Big_Bad_Bill Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 (edited) I've made a start on the Conqueror on Monday. I've gone unconventional in that I started with the tracks, as I had a crap day at work and they were quite therapeutic, and then started on the turret. I find the running gear quite monotonous at the best of times and this one has more wheels than most: The tracks came in sets of two and had to be separated and cleaned off. The barrel is interesting as it came in two parts, but not in halves as you would expect, but two complete tubes which you put end on end. It is completely hollow and I'm scratching my head how they moulded them as they came just on a normal sprue side on. You lot are a bad influence. Once I was happy with just making a kit straight out of the box, but no, now I find my self making mantle shrouds out of tissue paper and PVA and drilling out the barrel on the 30 cal. All in all, so far the kit fits together reasonably well with not too much flash. It is another kit that has workable tracks, PE, metal springs, and even copper wire for the towing cable but no clear parts. It's strange. Thankfully I have some lens left over from the Centurion that fit but the sights I'll have to live with. Oh, this isn't a tank to buy expecting exiting and varied paint scheme. Only 180 ish were made and all were based in Germany for it's 11 years of service so it's deep bronze green all round. As I mentioned the size before, here is the upper hull compared to a Chieftain: The extra width is down the the wider tracks as when you compare the lower hull: The Chieftain only appears smaller because the hull is slopped but the Conqueror's is square sided. It is funny that the Conqueror was a heavy tank at 64 tonnes but Challenger 2 is still just a MBT at, as I once heard it described in a broad Yorkshire accent, "70 tonnes of grumbling dermatitis". Bill Edited October 10, 2020 by Big_Bad_Bill speellin 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbow Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Nice choice !! Looking forward to the build !! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 4 hours ago, Longbow said: Nice choice !! Looking forward to the build !! Cheers mate. As I've said before, my collection of Cold War British armour wouldn't be complete without it. Not much to report just finished the turret and the rest of the day wading through the running gear....... The wheels are held on by maskol so I can take them off to paint. I think this is the first kit where I've had springs for the suspension and working tracks, it's usually on or the other, although they provide plastic parts if you don't want to use the springs. Why you wouldn't I'm not sure. It is getting heavy already. It's going to be big, but not much bigger than a Chieftain, in fact it may work out not far off a Challenger 2. The turret is now completed: One slight snag is I've just noticed that the barrel is slightly askew so I'll have to figure how to correct that without wrecking the turret in the process. I keep expecting the FCS to have a gun in the front like the M60. I'm liking the way the shroud came out. Virtually ever picture I saw had one so it was strange that the kit didn't, considering the they give PE for it's rivets. Next is the world supply of handles on the lower bazooka plates and starting on the upper hull. Bill 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Getting hard work keeping up with all the BM activity these days! Nice progress on the Conqueror, one of those kits I really must get hold of sooner or later..... however as they say "to many kits to little time" Great progress too btw, the mantlet shroud with the pe looks really good! Whilst it probably not much different in size to the Chally it just looks big when seen as a gate guardian. Good luck Darryl 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 That turret does look impressive, and I like what you've done with the mantel cover. Nice work. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted October 11, 2020 Author Share Posted October 11, 2020 You can definitely see the where the Chieftain got its looks from. It's like a daddy conqueror and a mummy centurion loved each other very much... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Nice start on this one, looking forward to watching this progress Stay safe Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APA Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 I do like the Conqueror. Works in principle but..... Like a lot of british armour. Beast of a tank and a nice back up to the Centurion. Liking this build as well.👍👌 Might stick it on the list 🤔 A 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dads203 Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Got this one in the stash, it was almost my next build and it’s still up on the top of the build pile so I’ll be interested to see how you go with this one mate. Carry on ! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 The build continues with my first bit of soldering that actually worked on the shovel bracket: Here it is in situ: The tools bins were obviously given to the work experience boy as they were the only part of the kit that didn't fit well. Sorted with tonnes of melted sprue. The exhaust is overly complicated with each having eight parts and the placement not explained properly in the instructions, especially as it is all has a cover. The lights after exchanging the lens for spares from the Centurion. I also drilled out the side lights and glued in some stretched clear sprue. An the build is complete! Next up is priming and hods and hods of deep bronze green. A strange omissions is that it has the holes for the fire suppression system but no handles. I may have to knock something up. Bill 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Build looks great looking forward to the bronze green now. Stay safe Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 24 minutes ago, Hamden said: Build looks great looking forward to the bronze green now. Stay safe Roger Cheers Roger. Thankfully I have plenty of the Revell Aqua left over from the Comet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 Thinking about it, I got a Centurion Mk 3 so if I want to mix things up a bit I can make a Caenarvon out of the two. Bill 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Didn't take long, already quite an impressive looking thing! Nice touch with the lamps and neatly bent pe frames too. Cheers Darryl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dads203 Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Looks the biz Bill, didn’t take you long to get to this stage, paint soon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 I primed it today but the one-shot was fighting me again. