Cromwell ARV Mk1

[NIK122]

Hello once again! On a roll for the moment. Next on the bench is last years Christmas present. Accurate Armour's conversion set for Tamiya's Cromwell kit. Pretty excited about this one and maybe a little apprehensive because of what appears to be an almost complete black hole of reference material to research. The build looks fairly straight forward but markings for instance is going to be a guessing game. Hopefully an informed one with you lovely people to help. According to the book I've got, 7th,11th and guards narrow down the decal options but unit numbers and their positioning etc? Any help most welcome. 

I've an idea for this build involving the ramp of a LCT5, or at least the end of one, which I'm in two minds about. I will go with the flow. It may look a bit odd with only part of a ramp showing on what I envisage as quite a compact base. If I can get the proportions right and what I have found due to some great shots of LCT7074 online it's a possibility.

Below are what I've gathered together for the build.

The obvious and Hobby Boss tracks, Eureka towing cable set and Eduard photo etch set. All I now need is either a modulation set for late war British armour or any recommendations for alternatives. I don't mind mixing colours as necessary. Time to start building!

Thanks for looking

[Jasper dog]

This will be interesting I'm sure.

Never been brave enough to tackle anything from AA but they do some great subjects. 

 

Good luck

Darryl 

[Bullbasket]

Hi NIK. If you can get hold of a copy of this magazine, it should be very useful. The article was written by John Tapsell, who is a member of BM..

https://www.afvmodeller.com/product/issue-12-cromwell-arv-mk1/

 

John.

[NIK122]

2 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

This will be interesting I'm sure.

Never been brave enough to tackle anything from AA but they do some great subjects. 

 

Good luck

Darryl 

Hello Darryl. Aside from some vague instructions on the fitting of the rear towing pintle (I'll cover this shortly), it's looking like a pretty straight forward build. All the small resin pieces are beautifully cast which after buying poorly cast resin before (not from AA) I'm hoping it will be a pleasure to build.... Fortune favors and all that

[NIK122]

1 hour ago, Bullbasket said:

Hi NIK. If you can get hold of a copy of this magazine, it should be very useful. The article was written by John Tapsell, who is a member of BM..

https://www.afvmodeller.com/product/issue-12-cromwell-arv-mk1/

 

John.

Thanks John. The stars have aligned! I downloaded the article online for €1 last night. Whoever said this is an expensive hobby? 

[Peter2]

NIK, a long time ago I read an article in: "MILITARY MODELLING. SPECIAL ISSUE: MODELLING MILITARY VEHICLES. VOL. 31 NO. 4 13th APRIL - 3rd MAY 2001", describing how the author used that Accurate Armour ARV set to convert the Tamiya Cromwell. It might be of some use to you, if you could download it or buy it or borrow it from a library, say.

[NIK122]

On 9/30/2022 at 1:46 AM, Peter2 said:

NIK, a long time ago I read an article in: "MILITARY MODELLING. SPECIAL ISSUE: MODELLING MILITARY VEHICLES. VOL. 31 NO. 4 13th APRIL - 3rd MAY 2001", describing how the author used that Accurate Armour ARV set to convert the Tamiya Cromwell. It might be of some use to you, if you could download it or buy it or borrow it from a library, say.

Thanks Peter! I've found this publication online this morning in the US. If I understand the shipping costs correctly the total cost would be $110. I think the correct response would be 'you're havin' a laugh!' Cheers for taking the time anyway 

[NIK122]

Good morning! Thank you to everyone for the links and nudges in the right direction. So! I've been working on this build every night now, well apart from last night, too much sauce. It's been pretty straight forward so far with the one exception of having to use super glue when assembling some of the parts. Definitely a case of check once, twice, etc and then glue. I started following the Tamiya instructions and adding the AA parts accordingly so assembly has taken on a course of its own. The Tamiya instructions start with the lower hull rear.

The first job was to remove the plates for the smoke dischargers and towing hook and blank off the slot.

Below some added bolt detail (the alignment could have been better), and the replacement back plate. In hindsight the kit part would have been easily altered but hey ho. I added the final drive greasing caps? with some stretched sprue. 

