Scratch building tanks?

[bikerdude]

Just wondering if many people here build their models from scratch, or are tanks more built from kits, or buy RTR models, and then upgrade, detail and weather them?

Part of my reason for asking is that I fancy having a bash at building something simple myself, Cromwell, Crusader, Covenanter or a mash-up of the 3, something different, but fairly angular and simple looking. Ideally I'd love a Churchill, but that's far too complex for me at the moment, and so far I've only found 1 supplier of a kit and it's well out of my price range. Ideally I'll build it from bit's of wood I've got here, the bulk of which is a big sheet of 12mm ply. I suppose a fantasy WWI tank wouldn't be overly tricky either, using some cheap plastic HL tracks and drive wheels, all hidden behind a sheet of ply as the side plate.

As for electronics, I'd be using a very simple set up, as I do in my boats. An electronic speed controller for each motor, connected to a receiver via a mixer to give the tank steering, no sound or lights, and preferably no moving turret etc, running off a 12v 4ah or 6v 2ah battery

Anyone got any experience or input/ideas? (baring in mind everything I do has to be on a budget of approx. £0)

[Ecam]

You'll find several that will actually build it all from scratch. Many use 3D printers to make parts that don't exist. I like to build M4 variants and have scratch built the upper hulls using existing lowers. Many of us here simply improve on what comes out of the box. Just start looking at the builds and get some ideas. The "other build"s thread usually shows the scratch stuff that does not exist in kit form.

[43rdRecceReg]

You need to ask yourself whether you would want the finished model to look like the tank it purports to be, or some unconvincing approximation.
Bear in mind too that working in 12mm plywood would almost certainly put you beyond 1:16 scale. 1/16 scale is where the majority of the 3rd party extras (and cannibalised model parts) are aimed at, or manufactured for (motors, tracks, electronics..etc.) Plywood might be OK for a soapbox kiddie ride- around, but not ideal for a Cromwell or Centurion RC model. There's one lurking somewhere in the Archive here (plywood Cromwell), and it's not a pretty sight, in my opinion.
Kits or partial kits are your best bet. You could pick up a cheap HL Tiger, say, and rebuild it using styrene sheets (to a ludwig conversion kit..but they're not cheap). A T34 can serve as the basis of a Cromwell or Comet, if you really want to jump in at the deep end. Blueprints and styrene sheets could help you fulfil your immediate wish, and there's a wealth of material here on file you can consult about it. Just avoid tanks with tricky curves, and bulges, to begin with.. Aim for boxy ones.

[AlwynTurner]

With any scratchbuild the first question is which tracks and associated mechanical parts (sprockets, gearboxes, roadwheels, etc) are you going to use.

An example is the chieftain or centurion I am planning for my next scratchbuild. I think I will be using russian kt track and sprockets/gearboxes and scratch building or printing the rest. Trying to manufacture track is very difficult and tedious. I did it for a universal carrier and never again!

As to using wood, I would think it would be impractidal for 1/16 scale as you cannot get the degree of accuracy needed in wood at that scale and it wouldn't be strong enough for the smaller key components.

I would suggest as a starter to buy a spares/repair 1/16 tank (they are sometimes available on ebay) and are usually cheap. You can then get experience of stripping, repairing, and upgrading a tank, and then try scratch building a tank.

Anyway enjoy your new hobby and at the end of the day it's what you want to build that will give you pleasure.

Alwyn

[Marco Peter]

And make sure to share any results!

If you start a building thread it's fun to watch you progress but also this forum is full of people who can give you lots of tips and good advice!

[bikerdude]

You'll find several that will actually build it all from scratch. Many use 3D printers to make parts that don't exist. I like to build M4 variants and have scratch built the upper hulls using existing lowers. Many of us here simply improve on what comes out of the box. Just start looking at the builds and get some ideas. The "other build"s thread usually shows the scratch stuff that does not exist in kit form.

Thanks, I'd missed the 'other builds' section, had a quick look and some interesting stuff in there, but my skills are nowhere near that level!

You need to ask yourself whether you would want the finished model to look like the tank it purports to be, or some unconvincing approximation.
Bear in mind too that working in 12mm plywood would almost certainly put you beyond 1:16 scale. 1/16 scale is where the majority of the 3rd party extras (and cannibalised model parts) are aimed at, or manufactured for (motors, tracks, electronics..etc.) Plywood might be OK for a soapbox kiddie ride- around, but not ideal for a Cromwell or Centurion RC model. There's one lurking somewhere in the Archive here (plywood Cromwell), and it's not a pretty sight, in my opinion.
Kits or partial kits are your best bet. You could pick up a cheap HL Tiger, say, and rebuild it using styrene sheets (to a ludwig conversion kit..but they're not cheap). A T34 can serve as the basis of a Cromwell or Comet, if you really want to jump in at the deep end. Blueprints and styrene sheets could help you fulfil your immediate wish, and there's a wealth of material here on file you can consult about it. Just avoid tanks with tricky curves, and bulges, to begin with.. Aim for boxy ones.

TBH I've never been 1 for museum quality, 100% accurate builds, more of a see what I've got, and how it'll fit together type of thing, I know the limits of my skills, so would never attempt a proper scale model.
I can't see the Cromwell you refer to, but I have seen 1 before on youtube, where he'd made the tracks himself as well, and that was before 3D printing was available, and while I'll grant you it wouldn't have ever been displayed in a museum, it ran well, looked good at a reasonable distance, and had the satisfaction that he could say he'd made it all himself.

Having thought about it, I'll probably go with a WWI style tank, main hull would be ok out of the 12mm ply, and I've some thinner sheets for the side plates.

With any scratchbuild the first question is which tracks and associated mechanical parts (sprockets, gearboxes, roadwheels, etc) are you going to use.

An example is the chieftain or centurion I am planning for my next scratchbuild. I think I will be using russian kt track and sprockets/gearboxes and scratch building or printing the rest. Trying to manufacture track is very difficult and tedious. I did it for a universal carrier and never again!

As to using wood, I would think it would be impractidal for 1/16 scale as you cannot get the degree of accuracy needed in wood at that scale and it wouldn't be strong enough for the smaller key components.

I would suggest as a starter to buy a spares/repair 1/16 tank (they are sometimes available on ebay) and are usually cheap. You can then get experience of stripping, repairing, and upgrading a tank, and then try scratch building a tank.

Anyway enjoy your new hobby and at the end of the day it's what you want to build that will give you pleasure.

Alwyn

I've got a Tiger 1 that's a bit knackered, so was thinking I'd use the drive sprockets, idlers and tracks from that. 3D printing isn't an option for me, don't have a printer, or the skill to use CAD, and I don't have the cash to pay someone else. I've had the few tanks we've apart for various things already, and have built a handful of boats, the 1st proper scratchbuild (starting with nothing more than some wood and plans) so while I wouldn't say I was good with finer details, I can build passably well. I should've said initially that I'm not expecting to build it all from 12mm ply, I have a selection of other ply down to about 0.5mm, various sized dowel, and some other bits and pieces. I think to keep things realistic it will most definitely be loosely based on a style of tank, rather than of a specific model. Currently thinking along the lines of a WWI type, maybe with a proper turret instead of the side mounted guns.

And make sure to share any results!

If you start a building thread it's fun to watch you progress but also this forum is full of people who can give you lots of tips and good advice!

I'll certainly try, I've never done a build log of anything before, as I do things sporadically, and when I do go through a spell of doing something, I tend to do loads in 1 day and forget to take photos. Plus the skills of others on here would make me a little self concious of my lack of ability.