BERLIN BUSTER T34/85 'BEDSPRING'

[ALPHA]

OK...UH HUH ....HMMM GOOD LUCK on the hatch....HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM OK....CHECK ...GOT IT...going to mod the commanders hatch ...and yup that's a long article....not going to read it now ...maybe not ever

Too Bad...checked my old build thread...all photos are gone...there is a slight description of how I did my hatch...Lucky for both you and I as I still have another T34 to do lol....but yeah...if you are going to mod the hatch...all you need is a Tiger bogie


ALPHA

[HERMAN BIX]

Nope, commanders hatch will stay as is(two section) its the '45 produced machines that had the single hatches. Mines a mid '44
The engine vent will open all the way if the hinges are right. So far, mine are a disaster- so I'm counting on an improvement. !

That article actually pays good heed to the Sherman and its much lamented armour, in comparison to its German & Russian protagonists.
Its a good read................

[ALPHA]

Will think about the read lol....Eyes aren't that great with small print now days....even doing my 1/35ths has been touch and go...with at least two hour rest periods for a hour to half hour of work
Interestingly enough though...it is well documented that the T34 was at greater risk of turning into a fire trap than the Sherman was touted to be....and there is actually records showing that more T34s were destroyed than the Sherman
I think it was just that the Sherman was more widely distributed among the allied forces....the numbers could also be the way the Soviets attacked lol...as many of their strategies was to charge head on into the facing German armored forces ...Something the other allies knew was pretty fool hearty

Glad you like those hatches ....I feel lucky I don't do Historical...as I don't really care for the look of those lol...with that said though HL is the only company that comes out with this version...so the single hatch is pretty common

Good Luck Herman

ALPHA

[HERMAN BIX]

As Im just starting to get the gist of these Soviet machines, any info is good info. The turret is the "fingerprint" of the T34 series tanks.
The hulls virtually never changed, but the turrets sure did.
Getting a handle on how each turret is made, and using that as a unique identifier is really interesting.
Of course units were a sea of tanks, but the individual machines and to a degree the units that deployed them start to take on a bit more than 'just another Russian T-Tank"

Oh, found this enigmatic thing during a search session............

Heres me thinking bedspring armour was going to be tough

[HERMAN BIX]

Ba - Ba - BAAAAAAAAA
Hinges, engine louver hatch, found, adapted, work !!

Don't know what they are for, and the source was most unlikely(although not as unbloody likely as a dolls house shop)a frwakn lolly shop
We did a mission to get meat for my nest of dangerous and very carnivorous little birds today, via the hardware chain shop, and the local 'sell -me-Tamiya-paint-shop' and a Maccas, and a potty stop(for the little ones fellas-give me some credit !) finishing in the ritual few doors down lolly shop.
Now I've been in the place before, a lot, and NEVER EVER seen these things.
They also sell whats called "World Foods"..........English, South 'Efrican', New Zealand, Asian etc etc.............its in that part that I discovered these things in a jumble of, well, junk.
I tore off to the counter with the 19 month old on my hip, and asked the joker how much this little bag was(not that I actually gave a shite) and he said $3.50 !!

Me;What are they ?
I dont know, where were they ?
Me; In a box under the stairs
Oh, that box was there when we moved into the shop so it must be the property owners.
Me; so is it for sale ?
Its been ten-ish years so yes, it is
Me; (thinking Ive won the equivalent to the football pools or the national lottery while containing myself & carrying a baby)
Can you chuck it in with the $75 bucks worth of stuff the Mrs & kids are about to buy ?
Sorry Sir, it is $3.50

WEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLL here ya go Mr Ghandi, knock yaself out mate

At the risk of censure...........I %$$# YOU NOT (censured myself !)

Some days its good to be me

Ahem, anyway, they work. and the damn hatch will fold all the way over.
Sure, not as good as a hole through the entire moulded length, but hey, this thing is a Soviet tank at the end of the war, times were tough, and maybe there was some Indian stall owner selling hinges that weren't his for a few Roubles eh !!

[capt midnight]

Been following this, Herman. Great work!

I recognize the hinges you've got there and thought I'd share.

They are hinges for R/C airplanes, at least that's where I've seen them. Looks to be an older style, but I bet they can still be found. Here's something similar, just look to the bottom of the page...

http://www.greatplanes.com/accys/gpmq3950.html

On a side note, The CA hinges at the top of the page are really cool. They are made out of a felt looking material, really thin, that wicks the super glue into it. You position them, then add the glue. When you work the hinge it breaks the CA, but not the hinge material. I've used it on airplanes before and it really works great. Might work for any hidden hinges needed.

Bill

[HERMAN BIX]

Cheers Mr Midnight, it seems those are what Mr Alpha and yourself have identified.
I'm just happy I found them, sure, I would eventually ended up at an aircraft-y shop, but to get them out of an unlikely place at a very odd time makes it even better.

The nylon they are made of takes super glue very well, and the pins seem to resist the glue that leached into the joints.
I guess if they are for RC planes this would happen a lot with dope & other bonders commonly used.

Onto the louvers next.
Some pics show three of them, others show only two
Oh well, thats entertainment !!

[HERMAN BIX]

http://www.missing-lynx.com/articles/ru ... /rpt34.htm

Quite informative on the turret I.D. issue.
I also found that the tube on the rear plate do not carry smoke chemicals, but rather are conduits for electrical igniters that once the can is 'fired' it is normally dropped off the tank.
The canister emits the smoke, not the engines exhaust. The cans can stay on the rear while burning, but normal practice was to jettison them.
I will try to find the detail of the smoke canister firing system.

[HERMAN BIX]

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47208/th ... %28Pics%29

Found it. I have been in 2 minds about placing the empty mounts only, even if just to fill the H/L fitting points

[ALPHA]

Not bad deal on those hinges Herman ...did think you would hide the bases a little better ...but they work and that's what counts ...you got it to open wider than mine another good feature if you plan to do maintenance on the smoker and gearboxes
On the the vents ...yes indeed...good luck on those ...you going to cover the two ..what looks like to be drain shafts under the body vents?,,,When I did mine ...I could find no photos of them open like they are on the model...so I closed them up


ALPHA