So at this point I started to have some problems with aligning and fitting the towing bars, stowage box and getting the angle of the towing pintle looking right. I think that the towing bars are slightly over scale which means that the spacing between everything is tighter than it should be. It took a bit of trial and error to get everything looking about right and so the location marks on the resin back plate were all removed. There is a really good clear photograph online of this ARV and to my eye the top set of towing bars is higher than AA would have you place it which helped space everything out no end. The plastic card square is to kick off the stowage box from the back plate.

The detail at the end of one set of towing bars needed improving a little. Before........

And after.

The towing pintle. The instructions would have you glue the hinge brackets to the rear hull first but I opted to glue them to the pintle first. I figured it would be easier to align it on a flat surface. I assembled it perpendicular to my cutting mat. This ended up, despite looking right on the rear hull, too much of an angle to position under the lower set of towing bars. The instructions would have the top of the hinge brackets inline with the bottom of the rear plate. Again for my money this was far too high up, so I moved the assemble down approximately 3mm.

Finally here is everything together. A case of trial, error and patience until everything sat right.

Forging ahead at this point assembling the lower hull, suspension, road wheels etc. Straight forward enough.

A quick fix with the Besa muzzle. Reamed out with a hobby knife.

Next up the snatch block. The resin hatch had a handle missing. A shame as the other handle was beautifully molded. A fuse wire fix for this. The first of the photo etch added. The curved piece was bent over a drill bit after bending the ends at right angles. It doesn't specify this in the instructions so it was a slight gamble that it would end up too short. It made for good contact points for gluing though.

Assembled. Consisting of six resin and four photo etch parts.

And in place.

Added grills from Eduard.

As you can see this part had some horrible air bubbles in the casting, revealed after the casting block was removed. I filled them with plastic putty initially but it was obviously too thick to set so it was removed. The second try involved filling the holes with small pieces of plastic, bonded with super glue and then filled with putty.

The holes fixed and the details going on. The hatches needed some attention as the castings were a little uneven so some sanding was required to get them to sit flat. The location tabs for the brackets would have them opposing each other. Having consulted some photos and John Tapsell's excellent scratch build of this subject, the two tall brackets need turning to run parallel with the jib arms.

Location tabs removed and repositioned brackets.

And in place. Attachment point for jib added. A point of note is that the vertical flange is on the center line of the hull.

And finally the attachment points for the jib.

As always thanks for looking

 

[Bullbasket]

This is certainly moving along quite rapidly. Nice work with the alterations, the etched brass and the resin parts. I think that air bubbles are obligatory on AA kits.

 

John.

[Geo1966]

Coming along nicely Nik. Good that you are showing what you are doing in detail, so others can do similar if they wish.

 

Keep up the good work.

George

[NIK122]

38 minutes ago, Geo1966 said:

Coming along nicely Nik. Good that you are showing what you are doing in detail, so others can do similar if they wish.

 

Keep up the good work.

George

Thanks George! I'm glad you approve. More shortly 

[NIK122]

Hello! Does anyone know what engine deck this vehicle should have? Should it be a 'D'? I see AA do a conversion but for the sake of some filling and scribing it looks like a straight forward fix. In fairness most of the deck will be covered in stowage but it would be good to have the option. Any insight welcome 

[Geo1966]

Hi Nik, I am sure @Bullbasket will be able to help with that one.

 

George

[Bullbasket]

21 minutes ago, NIK122 said:

Hello! Does anyone know what engine deck this vehicle should have? Should it be a 'D'? I see AA do a conversion but for the sake of some filling and scribing it looks like a straight forward fix. In fairness most of the deck will be covered in stowage but it would be good to have the option. Any insight welcome 

Not really sure, but I would assume that these were converted from older vehicles, so I would go with a C deck, as per the Tamiya kit. John Tapsell is the man to ask.

 

John.

[NIK122]

5 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

Not really sure, but I would assume that these were converted from older vehicles, so I would go with a C deck, as per the Tamiya kit. John Tapsell is the man to ask.

 

John.

Hi John. I think you're right about the C deck. Just had a good look at the images I've collected from the internet and I think the image below settles it. You can just make out two sets of hinges on the left and right at the back of the engine deck. The next decision is whether to replace all the molded on handles!? Thanks for taking the time

Edited October 2, 2022 by NIK122

[NIK122]

Good evening! Progress to date on this build. Thoroughly enjoying this model but its not been without its issues so without further ado...........

