RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

I have been considering what allied tank I want in my collection and settled on the firefly.
However after seeing this maybe I will go for a normal Sherman lol

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NAB, There are other methods of doing a Firefly, but all those ways are fairly involved which is why I ended up buying mine because I was impatient. I actually have a Firefly conversion kit (with complete upper hull) I will not be using now that my Firefly itch has been scratched. My kit is a 2017 version of Dean's kit sold here: https://dgsselkirk.wixsite.com/dgsmilit ... ersion-kit . If you want a very poor Firefly facsimile there is this cobbled together mess that looks a little like a Firefly if you don't care about accuracy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/222660664749?h ... SwpkFY5W2c ...

Pic of my kit . Also has a bunch of stowage like Brit helmets, ammo crates, Sherman spare wheels, etc...

It's M4A4 kit. Did you extend the hull?

Stupid life, keeping me away from building... Meh...
Got some work done today tho, most importantly...


... a loader's hatch! I didn't like reusing the old hatch's hinge, and because I will have to move the BB loader, I needed to close that hole anyway (for now). So I scratchbuild a complete new one, with hinges...


Working hinges! Pretty chuffed how those came out. When I've moved the BB loader, I will figure out where to cut the new hole. The connector for the IR gizmo will probably move to the commander's hatch.


I rebuild the bullit splash guard for the commander's hatch, which was damaged beyond repair when I removed the old hatch.


Now working on the splash guard for the loader's hatch, which needs a little time and a lot of clamping. But I have the time...

To Be Continued...

TTFN,
Rob

Yeah...


... don't ask...


Better...


,... much better...

To Be Continued...

TTFN,
Rob

Yeah, the workshop has been bustling with activity today...


Get it? Bustling? Bustle...? No..? I'll get my coat...


And as my dad used to say; "If you build a replica or model of something and you have half a chance of making it functional in even the tiniest way, like a hinge actually hinging or a box actually being a functional box; do it. If nothing else it will give you practice..."


Clever things were done with magnets, so I don't loose the lid at the first hill I take...


Oh SNAP!!

To Be Continued...

TTFN,
Rob

Well, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to tackle the applique armour on the turret. Three layers of 0.5mm ABS sheet laminated and clamped. And held by hand where clamps couldn't go. That'll keep ya busy...


When the armour was complete (maybe some sanding and putty later) I decided it was time for a mid-operation beauty shot. Just to see where it was going. And I like it...


...well. Almost all of it. I mean, the amount of available gun depression elevated my spirit...


...while the amount of available gun elevation was kinda... depressing?


Already hacked all I could off the bottom of the turret. Now it all depends on how brave I am hacking more off the actually BB mechanism. But not before I add some structural supports. I'm not a fool! (Well, that's actually debatable...)

To Be Continued...

TTFN,
Rob

If its not too late, Forgebear has these:

Just as a starter...



And with that out of the way, onwards with gunsmithing 101!!!

Well, it's a BB gun... but still... large spring under high tension. Not to be messed with. Missing eyes and whatnot...


Two bits of 35x35 3mm thick aluminium angle formed into a bracket with the appropriate cut-outs...


...will beef up the end of the BB unit...


...attached with M3 screws drilled and tapped right through the aluminium and the nylon, and one M4 tapped straight into the back. That one ended up in the middle of the spring...


...so I can shave as much as possible off the breach. All in order to get Max Elevation!!!



Success!!! I now have the max elevation the elevation unit will allow before the clutch kicks in! So chuffed.

To Be Continued...

TTFN,
Rob

I -was- planning to do some relaxing today. Which involved browsing shop online. In one shop I found a LED for a coax mounted MG. Large LED, long optic fiber. Interesting enough... and then I realized that in my stash of various modeling project gubbins I have a load of tiny pre-wired and pre-resistored SMDs in various colours.


And I mean -TINY-


A bit of heatshrink around it to make the tiny wires durable enough to pass through the mantlet...


... and pass it through. A little stub of styrene 2.4mm tube over the end. I will detail it for the final version and paint it a nice shade of gunmetal. For now a sharpie will do...


Yesss...

To Be Continued...

TTFN,
Rob