Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Looking good with the dozer blade sir. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted March 23, 2022 Author Share Posted March 23, 2022 7 minutes ago, Jasper dog said: Why can't the Miniart indi-links be so compliant. With only the 1 piece track pad and the end connectors to put together without glue it's very quick and easy to assemble, not sure how strong they will be compared to other makes. 11 minutes ago, Jasper dog said: Really scooting ahead with this already, should look pretty impressive with the blade mounted! A bulldozer and tank, it certainly has some wow factor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted March 23, 2022 Author Share Posted March 23, 2022 7 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: Looking good with the dozer blade sir. Thank you Dennis, it's a version of the Sherman I've wanted to build for some time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEscaleSHOW Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 On 18/03/2022 at 19:18, fatfingers said: Blimey you've done well to get one of those! Been after one for a while now and only one's i've seen are generally priced at £100+ on ebay! Don't build it and use it as your pension plan! 😆 Regards, Steve Super kit choice 👍 £100+ on ebay 😲-fortunately I still have one in stock 😁 I am curious to see what you magically make out of it! MD 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 Hi Bob. Good to see your project is still progressing and I'm looking forward to seeing the result of your efforts. Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 Overdue for an update, just life getting in the way of the important things like modelling. I have made the brackets to attach the dozer blade to the vertical suspension units and have assembled the dozer blade after removing 3mm from each side of the blade so that it now near the correct dimensions for a M1 dozer and more importantly fits the Sherman kit I'm attaching it to. No one picked up my mistake earlier in the thread, I said I would be using 40mm plastic card, I meant of course 40thou. I laminated several layers of card and cut it to match a paper template I had made using measurements taken from the one clear photo I had of the dozer attachment brackets (it's in a book and I cannot find it online) and how they are fitted to the suspension units. The pivot pins are made from 1.5mm brass tube. The other parts of the Academy brackets had some large, deep ejector pin marks so they have been filled with some sprue gloop and sanded down and can now be attached. The saga of of the track building is still on-going, some days they assemble without any problems, other days the end connectors ping off in search of the carpet monster. Next up is the replacement of all the hatch handles with brass wire and I will be making some new hatch springs from coiled wire. Any comments or questions are always welcome. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbow Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Nice bit of reverse engineering/scratch, there Bob !! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Lovely work on the blade and associated mounts. See your persisting with the easy option for the tracks even though rubber bands are so much more realistic not to mention stylish... (Sure if I say it enough the idea will stick). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoot Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Good work on the dozer mounts, this is coming along nicely. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 As been said before , really good work on the mounts, It's all coming together nicely now Ed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Hi Bob. Got to agree with the others, your work on th mounts looks very impressive! Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 20 hours ago, Retired Bob said: filled with some sprue gloop Sorry for slightly off topic but how do you make sprue gloop? Bogeys look awesome btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 4 hours ago, arfa1983 said: Sorry for slightly off topic but how do you make sprue gloop? No apologies necessary, I learned of this useful stuff from a fellow BM'er. Any thin polystyrene cement will do, I tend to use Tamiya extra thin, when a bottle is about half used I add chopped up bits of sprue to it, leave it until the plastic has melted and there you have sprue gloop, some call it sprue goo. You can make it thicker by adding more cut up bits of sprue, make it thinner by adding more glue. As it's glue based it will melt into any gaps, joints, ejector pin indents etc. As the glue evaporates it just leaves the plastic which, when hard can be sanded, scribed and drilled because it's the same plastic as the rest of the kit. It does take longer to harden than other fillers but it's not going to flake or crumble like they tend to do. I find it's the most useful stuff that you can make yourself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 Managed to get some modelling done today, maybe the last for a couple of days, kids, who'd have em! I have used brass wire for the hatch handles and glued the suspension units to the hull, the blade fitted perfectly, I have attached the blade lifting frame by replacing the totally useless Academy pins with some plastic rod, melted to form a dome headed bolt on one side with a securing collar on the inside. When I get some more modeling time I can add the hydraulic ram and its frame to the transmission cover and make those hatch springs for the driver and front gunners hatches. Happy to answer any questions, comments and advice always welcome. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diases Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 For sprue goo, I use clean plastic card. I have heard that chopped sprue can contain impurities (release agent, etc). Don't know how true it is. But a really useful filling material. Self levelling and really good to sand. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbow Posted April 2, 2022 Share Posted April 2, 2022 Actually, the best sprue to use for Goo, is the clear sprue or clear canopy parts. Clear, the styrene is in its purest form, no color dye. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted April 3, 2022 Author Share Posted April 3, 2022 10 hours ago, Longbow said: Clear, the styrene is in its purest form, no color dye. Good Idea Lee, never thought about using clear sprue, I could not see the merits in using it. I use white plastic scrap as it's easier to see imperfections and covers well with primer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbow Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 2 hours ago, Retired Bob said: Good Idea Lee, never thought about using clear sprue, I could not see the merits in using it. I use white plastic scrap as it's easier to see imperfections and covers well with primer. Will Pattinson has a whole YT Vid on sprue goo, which is very good. Pretty sure I can’t link it though, due to forum rules ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 Hi Bob. Good to see more progress and looking good too! Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mig Eater Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 On 3/31/2022 at 10:49 PM, Retired Bob said: When I get some more modeling time I can add the hydraulic ram Note that the M1 Dozer used a one stage hydraulic jack & the M1A1 had a three stage jack. Academy incorrectly used the M1 jack/mount on their kit though so you dont need to change anything 😝 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted April 4, 2022 Author Share Posted April 4, 2022 8 hours ago, Mig Eater said: Note that the M1 Dozer used a one stage hydraulic jack & the M1A1 had a three stage jack. Academy incorrectly used the M1 jack/mount on their kit though so you dont need to change anything 😝 Thanks for that information, I was looking at the hydraulic jack and trying to see what I had to change to make it the earlier M1 version, now I know it, ready to be fitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted April 6, 2022 Author Share Posted April 6, 2022 Thanks to @Mig Eater for giving me some great advice on the Academy dozer blade and it's hydraulic jack, I have finished making that part of my build. I used stretched sprue to replicate the welds, 0.4 lead wire for the hydraulic pipes and used some plastic card to make the strengthening plates, it looks a bit tatty at the moment as the glue is still drying but I wanted to get the photograph taken, it will look better with a coat of primer. The hydraulic ram has been glued to the transmission cover I just have to add the jack piston, the cable covers have just been dry fitted until I join the upper and lower hulls, some more detail parts and it can get a coat of primer as well. Thanks for looking, any questions and advice always welcome. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbow Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 Now, Bob... I know you can scratch build a fully functional piston for that bad boy.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 Nice work Bob, your blade will not only look great but pretty unique too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 11 hours ago, Longbow said: Now, Bob... I know you can scratch build a fully functional piston for that bad boy.... It's funny you should say that....we'll put that in the same box as the idea for 'working' suspension. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I had replaced the A frame pivots with something more substantial, waste of time, the A frame and it's pivoting attachment to the top of the blade are then glued together, and become rigid! Nothing is moving on this tank except the turret. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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