5.5 inch howitzer 1/16 scratch build

[AlwynTurner]

Thought I'd put this in a new thread rather than adding to the matador thread. Idecided to scratch build a 5.5 inch howitzer to tow around behind the matador and bought a 1/76 airfix kit of matador and gun to get the rough scale plus googled lots of pics. Here's a couple:


I started on the carraige


Then started working out the barrel and decided to order some aluminium tube for the barrel which duly arrived today and looks the business:

EXCEPT that the barrel mount point is where the pencil rubber sits, and that tube is a lot heavier than I expected. The gun is likely to spend it's life shooting at Australia! However after the initial post I got a PM from Blimp who suggested using carbon fibre fishing rod, which makes a whole lot of sense!
The alternative is to load up the limber arms with lead fishing weights as a counter balance. Anyway Blimp is getting back to me to see if he has any bits that might fit so fingers crossed.

[jtracks]

You're off to a fine start. I'll be following along here.

Joe

[AlwynTurner]

Well some real progress thanks to blimp who made me a front barrel piece out of carbon fibre:

It looks exactly right and fits perfectly and much appreciation to blimp for his very kind assistance. I had to put a couple of fishing sinkers in the back end but manged to get the barrel pretty much balanced at the pivot point instead of face down in the dirt!
I can now crack on with the gun cradle which is starting to come together. Blimp also sent me a packet of 1.2mm flat spherical rivets from MasterClub which will make the whole model look much better, I didn't know these things existed - they should really improve the detailing on the model. Alwyn

[AlwynTurner]

Things are progressing with the barrel mounted to the cradle and the chassis upgraded with the gun mounting.


Now the cradle is on the chassis I can work on the front mounting and get the major build items completed before moving on to the detailing.

[Steelhammer]

What a great idea - Looks superb already

[AlwynTurner]

Progressed to fitting the cradle front suspension which is a great improvement. I'm quite pleased that with the carbon fibre front barrel from Blimp the gun doesn't need any counterbalancing.


Now it's down to lots of fiddly finishing, but that's part of the fun!

[AlwynTurner]

Some progress on the howitzer. The breech block is complete in fact the whole barrel is now finished, the cradle is done and some progress on the gun mount. I wasn't happy with the springs on the front carriage support so I decided to cover them in heat shrink to simulate the rubber accordion covers on some versions of the real gun and that worked out well. Just some work to do on the sighting mechanism, the gun chassis, and then on to the limber arms and the spade devices that fit on the end.



Another couple of days and it should be ready for painting.

[jarndice]

Now I know where I have been going wrong, I have been drinking coffee and eating peanut butter/jelly sandwiches when all the time I should have been eating quality street chocolates and swigging scotch, Very clever treatment of the springs by the way, I have had an assortment of packs of heat shrink sitting in the workshop and I am sure I am not alone in wondering what other uses I could put it to, thanks for broadening my mind. shaun

[AlwynTurner]

Hi Guys, thanks for the kind words, I collect all and any old tins/boxes/containers for storing things in as otherwise my workshop begins to look like a 'midden' as my wife so quaintly puts it. The jamesons is for my lubrication after a hard days modelling, hic but I use the box for lengths of styrene rod. Regards Alwyn

[edpanzer]

All round to Alwins then