Sleeper's Hopelessly Optimistic T-39 AEV in 1/48

[SleeperService]

The GB entry you are all waiting for! Continuing a long tradition I'll have a go at the T-39 Armored Engineer Vehicle prototype. As it's me best place your bets on how far I get

 

This is the beast

 

 

And this is the Tamiya kit I'll be butchering posed along with a box containing other failed projects.

 

 

I really don't like the Tamiya metal tubs however, on this kit at least, they fit to the plastic pretty well, and have reasonable detail so I'll stick with it. I've got the Hunnicutt books which are just about all I can find for this vehicle so any missing information will require creative thinking. AFAIK the real vehicle is long gone so that's that.

 

At the very least I'll provide a reference for most pathetic progress especially as I'm still learning vac-forming for my Meteor in the 50s NATO/WarPac GB.

 

But it'll be fun...   

[PlaStix]

Hi SleeperService. Great looking vehicle and great idea for a project! I'm looking forward to following this one and I hope you get chance to complete it in this GB.

Kind regards,

Stix

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

This is one that ive been waiting for. You're choice of an engineering vehicle prototype is great. I wanted to get as much a variety as possible across the history of the type. My expectations so far are being met. The turret doesn't seem to be over modified. The dozer blade and box/counterweight shouldn't be to hard to scratch ? If it were 1/35th the dozer blade might have been availiable ? 🤔 Maybe buy a blade in 1/35th, and cut it down to the proper size ? 

 

Dennis

[Asmodai]

Good luck! Ambitious project for sure. 

[Mig Eater]

I contemplated building a T39 for this GB too, but decided to do something else in the end. Nice to see someone else take up the challenge, I look forward to seeing updates.  

[Plasto]

Bon chance....

[Hewy]

Ambitious, a good watch for sure

[SleeperService]

Greetings Fellow American Armor Nuts!

 

I have managed to get a couple of sessions in on this beast but SleeperStupidity has reared it's head again. Uncharacteristically I spotted the error early on and so my second session was further enhanced by a bit of wanton destruction. To the evidence

 

 

Saturday saw me here thinking I was doing very well, turret cupola carefully removed to be replaced by something much better later. I've filled in the unused tool locations on the turret sides. The hull machine gun position was eliminated on this beast so was carefully removed for redeployment elsewhere (an improved in-service T14 Assault tank probably), as the engine deck is all new I hacked out the louvre openings as a first step. Learning from my previous errors I limited the stress on the hull until the front had set solid, a twisted hull can cause things to become terse later.

The hull sides will need some chopping about so a rummage in the spare parts box found a pair that I'd butchered in an attempt to improve the look of the shock absorbers. That hadn't ended well, however Round 2 has now commenced. If HM Govt can have as many goes at getting the result it wants as it has then I claim the same for my hull side pieces. 'Fixit' will come to pass

 

Finally in the background is the lower hull modifications started, least said the better....

 

So to Day 2 of work

 

 

After a day off on Sunday while a very good friend visited and fish and chip restaurants were sampled All Fool's Day started with a very confused SleeperService wondering why the model rear end didn't match the drawings and photos in Hunnicutt's Patton bible. Coffee followed, with a sausage sandwich (Aldi Caramelised Onion sausages very nice indeed), then the penny dropped. First the drawing on page 15 of Hunnicutt has the road wheels drawn too close together which means the gap to the drive sprocket is too large, then the final drive assembly isn't vertical but tilted back about 45 Deg or so. Out came Mr Hacksaw and off came the redundant rear end. Cut positioned to leave the floor plate the correct length.

 

While my fingers recovered I removed the rest of the engine deck and replaced the sides with chunks of Greenstuff strip. Much filler was applied to the cleaned up side pieces. Then I set about rebuilding the rear properly.

 

 

If anybody is mad enough to do this (or an M-46) in 1/48 here is how I built up the core using 1mm plastic card throughout. The parallel sides are set in as the Pershing hull to keep everything aligned. It's as solid as a rock, I lurve MEK!, but I'll give it a day to set really solid before I add the plastic hull sides and the extra ahead on the final drives.

That means tomorrow I can experiment with the ideas rattling round in my head to make the engine deck grills. TOP TIP: If you have ideas i your head when you go to bed sleep with a plastic bucket firmly retained with duct tape, if the ideas come out of an ear then they'll be easily found in the bucket in the morning.

 

I shall also do a few more stompy feet links for my Minenraumer, Deep Joy.        

[Hewy]

Impressive, ambitious, and a very good job so far👍

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Impressive work so far, really like the work on the hull. Im not sure i would’ve caught the discrepancy in the lengths and gaps myself ? 

[Bullbasket]

Nice work so far Simon Nick (see, the memory hasn't completely gone). I thought that Tamiya had stopped using metal lower hulls. Has it caused any problems with this build?

 

John.

[SleeperService]

15 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Impressive work so far, really like the work on the hull. Im not sure i would’ve caught the discrepancy in the lengths and gaps myself ? 

Trust me Dennis it's pretty obvious when you realise the rear plate will be about 2/3 the height it should be but about 1cm too wide. Hence hacking the rear end off all together. It's a lot easier to work off styrene than metal. 

4 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

Nice work so far Simon Nick (see, the memory hasn't completely gone). I thought that Tamiya had stopped using metal lower hulls. Has it caused any problems with this build?

 

John.

Hi Frank Every Pershing kit I have (several Ahem...) has a metal tub. However the fit in this kit is very good indeed and roughing up the surface ensures good adhesion between metal and plastic. The one big issue that the weight doesn't help is the very weak front road wheel/idler mount which breaks very easily. My Mate suggested it was moulded in a string cheese machine. Yes, it's that bad on some kits. The solution is a vertical brace from the first road wheel axle to the dog bone moulded onto the hull side. I have prepared a daguerreotype to illustrate this.

