RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hi,

Back to my tank after family time.

I decided to reduce the width of the driver's compartment using the Dremel. Below is the sight that made me think about dropping this project but I continued as I had nothing to lose.
Plasticard shaped using pliers were glued from underneath to plug the crude holes on both sides.
Some more sanding is done so that the edges are more strait and closed to the plasticard in preparation for the application of some epoxy that will solidify the hull and plug the gaps, prior to more sanding and putty phases... A thin smooth plasticard was applied to the lower section. Notice the light curve in the armor plate that was reproduced.
5 minute epoxy was applied to the reworked areas. This is the sight that brought back a bit of confidence in the outcome. I am not too demanding at this stage.
I think it is finally getting close to look like a Ram. Notice that I removed the machine gun turret ring. I had to do this because I noticed that the ring was not fully horizontal, similar to the main turret ring. I will rebuild a new ring and place it a bit better.
By comparing the Verlinden and the newly modified Vandra kit, I think I am going in the right direction. I feel a bit more encouraged.
View from under the hull, not a pretty sight. Epoxy was also applied to the interior joints.
After a coarse sanding, finer putty will be applied, more sanding, more putty, more sanding... until I am satisfied. Then need to rebuild the side doors arrangements from scratch.

Regards, Louis

Well Louis I must say after the way the tank looked as if it had a run in with Hannibal Lecter I'd have thrown in the towel. You have managed to make more progress.

Hope the Vandra guys are seeing the major surgery needed to make this right.

How could they have been so off? A question for another day I guess.

Keep up the great work

You're a braver man than me Louis, but your determination is paying dividends. I'm very impressed!

I dare you to package up the bits you needed to remove and send them straight back
WITH instructions on how to get things right
AND an invoice for the privilege of educating them

Watching on in admiration mate..............very good work.

I dare you to package up the bits you needed to remove and send them straight back
WITH instructions on how to get things right
AND an invoice for the privilege of educating them

Watching on in admiration mate..............very good work.

Hi,

I really want that Ram...

Here, I am finally finished with the hull redesign. It is a long process where things really look bad and totally desperate at a couple of times but its doable. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil..." I kept telling myself. It's a real ugly and dirty job, not a process you like to show on the web but I did present it here because I started a build, I want to finish it and my experience could be of use to other people.
It was more complicated than anticipated. The Ram has curves like Venus that are difficult to define just by looking at pictures or plans. For some reason, the Ram shape looks different on every pictures, especially wartime pictures. So, I totally relied on my 1/35 Verlinden to guide me with the hull redesign, it is essential. Putting the two models in perspective allowed me to compare shapes and angles, identify areas of rework and determine when things are ok.
Before and After comparison
A layer of putty was applied to create the base for the cast effect and it will be sanded next, leaving uneven areas that replicate casting imperfections. The casting on the Ram is really rough according to the pictures I see so I will reproduce it on the model. There is still a lot to do on the hull. Be aware that Vandra had put the left door hinges on the wrong side and it needs to be redone for an accurate model.
The two side doors are not located at the same distance on the hull. Notice that the right door was moved forward by about 1cm and the shape of the hull armor plate for the door arrangement was redone accordingly. I am not sure I will reuse the Vandra doors.
Regards, Louis

Hi,

Now that the hull is corrected, I am finally starting to have fun with this build. Although I still have to butcher every part in half or more to get them right, I feel I am moving forward and the Ram is taking shape the way I wanted it.

This is the driver's visor. It had to be reduced in height dramatically because it was too square. It needs to be rectangular in shape. Although it goes pretty much unnoticed on the M3 or M7, this part did not fit the new hull the way it was.
This is the new machine gun turret ring. I like working with real screws and bolt more and more, it is quite pleasant and I can do things that were not possible before. Ok, it costed me 200$ at Knupfer, but having an assortment of various micro screws and bolts readily available is a must for such build.
This is the machine gun turret as provided. Other than being 4.5mm too high according to my calculations, it is of pretty good quality. The shaded area is what needs to be removed. I wish Vandra had provided this turret on their M3 kit, it would have avoided a lot of scratch building.
The turret is temporarily in place. The hatch can be opened because a figure is provided with the kit and one will fit in it. I still need to figure out a way to bring rotation to this turret. An objective of this build is to improve my electronics skills and level of complexity I can handle. For this reason, I have acquired a 10 channels Flysky remote control and a Clark TK-22 (M4). I have tested them and both work well, but the clark control is complicated to operate, not sure I will like it. But the plan is to put a servo on the MG turret, a flash on the machine gun and flash/recoil on the main gun so it is a must.
View from the front
These are the side doors as provided. Like the machine gun turret, they were obviously made to fit the original taller hull and are therefore way too high and square, they should be rectangular. In any cases, they need to be modified to fit the corrected hull.
You get to pick which door goes on the right side and left. This is because Vandra put the hinges on the wrong end for the door with the visor. I have decided to put the door without the visor on the right side. To correct that door, I had to cut it in 3 parts and remove about 8mm in height on the inside in order to spread the reduction, and I also trimmed a bit on the outside to have the proper shape. For the door with the visor, it was cut in 6 parts because the hinges need to be repositioned on the other end and the visor requires that all the excess material be taken from one area, and the edges.
In the end, I think the result is good for both doors. It is not too complicated. This is the right door. I still have to put the locking mechanism on both.
This is the left door. Some fine tuning is still required on the armor plate around it.
View from the rear of the hull cast effect and door hinges. The door was glued in place. I saw no real reason to make it open and close. Enough hull cutting...
Its moving now, I am happy with the progress. One big challenge ahead is the M3 style suspension. That will be something.

Regards, Louis

Louis, it is great that you showed us all the ugly work. It encourages others to try similar surgery. Thanks!

Thank you,

Working with these curves is difficult. The builder cannot be perfect and polish it too much either because the real thing is pretty rough itself. Tried my best to make it realistic. Pictures are from Prime Portal.
The next dirty job is the M3 type suspension. I am planning to use the kit conversion parts.
Regards, Louis

Louis I think I speak for many when I say we can use your photos for reference if we attempt to build our own kits