Just took delivery of a Leopard 2A6 hull, I was lucky, just browsing newly listed items on Fleabay when Tankforce1 dropped all of the parts I needed straight into my lap. I snapped them up, so got the tracks, sprockets, rear panel, upper and lower hull for about £60.
So here it is.
There are a couple of ways that I can go with this. One is dozer blade and a crane, the other is a dozer blade and an excavator. The crane will be easier, and if I get really stuck then AFV do all of the parts from their mega expensive kit seperately. They also supply the motors etc that make everything work. Studying what they supply I may be able to simply make my own version. The crew quarters look fairly easy to scratch build.
As always the basic 'tank' is the easy bit, it's the cranes and excavators that require the right bits to make them work. The AFV hoist mechanism requires a set of pulleys etc and seeing how it all goes together it is quite a complex part to copy. The excavator option would require some very complex rams and motors to make sure that it all worked like it should.
Dozer blades are a bit of work, but relatively simple by comparison.
I could always cheat and do what I did on the ARRV, and just have a non operating part.
It would be great to have the excavator arm, I have looked at toy exacavators to see if I could rob the parts, but none of them have the same design?
Right then, spent ages over the past week looking at various versions, and decided that the 'Kodiak ARV 3' variant is the one to go for as it is the closest to the 2A6 hull design. So one of these:
Now all you Leopard fans are warned that the following images may be upsetting and that viewer discretion is advised,
It never ceases to amaze me that you have the biggest parts bin in the country, if I was in your shoes I would be building tanks and armoured vehicles like there was no tomorrow!
Interesting fact about the Buffalo's, they can swap a Leopard engine in 25 minutes???
, I am hoping I can do it for rather less than that...?
