a12 matilda

[lister fiend]

hello all
just thought it was about time i popped up here to start my build thread.
a matilda 2.
a bit adventurous for a first build but hey, how hard can it be?
i have a tamiya 1:35 static kit that i built a few years ago & used that as a template.

i bought a bulldog for parts & decided to use the susspension as it's all hidden behind the track guards
a few weeks later & hey presto!

ten seconds later &

bugger it!
after much head scratching, i bought a book to help me out.
with only one reference to the layout

hmm, this was beyond my tiny brain to work out.
so luckily i got some help from dietrich ( thanks mate! )
& came up with this

now, onto the hull.

ok the radius piece at the front is wrong but the rest is good right?
nooooooooooo!
its 35mm too short
after a few weeks to calm down & get motivated again, came up with this.....

the keen eyed amongst you will notice that
the susspension springs are in front now.
i diddn't have enough standoffs so had to make the top hat brackets
which foul on the springs, grrr
i hope i haven't sent you all to sleep with this very long post
cheers
lister

[mustclime]

I like your first attempt.....all it needed was some links between the boogies.....this should be a fun build...

[jonger]

Yes you certainly hit difficulties straight on, but you seem to have a good workshop so I will be watching your progress with interest, I tend to try and use stock parts where I can so I like your approach in making your bogies from scratch.

Good luck with rest of it.

[lister fiend]

hi all,
just a quick update
so many bits to do & where to start!

i spent ages trying to fab the turret
hopefully i can salvage it with a lot of hacking up.
also it's looking more like a tugboat than a tank

yup, the gearbox sticks out too far

lashed up an idler, so just the jockey wheel & return rollers to make.
i've bought a plans book, which unfortunatley doesn't quite match up with my 1:35 model
nothing seems to go right first time & i wish i had more time & better patience.
i had some good advice though, it's been suggested that i make the upper hull out of cardboard
genius, now why diddn't i think of that?
thats it for now as i've plenty on the go & am starting a cromwell build ( yes i'm mad i know)
cheers
lister

[jonger]

i had some good advice though, it's been suggested that i make the upper hull out of cardboard
genius, now why didn't i think of that?

I use cardboard to make my prototype upper hulls and turrets as its easy to cut up and stick extra bits on, then I use that cardboard as patterns on plasticard sheet to make the real hulls and turrets, it saves wasting a lot of plasticard
In fact I was able to print a 1/16 scale plan of a Cromwell using autocad which I stuck on the cardboard and cut that out as a starting point, then adjusted it for the correct shapes in 3D.

[lister fiend]

hi all,
another week & another pile of bits
thinking my bogies would do, i turned my attension to the idlers.
now unfortunatley my rolled frontpiece was on the piss so had to remake that ( atleast its the right size now though)
then had to mod the bogies as the ride height was 3mm too low
also i never liked the brackets i had fabbed so managed to cadge some standoffs.
so now it's like i originally wanted it to be, which cheered me up a bit

i managed to get a pair of ztz99 idlers from tankarmy.com in oz & got the panzer4 tracks & lots of other little bits to make the postage worth while.

now for this weeks problems
there's next to no room between the gearbox's, so my fingers are crossed that the motors will go in.
i also think that the idlers are too high.
i'll find out in due course.
i do really feel though that i'm making headway & after plonking on a top plate felt quite pleased

it's actually starting to look like something!
hopefully i'll have the jockey wheels done next week so i can finnish the drive train.
then it's on to the upper hull (i can't find an emote for scared)
cheers
lister

[Wildboar44]

My Hat off to you Sir ..... scratch building Olympic style . Will follow with interest

[lister fiend]

hi all,
just a quick update.
i haven't got quite as far as i'd hoped but it's all trundeling in the right direction
had to alter the single bogies to make them swing both ways

my ztz idlers were mounted 16mm too high not sure how i managed that.
also, there too wide so went back to my home made ones.
next up was the jockey wheels.
i'm not overly happy with them but it will do the job (i hope)

next little problem was the motors.

there's not much room in there but they did shoehorn in after i ground off the bolts
for the single bogies & put a blob of weld over them.
i really wanted to have it running, so i could test it out but then this cropped up.....

oh well, it's only another little problem to overcome
& that about wraps it up for this week.
hopefully i can get it running next week & then have to work out
how to upload a video.
cheers
lister

[lister fiend]

hi all,
it's been a long time & this project has the momentum of an asthmatic slug
anyhoo.
I finally, no nearly have the drive train all sorted!

I say nearly as the suspension is fouling on the track guard brackets
ignoring that for now, I have the track guards bolted on

i'm having a total mare trying to get the front lower panel to look right

maybe once I round all the corners off, it will look better
i'm really losing the will to live on this one, so think i'll crack on with my Cromwell build for a while
cheers
lister

[wibblywobbly]

I used to have a Matilda in World of Tanks and loved it, 8 kills in one battle once? lol.

Excellent build and fair play to you for trying to emulate the original suspension, lesser mortals would have gone without suspension and just made it easy and suspension-less using return rollers. One solution, considering it would all be covered up, might have been to try mangling some Mato Sherman units and replacing the road wheels with smaller items.

Don't give up on it whatever you do, I want to see this finished!

Rob