Takom Grant

[Jasper dog]

Now the Achilles is pretty much done and the Jagdpanther is ticking along in the background I couldn't help myself. After much internal debate and indecision I've settled on this, and to make sure I cant change my mind I've opened bags and started wielding the Tamiya extra thin.

Obligatory box top shot.

And inside, nice clear instruction booklet, if a little small.

 

First examination doesn't throw up any points of concern or complexity. First Takom kit for me, so far looks rather nice and a change from o/d.

 

If anyone knows of anything to watch out for feel free to chip in.

 

Best wishes to all in avoiding the dreaded C.

 

Darryl 

 

 

 

[Peter Marshall]

The tracks are pretty horrible to fit and you *must* paint them and the running gear before attaching. On mine the fit of the main panels did leave some gaps, and the plastic on mine was pretty soft.

 

Mine's currently parked, as i was getting too annoyed with the tracks 

[Jasper dog]

Thanks Peter, I'll keep it in mind. With what I've done so far the plastic feels quite "greasy" and appears to be almost impervious to the quick setting extra thin, yet normal is fine. 

I've given everything a wash, for at least 20secs btw or two renditions of happy birthday, with washing up liquid and when home next week I'll see if it makes a difference. 

 

I wonder if some of the afv club m4 tracks will fit if necessary?

 

Cheers

[Hamden]

 

Nice project I'll take a seat at the bar and follow along if I may?

 

     Roger

[Jasper dog]

Progress so far, hull assembled.

 

The suspension units are a bit fiddly, really do with an extra pair of hands to hold all together until glued.

Four parts to make up the base unit for the suspension to sit in, completed one of right.

 

Then into this goes another four parts, upper guide wheel, two swinging arms and the spring unit. 

 

Which produces the partially completed unit on the right, at least there are only six of these! And haven't even got to how the road wheels attach yet!

 

 

Front drive wheel and rear idler are a doddle, only 4 parts to rear idler.

 

 

That's all for now.

Darryl 

Edited March 14, 2020 by Jasper dog

[flashlight]

Hi Darryl,

 

mind if I tag along even if it's not my kind of tanks and era? Good start so far, seems to be a straightforward build.

 

Have a nice day

Nick

 

 

[Jasper dog]

20 minutes ago, Hamden said:

 

Nice project I'll take a seat at the bar and follow along if I may?

 

     Roger

Hi Roger, of course it is, good to have you onboard, the more the merrier!

At this rate it'll be the only social interaction we'll be getting!

 

Did someone say bar.....🍺

 

Cheers

Darryl 

 

9 minutes ago, flashlight said:

Hi Darryl,

 

mind if I tag along even if it's not my kind of tanks and era? Good start so far, seems to be a straightforward build.

 

Have a nice day

Nick

 

 

Hi Nick, not at all, good to have you along.

 

Funnily enough, I like straightforward builds... who wants to fight with a box full of plastic??😉

 

All the best

Darryl 

[Bullbasket]

2 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

I wonder if some of the afv club m4 tracks will fit if necessary?

It's worth a try. When I built my Academy Grant, I didn't want to use the T51 tracks that came with the kit, so I used a set of Dragon WE210 tracks from their Sherman lll. Fitted like a charm, so give it a try.

 

John.

[Redcoat2966]

Hi Darryl

 

I’m having the same issue with my Takom plastic on the Bergepanther. I find when I’m trimming off stubs from the spry, the plastic has a tendency; for the best description to tear slightly......taking away a nice sharp line of a panel or said part.

 

Now I’m aware of it, I sort so a slicing cut rather that a downward one. Seems to work well better.

 

Looking forward to following

[Jasper dog]

18 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

It's worth a try. When I built my Academy Grant, I didn't want to use the T51 tracks that came with the kit, so I used a set of Dragon WE210 tracks from their Sherman lll. Fitted like a charm, so give it a try.

 

John.

Thanks John, I'm not at home at present to check but I assume the M3 hull is the same length as the Sherman II & III?

Just asking as I've seen some AFV club tracks which state suitable for M4 and M3 extended body?

 

Darryl 

[Jasper dog]

14 hours ago, Redcoat2966 said:

Hi Darryl

 

I’m having the same issue with my Takom plastic on the Bergepanther. I find when I’m trimming off stubs from the spry, the plastic has a tendency; for the best description to tear slightly......taking away a nice sharp line of a panel or said part.

 

Now I’m aware of it, I sort so a slicing cut rather that a downward one. Seems to work well better.

 

Looking forward to following

Hi Simon,  you're right, I assumed it was me being careless, but yes when I've clipped certain parts off the sprue they did leave a scare.  Nothing serious but noticeable. 