I motored along with the assembly of the jib arms and the positioning of the brackets with the exception of the resin part (SH). It was a bit of a head scratcher as the part looks as though time has been taken getting the measurements right and then, well I'm not sure what's happened!? It looks to me like the part has splayed somehow.

It wasn't the end of the world to fix it, just fiddly.

Moving onto the frames that sit on either side of the vehicle. The longer of the two frames cannot make up its mind where it goes and needs some attention. If you try and fit the frame this way with the two tabs against the round plate, the frame protrudes past the front upright plate of the vehicle which isn't right.

If the frame is moved back and into the correct position the two tabs no longer align with the round plate. The frame also then projects past the storage box below it at the back.

The two tabs (the left and middle arrows), that sit against the round plate could both be removed but I opted to just remove the left hand one. 

To cut a long story short, the frames too long. John Tapsell came to the rescue with his published measurements which I think are spot on. Below the resin frame are the correct dimensions.

I used the drawing to check that all the parts to be added would still fit with any alterations.

Another issue to address. The central section of the frame doesn't align.

Below is the altered frame. The end of the frame to the left has been cut off, the frame shortened and then the end reattached. The misaligned frame bar removed and replaced with plastic strip. The tab on the right probably should align with the white plastic strip but its position as it is looks correct in relation to the hinges of the drivers hatch.

And attached.

The opposite frame was much the same and shortened to fit. Plastic strip at the back due to damaging the resin. The white plastic bars attaching the frame to the roof of the hull replace the resin ones offered with the AA kit. Replaced for two reasons. The first being that in order to get the frames sitting parallel with the top of the hull, small plastic shims were added to the underside of the frames on the inside. This created a step between the frames and resin bars so to fix this thicker plastic strips were added. Weld beads around them will stop them looking too heavy. The second reason being building kits with superglue, is it fun? A point of note. It would be great if a revised addition of the AA kit had the frames as photo etch parts for scale thickness and rigidity. Just a thought.

Sods law! Straight back on the super glue. More fiddly bits.

Some additional towing cable bracket details added from photo etch sprue. 

And the opposite side. Dry fitting at this point.-

Regularly turning blue at this point whilst trying to position parts using superglue.

For anyone thinking of building this kit I recommend fitting the bracket before the shovel.

 Some shots of additional details, mudguards and fire extinguishers.

Engine deck whatnots and handles.

Drivers vision port.

Another tow cable bracket and the wing mirror? bracket. I'll add the rod the mirror is fixed to right at the end of the build.

And the whole thing together. There are so many nooks and crannies that I've left all the large resin parts loose for ease of painting. I've since primed the model so next time I'll tackle the base.

As always thanks for looking

 

[Stef N.]

Superb modelling going on there Nik. Very nice indeed.

[Model Mate]

Very neat and tidy. Good research too to overcome the various issues you’ve come across. I feel your pain re superglue - I’ve never been much of a fan, and as I’ve developed an allergic reaction, I’m much happier when I don’t have to use it. Looking forward to the paint…..

[NIK122]

Good afternoon. Just a quick question. Is there such a thing as a decent set of WW2 British 'generic' stowage available anywhere? I've got the Bronco field accessories set and Besa ammo box set from AA on order but what about tarps and kit bags etc. I've seen Miniart have a set but it's a little underwhelming. 

Thanks 

[Richard E]

1 hour ago, NIK122 said:

Is there such a thing as a decent set of WW2 British 'generic' stowage available anywhere?

 

ValueGear or Paul Wade's "Red Zebra" range may be other options to consider

 

 

[NIK122]

Hello. Some more of this build. All of the additional elements have arrived in the post and are in the painting stage. Thanks for the suggestions on stowage brands. I particularly liked the 'Red Zebra' offerings but ended up with the MiniArt set as it happened to be in my local hobby store. Maybe next time.

The Bronco models accessory set is really good for value and detail and includes decals. I'm not going to be short of anything for any future Allied builds.

Below is a sample of the Bronco stowage. MiniArt tarps in the the background.

