Valenstitch

I have restored some images to the WIP, back as far as page 6, I`ll go back further another time since I`m duty chef today and the "Leg Iron" is screaming for her scoff! Granto

I`ve been back through this WIP Cromwell and it would appear that a good number of the images are indeed adrift! Apparently the URL has expired whatever that means! I may have a go at reinserting them when I get time, I've been using Facebook albums as my source for the images due to continual issues with Photobucket, there`s a good chance the missing images are from there!

Got a bit more done today, Here is the Gunners traverse gearbox fitted, I have run some dissolved sprue into the angles at the top to soften them, the turret was cast and some of the internal angles are a bit severe in my opinion, before I shoot some primer on this lot it the turret walls will also get a stippling of Mr Surfacer dissolved putty to give it that cast look. The oil filler plug is visible! But it wont be for long! This is the last bit of the Gunners instrumentation that needs to go in the turret, I've padded it out for a good fit, but I`m going to wait until I've done the gunners platform and all the other stuff, just incase it fouls anything! Staying with the turret, Here is the RBJ, or Rotary Base Junction, this sits under the turntable and is where all the necessary electronic gubbins connects the turret to the hull, as far as this build goes its a spacer! This will keep the turret turntable at the correct height. this is the drive bracket that connects the turntable to the rest of the turret, And this is the gunners platform which sits halfway up the drive bracket, top fot is the top with the gunners foot switch on and the lower one is the underside, two rods fit in the circular fittings and keep the platform at the right height and the reinforcing gussets fit onto the drive bracket, these will be chamfered to the correct angle once I figure out exactly what the correct angle is! Linkage is on, deflector plates are on, recuperator plumbing has been repositioned There is just the Operators guard to go on here now, I`m still debating weather or not to bother with the Co-ax. The majority of what you can see here up to the rear end of the recoil buffers will be visible through the open hatches, but the co-ax sits behind where my thumb is! And finally for today.................. I've done a little bit more to modify the FCT interior, basically I need to reduce the diameter of the base of the FCT, so I have cut the join between the side screens/guards and am going to tighten the curve at the bottom and then fettle the front to adopt the new curve. then it will receive a new edge/lip, but I need to build up some enthusiasm for that job! And here is a very blurred shot of the bulkhead access plate! So that was Sunday! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

Update update! Ideal modeling weather today, so I got started at the crack of noon! First off I got cracking with the turret ring bolts, These are visible on the actual vehicle, so they are a must! Yet again I used the Meng accessory nut and bolt set, well worth the cash! So with the day off to a productive start I began this! This will be the cover plate for engine access from the fighting compartment, its a stamped sheet metal plate with strengthening ribs on it, After drying for a bit it got five minutes attention with a skinny stick, it`ll get some more tomorrow! Then I started to populate the gunners station with all the little goodies I've been making these previous months! The white item is the lever to open the gunners visor, just below are the controls to trim the gun kit and the vehicle motion warning light and gun ready light, the gunners comms box is to the right of them and directly below is the power traverse control. Gunners sight in, and the gunners control box below the hatch opening! The huge void in front of the gunner wont remain unoccupied, I spent an inordinate amount of time fettling the gunners traverse gearbox and stuff to fit, It wasn't unexpected, the way I build, in sub components, there is always a vast amount of dicking around to get everything to fit! But so far I`m happy with the result! I didnt get a photo yet but I have done a trial fit of the main armament with all this in place plus a couple more bits, and all that fits too! The temptation to jump in and start gunnery drills was tough to resist but the promise of a kebab reigned in my enthusiasm..........................for now! And the height adjuster for the gunners seat! The post will be trimmed to the right height once I start to assemble all the bits in situ! So that was a good day! The turntable rim is done so tomorrow I might get the RBJ in place which will set the base height for the turntable, that done I can fix the gunners platform in place and make a start on the base of the mollins gear. I had a go at bending up some plastic rod for the Operators guard, but it didnt go well, so that's still on the back burner, the scaley kit is waiting, but I need the big set of punches from RP Toolz to do that, so it`s at least three weeks away and a payday yet! I have to do some work on the base of the FCT, there`s the air cleaners to make, and a ton of ammunition stowage tubes and brackets, I want to remake the drivers instrument panel but I need the big punches so more waiting! All in all though, I can see light at the end of the tunnel, it`s barely visible, but there`s a definite glimmer! More tomorrow with a bit of luck! Ta for lookin` no"G" Granto

