Trouble is, there's not a great deal of this stuff that I would deem 'acceptable' in final terms and I can't really think of how to recitify this myself. So I thought I would come here and ask some of you fine people in the hope that someone can direct me in the right direction and get this build back on track!
Following are a few pics of what I have so far for those who aren't familiar with the project. Remember this is a fantasy vehicle from a computer game so it may all look rather odd to most of you! That said, it's a 1990's soviet design so the building techniques and such are absolutely terrestrial...
First up, my biggest concern is strengthening and smoothing the hull. It will remain highly angular so nothing needs to BE smooth per se but all of the visible joins need filling and reinforcing at the same time. The turret is already pretty solid so can forego extra work for now but will still need the edges filling... The biggest structural issue is going to be the internal joints in the hull which, although quite firm already, will see a lot of action eventually! I'm thinking some kind of glass fibre tape or something could work here but really need advice from people who know better than me so send it in please!
The other problem which is less structural but still very important is the track armour which plays a part in holding the drive sprockets, bogey wheels and probably suspension too. It has far fewer pieces than the rest of the build but fewer angles in this case tend to make it much weaker, especially the very long side pieces... My first job now I'm back on the build is to reinforce the joins between the hull and track housings which I already have a series of small bolts for. Currently they're glued as best I can but without much more than that I'd be asking for trouble. But what about all the other joins that are so vulnerable? I really want a great deal more strength in these pieces but just don't know how best to do it...
The other issue before I can detail anything (the whole thing will have armour plating added later which should make a BIG difference as the surfaces are huge right now) is the filling of all the external joins. As I said, they don't need smoothing, just filling, but I'm not sure what product to use. I build with 3mm plasticard so was thinking just normal model filler may work but I'd guess I have many many meters of filling ahead of me and I'm wondering if there may be a better, stronger, more enduring way of doing it...
Anyone who can advise me on these issues please do as there's not too much I can do without this vital reinforcement. As a final note, I still need someone to help me out by making some barrels for this build. Anyone interested should give me a shout!