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing wrong as some days it works perfectly and others it keeps gumming up. No pictures of it primed but I did manage to bluff the fire suppression handles: And here it looks once fitted: Like I said, you lot are a bad influence.....The problem is it is only a small thing but the lack of the red handles will stick out like a sore thumb. Shading and bronze green will probably be next weekend now. Bill 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 14 hours ago, Big_Bad_Bill said: The problem is it is only a small thing That's what the actress said to the bishop....but that's another story. Let's see, build started 10th October, build finished 19th October. You should get another four finished by the time mine gets to that stage. There's some good work there Bill, especially the etched brass and the lamps. The more I see of this kit, the more convinced I am to get one when I can. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted October 19, 2020 Author Share Posted October 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Bullbasket said: That's what the actress said to the bishop....but that's another story. Let's see, build started 10th October, build finished 19th October. You should get another four finished by the time mine gets to that stage. There's some good work there Bill, especially the etched brass and the lamps. The more I see of this kit, the more convinced I am to get one when I can. John. Cheers John. The only real downside to this kit is the lack of clear parts. Strange when you consider it has PE, metal springs, workable tracks and brass cable. It'll probably next weekend before I do any more, but the wife is building a patio and if I'm caught slopping off to model I may end up under it. If I suddenly stop posting you know where to look. Bill 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diablo rsv Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 22 hours ago, Big_Bad_Bill said: I'm not quite sure what I'm doing wrong as some days it works perfectly and others it keeps gumming up Stynylrez ( one-shot) does need a bigger needle/nozzle and a lot of air pressure for it to spray nicely. I use an old airbrush with a .5 needle in it and I use 35-40 psi. You can almost hose it on and it will level out nicely. I use it on most of my armour builds although I prefer Mr Surfacer for smaller subjects. I find cleaning up Stynylrez a bit of a pain. Great progress by the way. I managed to miss out the fire suppression handles on mine but some strategically placed tow cables covered up my omission (almost). Wayne 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan-o Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Looking very good indeed👌 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted October 19, 2020 Author Share Posted October 19, 2020 56 minutes ago, diablo rsv said: Stynylrez ( one-shot) does need a bigger needle/nozzle and a lot of air pressure for it to spray nicely. I use an old airbrush with a .5 needle in it and I use 35-40 psi. You can almost hose it on and it will level out nicely. I use it on most of my armour builds although I prefer Mr Surfacer for smaller subjects. I find cleaning up Stynylrez a bit of a pain. Great progress by the way. I managed to miss out the fire suppression handles on mine but some strategically placed tow cables covered up my omission (almost). Wayne Cheers Wayne, that makes sense. I've got an old airbrush with a .5 nozzle I'll use next time. It's the only time I have airbrush cleaner to hand whilst spraying and I've gone through more since I got the one shot than in the year previous. I honestly didn't notice they weren't there on yours. Unfortunately my eyes kept being drawn to the gapping hole (actress, bishop etc). Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted June 1, 2021 Author Share Posted June 1, 2021 (edited) Contrary to popular belief, I didn't end up under the patio - just a hiatus whilst real life got in the way. I didn't take pictures of the painting phase - I did my normal black shading method. I went heavier with the deep bronze green than normal as all the pictures show them as dark and they weren't around long enough to get in a proper state: Oh look a Caernarvon Bill Edited June 1, 2021 by Big_Bad_Bill 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APA Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 Very nice job indeed. There is a real depth to your colours and weathering which elevates it from a green thing. You've managed to put some life into what could have been a very bland scheme. 👍🏻 Same goes for the Caernarfon (The pseudo Welsh in me won't let me put a 'v' in there 😂 (I believe there was some annoyance from the actual place about the spelling at the time!) It just looks so wrong doesn't it. I know it was a bitsa project but come on. Anyway........... 😁👌 Andrew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Bad_Bill Posted June 1, 2021 Author Share Posted June 1, 2021 Cheers Andrew. I wasn't happy with the painting initially but it seemed to come together after varnishing, black wash, and weathering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dads203 Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 2 hours ago, Big_Bad_Bill said: Contrary to popular belief, I didn't end up under the patio - just a hiatus whilst real life got in the way. We all just thought you were taking your time in digging that stage 3 with overhead cover Very nice build BTW mate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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