Chieftain ARRV mk 7

[wibblywobbly]

Lolol...oh it gets much worse.

After getting some pics via Iain I decided to rework the cupola. It must be the most complicated little beastie in the tanking world. Despite the pics below I am only 50% through it. I even had to sculpt the hatch out of layered styrene using a scalpel, its not perfect but it will have to do.

Making eight sided shapes, some the same size and some different sizes, redoing the periscopes and adding some microscopic parts to the (turret motors?) small pieces of rod around the cupola base...it has been fun and games today.

[HERMAN BIX]

Bloody hell mate ....................I need sedation just looking at it, let alone the frustration of making it .
In fact, I'm going to top up my sedation right now.

[wibblywobbly]

This probably looks like ten minutes progress, it took me hours of micro cutting, sanding etc. The parts are so small I can't grip them with anything other than my fingernails...and I have sanded most of them off

If I had been building this by copying the 1/35 resin kit I wouldn't have had a clue about most of the detail, its only the multiple pics of the real thing that make it possible. If anyone ever goes near a tank, take pics of everything from every angle, as someone one day will need them.

I have still been puzzling about making the crane a working one. It will need a three axis set up, rotation, elevation, and extension, all jammed into a very small space. Luckily it will be a long time before I get to that stage, the pulley idea is a good one, but the extension and elevation will have to be on one platform, and the rotation mounted seperately. The key factor will be making two box sections that smoothly slide in and out. Time will tell.

[hawkeye3guns]

Hi
I was in B&Q earlier looking for some steel sections for a project and noticed they had a selection of 1m lenghts of plastic sections including in then was what looked like square/box section about 0.7mm thick walled that would slide inside itself thus proberly due what you are looking for.
Also In my kitchen my wife has plastic extending tea towel dryer that is also square section plastic, sliding inside each other. You might find something similar locally to you.
Regards Denzil

[Bogeyman]

Rob,

Jaw dropping detail, I can't wait to see this in the flesh, your patience and skill is definately not in question!! I think I would have drop kicked it over the fence by now.

Merry Xmas

John

[wibblywobbly]

I think I will be paying a visit to B&Q at some point, thanks for the heads up. Thinking about it more today, that is four motors/servos, elevaton, rotation, extension and winding the cable in and out. I have a square just over an inch each side to fit three of them onto??

Finished the commanders hatch today, it doesn't open, it's way too fragile for that. Added some more detail around it, just the machine gun mount and the front viewing window to do now.

I discovered what those odd cylinders are around the turret base, they are wiper motors!

[Bogeyman]

Breath taking, it doesn't look scratch built !

Amazing Rob

John

[wibblywobbly]

Thanks for the compliment, I blame the dark evenings and cold weather, I would rather sit here watching movies while doing this than go out in the cold.

Did a bit more today, only stabbed myself with the scalpel once, which must be a good sign.

The cable guide on the top moves up and down, and the pulley guide wheels on the front rotate. They were a pain to do, had to cut a centre, and then two outer rings and align it all. There are supposed to be two holes in the top plate but the styrene is thin and I didn't want to risk mangling all of my hard work.

The guide that goes above them is the next challenge, along with two other pulley wheels that are detachable and mounted either side. Those are spoked, and that means trying to make four hubs with the same cutouts in them.

[The Tank Man]

Holley molley!!!!! Rob a cracking build!! Well stunning realy! Keep up the great work!!

[wibblywobbly]

Getting those spoked pulley wheels done was the testing to say the least, I nearly gave up on them, but gave it one last try and I got a matching pair done in the end. Just one part to make and stick on and then I can start on the rear deck.