1/6 1943 Stuart M5

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 4:40 am

Not a lot done lately, glasses frames just came in today and I still have a 200 mile drive to fetch them and have my specs repaired. The redo on the Return Rollers is coming along. I just have to pick up some 10mm washers, bushings or bearings to make up five more road wheels similar to the static one that Sassgrunt sent along. These new rollers will screw in with a bolt and nut setup and use a plastic bottom brace scratched out of the left over mounts for the original version. Looking forward to have these done and remounted soon. Worked a little on the bottom of the lower hull tonight. I sanded down fillers on a couple of screw holes and tested the die and punch set I rounded up to make all the various covers on the lower hull of the tank. Works fine but I will use a smaller, brass Hobby hammer instead of a claw hammer. Too much racket. ;o) Pics: ( Click to Enlarge )

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Fri Mar 30, 2018 3:24 am

Driving tomorrow to get the specs repaired ( finally ) Tonight, I did a little more on the lower hull. Pics:

Markocaster · Post by **Markocaster** » Fri Mar 30, 2018 5:46 am

Painless this is great and inspiring:)
I picked up the book. Now where to find a preowned Stuart

Keep up the excellent work!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Sun Apr 01, 2018 2:15 am

Markocaster,
Thank you very much. Yep, the book is a gold mine of how to build one of the biggest Shelf Queens ever! Bob Steinbrunn freely admits that he built that one for display and the very rare, careful outing. His book is chockablok with How-Tos on making the build accurate so I am again walking a line between eye candy and outdoors use worthy. I spent all day yesterday on the road and it is Easter weekend so my work time is limited. I did get the brackets and magnets fix in place on the rear speaker box hull cover. Also, the first of many, many brass bolts were drilled and installed. ;o) Pics ( click to enlarge )

BarryC · Post by **BarryC** » Sun Apr 01, 2018 2:29 am

Markocaster wrote:Painless this is great and inspiring:)
I picked up the book. Now where to find a preowned Stuart
Keep up the excellent work!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Two on eBay...not cheap but available.

Barry

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 2:34 am

Today, I had time to mount the front tow brackets and start the putty blending on them and the previously installed lower hull side hook mounts. There are a lot of weld beads to add and fortunately some well thought out help for them. More on that later. Pics: ( click to enlarge )

Post by **HERMAN BIX** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:32 am

Sometimes its the little things in life eh !.............those tow hooks and trans covers really add to the overall effect.

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:12 pm

G'mornin' Herman,
It's going to be the details that really bring this tank to life. Sure, it will run a little quicker and have better sound and the lights and main gun\MG will work. However, it will be all the work Sassgrunt did to the upper and my work on the lower and bogies and idlers and all the bolts and weld beads, etc, ad infinitum that will give it realism. So, yessir, it will be the little things. ;o)
regards,
Painless

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 3:29 am

Nothing in the Post the last few days. I'm awaiting a Tap and Die set to use on all the bolts for this tank and am kind of held up with work pending on the lower hull. Still a little progress can always be made. Pics:

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Sun Apr 08, 2018 2:41 am

No post today. I almost broke down and bought another tap and die set at the local hardware store. If it had had all the correct taps, I might have...Slow Boat from China action.....Anyway, I did get a little done on the sprockets thanks to some hardware store purchases and fortuitous finds at home....Pics ( click to enlarge )