I`ve seen some of this stuff online Oliver, I think it`s on the HMS Hood site? not 100% but I have seen it , Hood comes out of her rebuild looking like Renown after her rebuild, I always fancied having a go at the conversion! Granto

Bugger! I thought my turret turntable didnt look right, I made it to 80% of the turret ring where it should have been 69%! That has effectively put the kybosh on today's job, I had intended to fit the gunners platform to the turntable but that is now halfway through having it`s new rim attached having been cut down to the correct size! Oh well, I`ll just have to devote the weekend to the Conky! Blast!

A slight break in proceedings due to a weekends re-enacting, however, back in the saddle now! OMG! Where`s all the crap gone?!!! So I had a wee tidy up, then I got cracking again making more mess! The hex rod that I inserted into angled holes in the recuperator were cut down, sanded flat and drilled out, then I CA`d some wire into the holes, these will be routed under the breech and are part of the plumbing belonging to the recuperator. The gunners seat got drilled and rodded! It was originally intended to fit the seat directly onto the turret ring, however, now it`s actually got its own base! And it free stands! I cut down the guard / deflector plates on the recuperator, this is the larger of the two, it now has a couple or four rivets and I've added the angled lip to the top edge. In the foreground is the gunners foot firing pedal under construction, it goes on the floor of the gunners platform in the top right corner, bottom left as you see it in this image. And finally for today, I am carrying out some essential adjustments to the drivers periscope! I used the kit part but it fouls the traverse so it`s going to be resized! I wasn't happy with it`s height to start with but went ahead anyway, you can see where it originally went! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

All over the place! Books, user manual, photos, videos, britmodeller members and the good old internet! Put all of that together and most of it makes sense. I didnt set out to do the interior, it just kind of happened, all I set out to do was some detail visible through the open hatches, kind of got some "Mission creep" goin` there. Most of the interior wont be visible, so in the big scheme of things most of this is pointless, but I cant stop now can I? Granto

Sunday update! Well successful in a way, I got my boy`s musket sorted! So at least he`s happy now! Roll on next weekend! Here`s where I got with the Conky........................ Plumbing is now fixed to the breech, as is the first deflector plate. This plate is intended to deflect any cases that decide to come out squint to the left back over to the right! There are also two lengths of hex rod coming out of the recuperator, they will be cut back, drilled and plumbed in! Still to come on this side is the Operators guard, this will fix to the carriage near the collar, almost on the end of the angled side plate, the guard is a one piece bent tube affair, almost like a big "u" on it`s side, fixed to the carriage at the bottom of the "u" , allowing him to load the main armament but not get behind the recoiling breech. Haven't figured out how I`m going to do that yet, so back burner for that one! Here is the second plate held in place to show where it should eventually go. This part is fixed to the same bracket on the recuperator as the first deflector plate and this sits inside an open topped "box" in effect, on the turntable, which houses the lower end of the mollins gear and the all important microswitch intended to activate the whole show upon the arrival of a spent case. So, gun goes bang, recoils, breech opens during recoil, case is ejected, case hits deflector plate rattles down into the "box" , hits microswitch and is smoothly hoofed outside by the mollins gear! Well, that`s the theory! This deflector/guard plate is over size at the moment, it will be trimmed to length once I`ve got the box and turret floor in place. Of course the armament department is not yet complete...................As Tom Hardy might say to the disastrous .30 cal from the FCT "I have a use for you" Co-ax.......................? (Yeah, shocking fot!) And finally I've done the bottom end of the traverse gearbox, complete with filler plug and plate! So some progress is better than none. Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

