1/16 RC Vandra M7 Priest SP Howitzer conversion build

[lmcq11]

Hi and thank you for your comments.

I am almost done with the gun detailing.

Here are the available Vandra and Shapeways parts for the elevation spring. The Shapeways part has the best potential for upgrades, such as replacing the printed spring and rods by metal ones.

M7 Priest howitzer details

Scavenging the house for what would look like an M2 Howitzer elevation spring, i found that the larger of the hexagonal key holder below is a perfect fit. These can be bought at a Dollar Store.

M7 Priest howitzer details

Here is the new elevation spring module. Reusing the Shapeways parts, it takes about one hour of work to build a new one that looks a lot better. The spring is non functional but the rod moves through it so that the gun can elevate. I replaced the 3D printed rod by a plasticard one so that it slides smoother.

M7 Priest howitzer details

The most complex part is the attachment to the gun mount. I could not find a single pictures that shows how it is. However, the 1/35 kit shows a pin in the area shown below. I had previously put a welded triangle reinforcement of the base at that exact spot so I had to remove it.

M7 Priest howitzer details

The Shapeways gun sight and other apparatus were adapted to my gun mount without any problems. Be aware that these move as the gun elevates. There is an intricate mounting process that need to be brainstormed so that the gun sight is attached to the gun (not the gun mount) and when the gun elevates, the shapeways part follows it. Notice the small bracket that reaches to the top of the elevation axle mounting. I had to extend the bracket a bit.

Shapeways M7 Priest howitzer details

The traverse wheel and associated mechanism is from Shapeways and attached to the base as shown in references. The gear dents are the ones from the Vandra part, cut and reinstalled on a scratch built bracket in plasticard, it is closer to the original in size and shape.

Shapeways M7 Priest howitzer details

Here on the right side, the apparatus is glued to the cradle at a precise point in the middle and the whole part moves with the gun. Considering that the Vandra kit left the gun pretty naked, these Shapeways parts are a good deal for the price and really add value.

Shapeways M7 Priest howitzer details

View from the pulpit.

Shapeways M7 Priest howitzer details

Here is the gun at maximum elevation. Some other parts were scratch built. Further details will be added at a later stage when I will have nothing left more important to do.

Shapeways M7 Priest howitzer details

Back view at maximum elevation. You can see here that the wires for the headlamps are quite exposed. These will almost be hidden later. A 50 cal ammo bin shelf will hide most of the wires on the right side. Another bin and driving instruments will mostly hide those on the left.

Shapeways M7 Priest howitzer details

Regards, Louis

[HERMAN BIX]

Simply mind blowing !!
You go to another level mate, superb

[Estnische]

Yep, definitely a work of art and dedication.

[lmcq11]

Hi,

The kit front hatch does not have to be glued to the hull. The hinge can be made functional by drilling into it using with a micro bit and installing a 0.5mm brass rod. Much preferably, you will drill it before installing the headlamps as they will be in the way.

M7 Priest fighting compartment

For extra fun, a working retention mechanism can easily be replicated like the original using plasticard and brass rod, a 15 minutes job. Also installed is the locking mechanism and some interior details. Be aware that the kit part comes with 3 layers of armour, it should have only 2 so I removed the last layer.

M7 Priest fighting compartment

The rear bulkhead of the fighting compartment has been done. The kit parts are for an M7B1 so I had to scratch build the mid version. The Vandra oil cooler part was reused and modified along with some other leftover parts and some tubing to recreate what I saw on pictures.

M7 Priest fighting compartment

Guys doing research and comparing the Dragon and Academy 1/35 Priest kit will notice huge differences in shape and size for this part. The restored vehicles also shows post war modifications in that area that should not be replicated for a war time machine. Not a single Priest seems to look the same.

M7 Priest fighting compartment

M7 Priest fighting compartment

Hinges for the floor plates were replicated using brass rods. Can't wait to paint this kit because it is difficult to notice issues in all this white material. A lot of fine tuning will be required later when things can be viewed better.

M7 Priest fighting compartment

The Vandra ammo bins were used. For some bizarre reason, the kit right bin part is missing 2 ammo slots which need to be scratch built in 1mm plasticard. The bin resin parts are distorted and a bit oversized but I did the best I could with them. I really did not want to rebuild these, no fun. You can also see one sample of the ammo round coming with the kit, and also one of the Shapeways 3D printed fibreglass ammo container that will populate these. The fit is good.

