1/6 1943 Stuart M5

[HERMAN BIX]

I cant go with that primer. Its not "self-etching enough"
Sits on the surface and does not seem to engage into the surface.
Agree, does cover very well, but lacks genuine absorption with the subject material for me.

That wild fire was a bit of a thing mate, must be dryer than an arab jockstrap around where you are by the looks of the news coverage.
Lava in the 'Alpha' islands...........fire in the Colorado mountains...............Tamiya price-fixing.................what the hell next

[PainlessWolf]

Herman, Good morning,
Tamiya primer is definitely not self etching, at least this type, ( remember, I used Rusto-leum plastic primer for the lower hull since it provided a thicker coat ), but it does have good surface abrasion protection. Once you have a few coats of Model Masters and a flat lacquer overspray on top, you are good to go. ;o) As far as the fires go, the Summer monsoon air flow from the Gulf finally kicked in and we have been enjoying a few weeks of afternoon thundershowers. Stuff started growing around about again I will be honest, that last night when the fire was only a few miles away and we could see it burning on the face of Sheep Mountain, we really thought we were going to have to grab important stuff and the pooches and just go. Then it rained that night. ;o) A week later and the fire was contained and the highways reopened. That volcanic eruption may be out of the news but it is still ongoing. The Vulcanologists say it could go on for months or years. That is hard to fathom. Having your life ruined and you can't even start rebuilding in the same place. Tamiya? Oy-Vay! I will be adding an IS-2 from Taigen and an Easy 8 from Hooben to my collection hopefully this year. I wanted the Tamiya versions but not now, not for a long while.
regards,
Painless

[Max-U52]

Rust-Oleum does make a self etching red oxide primer, but they don't call it self-etching. They call it rusty metal primer. I've been using it for years and it works great. Not only that, it's cheap.

[c.rainford73]

Rust-Oleum does make a self etching red oxide primer, but they don't call it self-etching. They call it rusty metal primer. I've been using it for years and it works great. Not only that, it's cheap.

I use the same one. It's fantastic

[Tech-Com]

Love this thread!
I have a 1/6th Stuart as well. I wasn't aware so many aspects were not accurate.

[PainlessWolf]

Good morning,
The 1/6 Stuart is a great 'Looks Good From A Distance' RC tank. We are lucky that a Big Toy company even engineered one and put it out along side their static line of vehicles and figures. It is the perfect size for someone to enter the world of large Scale RC tanks with and being mostly solid plastic is easy to take apart and work with. You get an education on 'how things work' when you go to upgrade the electronics and running gear for sure. ;o) As the Steinbrunn book illustrates, if you want to go nuts on it, you can wind up with a Museum worthy piece of eye candy that actually runs. Most of us don't wish to go so far that we have to keep it in a display case to avoid damage and are satisfied somewhere in between the stock tank and Robert's Masterpiece. I am lucky to have a Friend who had a source of no longer available detail pieces that he was happy to pass along to me. It gave me a great start to the Build so thanks again Sassgrunt!!! A lot left to go but I am to the point, financially and time wise where I can pick up the work again. I am currently cadging about for someone to print a set of durable track links so I can get a little more play in the running gear. The tracks I am using are a little too tight and cannot be modded. They look great but will probably be broken fairly quickly by the torque of 12 volt motors. So, have fun! with your Stuart, Tech-Com. Detail it and Enjoy!
regards,
Painless

[Tech-Com]

Printed you say?

I may have some experience in these matters.
I'm a professional 3D modeler, 3D Printer, and CNC machinist.
Many years ago I actually modeled the Stuart tank for UBI Software's Pacific Fighters among other pacific theater vehicles.
Those models weren't high enough resolution for 3D printing, but if I were motivated I could likely replicate most of the parts I've seen in this thread.

Maybe we could trade out tank stuff and work?

Quick question, is the front armor plate on the turret on the tank on the book cover accurate? You changed your's but it looks like Mr. Steinbrunn retained it?

[PainlessWolf]

Good evening,
Apologies for the slow reply, I was out with the Spouse of the House! I haven't started work on my turret yet and will have one more closely copying Bob's in the Book since his is the defacto default anymore for that year and model of the tank. Lets talk more about what you would want. I am considerably motivated to get a nice, solid and sturdy set of link tracks for the tank. Design would be one link and end connectors. Printing all the links and connectors would be the loooooooong part of producing a set. Having the model link designed and being able to make sets of tracks would have several folks who own these and just use the incorrect, stock tracks, road wheels and idlers that it came with, knocking on your door.
regards,
Painless

[Tech-Com]

Okay, I found photos of the style like used on the default tank, barrel is obviously a different diameter, but the plate looks accurate enough for my uses.

Guess I will need to get a yahoo account to join the group.

[PainlessWolf]

Good morning,
Yes, the barrel that comes on the tank is outsized so that 'rockets' may be shot out of it. The right barrel and a xenon flash and recoil is what I am aiming at. A lot of guys put paint ball guns in theirs. The mantlet of the gun can be made accurate with a little elbow grease per Bob's book. Here is another link that you will find useful: http://www.sixtharmygroup.com/forums/ I have a duplicate of the 'Grifter' Build up on there. There are several more stunning builds of the Stuart available that far surpass my hackneyed efforts. ;o)
regards,
Painless