Scratchbuilt Churchill Mk.IV AVRE SBG

[MonsieurTox]

Hello guys,

My next project will be a Churchill Mk.IV AVRE.
It will have the metal DKLMRC tracks.
There is a nice Mk.IV AVRE at Graye-sur-Mer. It's story is quite nice, itt felt in a hole on June 6th, 1944, trying to put a fascine in it. Instead of recovering it, they let the Churchill in a the hole and use it as a bridge. Later, concret as been poured over it and it stayed there for decades. It has been recovered in the 70's I believe, in a perfect condition, just like it was on D Day. That's probably the Churchill with the most original parts on it.

Anyway, I let you find more on internet about that particular Churchill, but this is not the one I'm going to model (because it has the early heavy tracks), and I had already seen it a lot of time in the past so when I was in Normandy again in October, I decided to see another Churchill I had never seen before.

This is a Churchill Mk.IV (not AVRE) which is very rusty, but a very good candidate for photogrammetry. You can find it a Colleville-Montgomery, Hillman site.

I took about 450 pics of it and then recreate it in 3D using photogrammetry. It will be my first reference when it comes to shape, size, thickness of the part etc...

You can see the result here :

phpBB [video]

Some things to take in mind : it's missing some armor plates, top rear engine doors, it has some boggie units from a Mk.1. etc...

To help me, I get the AFV Club Churchill AVRE from my wife for Christmas. It's a very nice kit, however the photogrammetry of the real Churchill will show that AFV club is wrong in many aspects. A nice base to help me figure things though.

I then started to 3D model the Churchill in 3D.
You can see the first draft here, the 3D model has been greatly improved since.

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And the first styrene parts :

Left panier is more or less done, and you can see most (but not all) of the parts for the right panier.

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[Kaczor]

Now that is impressive workflow! Great work.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Bravo, MonsieurTox! I will be watching zealously and jealously as I have always like the Churchill for all its unusual, ugliness. Perhaps someday I can build one from someone's printings.

[tankme]

If it helps and you have a 3D printer, you can purchase files from Inkor: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various ... -crocodile

Or PM Alwyn and he has stuff for a MkIII Churchill. I just mention these because sometimes it's nice not to have to design all of your own parts if someone has done a good job doing it already.

Derek

[Raminator]

Really interesting work with the photogrammetry, Mssr. Tox. I've briefly looked into it, and it seems like such a good way to get accurate dimensions for everything all at once.

Do you need a proper DSLR for that kind of stuff, or does your phone suffice? I might need to organise a trip up to the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum up in Cairns for research purposes.

[MonsieurTox]

Thank you guys !

Now that is impressive workflow! Great work.

Yeah I'm quite happy with the workflow, everything is working fine for now ! I'm happy with it. A 3D scan would be handy and another weapon to get precise measurements on small details of a real tank (scanning the whole 1:1 would be too long that's why photogrammetry is best in this case)

Bravo, MonsieurTox! I will be watching zealously and jealously as I have always like the Churchill for all its unusual, ugliness. Perhaps someday I can build one from someone's printings.

Thanks ! Yeah I too like the Churchill, it looks like a tank coming directly from WWI ! The AVRE MK IV is really my fav, I love all those kinds of stuff they can carry/do. Not sure if I'll make some specific things for mine like a carpet layer...

If it helps and you have a 3D printer, you can purchase files from Inkor: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various ... -crocodile

Or PM Alwyn and he has stuff for a MkIII Churchill. I just mention these because sometimes it's nice not to have to design all of your own parts if someone has done a good job doing it already.

Derek

Thanks Derek, I had already purchased that Churchill Croc when it cames out thinking it could be of some help for me, unfortunatly it's not, I switched to a MKIV (hull is totally different), the turret is not the same and the suspension of the 3D model is very simplified (to be 3D printed), I wanted to make a model a little more detailed, and I have all the ressources recquired directly from an original Churchill !

Really interesting work with the photogrammetry, Mssr. Tox. I've briefly looked into it, and it seems like such a good way to get accurate dimensions for everything all at once.

Do you need a proper DSLR for that kind of stuff, or does your phone suffice? I might need to organise a trip up to the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum up in Cairns for research purposes.

I used myself my phone for what you see in my youtube vid. Of course, the best cam you use, the best result you get. Lighting conditions is also very important, and the way you cover the model in order to get good result. But as you can see, the result with a phone is already very good. The fact that the model is very rusty really helps too as they're is a lot of variation, that's why I have been able to recreate in 3D the cast texture of the turret for example...

Now each time I come accross a tank I do 300-400 pics just in case I need it later

[MonsieurTox]

Really interesting work with the photogrammetry, Mssr. Tox. I've briefly looked into it, and it seems like such a good way to get accurate dimensions for everything all at once.

Do you need a proper DSLR for that kind of stuff, or does your phone suffice? I might need to organise a trip up to the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum up in Cairns for research purposes.

Just a quick render for my next project, a M4A1 hull, I did not have time to do a lot of pictures but the result is OK and will help me making a very close to the original cast hull :

phpBB [video]

[MonsieurTox]

Continuing with the other side...

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My suspension springs are bit too long so I decided to mill the location holes and add a back plate. It's now 4 mm deeper but I guess it won't be enough and the suspension would be too hard. I'm not sure if I buy some shorter springs or if Im going to cut them yet...

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Deeper holes :

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With the suspension springs in place :

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The small plates that link each boggie unit of the real Churchill (on mine they are just decorative as the boggie units are a single piece).

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They are all bolted but on the Churchill AVRE the plate that link boggie unit 2 to boggie unit 3 is welded. I think it was the standard for the above version of the Churchill. Not all AVRE have these, some have been retrofitted after war but the one in Graye-sur-Mer had the welded plate on D-Day.
Some Meng styrene nuts are added :

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Both left and right paniers are done :

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[MonsieurTox]

The center hull.

I milled a slot on the inner side of the side walls. This way I can insert a 3X3mm styrene profile that will support the upper deck.

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The hull is quickly built.

A Heng Long steel gearbox with blue motors will be used in these.
Unfortunatly I had orderer the wrong one (with the high profile motor). So I had to take a frame from plastic HL Panzer III gearbox, and switching with the steel gearbox frame. Of course I had to chance the small bushing etc... Took me more time than anticipated !

I put some ball bearings to support the shafts.

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The front deck of the hull.

I relied only on my own ref pics because the AFV Club kit is not very accurate there.

Slot are milled for the episcope plates then the plates are inserted.
The frame surrounding the driver and the loader hatches are separate parts, like on the original.

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Center hull :

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[MonsieurTox]

Now it's time to : assemble the side panier to the center hull, put the bolted side armor and the track tensionner plate on.

The track tensionner plate should be 2.5mm in 1/16 scale. I used a 3 mm styrene sheet that I reduced to 2.5mm with my mill.
Small holes are drilled to place the rivets. I haven't been able to find existing rivets with the correct sizes and shapes (and there are a lot of different kind on the Churchill !) so I'm going to 3D print them all.

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And once everything is glued together :

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Thanks for looking !