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PlaStix

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British ARV tow bar hitch thingy ...

 

Ever thinking ahead, I have been pondering over other bits and details which I will eventually have to deal with as I progress with my kitbash build of converting the Airfix Grant Mk.I into a Grant ARV Mk.I

 

On the back side of this vehicle is a tow bar hitch thingy as seen here:

 

p?i=cab61fb7d60db30812657ac38f02ace8

 

This in itself is pretty decent picture of the bar but I was hoping someone might be able to point towards a detailed and dimensioned engineering drawing of this thing.  I am not holding a lot of hope for that but in lieu a couple of really good photos would be helpful.  I think this picture has enough detail I can scratch together what I want but as always more good pictures would help.

 

It looks like it fits over and is pinned through the what-cha-ma-call-its where might find shackles otherwise.

 

The tow bar hitch thingy's seem to be common to British WW2 ARV vehicles. I have some pictures (not that great, small and don't show much detail) of similar devices on Churchill, Crusader, Cromwell, Sherman, and BARV vehicles. The designs are all similar but do differ somewhat in detail.

 

Any pointers? Anyone?

 

cheers, Graham

 

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Well, we're not quite at the end of the 4th week of this STGB and we already have our first superb entry in the GB Gallery. Well done to @Dave_R!!

It seems to have been a very busy GB so far too, with lots of posts and lots of fantastic modelling going on.

I hope everyone is enjoying themselves and lets see who is next in the Gallery!

If you are still working on your build, or haven't even started yet, there are still 9 more weeks to go until Sunday 19th June.

I hope everyone has a good Easter weekend.

Kind regards,

Stix

 

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E8 in Korea. 
 

pvkYwc1.jpg
 

 

D8fwoYZ.jpg

 

Tank #43, USMC 103247 is shown again in the photo above, taken shortly after one of the few "tank vs. tank" battles of the Korean War. The “Operational Report” of A Company for August 17, 1950 describes the action as having taken place near Obong-ni in the western sector of the Pusan Perimeter. Two M26s of the third platoon (Numbers 33 & 34) ambushed three T-34/85s, which were reportedly destroyed in quick succession from 100 yards out as they came around a blind curve in the road. By late August, the tide was beginning to turn as the all out North Korean attacks failed to break through the Pusan Perimeter. The photo illustrates one of the uses of the Dozer Sherman - road clearance. Unit records mention that the Dozer was used to prepare defensive positions for the Company's M26s, and that #43 fought as well, firing 60 rounds of High Explosive and 40 of White Phosphorous during the month of August. In his “Marine Corps Tank Battles in Korea,” author Oscar Gilbert details another use of the dozer Sherman. The transmissions of the M26s would slip on steep hills, and tank commander Eugene Viveiros explained that “he was called upon “to pat them on the butt end with the blade of the ‘dozer tank to shove ‘em up and get ‘em going again.” The armored first aid box (1) is seen on some, but not all of the Korean War M4A3(105)s. We believe that the Assault Guns received by the Marines in 1945 were produced in March, April or May, and that none of them had the first aid box factory installed. While that was a post production retrofit, the rammer staff fittings (2) and the armored exhaust deflector (3) would have been factory installed by Chrysler

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18 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Just out of curiosity did/does anyone make a 1/35th Sexton ? 
 

 Yeah, as Bigfoot said, Dragon made two versions, the later one being an updated kit I think? To include big rib bogies and CDP track with the updated sprockets, but I've never seen the kit sprues, so not sure whether they did all that, probably hard to get now? might be some on ebay?

 

 Matt

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Looking through my kit instructions, I would have thought that large box, left side (part C22), would hold the batteries. They would have been big beasties back then.

But this is just a guess

Paul

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8 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

Does anyone know where the batteries are on an M3. I’m displaying my cutaway and someone just stumped me by asking that. It’s odd, I thought I’d know where everything was after building a MiniArt kit!

Check out under the upper turret. 
 

3B4qbB7.jpg
 

If the switches are there my guess is batteries are under the floor nearby. 

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5 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Check out under the upper turret. 
 

3B4qbB7.jpg
 

If the switches are there my guess is batteries are under the floor nearby. 


Thanks Uncle! That was fast! 
 

There is a box under there provided by MiniArt but of course, unidentified in the instructions. 

