Mato M36B1 Tank Destroyer (full metal)

[c.rainford73]

I am in awe

[Maccrage]

Oh, my. Giving me ideas about my Mato M10.

[43rdRecceReg]

"Once more into the Breach, dear friend, once more..." Well, it should be 'breech', but never mind . What a breech though! I could watch you loading that thing all night!. As a fan of Rc Technology, but also someone who's involved with antique weapons, and loves to find out how they work, this thread is a truly engaging diversion from Life's 'slings and arrows'. A real tonic, Doc More, please

[B_Man]

I wish I had more hands so I could give this build four thumbs up.

It looks fantastic and that working breech is probably the coolest thing I have seen in the 10-odd years that I've been mucking about with RC tanks. Top job.

[Dr Phibes]

Thanks again all. Well, the progress to date is as follows; the next tricky part of my plan was to conceal the wiring from the breech and at the same time redesign the turret interior so that it matches the original as much as possible. This is where the trade-offs had to begin. I wanted to create some semblance of depth to the turret basket. To do this I had to lose the universal 360 slip ring - so be it, ther just was no space under the turret otherwise, especially as I had the two-tier deck in the hull.
With the 360 joint out of the way i had about 15mm under the turret gear ring to play with, maybe 20mm at a push. Anyway, I began again by designing a faux basket and hull floor. The idea here is of course to provide something like the appearance of the original;

First was hull floor and the panels under which the 90mm shells would be stored,. I originally intended this to be fixed so it stayed in place when the turret turned but I dropped this idea because of the added complexity of making the imitation floor revolve.

I used the Aber German diamond plate for this as it was a much better 1/16 scale than others that I tried and just looked right. I also scaled the size of the panels down a little to try and create perspective/depth when viewed from above, Also seen here is the basket deck for the gunner's seat, etc, that sits above the hull floor (this will hopefully all make sense in coming images )

First the basket base and gunners deck/segment fits onto the four studs I made to hold the gear ring and assembly in place

Like so....

Then the faux hull floor is fixed to the basket floor and retained by two screws.This entire assembly is only 10mm deep so it will provide a little breathing space for the cabling (I checked and was relieved to find it worked as I planned!);

And here is the view from above. The floor can be seen here with the addition of hinges on the panels and handles where appropriate. I quite like the polished brass look! Shame I have to paint it Notice at the rear of the gear ring is one of the ball races - I decided to remove this one (as seen in next pictures) as it obscured the effect and the turret could live without it. Another case of form over function.

Finally, here is the new faux basket and floor now painted and weathered a little with a few oil stains, etc.

Notive the now missing ball race to the rear. The visible stub to the right will be disguised by the commander's (I think?) seat that sits behind the gunner so only the left one will be visible (unless I figure out some other disguise for this - bowl of fruit maybe )

So that's it, I'm pretty much up to date now so I can go check out what you chaps have been up to now!

[PainlessWolf]

Good morning, Doc!
This is thought put into action leading to a splendid reality for the MATO 90mm turret. I hope that they are watching because they could have added a lot more realism to their turret at any step of what you have achieved. I have an M10 kit coming up here eventually. I will want to get together with you and see what can be done to add realism to that one as well.
regards,
Painless

[Maccrage]

Just got a brand new M36 delivered. It looks like Mato has learned their axles were bad. Both it and my M10 I got a few months ago came with bushings installed.

[BarryC]

Bravo!

Love the detail work, adds the much needed illusion of reality to open top turrets.

Barry

[Dr Phibes]

Thanks Barry. Maccrage, are the bushings/bearings on all the road wheels as these are what can bind (metal on metal)?
Painless, I'm sure looking forward to your (hopefully) build thread on the Mato M10 ! I'm guessing that is the same upper hull as found on the M36B2? But that turret looks a whole lot tighter for space than the M36, although the gun carriage appears similar. Looks like Mato are using the same lower hull too but the air cleaner and exhaust diffuser at the rear should be different? Must admit I am very tempted indeed , this open top thing could be addictive, but I still think Mato prices are a bit high.

[Maccrage]

Yep. Bushings/bearings on all wheels, inner and outer sides. Both my M10 and M36 have them installed from the factory. The lower hull is actually correct for the M36. It's incorrect for the M10, as is the engine deck.