Etienne Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 (edited) Hello, while looking for inspiration for the final weathering of the Mk11 Chieftain, I started a new piece of british armour with this Trumpeter Challenger 2. First observation, the kit's quality is far from the Takom Chieftain ... flash, mould lines and ejection pin marks are everywhere and the kit is showing it's age. However, some nice details may be underlined : Trumpeter made a real effort with the drivetrain and suspension, even if they are are not very accurate ... and overall the kit is a nice base for learning scratchbuilding basics so I took it as a "study project". I also have the later Trumpeter "Challenger 2 with enhanced armor" kit, that is apparently a smidge better ... but nothing compared with the Tamiya Challenger 2, even if this one doesn't have many details around the drivetrain So enough on the kit, let's see the details ... the towing link (sorry, I don't know the exact designation) was supposed to be just glued to the rear panel, simple but ugly so I decided to describe the hooks with PE leftovers and the lock with styrene : Then I replaced the handrails ... the kit's ones were to thin in my opinion and lacked the welded brackets ... and all the handles were made from fuze wire, a long process but still easier than clearing the flash and mould lines on the tiny plastic handles Also added the gun bracket lock and lever ... and some vent tubes under the stowage bins (on both sides) ... Then came the front of the hull ... the front handles were not very realistic, and I tried to reproduce the driver's hatch front lock. Also tried to enhance the hatch itself and the periscope ... not that satisfied at this point, need to rethink the details. Cheers, E Edited December 16, 2016 by Etienne 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 You do not see anything bad at all, and what you're doing is sure to get better, cheers E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 nice start looking forward to more of the same Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gremlin56 Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 Nice start to the project Etienne, looks good 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 Hi Etienne, After bending all of those small handles, I hope that you still have your sanity! Have you got a bending tool or just pliers? Anyway, It's a good start and I'm going to keep watching this build. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etienne Posted December 17, 2016 Author Share Posted December 17, 2016 (edited) Hello gents, thanks for your comments John, I only have pliers and I did a few more handles today ... thanks for worrying about my sanity, but it's not a concern anymore, I lost it early in life Some updates ... today I worked on the turret and I had a hard time making everything fit together ... crappy adjustments, brittle plastic so the result is not what I expected but considering the time and patience I spent, that's better than throwing the whole mess to the bin Beginning with the TOGS ... the upper plate is too short by far, lacking 1 mm at least so I added a piece of styrene and had to do a lot of puttying and sanding. Then the stowage bins on the back of the turret ... the designer of the kit was probably drunk, nothing fit and fllowing the instrtuction sheet is a pure nightmare. Did what I could, the result is not very nice, I'll probbaly try to hide this mess with a camo net ... Also added some details to the engine deck and medical box More handles on the skirts ... and fire extinguishers in the recesses on the hull (will probably not be visible with the towing cables installed) Last step ... I am trying to reproduce the rear lights cages ... just the beginning Cheers, E Edited December 17, 2016 by Etienne 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widow 65 Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 This kit is a crude beast!! you are working hard to make it right, i salute you sir! I have a Trumpeter CR2, the KOSOVO one with the Dozer blade, it must be a later model as it is not anywhere near as bad as this one. Keep up the good work Nick PS, I was a Challenger 2 Commander a few years ago, please feel free to pick my brains with any areas or names of parts that you are unsure of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripaman Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 Like the small detail you are putting on Regards Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 All those details make it look more authentic ...cheers mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Turret is coming together. I had heard that the fit was not good and the bins needed shimming to get a good fit! Great workmanship so far Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etienne Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 (edited) Hello gents, many thanks to all of you for your comments @Widow 65 : riding such a beast must have been a great experience, I guess :shock: ... I'll probably come back to you with questions, no doubt ... Sunday evening update now ... the Challenger is nearly finished, just need to fiddle some details and then received its right track, Trumpeter workable, very nice and really easy to assemble :idea: Here you can see that the skewed stowage bins ... did my best :pale: Some details of the tracks, they are quite realistic ... easy to assemble as I already mentioned, far easier than metal tracks but they lack the weight of course ! On the left, the vinyl tracks of the kit ... I installed the tow cables, made from my bike's surplus and recycling of some Takom leftovers And last but not least ... I finished the rear lights cages, the left one is a little bit off but the right one is better !! Now everything's cabled, just need electric current There's 2 options for the GPMG mount : one that seems to be an early one, seen on prototypes and in Bosnia ... and the later one seen most often. I took the early option ... the GPMG is rather nice but the mount needs surgcal attention. That's all folks ... E Edited December 18, 2016 by Etienne 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Looks nice with all details added...., cheers E. