Megatron TES ... Boredom Warning

[General Jumbo01]

I feel l ought to warn you about modifying your Challenger 2 to Megatron TES spec. I know it will look great when it's done but... The rivets that have to be fitted!

Each rivet has to be cut from the 3D printed rivet bed. The cut line will distort the pin below the rivet head so it needs to be trimmed up a little. The head is 1.5mm diameter, not easy to hold. There are around 560 to fit to the hull side secondary armour and another batch to fit to the turret secondary armour. Every rivet hole has to be opened up and tidied before each rivet can be glued in place.

Then there's the other rivets on the tank that need to be added because although they are not in the kit, if you missed them out every rivet counter in the planet would have a field day.

Having put the 3D kit aside for a month or two, dreading the tiresome task ahead, l found in eBay small half round beads in half mm size steps from 1mm in all colours and available in quantities for peanuts.

I bought 1.5 and 2.0mm bags. They look and work great as rivet heads so l've got around a lot of the boring and repetitive prep work and this morning l started the riveting task. Two hours in and with 4 panels completed (10% of the rivets done) l hit the brandy...

Never have l started a job l've regretted more than this one, but finish it l must. Why oh why couldn't the rivets have been printed on the panels, eh?

So, l have to ask you... What's your most tediously boring model making task you can recall undertaking?

The kit is otherwise superb

[tomhugill]

I feel l ought to warn you about modifying your Challenger 2 to Megatron TES spec. I know it will look great when it's done but... The rivets that have to be fitted!

Each rivet has to be cut from the 3D printed rivet bed. The cut line will distort the pin below the rivet head so it needs to be trimmed up a little. The head is 1.5mm diameter, not easy to hold. There are around 560 to fit to the hull side secondary armour and another batch to fit to the turret secondary armour. Every rivet hole has to be opened up and tidied before each rivet can be glued in place.

Then there's the other rivets on the tank that need to be added because although they are not in the kit, if you missed them out every rivet counter in the planet would have a field day.

Having put the 3D kit aside for a month or two, dreading the tiresome task ahead, l found in eBay small half round beads in half mm size steps from 1mm in all colours and available in quantities for peanuts.

I bought 1.5 and 2.0mm bags. They look and work great as rivet heads so l've got around a lot of the boring and repetitive prep work and this morning l started the riveting task. Two hours in and with 4 panels completed (10% of the rivets done) l hit the brandy...

Never have l started a job l've regretted more than this one, but finish it l must. Why oh why couldn't the rivets have been printed on the panels, eh?

So, l have to ask you... What's your most tediously boring model making task you can recall undertaking?

The kit is otherwise superb

Because the rivets wouldn't look very good done on an fdm printer. You probably get double the rivets needed (which is a good thing as I dropped half of them!). Took about 8 hours total to do mine spaced over a few days.

The tusk 1 kit has more.....

Please provide a link to the alternative would be a useful one to have

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[General Jumbo01]

If you search eBay for rhinestones in jewelry/craft area there are hundreds of examples. I bought mine in May this year and the seller doesn't seem to be selling them now but the search will get you similar. Under £2 should get you a bag of 2000, any colour, any small size, UK freepost. They also come iron on or self adhesive but plain back would suit us best. l've used super glue.

[General Jumbo01]

Sorted! Both hull and turret sides completed. Here's the secret....

- Send everybody out of the house,
- Turn off all TVs and other distractions,
- Turn on the hi-fi and play your favourite albums,
- Go comatose, get a rhythm going, tool up,
- Just do it!!

Now all l have to do is figure out where all the bits go. 'Follow the photos' he says, the photos being of the completed model with the bits fitted and sprayed so you can't tell what's kit and what's not and, in case you may be smart enough to figure some of it out, half the photos are of the tank in camo netting!!! But it's a great kit

If anyone has completed this one a set of clear photos would be a great help.

[tomhugill]

Sorted! Both hull and turret sides completed. Here's the secret....

- Send everybody out of the house,
- Turn off all TVs and other distractions,
- Turn on the hi-fi and play your favourite albums,
- Go comatose, get a rhythm going, tool up,
- Just do it!!

Now all l have to do is figure out where all the bits go. 'Follow the photos' he says, the photos being of the completed model with the bits fitted and sprayed so you can't tell what's kit and what's not and, in case you may be smart enough to figure some of it out, half the photos are of the tank in camo netting!!! But it's a great kit

If anyone has completed this one a set of clear photos would be a great help.

I've done a build thread. I'd suggest reading it

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[General Jumbo01]

Thanks Tom. How did l miss that?

[tomhugill]

Its a continuation of jimbos build thread so the megatron bit isn't obvious in the title.

I found the pictures on armoured models fb page useful too

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[General Jumbo01]

Finally fitted the last if the kit parts. Boy, this has been fun! Identifying parts and precisely where they go has taken the vast majority of the build time and has revealed to me that there are many variations of the Megatron TES in the real world, just as there are for all tank types. The good news here is that with a bit of imagination / kit bashing and scratch building there is no reason for all of the Armoured Models versions looking exactly the same.

Fitting the undercutting nose armour and back slopping rear bar armour on the hull but still being able to open it up was a bit of a challenge but finally went for the rear hull bar set being hull mounted but still keying into the deck mounted rear side bars when hull and deck are mated.

Next thing is an unpainted photo shoot as promised for James as a build guide and then.... Paint!!! I've decided to go with the UK olive drab, a flat washed out dark green with minimal weathering and no battle damage, just a bit of rain and dust.

Full colour photos will follow just as soon as l can unbreak Tapatalk which seems to have it in for me recently.