Leopard 2 A4 1988 1/35 Meng

[Dmitriy1967]

10 minutes ago, ColonelKrypton said:

I have a 1/72 Border Models Leopard that I have been preparing to build for inclusion in the Leopard group build. I am keeping notes of your build that I can apply to mine. One of the reasons for this choice was to get myself out of my comfort zone and build something new much as you have done as a change from your  HMS Brave Borderer build. 

 

 

Good luck with your Leopard, Graham!

Yes, we have the same climate with you. 🙂

[Dmitriy1967]

Looking at the photos, I discovered a mistake in my building. I glued the right exhaust grille of the engine incorrectly. A small incision on the round frame should be at the bottom. I noticed them only in the enlarged photo.

 

 

 

 

 

In reality, they are simply not visible with my eyes, even with glasses. In the assembly instructions, they are almost invisible, if you don't know, you won't pay attention.

I know now. And you know. 🙂

I will think about how to correct my mistake.

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Dmitriy1967

[Dmitriy1967]

It was not possible to tear off the exhaust grille from the outside. I glued it very well! I chose a milling cutter of a suitable diameter and carefully manually began to drill from the inside.

 

 

 

 

The God of German tank building took pity on stupid Dmitry and everything worked out! The round grille was removed without damage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now carefully, without guides, I paste it into place. It's as if he came off the assembly line of a tank factory yesterday. What kind of damage? There was no damage!

 

 

 

 

As the commander of this tank likes to say - Alles in Ordnung!

 

 

 

[Peter2]

Good recovery with the grille.

[echen]

7 hours ago, Peter2 said:

Good recovery with the grille.

I second that. Great repair work - must be quite satisfying to get round the problem so well.

[Dmitriy1967]

1 hour ago, echen said:

I second that. Great repair work - must be quite satisfying to get round the problem so well.

 

Yes, at first, the chagrin due to a mistake. Then the joy of solving this problem.

There is a saying - if you feel bad, get a goat at home. After a while, sell the goat and you will feel good. 🙂

[Bullbasket]

A good recovery, but.......if it had been me, I would have cut a new notch in the correct place and filled the one that was in the wrong place. Much less hassle.

 

John.

[Dmitriy1967]

6 minutes ago, Bullbasket said:

A good recovery, but.......if it had been me, I would have cut a new notch in the correct place and filled the one that was in the wrong place. Much less hassle.

 

 

Yes, John, this plan was also the first one that came to my mind. But, given that the detail is very small, there is a high probability of error with careless movement. Especially for my crooked hands and blind eyes. And then filling with putty and grinding in a very uncomfortable place. So I chose a different path. For me, this alternative is preferable, because the grille has remained in its original form.

Thank you for your opinion.

[Andreas.R]

Hello Dimitry,

 

this was a dangerous action, I would have avoided this action if it wasn't visible to the naked eye - forget it (only you know what's wrong!)

But if it goes wrong there can be undeniable damage. I've experienced it a few times. (The opposite of good is good intentions!)

But you got it by the right way!

 

[Dmitriy1967]

46 minutes ago, Andreas.R said:

this was a dangerous action, I would have avoided this action if it wasn't visible to the naked eye - forget it (only you know what's wrong!)

But if it goes wrong there can be undeniable damage. I've experienced it a few times. (The opposite of good is good intentions!)

 

 

Hello, Andreas,

 

yes, you're right, it's really a trifle that hardly anyone would notice. But there is one small nuance. I'm not making this model for anyone, but for myself. And even if everything goes well, but I will know that this part is installed incorrectly, it will constantly annoy me. So why not fix it and enjoy the process further.

 

And the funny thing is that I can make some more serious mistake and not guess about it. And I will be happy in my ignorance. Everything in the world is relative. 🙂

[Dmitriy1967]

My inattention played a trick on me again. 🙂

I separated the F20 torsion bars and F1 linings from the frames, sanded and began to glue. I was very surprised when I saw that MENG provided 6 more torsion bars, probably spare ones. It's good. But there are exactly 14 F1 overlays. But the torsion bars turned out to be left and right, and I glued the pads without paying attention to it. Only when I found the extra torsion bars, I realized the mistake. Fortunately, only one wrong torsion bar was glued on. Corrected the error easily, the glue did not have time to harden. If you build such a kit from MENG, pay attention to which side of the torsion bar.

 

 

 

 

 

Torsion bars are installed.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Dmitriy1967

[Dmitriy1967]

The photo etching grids on the rear of the tank are practically invisible. To be honest, it makes no sense to put them. It took me a very long time to select the angle and lighting so that they became noticeable in the photo. After painting it will just be a dark crack. But, thanks to MENG for putting these grids in the set. 🙂

 

[Dmitriy1967]

It's time to install the protective stiffeners of the bottom of the engine compartment.