And there`s more yet! Here`s the plumbing yesterday............. And here it is this morning................ And being gently held in place................... The curved bit of channel will be a bracket eventually, this is my method of fixing it to a tube or whatever, I "pull" it over an edge like you do with gift wrap to get a spiral spring finish, this imparts a gentle curve to it which can then be teased into place with extra thin and a clamp! I can do this in two maybe three hits. I use the same method for the turret turntable edges, curve the strip, start at one end and work your way around, I know there are genius engineers out there who will measure to within a "Bawhair" and get it right first time, but quite frankly I cant be ar*&d! I find I can get within .5 mm generally by eye and do it quickly, where as fannying around trying to measure in a confined space and then translate that to actual parts often isn't worth the trouble!But that's just me! Gunners platform taking shape...................... The seat base needs refining yet but you get a bit of perspective now, it`s an unusual shape because it has to fit on a small platform close to the edge, the platform itself is quite roomy if you place it in situ, the gun at full elevation does not foul it at all, however see the pencil line inboard of the angled edge? The one really inboard? That is where the gunners safety guard is! The big notch out of the curved edge is for this................ This is the start of the turret turntable driving bracket, this hefty thing makes the floor move along with the top of the turret! In effect this looks like a big hinge, the middle knuckle is bolted to the turret ring and the two outer knuckles are on the driver itself, this will need to be quite sturdy to take the weight of the platform and turntable, although I will put a rotary base junction under the turntable to assist in supporting it! If you've been following this you might remember this fella.......... The gunners hand and power traverse controls, I thought I was done with this, but not any more, now I have to build the gearbox end! Oh well! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

Well yesterday's update didn't upload, so here is two at once! Things are a little slow due to this.................. This is my Son`s Indian pattern Enfield! It needs a bit of work!, the stock is getting a sanding followed by a good oiling, however the sanding is uncovering evidence of inexpert repairs by previous owners! So there is a few hours of graft here, plus it needs a new foresight block brazing on the end of the barrel! All before next bank holiday weekend! As for the Conky................... The breech of the main armament has had a coat of Mr Surfacer stippled on with an old hairy stick to give the appearance of the cast breech ring The recuperator has had some more holes drilled a filling plug and a plate added And to the rear this angled piece, This was part of yesterdays update, this is part of the valve/pipework that will fit on the angled piece, And here it is today on it`s mounting plate, there is a filling cap to go on the top and some pipes but it`s progress! Here is the evolution of the gunners seat mounting, Still some fettling to go but happy so far! And here is it`s destination, the gunners platform, looks like it`s going to be a busy weekend, the "Leg Iron" is off on Her Daughters "Hen do" so I`ve got two whole days of playing with real guns and plastic tanks! I cant wait! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

Throw out perfectly usable Ally Ox 120 grit? I can sand around the gluey bit!

Well I got some stuff done over the weekend, not a lot I grant you, what with a wedding to attend and a hoofing great dinner for the family yesterday, oh and helping my lad prime all his Star Wars Storm/Clone troopers, but here's the summery! The breech of the main armament needs its plumbing, so I`ve started drilling holes here and there! This is part of the recuperator gubbins that sits below and behind the breech ring, this will be in place tomorrow and I can start the pipework and the deflector /guard plates as well. I didnt think I would have to go this far, alas the issues with the turret ring have forced my hand! So here is the main turret turntable! And this is the gunners platform! The gunner is jammed into the limited space between the turret ring and the horizontally sliding breech and almost halfway between the ring and the main turntable floor vertically on this bizarrely shaped platform! It`s a bit of a blurred image, but the gunners platform is a larger diameter than the main turntable, the cutout is for the turntable driver, basically a frame that is fixed to the turret ring at the top and the turret turntable at the bottom at a shallow angle to the vertical which rotates the floor with the rest of the turret, this platform sits about halfway up it. And this will be the base of the gunners seat! Bit of work to do here! And finally for today, I removed the the edge from the FCT, I got my sums wrong so I need to try and reduce the size of the FCT turntable by a couple of mil! Yet again the result of deciding to add interior detail after commencing the build! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

So here we go again, for an OTB build this is going way off message, talk about "mission creep"! This was the turret ring last night.............. And here it is now! Ditto hull................... All very rough, but the two halves match! And access is much improved to boot! I drilled out the centre of the mantlet and fitted some rod into it, leaving it to set on the drill chuck overnight to ensure it was straight, This enables the breech to slide onto the rod thus.................. This is a nice fit, the breech is secure and plumb as well! And here it is in position in the turret! Even with the FCT in place the recuperator is clear at all angles of elevation and depression! And from outside................... So all`s well that ends well! Phew!....................................................... Of course this has left me with another issue...................... A hoofing great expanse of bulkhead! Yeah it`s like "totes" visible through the coal holes! So now there are air cleaners to build, ready round stowage, oh and the gunners controls that were going to sit on the old turret ring now I have to build the bottom end of the gearbox and probably the turret turntable as well, ah well thats modeling for you! I`m off to me shed! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