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@fatfingers, @Corsairfoxfouruncle, @bigfoot, @robw_uk, @Robert Stuart, @Bonhoff, @TEMPESTMK5, @JackG, @Ted, @klr, @Bullbasket, @Jasper dog, @Matt B, @diablo rsv, @badger, @Tim R-T-C, @Angus Tura, @Marklo, @Six97s, @Das Abteilung, @diases, @desert falcon, @Ian C, @Rob S, @Scargsy, @Ozzy, @planecrazee, @Ray_W, @Bertie Psmith, @sardaukar, @trickyrich, @Longbow, @Geo1966, @MarkSH, @Enzo Matrix, @GREG DESTEC, @ColonelKrypton, @TimJ, @wellzy, @THEscaleSHOW, @Mig Eater, @bull-nut, @Threadbear  @edjbartos, @Blade2009, @Michael Taylor, @SleeperService

 

Hi all,

 

I know some of you have finished already and some may not have started yet, but I thought it was worth mentioning that, as of yesterday, I make it that we are now just over halfway through the 13 weeks of this GB.

 

Well done to anyone who is finished, or nearly finished, and to everyone else - you've still got plenty of time!

 

We've had some amazing modelling going on already and, looking through the threads, we've got more yet to come!

 

I can't wait to see more of your builds in the Gallery.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

 

 

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2 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

we are now just over halfway through the 13 weeks of this GB.

 

Well done to anyone who is finished, or nearly finished, and to everyone else - you've still got plenty of time!

 

 

To think that I was in a panic at one point, thinking that I was running out of time. I blame my meds. 😆

 

Not only have I finished it, but my Lee has now gone thought its entire life cycle, having been taken from the safety of my flat to be shown off to a relative, and fatally dropped onto concrete on the way home. It spent less than a week in the cabinet. And I don't even like the relative!

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22 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

we've got more yet to come!

 

Growler will be finished tomorrow. MiG well advanced. Sherman on the bench on the weekend. Should finally see some progress.

 

BM M4A3E8 WIP13

 

Ray

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4 minutes ago, Ray_W said:

 

Growler will be finished tomorrow. MiG well advanced. Sherman on the bench on the weekend. Should finally see some progress.

 

BM M4A3E8 WIP13

 

Ray

 

Three concurrent GBs! I wonder how many people manage that successfully. Maybe it's possible to do even more than three?

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2 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

Three concurrent GBs! I wonder how many people manage that successfully. Maybe it's possible to do even more than three?

Seems like all the GB's I signed up for fell in the first half of the year. The Growler did not make the deadline (I also dropped it on the floor, in my case, half way through the build). The MiG will, assuming no disaster, and I am keen to get the Sherman across the line. My plan is to start with that part of the Sherman project that is most mechanical - tracks and running gear. Hopefully I can run a little on autopilot while finishing the MiG. 

 

My devout principle of only one build at a time has not been followed this year. I will need to repent.

 

Ray

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9 minutes ago, Ray_W said:

start with that part of the Sherman project that is most mechanical - tracks and running gear.

 

I did that and it really worked out well, the final week was a pleasure and the build was "suddenly complete - yay!" instead of being "Oh no, I've still got the tracks to do! Gloom!"

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On 5/2/2022 at 8:34 AM, Geo1966 said:

Can anybody suggest what colour is should paint the tracks on my Easy Eight please?

 

Same as any other WW2 track. Manganese steel alloy for tracks is a pale goldy brown colour something like a light bronze. Initial oxidation is a milky coffee or milk chocolate shade, darkening to a dark coffee/dark chocolate shade over time. By which I mean years.  They don't rust to orangey shades. Covered in mud, dust etc of course. On T66 or T80 HVSS, worn bright metal on the end connectors where the sprockets engage, on the inside where the wheels run and on the guide horns to about 2/3 height.

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3 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

Maybe it's possible to do even more than three?

Even with my somewhat limited capacity and new Dog I think I’m participating in some seven GBs at the moment. 

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Sadly I'm going to have to bow out of this GB.

 

Not modelling much at the moment and have a lot on at work so not going to be able to join this I'm afraid.

 

Kind regards 

Ben

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I'm just waiting to get some real life issues out of the way, but should be getting into this one in the next couple of weeks.

 

It will be a combo build vignette with another active GB... 😉

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7 hours ago, PlaStix said:

I know some of you have finished already and some may not have started yet, but I thought it was worth mentioning that, as of yesterday, I make it that we are now just over halfway through the 13 weeks of this GB.

Well after I adjusted the camouflage a wee bit on my Sherman last night its just tracks, suspension, and painting of stowage and figures. 

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