My plan is to load up the ARV with as much stowage as possible and depict the vehicle coming ashore on Gold beach D-day +1. I don't know if this would be the case with all the stowage so there is some artistic license going on to make, I hope, for an interesting model. There is one historical photo (Image below), that I've found with the Cromwell ARV packed to the gunnels with stowage in action but whether this would be the case immediately on landing I don't know. Maybe one of you with knowledge of this could comment. It would be most welcome.

I didn't realize what a can of worms allied OD paint colour was after doing some digging around online. After getting tied up in knots about it I decided to take the plunge and just go for it. Whether what I'm doing is correct or not I don't know and as every time I take a photo of the model the green looks different, as you will see, it really has been a case of going for it. 

Below is a road wheel painted with Mig dark Russian base and one shot with Tamiya XF-62/XF-60, 50:50 ratio, afterwards. The logic in this is has been gloss varnished and oil washes have been added the OD will become a lot darker. I'll let you guys be the judge of this.

Below some wood effects. The parts were painted a buff colour then burnt umber oil paint added and using a tooth pick grain was added whilst the oil paint was still wet.

Hull with some modulation. The model in natural light isn't quite as dark as this but the colour is the same if that makes any sense?

Some details picked out with a brush. Same model and completely different green in the photo!

Photographed under a new LED light I bought this weekend the model has changed colour once again. Its now looking really light and nothing like it actually does. Its since been gloss coated for decals and washes and of course its changed the green again.

Finally I've started on the base. The usual method of sculpted high density foam board covered with two part wood filler and sanded. Tread pattern made using milli-put.

Fine sand added and fixed with ballast freeze and ready for some paint.

Thanks for looking

[Bullbasket]

The base is looking really good Nik, and the wooden boxes look.....well......wooden!! Very nice work.

 

John.

[Courageous]

On 11/1/2022 at 2:17 PM, Bullbasket said:

wooden boxes look.....well......wooden!!

My thoughts exactly...and I would like to know how he made them look so...wooden?

 

Stuart

[NIK122]

1 hour ago, Courageous said:

My thoughts exactly...and I would like to know how he made them look so...wooden?

 

Stuart

Hello Stuart. Wood method. Paint your plank, box, block etc a buff colour. Preferably with acrylics otherwise you will need to acrylic varnish before adding oils. Paint a thin coat of oil over the buff colour. I used Burnt umber for a darker looking wood, or you could use Burnt sienna for a reddish look. With a flat brush dipped in white spirit (dry brush on paper towel first) the oil paint can be thinned exposing the buff colour underneath. If you use a stiff flat brush grain can be added this way. Alternatively, or as well, a toothpick will expose the lighter colour underneath the oil paint creating a wood grain effect. I hope this is of some help

[NIK122]

Good morning. Some progress with this build. Decals added but not sealed in as yet. The Tamiya decals have been used to represent a vehicle of the 5th RTR, Cold stream guards, C company, I hope?!?! The licence plate is made up from two decals and is fictional. The air recognition symbol was masked and airbrushed on. Whether the position is right I really don't know. Putting decals on the engine deck didn't fill me with confidence with such an uneven surface. Placing a mask also was a pain in the bottom. The logic ended up being if I can't place a stencil in the center of the deck in 1:35, why would it be possible in 1:1. So it's on the flattest area of the deck. It needs toning down.

The tow cables have been the biggest challenge of this build to date. I bought a set of Eureka cables which are nice but there isn't enough cable for two sets. I've reached my limit on what I want to spend on this kit so I've settled for the Tamiya string. Was this the right thing to do? I don't know but on the plus side positioning them on the vehicle wasn't as difficult as imagined. The cable provided by AA on the other hand was a pig. The positioning was made easier by wrapping the cable around the lid of a Micro set bottle to reduce the radius. It was less of a struggle to tease out the cable than to push it inwards and have it spring outwards.

All of the stowage at this point is unfinished and dry fitted. I've got boxed Besa ammunition and loose tins to add and some kit bags. Its starting to fill up but I feel it needs more.

I've started some light weathering on the running gear. The tracks are not set in their final positions yet.

Any thoughts on the stowage or just generally welcome.

Thanks for looking