The head is good, but for some reason the "Old Leg Iron" is not her usual chipper self! Must have been something she ate! Granto

Grrrrrrrrrr! Shed lovely and warm, only got a slight bollocking over my "incident" on the old forklift, so that goes in the win column! However, I had to deal with two "Drones" in Debenhams regarding the return of a shirt, WTF has happened to the retail trade in this country? All I want is a shirt with a double cuff, 18 inch collar and sleeves long enough that I can "shoot" my cuffs, after all, the cuff of the shirt should protrude half an inch below the suit sleeve AS ANYONE WITH AN OUNCE OF STYLE SHOULD KNOW, ESPECIALLY IF THEY WORK IN A CLOTHES SHOP! However this elementary detail has apparently not made it as far as the goons employed by Debenhams who looked at me as if I had asked where the gimp suits were on display! M&S had nothing, no shirts and no bloody staff so I gave up and came home where I accomplished everything on line! I refer the Honourable Gentlemen to my previous rant regarding suitable equipment for home defence and how lucky they are that the Darwinian theory of natural selection is thus defeated by not only the British education system but also the draconian laws regarding the ownership and legitimate use of semi-automatic assault weapons! RIGHT TANK STUFF.............................................. DISASTER! Ok, so I knocked this up, this is the safe end of the 120mm gun, well safe if you are not behind it when it goes off! I measured this to within a Gnats Knacker, it`s spot on for scale, but look.................. Small isn't it.............................I knew the turret ring was going to cause problems! I looked at some of my photos and the turret ring should be where the pencil mark is by the left edge of the hull, it`s 7mm too small which means that this baby wont fit! For F%&%$ sake! It`s all going to Rat DoDoos! Ars£$%^s! Sweet Baby Moses, the Breech of the 120mm is spot on, the recuperator (the long square then round tube under the breech ring) is within 1mm of spot on, since the cradle fits into the mantlet at the front end which is difficult to measure exactly I`m happy to live with that level of ambiguity, but the recuperator fouls the turret ring at all levels of elevation, the only solution is to open out the turret ring by 7mm, yet another mahoosive job! So tomorrow morning I have to start on opening out this baby, you can see the pencil mark by my thumb, miles and miles of plastic! I am not looking forward to this! So I`m going to drink an obscene amount of cider and take it out on the "Leg Iron" tonight! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

I was actually parking up behind one of my colleagues to go on break, he had a load on so the gap was tight but in my opinion "do-able", nice and slow, left hand down, opposite lock, glance left to check the swing and bang! caught the stand with the last cm of straight edge on the tip of the left fork 4 cm from the ground! If I had been 1 cm to the right it would have glanced off on the taper, Loggi Team leader laughed and said forget it, Production manager and his team leader went to town with a full H&S report, performance review, dna swabs, genealogical profile you name it, I`m just waiting for Harrison Ford to turn up with his little eye camera/bellows replicant identifier! Lucky this is England, if it was elsewhere, for example a country where there are less stringent laws regarding the ownership of essential home defence items such as AR15`s people might be driven to creating senior management vacancies! At the cost of a couple of mags! And sorting out the coffee machine! Not that I am advocating taking a grievance into my own hands you understand, but some people should get a grip on reality! A ding on a pallet stand and a tree gets murdered to document it! Rant over....................Seriously I`m over it! No I am, seriously! Granto Just off to find my Gatling gun!

