Mike Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 I've been pondering the monolithic Tortoise heavy assault tank since it arrived from Meng for review a while back, and have finally caved in. A new SSD hard drive for the Workshop machine, and a new build...I started with the running gear, as per the instruction booklet, and decided that because of the sheer number of wheels keeping the hull out of the mud, I'd do a quick test build of one of the sponsons that contains four wheels to see which seamlines I could get away without fettling. The short answer is "some", but not all, and the pedant in me is struggling with the concept of leaving some unattended to. I'm sure I'll live though First up were the idler wheels and drive sprockets. The idler wheels are set on sprung tensioner units, and they are different lengths, with one set of locating points being cut off during construction. Don't worry - this matches perfectly with its mounting holes on the hull, as Meng have followed through with the asymmetry. I've scuffed up the idler contact surfaces, as they see a lot of action, and although shiny, will probably be quite scored from all the rocks and pebbles that have gone through between it and the tracks.The drive sprockets were simple to put together, and the sprue gates have been placed on the back of the part so you don't damage the teeth when you cut them off. I did manage to slip and nick one though, so glued it back in place before it fell off completely Here's a shot of the test build of a sponson and the other bits I've glued together so far: The seams that have to be addressed because they'll probably be on display are marked out on the pic below. The raised ejector pin on the pushrod is a piece of cake to trim off with a sharp scalpel, but there are 16 of them... watch your fingers! I'm going to fill at least the seams marked in white on four sponsons, as the front and rear units might be visible under the side skirts. Whether I'll paint the roadwheels in situ or not is undecided as yet The pushrod, roadwheels and the central part of the axle are all loose once the wheel-pair is glued up, with only a bar underneath holding the whole assembly together. You need a fair few extra hands to get it all together, and make sure you check alignment of the parts before you wander off for tea, as they are quite prone to drifting out of alignment if the glue is still quite liquid. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Nice going Mike. Those clamps are a blessing in disguise. I got some in Telford and they are so usefull for many aplications. Watching with Interest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaykay Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 This looks great. Are they available in stores Mike? Look forward to keeping up with this thread, jk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 Those clamps are a blessing in disguise. They're also prone to pinging off just when you think you've got them sorted Are they available in stores Mike? I think they're available to buy from the Far East now, and I know that Wonderland and Hannants are both expecting stock, so perhaps keep an eye on their websites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishbed Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Oh, I so want one of these. We did come up with some interesting tank designs (!?) Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 We certainly did... not all of them good though! The walkaround is now available here Here's a taster: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishbed Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 We certainly did... not all of them good though! The walkaround is now available here Here's a taster: Agreed, probably what makes them interesting :-) Just wanderimg how I missed this monster when I was at Bovington a few years ago (assuming it is Bov.) Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 i cant make telford this year and would dearly love one of these but which one of my modelling buddies can i trust ????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 i cant make telford this year and would dearly love one of these but which one of my modelling buddies can i trust ????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 oh yes how could i forget you old buddy ill sort out a shopping list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 Will you two get a room? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Will you two get a room? ???????????????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Will you two get a room? Will you get on and build this great kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazdot Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 this looks great mike but I'm itching to know whats happened to the eduard 109e? Darren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 look never mind the wingy thingy this the best build on here all year onwards and upwards mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 this looks great mike but I'm itching to know whats happened to the eduard 109e? Darren I had a bit of an accident and spilled a whole glass of water over the decals Fortunately, my old pal Stringbag came to the rescue with some spare 109 stencils that I can use in conjunction with some other 109 markings to complete the job. The wheels are currently sitting in primer waiting for me to get a move on. I've also had to reinstall my computer this week too, but that was actually quite painless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaykay Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Yes build, build build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Righty-ho! I've not been sat on my thumbs all this time, but I have been busy with other stuff, managing to prepare the suspension, wheels and tracks in the evenings on a new little workbench. I've got the bogies together now, and I have to say that most of the seams will never be seen again once the side-skirts are on. Nevertheless, I've done most of 'em, but nevermind, eh? I think the main mould seam that needs to be removed are the swing-arms that support the two wheels on each side of the bogie. Anything else is a bit of overkill I've just blasted some Alclad primer on to see how it looks, so here's a pic. Once I've finally decided the main colour green (discussion here), I'll pop a layer over the primer and then hand-paint the tyres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stringbag Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Fortunately, my old pal Stringbag came to the rescue Less of the "old" if you don't mind. