Comet A34- Ludwig kit

[43rdRecceReg]

Not happy with the hatch support arms. A touch of laziness crept in there. I took the hatches off and reworked the arms to look like the real things (much as I did with the Cromwell project). Mole hills become mountains rapidly in model making, when a detail isn't right, It nags and nags until something's done about it. (Much like the image of the old stereotypes housewife in curlers, pinnie, and a fag hanging out of her mouth )
I'm happy with these now, as they're a reasonable take on the real things.

I cut away all the Milliput and angle bracket, and cut bevels into the arms to get a more plausible feel.

These revised arms mow merit some real miniature retaining bolts in the hinges, to satisfy the inner semi-nerd.

[43rdRecceReg]

Firstly, just let me (especially if CL happens to read this) that I'm a massive fan of CL's kits and mastery of kit production. Furthermore, he alone has been effectively waving the Union Jack for British armour in 1/16 and redressing the ridiculous absence of brit vehicles from commercial sources (Wake up Tamiya, Taigen, Heng Long, and others !). Alone, that is, until Clark came along with (as yet unbuilt, and untested) British
prototypes.
That said, the instruction Pdfs, as some who have noted here after going down the CL flatback build road, are- shall we say- a little muddling some times.
Here's just one example from the Comet Pdf.
The red arrows indicate brackets attached to the air intake base- note their orientation. Also, note the obvious Cromwell turret on the left
This pic appears quite early in the build Pdf

Comet-Cromwell mashup pic A

Comet-Cromwell- mixup pic A.jpeg (99.92 KiB) Viewed 4309 times

But..if you start the assembly this way, you'll have an instant problem because the rectangular section supplied with Comet is not that high.., and the lugs/brackets are oriented horizontally- not vertically

Comet-Cromwell mashup...pic B

Comet-Cromwell mixup pic B.jpeg (80.15 KiB) Viewed 4309 times

Once again, it's a good idea to check for inconsistencies before starting. Then your build should be less frustrating.
My advice is always to have a good supply of reference photos to hand, for comparison purposes. IMO, this is one of the best, and most useful, sites out there :
http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Panzers.html
For Brit armour, click on the 'Commonwealth' link on the top left, then select your model from the list that appears on the right. Thereafter, a download icon array should appear. The one for the Comet, containing loads of pics complete and partial examples in some 10mb, so I can't upload it here; but here's just one useful shot I gleaned from it:

Bare-bones Comet 1a showing suspension and other details

Bare bones Comet 1a.jpg (40.65 KiB) Viewed 4309 times

For the present, I can't go much further with the hull, because I'm waiting for several bits are in a sprue that wasn't delivered. (Like the base plate for the MG; but I made one myself).

[43rdRecceReg]

I now have openable driver and gunner hatches, thanks to some M1.4 bolts (2mm a/f) from Prime-Miniatures:



I'm short of some essential parts for the storage bins, and await the metal version of the front driver's portal, so I thought I'd have a shot at the towing arm that was fitted to the Comet, Cromwell, and Churchill. Luckily, I have all those bits.

[43rdRecceReg]

OK, well here goes with the towing arm.
First all the parts (but, I overlooked one tiny component out of the is pic- but it appears later)


No modelling toolbox could be complete without a pin vice ('vise' in the US ) or two...




and with the dinkiest part finally in place (not for cumberland sausage fingers )
The completed towing bracket. It will have to wait until I've built the lower hull for a permanent place to dwell.

I will add more 2mm bolts later, to improve the look, but for now, I've run out.

[43rdRecceReg]

The pic of the towing arm will make more sense in these pics- attached to the rear plate it will be mounted with. This is the actual orientation of the unit (it was shown upside down before...or, the right way up if you're viewing from the Antipodes

Now seen with towing eyes fitted.. I find it helpful to pre-assembly these parts, and- in general- to separate out individual components and their parts into plastic bags, to make them easier to find later, or to bond them to there host destinations on the sprues.

Incidentally. This thread is really a build and review thread, not a critique of CL's products. Christian's work is invaluable. Nuff said.
The kits are described as 'basic', however, meaning when the basic bits run out, you have to scratch build the rest yourself.

A bit of light sanding all over will neaten the assembly nicely, prior to painting. I might use 'Mrsurfacer' to recreate a bit of pitting.
The bolts came from Prime- miniatures today. It's a great outlet, and they posted to the Highlands free of charge! Yay..
https://prime-miniatures.co.uk/catalog/ ... head/brass

[HERMAN BIX]

Looking in on this one Mr 43rd, I admire your dedication
When parts ship to the Highlands, does anything from Italy still have difficulty with that wall up there, or do they have the courage to go all the way now !!??

[ilgar ismailov]

Very interesting and detailed building! Itself I want the same set. How many did cost to you if not a secret?
With interest I observe! Good luck!

[43rdRecceReg]

Looking in on this one Mr 43rd, I admire your dedication
When parts ship to the Highlands, does anything from Italy still have difficulty with that wall up there, or do they have the courage to go all the way now !!??

...er, that was two walls, Herman- Hadrian's (very roughly along and near the current English-Scottish border), and the lesser known Antonine Wall which ran between the Firth of Forth (Edinburgh area) and the Firth of Clyde (Glasgow area). The Romans never did subdue the Picts (our painted ancestors), but quite a lot of Italian Prisoners of War stayed on after 1945- almost 2,000 years later, to make ice cream in Glasgow, and atone for the shameless marauding of their forebears.... Just desserts (pun intended ), I'd say
It's items that should be coming from Germany that I'm frustrated with right now...
As an incidental, the bast**ds doon sooth like to levy extra charges on parcels to the Highlands. We are treated as 'offshore' by many, either out of woeful geographical knowledge, or simply just to wind us up.

[43rdRecceReg]

Very interesting and detailed building! Itself I want the same set. How many did cost to you if not a secret?
With interest I observe! Good luck!

Morning, Maestro!
Well, Ilgar, here's the pricelist for the basic elements of the kit on Christian's website.
http://www.ludwigs-hobby-seite.de/Comet.html
Apart from the bits you would have to make yourself, or have printed (I've just got some bits for the engine deck from Shapeways.); you will also have to factor in gearboxes, Pz 3/IV idlers, some form of recoil unit
(Clark option, and others)...and more besides. I've also ordered his bespoke drive sprockets, but I placed my order in early March, and I'm still waiting.... still, it's said that good things are worth waiting for.
But...notwithstanding the niggles, frustration, and necessary guesswork, it really is a load of fun to build this kit It has the potential to be a really beautiful model.. ..................
when built by somebody else

[43rdRecceReg]

Just downloaded these Comet blueprints from, well....https://www.the-blueprints.com/search/A34/...as I needed overhead projections. In the main, pictures of tanks rarely show images taken from above (unless they were in the gun camera of a Tank-busting 'plane). I need an overhead projection to work out the correct positions for various add ons, and to get the relative scales of the parts involved right.
Luckily, I just received some bits from Shapeways that were made for the Cromwell, but which would also have been fitted to the Comet. Last time around, on my Cromwell build, I had to make these bits myself.
Meantime, here are some Comet projections:


..and the Shapeway odds and sods:

These are finely detailed, and bang on, scale-wise. My only concern is that they feel a little brittle and fragile. They also look as if they've been made from melted Fox's Glacier Mints (some will remember sucking on those ). Still, I attached them with two-part epoxy (Plastic Fusion), and trust that they'll stay where I put them. Fingers crossed.