An hour or two of pre-work shedage! Here`s the breech of the 120mm starting to take shape! You can see the angles on the breech ring from here! This is still very rough, but it`s coming together, And although a little out of focus the arrangement of the buffers and breech ring give an idea of the size of the main armament! The recoil buffers are not fixed yet, the barrel would fit inside the cradle with the breech ring attaching to the aft end, there is a collar that connects the breech ring to the recoil buffers, it goes in between the cradle and the breech ring, the recuperator sits under all of this, protruding to the rear slightly to the left of centre, the buffers control the gun in recoil and the recuperator returns the gun to battery after recoiling. The collar is next on the list then the recuperator and then I`ll detail the breech with all the various bits and bobs, guard rails, nuts and bolts, so still some work to do here! Time for scoff and then off to work, see if I get an "interview without coffee" for clipping a pallet stand with a forklift yesterday! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

Grotty weather, cant spend long in the shed, got an interview, but modeling is modeling! so here`s what I did! Here is the gun cradle, the recoil buffers go through the tubes on either side of the cradle, there are a couple more pieces to go yet to build up the basic shape, suffice to say that the breech ring butts up to this end, the recuperator, which runs the gun back into battery after recoiling, fits under the "shelf" that has been fixed to the underside of the cradle, on the actual vehicle this is a riot of casting and big welds! And from a slightly different angle! The breech ring is awaiting shaping! And finally the FCT with the commanders control box fitted, right, scoff and a shave then off to arbeit! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

A swift monday update! It`s a bit misty! Right modeling! I've cleaned up my laminated cradle tube and started on the shape of the casting, The bottom end of the "tube" in the fot will attach to the inside of the mantlet, the breech ring will be at the other end, the two tubes on the sides are for the recoil buffers, the block on the top is the elevation bump stop. All of this needs cleaning up and refining before a coat of Mr Surfacer to give it that cast look! Although I don't suppose any of this will be visible once she`s all buttoned up! The breech and the recuperator will be visible though through the open hatches. And finally I fitted the FCT control box! Job jobbed, time to fix some lunch before I toddle off to work! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

Just a swift update for a sunny and warm sunday! All this clobber has to fit in the gunners side of the turret, it should go, I just have to figure out the sequence! The FCT got it`s lifting eyes! The slots for them are there but for some reason the eyes don't appear on the manufacturers opinions and nor do the parts appear on the sprues! Next up the collar went onto the FCT interior! A bit of fettling yet to go, but another win! The fit is good! So the FCT finally takes shape! Here is the view through the Commanders hatch................. And through the front of the turret................. And from down under.............................. Through the Operator's hole.......................... And finally the Gunners..................... On to the next job! Time to crack on with the Main armament, this is some lamination in progress! This will eventually become the cradle for the 120mm! To give an idea of scale her are the three main components, Kit mantlet, Cradle casting and Breech ring, the cradle is about 5.4cm long, the cradle will have the buffers mountings fixed to the sides to appear as part of the casting and the recuperator will be fitted underneath. On Conqueror the recuperator protruded quite some distance beyond the breech almost touching the back of the turret ring, there were even deflector plates on it to assist the spent case in its journey to the mollins gear! So there it is for sunday lunchtime! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

Well on here that is a massive vote of confidence!

It`s been a fruitful week on the shed front! More work ticked off the list! However I`ve also found more and more work that needs doing! Onwards and upwards ! If you've looked at this thread recently you might recognise this lot........................ The gunners controls, they all fit on or around the traverse gearbox.............. Well here it is! The culmination of four mornings in the shed! 35 separate parts, not including the hand traverse gear and the power elevation control! I am feeling a bit smug about this! It looks the part, I think it looks even better in the flesh than it does in the fots! Definite "Win column" for this! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

Here we go again then, nice and sunny, cool, fresh even, who cares, a tank needs building, off to the shed! This hoofin` great lump of stock is going to form the spent case chute on the back of the mollins gear frame, well it will once I`ve got some 125mm 400 grit self adhesive sanding discs for my bench sander! That's why the breech ring is lying fallow as well! More wiring going in, there's more since the fot was taken, this is a real pain! I have to do it one clip at a time, it`s fighting me all the way! However, this lot is almost done! The various handles for the gunners controls are now fitted! And the Commander now has a power traverse controler! The out of focus strip of stock top left of the fot with the round end is the casting that will unify the majority of the gunners controls, it will either be a direct mount or provide a bracket location for everything other than the power traverse control. Here is the gunners rangefinder unit with the working window fitted. Well that was a productive hour or two, now for some unproductive hours at work! Ta for lookin` no "G" Granto

I was just trying to figure out the cams to get the breech to open upon full recoil!!