M7 Priest fighting compartment

The left ammo bin is in place.

M7 Priest fighting compartment

Overview of the fighting compartment.

M7 Priest fighting compartment

Next steps will be the driver area and pulpit interior.

Regards, Louis

[c.rainford73]

Louis you are someone I really enjoy watching build and construct. The details are outstanding and it appears at times even without paint with your camera angles full scale Incredible work

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk

[lmcq11]

Thanks Carl,

But today I had a bad surprise. For some trials, I installed the sprocket and tracks for the first time and noticed something really wrong. I expected the new shapeways M3 suspension to be about 1 or 2mm higher than before and that it would not show too much. However, the suspension was too high by at least 4mm and it really looked bad.

Shapeways M3 Lee bogies suspension

So, I had to take the tough decision of breaking all the bogies and see how I can make them lower, no matter what it took.

I reduced the main body by at least 3mm, the cut is now way below the main spring instead of being above it.

Shapeways M3 Lee bogies suspension

To make room for the spring, I removed material from the inside of the Shapeways part. And at least 1.5mm was removed from the diameter of the roller to allow it to roll freely, lowering the suspension by another 0.75mm at the same time.

Shapeways M3 Lee bogies suspension

And then put them back together, sanding and all. Now I think it is acceptable. Not perfect but it cannot get lower than this without more complicated structural changes to the bogies that I am not sure are worth it. This is a mistake that I could have avoided if I had checked the integration before. I strongly advise guys that plan to use the Shapeways conversion to keep the height in mind for their build, and not assume that it looks about the same as before.

Adapting the height of the sprocket and idler is another option that can compensate a bit but this needs to be planned in advance.

Shapeways M3 Lee bogies suspension

This is how the bogie looks before priming, fine tuning, painting and quality assurance. And I will say again here that the Heng Long design of putting a hole and plug on the outside face of the bogie is a bad design that takes a lot of efforts to hide. It will likely take 4 phases of putty/sanding before it is completely smooth.

Shapeways M3 Lee bogies suspension

Now with this issue behind me, I can continue with the interior.

Regards, Louis

[c.rainford73]

Louis it appears you have confronted and overcome yet another challenge. So nice to see this has not stopped you. Much improved for sure. How are you liking the shapeways wheels? They look excellent too

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk

[lmcq11]

Hi Carl, the shapeways road wheels fit perfectly. Just need to clean the 3D residue in the center bore with a drill bit, insert the HL rubber axle and then mount on the bogies.

Today, I worked on the pulpit interior and its 50 cal ammo bin. Below left is the kit part and on the right is the one I made in plasticard using references. I saw many variations of this bin in pictures so I just picked one example that I liked and replicated it. It is composed of 4 slots for 50 cal ammo boxes and a drawer at the bottom, built in 3 layers that follows the front armor angle. The Vandra kit part is flat and ok if you just want to fill the hole in the pulpit and do not really care about accuracy but there is no way to put ammo boxes in it.

M7 Priest pulpit interior

Building the bin was fast but installing it was a problem. I designed it while the gun was removed, a small mistake. Lots of adjustments were needed once I realized that the Vandra gun shield are not really at the exact angle compared to production and the right shield was bumping into the bin and preventing the gun from rotation. I recommend you keep and eye on this when measuring the depth of the bin. Shown in the slots are 3 HL 50 cal ammo boxes from Sherman accessory sets.

M7 Priest pulpit interior

The small apparatus behind the head lamp was built and it hides the wires are the same time. I installed the kit parts for the seat but i altered the seat mount to better reflect references. Of course, it can be made to swing up using a brass rod.

M7 Priest pulpit interior

The model as it stands today.

Vandra M7 Priest

Vandra M7 Priest

Vandra M7 Priest

Regards, Louis

[c.rainford73]

Thanks for the feedback Louis. Those cabinets look like mini Ikea furniture really nice job. The priest is Looking the part now. Inspiring build for sure

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk

[HERMAN BIX]

A landmark build for sure .
I can only imagine the "%$#@##$" moment when you realised the suspension units were too high