 

Not sure which manufacturer it was related to but spoke to a chap at a show and he uses a heated length of thin wire to remove small delicate parts from the sprues. 

(Something like thin copper wire heated with a match or candle).

****HOWEVER..... If you're modelling bench, area, shed etc is anything like mine, a naked flame is the very last thing I want anywhere near it!*** 

 

Cheers

Darryl 

[Stef N.]

22 hours ago, Peter Marshall said:

The tracks are pretty horrible to fit and you *must* paint them and the running gear before attaching. On mine the fit of the main panels did leave some gaps, and the plastic on mine was pretty soft.

 

Mine's currently parked, as i was getting too annoyed with the tracks 

Same problem here with the tracks. I got to the end of making them and they were too saggy, so I removed one but then too short. A track chopped in half would have made them fit perfectly but hard to hide. So I bought some Fruils which fitted perfectly, but costly.

Other than a a few slight fitting problems, mostly the sideguards, the kit finishes really well and no extra super detailing is necessary, unless you want to of course.

Happy modelling Jasper Dog and I will follow along as well.👍

[Jasper dog]

40 minutes ago, Stef N. said:

Same problem here with the tracks. I got to the end of making them and they were too saggy, so I removed one but then too short. A track chopped in half would have made them fit perfectly but hard to hide. So I bought some Fruils which fitted perfectly, but costly.

Other than a a few slight fitting problems, mostly the sideguards, the kit finishes really well and no extra super detailing is necessary, unless you want to of course.

Happy modelling Jasper Dog and I will follow along as well.👍

Hi Stef, thanks, good to know. If I can get the AFV club ones or even a spare set of Dragon DS ones think I'll take that route, as you say Fruils are costly. Pity about the track guards, i was hoping to leave those detachable until after painting so I could fit the suspension units and tracks afterwards. Sure I'll figure something out.

 

More than welcome to follow along, the more the better.

 

Cheers

Darryl 

[Jasper dog]

In Edinburgh this weekend 😷 so little modelling happening. However to while away the time, a little light reading, along with BM of course.

First printed 1955, this is the 2019 version.

 

Never felt the need to take these essentials with me before, nowt against the hotel chain which is fine but....... every surface, handle, switch etc etc.

Good luck everyone 

Darryl 

[Andy Moore]

Great start Darryl.

 

When you get onto the upper hull, the panels connect via long tabs which sit in slots on the adjacent panel. The fit of the tabs can be a bit tight which can result in the panels not squaring up properly and leaving gaps. If you trim a little from each end of the tabs, the panels can be wiggled around a bit until you get a good fit.

 

 

As others have said, the tracks can be a bit awkward. They're not bad for the most part, but they're essentially half a link too short

 

 

There are a few spare links on sprue D. If you trim one of those down, and also trim a little off the links either side of the gap, you can squeeze the extra one in to fill the gap

 

 

I can't remember any other particular issues with the kit - this was the Lee, but it's the same for the most part.

 

Andy

[clive_t]

Hi Darryl, I too will be following this, as I have something of a soft spot for this particular tank. Like John (and with a *lot* of guidance from him, and others!) I have built the Academy version. I used the Panda Plastics WE210 (worn) 'Double-I' track segments, which, once I'd constructed a simple jig, were assembled quite easily and really looked the part.

 

You may already know this, but on You-Tube there's a build log courtesy of Andy's Hobby Headquarters from a couple of years ago, here .

 

Watching further developments with interest

[Jasper dog]

10 hours ago, Andy Moore said:

Great start Darryl.

 

When you get onto the upper hull, the panels connect via long tabs which sit in slots on the adjacent panel. The fit of the tabs can be a bit tight which can result in the panels not squaring up properly and leaving gaps. If you trim a little from each end of the tabs, the panels can be wiggled around a bit until you get a good fit.

 

As others have said, the tracks can be a bit awkward. They're not bad for the most part, but they're essentially half a link too short

 

There are a few spare links on sprue D. If you trim one of those down, and also trim a little off the links either side of the gap, you can squeeze the extra one in to fill the gap

 

I can't remember any other particular issues with the kit - this was the Lee, but it's the same for the most part.

 

Andy

Thanks Andy, brilliant suggestions, I'll keep that in mind when the time comes.

 

Haven't decided upon tracks yet, decisions, decisions...

 

Must look up your Lee, I had a quick nosey at your M31 a little while ago and that was outstanding. 

 

Thanks again, appreciate you taking the time to comment. 