 

 

You can see that some filler between metal and plastic is pretty inevitable. Acrylic based body putty works best and is cheap from Halfords or similar.

[Bullbasket]

I think, to a certain degree it depends on the tank. I've done a couple of M4's with no problem. I even managed to displace the suspension arms on a Cromwell. But it's a bit of a PITA when it comes to replicating the rivets on the side of a Crusader hull.

 

John.

[PlaStix]

Great to see you underway SleeperService - fascinating project! 

Keep going!!!!

Kind regards,

Stix

[SleeperService]

Just a quick report to let everybody know where things are. Which is here....

 

 

Feeling inspired by my main project I decided to pull out all my Pershing part-builds to check them over. OK, I admit it, they're not all in the picture. I'm giving the first hull attempt in the background a coat of primer later to see if another round of fettling has brought it up to standard. If it hasn't then Option two is front right, I've cut new side pieces then removed all the moulded on detail from the kit parts. About two hours start to as you see it, the kit sides have already absorbed at least five times that.

 

As a warm-up for the T39 grilles I knocked up a set of Pershing louvres to replace the kit offering. They're about twice as thick as they should be but look a lot better then the kit parts. I'm waiting on some tiny 'D' section rod to make the reinforcing bars.

 

As I've found making two or three parts at a time isn't much different to doing one I've made a list of common bits that I'll need to build for all these projects. For those interested they are;

Clockwise from the Pershing grill set and jig,

M-46 to be in Belgian service may actually be a M46A1

In black tray T25E1 fitted with T29 type turret and long 105mm gun from a proposal in Hunnicutt. Likely to be marked as an Independent Tank Battalion.

Inverted T-39 hull

Right way up M46 AVLB hull

Hiding at the back the first T-39 hull the AVLB hull is just in front of it

T39 turret

Second T-39 hull attempt (one of these will be for the M46 eventually)

M46E1 Super Pershing lower hull. A very long project that I'm determined to get built. Currently rebuilding as Humbrol Liquid Poly has turned out to be a very poor glue.

The bare hull will be for the T12 Tank Recovery Vehicle whose upper hull is out of shot.

Not shown is the last project which is a What-If? Nagmashing Israeli heavy APC. Why? You ask. Well I've temporarily misplaced that one but a search is ongoing.

 

Today I shall be mostly experimenting and building the engine deck grilles for the T-39 and adding the detail parts to the lower hull. THEN I'll prime the first attempt and decide what to go with.

 

 In an attempt to inject a bit of reality I've made a list of parts to be created from scratch (more scratch is on order   ) or modified markedly. The list to complete all seven is only ten items longer than the T-39 list which I find quite interesting although a lot of parts are multiples.

 

Note to @Gorby at the back by the white box is the stuff to make the rear mine stompers for the scratchbuild. I'm considering how to do the connecting links again as; a) the links I've made are very fragile and b) they don't match the photos of the real thing. I need the lemon powered think hat from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

 

[PlaStix]

Good to see this is still ongoing although it looks like you are getting a little sidetracked!! 

Kind regards,

Stix

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

😳 Wow thats a lot of tanks... are you planning on building your own army ? Great work on all of them.  My hat is off to you, if you can keep all that memorized and organized.   

[SleeperService]

2 hours ago, PlaStix said:

Good to see this is still ongoing although it looks like you are getting a little sidetracked!! 

Kind regards,

Stix

The T-39 is the only one that'll be built in the GB. However parts that are needed on the other builds I'll do at the same time. I'm trying to master heat forming plasticard for the 50s GB project, my Panzer IV reference photos have just arrived and are well worth the wait, a scratch-build project is also causing issues. Good job the Docs say I'm unfit to work.....

18 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

😳 Wow thats a lot of tanks... are you planning on building your own army ? Great work on all of them.  My hat is off to you, if you can keep all that memorized and organized.   

Build an Army to achieve global styrene dominance. I like the idea Dennis. I needed to sort out my Pershing/M46 projects to work out what common parts to the T-39 I needed for them. As I said making 3 doesn't take much longer than doing 1. I can't keep that lot in my head nowadays so I have a project build chart. So, as an example, when I build standard Pershing engine decks I know I need five sets in two different designs, M46 decks 3 sets the same, and so on. The theory is that as I near the end of the line I'll be down to just the items specific to that vehicle. I worked as a production planner for a year while recovering from as nasty motor accident so have decided to apply the principles to clear my huge pile of part-built models. 

 

Yes. I am quite mad. 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Just checking in to see how things are going. We’re halfway through the group builds time and was curious. 

 

Dennis

[SleeperService]

Sorry for the delay Dennis. Things are not going well on this build, for once due to external factors. Well mostly.

 

Model related issues have arisen with the engine deck. I'd developed a method that seemed to work OK, accepted that it would take time to get consistent results, and was sure it was do-able. I was wrong. The 20th section was no better than the first which was pretty poor. The boxes in my earlier post were out looking for the jig I'd made. It isn't robust enough and it's very hard to use. I need a Plan B.

I've gone for a simpler option in the Tiger STGB while I work out how to break the log jamb on this one.

 

In other news I've had a very positive exchange with the historian at Detroit Arsenal. She understands what I'm after and apparently there is stuff in the stacks. I await developments.

   

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

No worries SleeperService...Im sorry things aren't going well. I hope things can be sorted and it all works out in the end. Our hobby is all about the fun, if its not fun then its lost the point. I would completely understand if you shelved your build until you got the information and were ready to go at it. 

 

Dennis

[SleeperService]

Thanks Dennis. My dismal success rate continues. It was always going to be a close run thing. I'll carry on the build thread once my wise tool maker buddy has worked out a better solution.