was almost like making biscuits.

Comet-trunnion bearing caps

The caps also have the effect of hiding the Mato Tiger 1 steel suspension axles I used for the trunnions.

Comet-gun assembly-final configuration

I'm also happy with the scratch-built MG housing and sighting telescope ring.
A spot of paint to bring out the details:

Comet- gun assembly- painted

Comet Gun assembly- in Olive drab

Gun assembly in Olive drab

[43rdRecceReg]

Having spent what seems like an eternity looking at the Comet Turret, something began to dawn on me lately (yes, I know life has other things to offer ), and it's that the front, sloping section of the roof
is too shallow on the Ludwig model.
Have a look at the angles involved here:

Comet model-frontal slope of Turret roof

Compare it with these real turrets:

Comet-Finnish comet- turret slope

Comet-showing rake of roof front section

Then I compared these with the blueprint for the Comet. I also used a semi-circular protractor to get an idea of the angles involved.

Comet blueprint- inclination of frontal turret roof plate

So...I made a template based on the slope angles apparent in the blueprints, and pics of actual Comets n my computer screen. Then, I set 'em against the model to see how much surgery might be needed:

Comet-roof inclination

Inclination that appears on the model

The model is short, in the slope department, by a few degress. Och well, time to get the saw out. This perceived flaw will bug me forever, until i do something about it. I guess, there must be an essential element of masochism in model building
Oh, I forgot to mention, that early in the build, I bonded the front sloping section of roof in place. That was when I was still blindly following the build manual. I'd forgotten what a pain the Cromwell was, when installing a gun and Clark recoil with a section of the roof in place. Duhhh... That required double-jointed fingers, and a magic trick, to insert the gun in that confined space..
Bits of the manual should be avoided, or read very carefully- and not in the order the instructions appear in. I should have remembered that. When I did, i managed to remove the front roof plate without damaging the turret. Just as well, eh?

[biertje]

Thanks for spotting that one, now I have to fix it two.
Do you have any dimensions?
Like how low it should be?

Greetings Tim

[43rdRecceReg]

Thanks for spotting that one, now I have to fix it two.
Do you have any dimensions?
Like how low it should be?

Greetings Tim

Hi, Tim
I scaled up some photos, and a blueprint (click and drag does it) so that their dimensions, and geometry, roughly correspond with those of the model. Then I printed them. From these I was able to draw a rough comparison between the real thing and Christian's model, and also to make a template for cutting the sides down slightly.
To get a better look (perfect would be hard to achieve), lowering the very front edge by about 3mm should do it. So that's cutting from the apex at the top of the slope, to the bottom edge (3mm reduction would be the base of the triangle, the incline- the hypotenuse).
After this, I need to make some track holders, then the turret will have had all the attention it's going to get. Externally, that is.