 

Darryl 

 

 

[Jasper dog]

10 hours ago, clive_t said:

Hi Darryl, I too will be following this, as I have something of a soft spot for this particular tank. Like John (and with a *lot* of guidance from him, and others!) I have built the Academy version. I used the Panda Plastics WE210 (worn) 'Double-I' track segments, which, once I'd constructed a simple jig, were assembled quite easily and really looked the part.

 

You may already know this, but on You-Tube there's a build log courtesy of Andy's Hobby Headquarters from a couple of years ago, here .

 

Watching further developments with interest

Hi Clive, great to have you along, I'll have a look at the YouTube build log.

 

Haven't come across the Panda tracks before, must look those up too.

 

Cheers

Darryl 

[clive_t]

2 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

Hi Clive, great to have you along, I'll have a look at the YouTube build log.

 

Haven't come across the Panda tracks before, must look those up too.

 

Cheers

Darryl 

Darryl, not to hijack your thread of course, but the details of how I made the jig for the Panda Tracks track links are here, in case you go down that route.

[Jasper dog]

Hi Clive, don't worry about hijack or anything of the sort that's a really useful thing to know. The rest of your Grant build looks good too btw, going to have a proper read of that as soon as I get half a chance. 

 

Thanks again.

Darryl 

[Bullbasket]

If you're still contemplating tracks, here's another vote for Panda Tracks. I've used them a few times and never had a problem. If as Clive advocates, that you use a jig (be it a homemade one like I have and so does Clive) or the one that Panda sells, they are simple to assemble. My only complaint is that Panda only does VVSS and no HVSS. Here's their web address;

http://shermantracks.com/assembly.html  They are also pretty quick with the orders as well. If I remember correctly, the cost, including P&P was less than £30. That might sound steep, but it's cheaper than Fruilmodel.

 

John. 

[Andy Moore]

The MiniArt tracks would be another option for you Darryl.

 

15 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

Must look up your Lee

The build for the Lee is here

 

Andy

[Jasper dog]

19 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

If you're still contemplating tracks, here's another vote for Panda Tracks. I've used them a few times and never had a problem. If as Clive advocates, that you use a jig (be it a homemade one like I have and so does Clive) or the one that Panda sells, they are simple to assemble. My only complaint is that Panda only does VVSS and no HVSS. Here's their web address;

http://shermantracks.com/assembly.html  They are also pretty quick with the orders as well. If I remember correctly, the cost, including P&P was less than £30. That might sound steep, but it's cheaper than Fruilmodel.

 

John. 

 

17 hours ago, Andy Moore said:

The MiniArt tracks would be another option for you Darryl.

 

The build for the Lee is here

 

Andy

Thanks chaps, I'll keep the track options in mind for when I get round to them and for the link to your Lee Andy.

 

Cheers

Darryl 

 

 

[Jasper dog]

Right, where was I up to....

Didn't have much mojo for modelling for a few weeks however I did a little last Sunday and it has pushed things on a bit, apologies for lack of updates I'll try to cover all that's been done.

 

Suspension units continue. 

Note the row of bolt heads still to be shaved off the sprue and added to the swinging arms.

 

 

All six completed, bit laborious but nothing complicated. 

 

Suspension put aside for now and on with the hull.

All goes together quite well a few small gaps but nothing serious requiring major attention. 

 

 

Location of main gun a bit fiddly if wanting to keep moveable, must have been a bit clumsy and managed to cement it in position,  never mind who sits playing with the gun barrels and turrets anyway....

 

Slight gape between muzzle and barrel which required a smear of Vallejo filler along with  few small gaps around the hull. Nothing of note and dealt with with a damp cotton bud once the filler had started to dry.

 

Big jump forward here, really once the hull walls are together the roof goes on and Bob's your uncle!

The turret goes together as per the instructions with no issues.

 

(Here it is primed, must have forgotten to take any pics pre primed).

 

 

As the interior is empty I've left most hatches fully shut but will leave one side door ajar.

 

Quick squirt of warm sand, or whatever the correct name for it is, in the awkward corners prior to the full paint job.

 

The side skirts are just tacked in place to ease painting, hope I can get them back off and on again without any issues. Likewise I've left the suspension off to ease painting. 

 

Apologies again if I have ploughed ahead without the detail you might have liked, sometimes it's a case of cracking on to get the enthusiasm for the hobby going.  (No fault of the kit, just me).

 

Please feel free to ask any questions etc if I've omitted to mention anything of interest.

 

Thanks for looking and stay safe.

 

Darryl

[M3talpig]

This is really wetting my appetite for the Takom Lee been wanting to do one for a while...and this thread isn't helping....i blame you for forcing my hand and so will the wife (pointing to your thread as i try to convince her it's in her best interest that i buy one) it's all your fault