Nashorn build with all 3d printed parts - New project

[HERMAN BIX]

I have plastic track, and sprockets if you need them. No cost. Unused.

[AlwynTurner]

Hi Herman, many thanks for that, Stug 85 has some he thinks and he's a bit closer than you but thanks for the offer.
Alwyn

[HERMAN BIX]

Sweet as mate, there if you need them.

[AlwynTurner]

Decided to build the 1/72 version of the nashorn just to get some detail on some of the structure:


Chassis stripped ready for surgery

Post surgery and the patient is recovering. Thank heavens for dremmel and my new razor saw.

Notice how flimsy the chassis is

side reinforcements in


Chassis extension fitted and the hull is now much stronger.



Just need to modify the front to move the gearboxes but need the new drive sprockets first to get the position right.

Alwyn

[wibblywobbly]

I've only ever seen one other person attempt one of these, so this is a build that I am looking forward to. It's not easy, I know that much!

[AlwynTurner]

Mark you were dead right! (and thank you very much again for dropping them off today). The Panzer 3/Stug 3 sprockets put the sprocket height exactly right without lifting the gearbox. I just have to move the gearbox forward by about 8mm. I'm thinking of cutting the chassis just behind the gearbox and inserting an 8mm strip whilst reinforcing the whole front end. I just need to figure out where to cut and join - so no problems really ....
Alwyn

[stug 85]

Awesome glad they're gonna work it'll look ace roaming round the battlefield

[AlwynTurner]

And now for the serious chopping!Mark up before cutting, I decided that I needed 10mm forward movement to give the correct wheel spacing.


Too late to change my mind. Easy peasy with the razor saw

Rough fit

And now to put humpty back together

Quick check on the spacing

Fasten it all together and reinforce

Looks ugly but a coat of paint will fix that

Gearboxes back in

and there it is with the correct drive sprockets.

I'm still a bit worried about the height but I can alwways put a couple of washers under the gearbox mounting points.

[Raminator]

Coming along nicely Alwyn, I'm really surprised to see how much of a difference there is between the Panzer IV and Nashorn hulls. I'd always been under the impression that it was just a panzer hull with an 88 strapped onto it.

You should replace the H/L logo with one of your own, since it's such a bespoke item at this point!

[AlwynTurner]

That's a great idea! How about 'TT' - Turners Tanks? But seriously I also didn't think the Nashorn was so different from the Panzer IV until I printed out the blueprints and started comparing and reading up. According to Wiki
'In February 1942, the Alkett (Altmärkische Kettenwerke GmbH) arms firm of Berlin designed a tank destroyer using their recently developed Geschützwagen III/IV which as its name indicated used components of both the Panzer III and Panzer IV tank. ' ....
'To accommodate the long and heavy gun, the hull had to be lengthened and the engine moved from the rear to the centre of the chassis.' - hence the ventilation louvres half way along the tank upper body.
What they also don't say and Mark (stug 85) very kindly pointed out was that they also changed the drive sprocket to the Panzer 3 one. Anyway I think I am pretty much sorted now with the chassis so the real build can commence! I get a lot of enjoyment out of building these quirky tanks as there is quite a lot of research and prototyping involved.

Incidentally for those wondering why my Morris C8 Quad and gun/limber has slowed down I can reveal a secret. Following changes to family circumstances we can now go to a one car family situation improving the cash flow, and at a recent family board meeting the chief executive and financial director (aka the wife) did a long term forecast and rebudget which resulted in my hobby/obsession being awarded a MONTHLY BUDGET (instead of sneakily squirelling the cash away) which although not large should enable the acquisition of a 3d printer on my return from the next foreign trip! This means that some of the complex bits which I needed for the Quad/gun can be 'easily' printed out rather than laboriously constructed out of styrene. - Hence the moratorium on the Quad build.

Anyhoo onward and upward.
Alwyn