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Looks great and those tracks make a big difference. Don't worry about the rear light guards being slightly different I've never seen a 1:1 with straight/undamaged ones! Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmerit Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 That carrying handle on the GPMG is in the carrying position. nice build. I noted the earlier comment from someone on the later trumpy kits being better. What are the issues with his model? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gremlin56 Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 The kit seems to be fighting you all the way Etienne, you're winning though, excellent detailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 Keep going Etienne. It might not be the best kit in the world, but you look like you've got the measure of it. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etienne Posted December 23, 2016 Author Share Posted December 23, 2016 Hello gents, thanks for your comments and advices @Simmerit : you're right, I'll try to modify this detail on the GPMG. About the differences between this early kit and the later "Enhanced Armour" version : nothing special around the hull and drivetrain (except specific armoured add-ons) but a totally different turret, with less parts but better detailed and probably easier to adjust. At this time, I am relatively satisfied with the hull and quite confident that the tracks will look good ... but the turret is ugly and this prevents me from sleeping (you already knew that my sanity was in question ... that's the proof), so I decided to make another as I found another kit for a few euros I'll keep on working on the tracks and hull until I get the new turret, that I will try to improve a little as it is very crude. Keep in touch ... E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 If its a complete second kit you've purchased for the turret then the second hull could be converted to a driver training vehicle..................... Seasons Greetings Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted December 24, 2016 Share Posted December 24, 2016 Very nice work Etienne - those tracks make quite a difference. Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etienne Posted December 24, 2016 Author Share Posted December 24, 2016 (edited) Hello, before preparing Christmas eve, I had a few hours to fiddle the Challenger ... Last week, I received 2 Tankograd's books about the Challenger 2, with nice photos and I discovered that 2 handles are not reproduced on the kit ... ... so I added these 2 handles !! At the same time, I installed the photoetched louvers on the engine deck (they are from a discontinued Eduard PE set that I was lucky to find on Ebay). I also worked on the driver's periscope that's very crude in the kit ... not yet perfect but still better than doing nothing So, I wish you all a Merry Christmas !! E Edited December 24, 2016 by Etienne 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etienne Posted December 24, 2016 Author Share Posted December 24, 2016 On 23/12/2016 at 3:52 PM, Hamden said: If its a complete second kit you've purchased for the turret then the second hull could be converted to a driver training vehicle..................... Seasons Greetings Roger Hello Roger, sounds like a good idea ... I'll give it some thought E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted December 25, 2016 Share Posted December 25, 2016 Definitively looks good driver's periscope better... Cheers and Merry Christmas for you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etienne Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 On 25/12/2016 at 10:42 AM, FrancisGL said: Definitively looks good driver's periscope better... Thanks Francis ... I have the Accurate Armour Challenger 2 resin kit in my stash, the driver's periscope is even better, I'll use it on my next Chally So ... first task of the week end was finishing the assembly of the tracks and making them look more real ... modern tracks seem to be less prone to rust, so no rusty look here, just metal and rubber (no weathering yet) ... here is the result : I spend a lot of time trying to find the right color as I'm planning to go full green with this tank, as we often see Challengers in Germany. The british green is another variation of NATO green, each country having its own interpretation, even more if you consider fading, weathering, etc. It looked like this UK green variation is darker than other NATO greens ... to the extent that on some photos, the tanks seem almost black, so I made some trials and I think I found it. Now it's time to shoot the primer !! To complete the hull, I added the taillights brackets (just on the outside, not enough place for the inside brackets) and wire on the reel ... Cheers, E 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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