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Ok ok... longstanding pal... who happens to be old! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 While the debate runs on on the colour (I'm erring on the side of Olive Drab now), I've been adding some of the small parts of hull to the two main parts. The glacis plate is a separate part that drops on top of the lower hull, and fits very well. There is a seam and a mould line to clesn up on the front, which required a bit of putty, but I have a sneaky technique to reinstate the casting texture, which I'll use on all the seams. The upper hull has a few mould seams running around the front, on the left of the mantlet, and each corner of the "turret" area. There is also a small panel in the rear of the turret that must be glued in. To get the best fit and minimise filling, I scraped some material from the insert here and there, test-fitting as I went. once I was happy that it was sitting perfectly level with the surrounding area, I glued it in with plenty of Tamiya Extra Thin. This part-filled the two vertical seams, which were topped up with a bit of Mr Putty a while later. I scraped the mould seams on the cast texture with the side of my #11 blade, and then went over it with my Dremel and a round burr bit, gently dimpling the surface in a random pattern. Once I'd rubbed off the bits of styrene, I painted the area with some liquid glue and left it to dry. The resulting texture is a pretty good match for what's moulded in, and is pretty simple to do as long as you don't overdo it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 (edited) Hehe Nice going on the wheels, they look like they can handle the weight Olive Drab is a good paint for this, but Bronze green was used by the British version. Just to add, nice pictures of Bovinton vehicle. Sore this one run out, but only did one circuit due to a big problem and it only just made it to the exit. Was a aw- inspiring site though. Edited September 27, 2012 by foxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 I'm hoping to get down to Bovvie at some point, but it's a helluva way from Chester, and I'm only able to drive for about an hour before needing a rest Moving on - I've got the landing gear running gear painted and installed. It's been done in Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab, but I'm going to give XF-81 a try on the recommendation of the man with initials for his forum name... BWP? I forget the order now Anyhow. I sprayed the bogies with OD, then brush-painted the rubber tyres and return rollers with some Vallejo Dark Rubber (306), which is my tyre colour of choice Once I'd scraped off the paint from the mating surfaces, I began adding them according to the instructions, with the units that have no return-rollers on one side at the front and back. The bogies attach very well to the lower hull, and have a huge mating surface that should see them through any handling. I test fitted the fenders to make sure I'd got everything aligned correctly, and it just clipped into place with some firm finger pressure on each bogie. You still have to line up the idler wheel assembly, and I'd recommend against fitting the bearing plates to the assembly, but instead attach them to the lower hull and fenders to give you some leeway in alignment later. I couldn't resist plonking the upper hull for a looksee at how big it's going to be when done. Can't wait! Next job is the tracks, and I think I'm just going to construct them as a C-shape, because you can't see anything under those fenders - it really is dark in there, and close fitting too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddball Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Jeeze-o!!! What a monster. Can't wait to see that beauty finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 A bit more work done. I constructed the tracks, which went together very quickly, partly due to the preparation I've already done, partly down to the excellent fit of the parts and the fact that they're rather large. As mentioned earlier, I'm not building the full run of tracks as they won't be seen, so I have made a length just long enough to go around the idler and drive sprocket. They were put together quickly using liquid glue, resting next to a ruler to ensure they went together straight, with occasional pressure to improve the grip of the glue. Once they were set up enough to handle, I dropped the tank on them and wrapped the remainder on each side round the ends, wedging them in place with a quartet of cotton buds... a tool with a myriad of uses. They're already a mid-brown colour due to being moulded that way, and look quite nice unpainted. I'm going to paint and weather them of course... it'd be rude not to! I'll leave the lower hull to set up overnight (maybe longer), and then remove the tracks, which should have enough "give" in them to be released from the drive sprocket and idler without damage. Meantime, on with the upper hull. I'm quite looking forward to building the gun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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