 

 

 

 

But I've read this information and I don't know how to do the right thing:

 

Yet another option are reinforcement strakes under the rear hull. A plastic template is cleverly supplied for positioning these. However, these were very uncommon on 2A4, especially Bundeswehr machines. KMW did offer these as a factory mod so just a few may have been fitted. They have been added on some export versions for Finland and Greece (not covered in this kit's decal options). These would be appropriate for any future export releases or possibly 2A5/2A6.

 

🙄

 

 

[Dmitriy1967]

The same is true with the choice of the upper rear decks of the engine compartment.

 

 

 

I read on the Internet such information about this MENG kit:

 

Two rear deck panels are supplied. At first glance they are identical but they do have small differences, so be careful when deciding which version to build. The one moulded and attached to the rear hull is intended for a set of earlier pattern grilles. Alternate, later grilles with rubber dampers are also supplied for the second optional deck. These dampers were introduced in 2004 as part of the 2A5/2A6 programme, I believe, so watch the period of your tank when deciding. I don't think they would have appeared on Bundeswehr 2A4s, but I stand to be corrected on that. Both decks have some detail underneath.

[Dmitriy1967]

It is a pity that MENG does not complete this model with interior details and an engine. So I want to leave the engine compartment cover open.

I will not make the engine myself. After all, I am not Wilhelm Maybach and I am afraid that my engine will start badly.

 

 

 

[Dmitriy1967]

This is what the Leopard's engine compartment looks like. MENG has it very similar inside, there is even a partial detailing.

 

 

 

And this is the Leopard 2 engine.

 

[Dmitriy1967]

It seemed to me that the upper deck bends slightly from above, even with a slight pressure. But the tower weighs almost 20 tons! Bends should not be allowed, they can affect the accuracy of shooting.

 

 

 

 

 

To strengthen the structure, I had to get 1 mm thick Evergreen plastic from my stocks and a color suitable for the tank to look harmonious.

 

 

 

 

 

I cut out the cross beam and glued it between the turret and the engine compartment.

The design has become tougher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glued the top and bottom of the hull.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for watching.

[BorisAlexandrov]

Been building the Leo2A7+, which shares a lot of parts with this kit. I'm inspired by your post to complete it.

[Dmitriy1967]

6 hours ago, BorisAlexandrov said:

Been building the Leo2A7+, which shares a lot of parts with this kit. I'm inspired by your post to complete it.

I also notice that viewing other people's building inspires me to do something myself.

[Dmitriy1967]

I wrote earlier that there were no poly caps for wheels in my MENG kit. All this time I've been trying to find a replacement. I tried different tubes made of different materials, but they didn't suit me. And finally, in a hardware store, I found suitable plugs for furniture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to drill a through hole in it. Then cut off the hat. The inner diameter fits very tightly on the axis of the torsion bar, and the wheel itself, rotating, slides along the tube.

 

 

 

 

 

But the tube is too short and there is a small backlash of the wheel. To fix this, I added another sealing washer to the torsion axis. It's all right now!

 

 

 

In addition, the tube fits so tightly on the axis that you don't even need to use glue! And this will make it easier to repair in the field, which is important when hitting a mine, for example.

 

Now I need to make 17 more such sets of bushings.... 🙄

[robgizlu]

Nice work all round Dmitriy. 

Rob

[Dmitriy1967]

I made all the bushings, which I proudly call bearings, and additional washers. It was quite tedious and painstaking job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the wheel assembly. A homemade bearing is visible inside the wheel. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many photos show the effects of wear on rubber wheels.

 

 

 

 

Therefore, I also made rubber damage on the wheels. Please note that the color of the plastic is perfect for imitating rubber. I'm not sure I can match the paint better than they look right now. I have an idea not to paint them at all.

 

 

 

 

To date, I have finished making the main wheels.

 

 

 

 

 

It was written here that the bushings from MENG are not very good and the wheels are loose on them. The wheel mounting system that I made allows the wheels to rotate freely without any backlash. When mounting, the axle first softly enters the wheel, and at the end it is fixed with a stronger push. It holds securely. If necessary, the wheel can also be removed.

 

I am pleased with myself. 😉

 

 

 

[beefy66]

Great stuff so far Dmitriy and an idea of road wheel damage I will use soon I think.  

 

Stay Safe

beefy

[Dmitriy1967]

31 minutes ago, beefy66 said:

Great stuff so far Dmitriy and an idea of road wheel damage I will use soon I think.  

 

Stay Safe

beefy

 

I was wondering how these wheels are called in English. It turns out to be road wheels. In Russian, the lower rollers are called support wheels. I like that on this site I not only learn how to build models, but also the correct technical terms.

 

I will still have a poor knowledge of spoken English, but I will know technical English well. 😆

[Mippie]

wow! the attention to detail is outstanding...keep it up