1942 Capture KV-2 754(r)

[ALPHA]

Alpha,
An easy answer. Nope. ;o) The grills fit so nicely on the molded ribs that I saved myself the trouble. The mesh patterning is dense so you cannot really see through it either. A win for my peace of mind.
regards,
Painless

The bottom line is they look Great Painless... better than the white metal w/ PE versions I've seen
Wish I knew about those when I did mine...but that's History... not about to do any changes now

Have a good one Painless

ALPHA

[PainlessWolf]

Alpha, thanks, I think that they turned out Ok. I have good hands days and bad hands days and that kinda dictates how much gets done and which step I turn to for reasonable progress. Tonight, I cleaned up the Driver's hatch parts from An-Bri-Rc-Modellbau. They needed a good bit of cleanup for fitment but turned out great. Can't be beat for the price and the detail is better than the Mato or Taigen sets. Pics:

[ALPHA]

Isn't that the same vendor that sells that rear light ?...Saw those hatches and the cable tightener on his other listings... they look better in your photos... and you're right they do look much better than the Mato hatches

Is the Taigen Hull pre drilled ...Thought about doing the hatches on mine... just could get past asking myself "why"

Some nice pieces Painless... what a score

Have and outstanding week my friend

ALPHA

PS... I know what you are talking about "hands"... been doing my models with my still recovering hand that I sprained when I did my Sherman... I would say it's off and on 75% in function... but I push it as kind of a rehabilitation ...I can only now make a fist...but with very little strength

[PainlessWolf]

Good Morning,
Alpha, There is a clean drill out on the underside for the Driver's hatch opening. I will need to melt and sand the opening from underneath to keep the dimensions correct. Above, I will use a Dremel and a router bit and carve away the rest of the plastic hatch and inset the existing hatch ring 1/16 to allow the metal one to sit flush. I will use a plastic disc, inset and glued into place, then to have a spot where a half-figure Driver can sit. ;o)
regards,
Painless

[cannedheat]

another nice job painless old chap ? its all in the detail , wot wot ......

[PainlessWolf]

Good Morning, CH,
Thank you! There's always something that can be done to add a little realism. I will use one pistol port plug on the rear hatch but will have to leave the turret side ones alone. They are molded right over the support pillars for the turret roof. I looked but don't want to try to drill at that location.
regards,
Painless

[ALPHA]

Good Morning,
Alpha, There is a clean drill out on the underside for the Driver's hatch opening. I will need to melt and sand the opening from underneath to keep the dimensions correct. Above, I will use a Dremel and a router bit and carve away the rest of the plastic hatch and inset the existing hatch ring 1/16 to allow the metal one to sit flush. I will use a plastic disc, inset and glued into place, then to have a spot where a half-figure Driver can sit. ;o)
regards,
Painless

You know Painless... Mike and I were talking one day when I was doing my first Sherman build... I told him that when I remove the Heng Long Hatch ... that I would just dremel it out ... two words from him changed the plan all together... "HOLE DRILL"
though I still had to chase it a little with the dremel and some sandpaper.... it really made the task so much easier

I'm not sure how much room the Taigen has underneath the driver's hatch....something to consider other than your seat plan... Medicine bottles ..if you don't have any around... I've found pharmacies will either give or sell them to you for a small fee ...they come in a number of sizes ...and the plastic is well suited to gluing


Have a Fine FORTH OF JULY Painless

ALPHA

[PainlessWolf]

Alpha,
The medicine bottle cut down is a great idea. I happen to have one that is the correct circumference. Thanks for the tip! I plan to magnetize the Driver in place so solid is good. Hole drills, eh? It would give me an excuse to buy a new tool. *chuckles* They have some down at Home Despot. I will have to check the price for one big enough to clean out the KV hatch.
regards,
Painless

[ALPHA]

Alpha,
The medicine bottle cut down is a great idea. I happen to have one that is the correct circumference. Thanks for the tip! I plan to magnetize the Driver in place so solid is good. Hole drills, eh? It would give me an excuse to buy a new tool. *chuckles* They have some down at Home Despot. I will have to check the price for one big enough to clean out the KV hatch.
regards,
Painless

One of my passions... tools ... if I don't have it ...got to get one lol...make sure you check the keyhole sets...they are usually cheaper than getting the mandrel /bit ala carte ...and you get two or three with one universal mandrel depending on the brand

Good Luck with that..

ALPHA

[PainlessWolf]

After a couple of days away to prep for and have some folks over for the 4th, I was able to get back to the KV-2 today. In the interim, some miniature eyelets had arrived care of Alpha for the lifting eyes on the rear deck. Giving them the once over, they seemed a little dainty but as it turned out, were perfect for the two spots where the turret overhang is located. They also functioned well for the eyelets on the rear engine hatch. I bought a set of hole saws for the hatch and using the already centered hole in the top of that, drilled it out using the 1"bit. A bit of dremel and flat file work removed the left over ring of plastic on top. I'm getting wordy so pictures can say the rest: