First Build in donkeys years! Tamiya Chieftain Mk9

[Valenstitch]

Well I've been lurking around long enough now, time to actually post something. This is my first full build in 1:35 since I was in the Army, I got out in 85! I`ve dabbled a little bit since, but nothing serious. Until now!

I`ve had the kit in my stash for a few years, always intending to build it as one of "My" panzers. So here she is, Chieftain Mk9, callsign Zero Echo.

She was the command tank for 7 Armoured brigade in 1983/84. The Boss at the time was Brigadier R Swinburn, He would rock up in the wee small hours and I would wreck the german countryside under his direction until he had had enough and departed back to clean sheets and dinner prepared by some WO1 slop jockey leaving myself and "Tank" Smith (Gunner/Commander) to get everything in order for the next days fun and games.

Anyhoo, enough ramblings about my days in the green machine for now, On to the Kit! I used the venerable Tamiya Chieftain as the base kit, with a Castoff Mk8 upgrade resin kit an Eduard photoetch set and an amount of scratch building, it was my first time with etch and resin, didnt loose any bits, dont know what all the fuss is about! (Fall coming!) I also scratch built the interior of the drivers compartment because I wanted to leave the hatch open. (bored the pants off Pete Smith from pete's model world blogspot at the Salisbury IPMS show with my fots! But I did get a mention in his show report!)

The model is intended to represent Zero Echo on FTX "Spearpoint", we were supposed to be Red force and therefor the enemy! So we had to take off our side skirts and leave them in the hanger back in Fally and hang red boards on the side of the turret, these were made from old MFO boxes! One tank in each troop also had a black board with a white "P" on it to designate a mine plough tank, this being the only way to cross "minefields"! This was strictly monitored by the umpires. They never found the one I knocked up and kept hidden in the basket, It was like being in "Kelly's Heros"!

The kit was primed with stynylrez and then sprayed with Tamiya acrylics, dirt is PVA and dried sifted earth, florey washes and a misting of Tamiya buff to the lower hull, tracks and suspension. There`s still a way to go yet, today she`s having her optics and lights done with some Mig Crystal acrylics, I`ve got baskets to fill with goodies, "winky wanky" to sort out, antennas, oil leaks, I`ll be weeks yet!

I know the faults with the model I wont go through them now, but, first time for resin, photo etch, CA cement, acrylic paint, polyurethane primer, florey washes, oil pin washes, earth and PVA and dried oregano in the cam net (smells nice!)! Me Lud, the Defence rests!

[MickE]

Great looking chieftain. Nice to have a story behind the build as well.

Mick

[Dads203]

That's a really nice build fella and just how I remembered seeing them charging around Sennelarger.

[FrancisGL]

It looks like a little beast, dark and menacing ... , cheers mate

[Etienne]

Hello,

very nice build indeed Nice to see a real tanker's tank !!

E

[justaspitcrazy!]

Stonking build so far mate, I don't see anything wrong with it from my perspective!

Massively intrigued to know what the hell a "winky wanky" is!

Cheers,

Ben.

[Valenstitch]

Ben, a "winky wanky" is the amber flashing beacon we had to have fitted to make the 59 ton beast visible to other road users, final checks before coming "on road" would include ensuring the thunder box ( oil can with the top and bottom cut out and some padding around the top) was secure on the rear wing, your tow cable ends were hooked on and clamped and all sticks and bushes and kit and everything and everyone was secure and unlikely to fall off onto a local or a crusty "atomkraft nein danke" protester who routinely stood gawping at you on an FTX, the final thing was the commander shouting "winky wanky light on" and off we would go in a dense cloud of smoke with kit falling off all over the place depositing great lumps of german countryside on the road with the Commander and Operator being driven slowly insane by the flashing amber light two feet away from them!

Best job I ever had!

Granto

[Etienne]

ensuring the thunder box ( oil can with the top and bottom cut out and some padding around the top) was secure on the rear wing

Hello,

what's the purpose of this thunder box ?

E

[SeanM]

Interesting story and nice build!

[Valenstitch]

In reply to your enquiry Etienne, the "Thunder box" was a common modification to an issue 5 gallon oil can, usually OMD 75 since british vehicles used almost as much of this as they did diesel! the base would be removed retaining the crimped edge for strength and then the top would be removed in a roughly semi circular fashion where the filler cap and handle were leaving a crude "seat" this would be filed smooth and some suitable cushioning material sought, issue masking tape "black nasty" would be used to secure the cushion. The completed "Thunder box" would then accompany any comfort minded individual on a "shovel recce" ,usually in a "non tactical" situation although I am aware of some instances where they were used under full NBC conditions. The Blot, Bang, Rub method being used to thoroughly decontaminate the individual and apparatus!

Granto

[Valenstitch]

So, time for a brief update, Here She is today a few more bits done.

Optics, reflectors and head and sidelights done with Mig Crystal Acrylics, I like them! Then a quick once over with some Florey sand wash!

The headlights have come out much better than the photo suggests! Same treatment with the Crystal followed by Florey wash.

I`ve still got to fit the fire extinguishers, but there`s a bit of me says to leave one at least missing, we used to have to hide em in a bin if we left the panzer because there was always some light fingered herbert that would switch one of his empties for your full one for the temperature adjustment of their bottled/canned beverage!

Here's the coal hole, complete scratch built compartment in there, I`m going to leave the hatch open

Here it is from the rear, I didnt bother with the lids on the charge bins....I know, lazy!

I`m going to fill the basket with kit and a Tank sheet.

And this end still has to receive the treatment, diesel spills, coolant spills and a whole heap of oil leaks, but it`s coming on!

Thank you for the positive comments so far, I`m back off down me shed!

Granto.

Edited October 2, 2016 by Valenstitch
Lost an album on photobucket!

[Widow 65]

Hi mate, what an interesting story and an excellent depiction of your tank! Its spot on, i love the attention to detail, right down to the charge bins....top build mate ( I was trained on a MK10 but spent my time in Challys 1 & 2).

Nick

PS, out of interest who were you with?

[FrancisGL]

Dusty look very good you're doing, and detail on the little things I like a lot too... , cheers mate

[Dads203]

As for the headlights I used the MV lens to great effect, a pain to get hold of in

the UK but Little cars do a range of lens and Historex sell the Resin Cast range.

Only have a decent shot of the GPMG spotlight from my build.

I would recommend using them

[Gundylunch]

Stunning considering it's been a while since the last one !!

[Valenstitch]

Hi mate, what an interesting story and an excellent depiction of your tank! Its spot on, i love the attention to detail, right down to the charge bins....top build mate ( I was trained on a MK10 but spent my time in Challys 1 & 2).

Nick

PS, out of interest who were you with?

Thanks Nick, in answer to your question, I was a Royal Hussar, I was a driver mech in C squadron when we converted to Challenger 1, and that is in the stash and I intend to build it as 34KA19! My brother was in A squadron who were first to exchange their Chieftains for Chally, he was also the first bloke to crash one!

[Valenstitch]

As for the headlights I used the MV lens to great effect, a pain to get hold of in

the UK but Little cars do a range of lens and Historex sell the Resin Cast range.

Only have a decent shot of the GPMG spotlight from my build.

I would recommend using them

I`m sure I've seen this build before! Very nice work BTW! When I kicked off this build I didnt really know where I was going with it so a lot of my decisions were on the fly I hadn't even thought about headlights and so forth so I think the crystal is a reasonable compromise for the money, I recon there's enough for couple of hundred sets left! Although I concede you've got a nice set of headlights there! I left the commanders spotlight off my Chieftain, while the are common in photos, ours and many others lived in the commanders bin most of the time, so I chopped it off and put a short length of rod in its place to represent the mounting, there`s a plunger that secures the spotlight in place once you slip it on the mount. I might toss it in the basket yet!

[Etienne]

Hello,

thanks Valenstitch for your explanation about the Thunder box ... I was in the infantry, so no Thunder box, just a shovel !!

Your detailed driver's compartment seems very nice, too bad it's not more visible. I think Castoff made a resin one, but it's not available anymore. Do you have pics of the scratchbuilding ?

E

[Valenstitch]

Hello,

thanks Valenstitch for your explanation about the Thunder box ... I was in the infantry, so no Thunder box, just a shovel !!

Your detailed driver's compartment seems very nice, too bad it's not more visible. I think Castoff made a resin one, but it's not available anymore. Do you have pics of the scratchbuilding ?

E

Hello again Etienne,

The drivers compartment slides out, I`ll take a few snaps and shove them up on here, I took a lot of WIP pictures to post on facebook and there`s plenty of the drivers compartment!

Granto

[Wogga]

Another cold war warrior i shall enjoy this thread, looks a bit of a shed mind, QM out of black paint?

[Etienne]

Hello again Etienne,

The drivers compartment slides out, I`ll take a few snaps and shove them up on here, I took a lot of WIP pictures to post on facebook and there`s plenty of the drivers compartment!

Granto

Great, I'm looking forward to seeing the pics ... I'd like to build a driver's compartment, I have many pictures from books, but a concrete example will be welcome

E

[Widow 65]

Thanks Nick, in answer to your question, I was a Royal Hussar, I was a driver mech in C squadron when we converted to Challenger 1, and that is in the stash and I intend to build it as 34KA19! My brother was in A squadron who were first to exchange their Chieftains for Chally, he was also the first bloke to crash one!

Nice one mate, I am ex QRIH/QRH, spent a great 5 years in Fally as a trooper....not a care in the world and the world as my oyster!!!!

[Valenstitch]

This Old girl has been sitting on the back burner for a few weeks now, but I haven't forgotten her, here is today`s progress!

 

 

It`s not much I grant you, but here are the radio antenna! .04 brass tube with a tiny blob of dissolved sprue on the end, primed with stynylrez and given a shot of green, every little helps!

 

Ta for lookin`no "G" 

 

[Valenstitch]

And now dear reader, I have restored all the missing photos! Thank you photobucket!

 

Ta for lookin` no "g"

 

Granto

[Widow 65]

Cracking Photos mate