M33 Prime Mover – sometimes less Lee/Grant is more...

[jhamm]

Continuing with the series, what on earth am I going to do with my Sherman chassis...

After the M3A4 Lee ‘Goldbricker’, it seemed obvious to streamline the existing data and turn it into an M33 Prime Mover... at least that was the idea.
If it weren't for the fact that the Prime Mover is based on the Lee M3 – meaning it has a different chassis and rear end, and the body is different too.

The model...
The upper hull had to become Lee M3, and in the end I could only use the front part of the upper hull.
Everything else was redrawn:

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First, the challenge with the chassis = different bogie - must be solved.
Now for my solution:
I would like to reuse as many parts of the bogie as possible.
Here is an overview of the dismantled HL bogie:

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The challenge is to integrate the spring...
I have redesigned the boogie housing and the support roller:

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The support roller sits 1.5 mm higher than it would be in reality, which is due to the spring that limits the space at the top.

The first boogie is out of the printer and assembled:

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Looks quite usable.
Comparison of the two types of boogies on the hull:

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Stay tuned...

[jhamm]

Due to osteoarthritis, I had to take a break.
The printer was very busy.
Now I have put everything together:

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and the Cal.50

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[jhamm]

....and continue...
the installation of the electronics.
OpenPanzer TCB with 2x12A Sabertooth ESC an Benedini Mini V2 Sound module:

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And the soundcheck:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1O55W_fQR4

Since the prime mover has a huge hole at the top, something visible has to go there, of course:

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The winch is just a dummy – i.e. it won't actually work.
I did that with the Diamond T-981 winch, and guess how often I've moved the winch so far...

Roller guides attached to the rear:

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The fake cannon is also in place:

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The brackets for the towing devices are attached (this towing device is only a placeholder, so it will not remain in place):

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And the front fenders are fitted:

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[Stormbringer]

Amazing work

[jhamm]

Then I finally got around to doing something I had been putting off for a long time: setting the rivets.
Over 500 rivets and 3 hours...

Then I attached the small parts and all the other details:

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That is the current situation.

[Ecam]

Terrific work so far. I've been trying to come up with a good solution for the M3/early M4 bogies, yours is the best I've seen yet. A truly unique spin/model on the M3 & M4 chassis.

[Kaczor]

Whan an amazing project!

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Goat in Himmel! (Capricorn) I had to look it up. What an amazing project!

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[jhamm]

Hello,

a little progress...
The spare rollers are in place:

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[MonsieurTox]

That's looking great!
What kind of Gearboxes did you use to fit the 3 pieces transmission cover? Do you have any pics of them with cover off?