Mauro- that gun is a credit to you- a brilliant technique and one I reckon few people would have ever thought about. Great work my friend.

Thanks Karl. Your opinion is important to me mate

YES, improve it,

and don't forget to send me that perfect little barrel asap!!!

then i don't have to sweat and curse when I make mine half as decent as yours

funnypants!

get an italian and a some wasted materials, well, let's say it's in your genes
molto bene!


greetz

...yes but sometime this matching doesn't work as well as we think...

Joking aside, thanks a lot. Pit
I really needed to know what was our opinions about

Cheers

Ciao Mauro!

That barrel looks amazing and it isn´t finished yet, wow. This model will be a stunner, thats sure.

Andreas

Hi Andreas, thanks for the comment

Well at least I hope it will be good enough

Regarding the other details I've been adding some other rings around the barrel. To do it i've been using adhesive aluminum tape

http://www.shop3m.com/3m-aluminum-foil-tape-425-m0w7g3trkr.html

I'm cutting small strips of it and i'm putting them around the barrel. The advantage of aluminum tape is that is adhesive, so i don't have to go crazy with CA glue

here my progresses so far

Hi guys. Some small updates.I think the gun is finished





I would have liked to do more....but I've been VERY BUSY with my job these days ....and unfortuntely i think next days it will get even WORST

Anyway, now I'm ready to rebuild the Skif gun mantlet which is, as I told you, completely wrong.

Dealing with small metal parts I've probably found the best soultion to glue them. Usually I adopt CA glue, but i've noticed that sometime after a while it's became very brittle and it can't hold the parts together.
So, for the first time I've tried this product:

Is a thick acrylic crystal varnish originally conceived for decoupage. I put a small amount of it under the tiny plastic part which you can see at the base of the barrel then I attached it to the aluminum tube.
It's incredible how strong is the bonding now! Furthermore is a water based product, so if you have to remove a part, you'll have just to wash it.
I think it could be used also to glue clear parts because it can't damage them and when it's dried looks completely trasparent
The paint which I've used is an Italian product and most likely is hard to find in other countries. Anyway I think it could be quite easy for you to find something similar

I hope i'll be able to post some other steps soon

Cheers

brilliant little barrel, so much work and dedication in a barrel, what will the mantle hold for us

and the acrylgel , nice find, I think I can find something similar,
thanks for sharing

greetz Tha Pit

Thanks Pit

I really hope the gun mantlet job will be a little bit shorter and easier

Cheers

Mauro you are realy going to town on this one looking great
dave

Thanks David

Now I hope the rest of the tank will be as good as the gun

cheers

Hey Mauro- this barrel is fantastic- there's really not much difference between the quality of your barrel and those of the aftermarket companies. Its a real credit to you mate. There's always a lot of guys scratcbuilding stuff out there, especially Russian stuff, but its rare to see anyone actually make their own metal barrel- you are up there with the best of them Mauro!

You really make me blush Karl, thanks a million

I can say that the simply shape of the actual part has allowed to do a quite good job. I'd like to have and to be able to use a lathe and several other electric tools

One of these days I'd like to scratch build a whole tank from zero

Hi guys
Before to build the gun mantlet, I've made a 3d model to understand how looks its shape






I think I've drawn a shape quite closer to the actual one. Unfortunately i don't have a 3d printer.
So now I have to build this shape in plastic and I think it won't be so easy

cheers

I haven't finished yet (I stll have to do the co-axial MG mantlet and to add some putty) but anyway here the main gun mantlet

Mauro- I liked the way you planned this out with a 3D rendering before actually making it. I hadn't thought 3D rendering was much use unless you were planning on printing with a 3D printer but after seeing the details here and the final result I think those digital renderings could be very useful in scratchbuilding. What program do you use?

Ever hear of shapeway?

http://www.shapeways.com/

they could probably print that 3D image for you? I would buy one off you.

getting there M, only after primer you will know if it is right, at least in the pics

it's tiny, but you are doing just fine,like the barrel


greetz

@ Karl
I'm an interior designer but I often work as an Autocad Instructor. Is not the best 3d software, but anyway I think it's quite effective for the simpliest shapes
(I think that actually Trumpeter or DML use more sophisticeted softwares such as Solidworks, Rhinoceros, Catia, Solid edge or Pro-e)

@ Jansson
Thanks a lot for the link. I think that also here in my city, there is a company which can give you the same service. But the part was very small, so i thought that the best way to do it was by hand. I didn't want to wait for ages to have a tiny part. Maybe the next scratch job I'll print some larger detail

@Pit
Actually was quite a nightmare, but I'm quite satisfied with my results
I've added a bit of epoxy putty to round the shape. I'll post some pics soon

Many thanks to all of you for your interest

Cheers

Hey Mauro,

Really cool build! Nice job on the barrel. Brilliant find of useing a radio antenna ! I think i use that idea also...
Keep up the good work! Verry enjoyable

Regards,

Remco

I'm very glad that you like it Remco

Cheers

Mauro,

as usual very nice work! Amazing attention to detail. One can feel you really love modelling, thats what it´s all about^^

Andreas

Thanks Anfreas

Yes I'd like to say that I like a lot improving my models.
That it means that it usually takes me ages to finish a kit and sometime is quite stressful, but I'm happier this way.
When I've begun it was more difficult because collecting reference pics and drawings wasn't easy at all. Internet has allowed to me to collect more information in a cheaper way so everything has been getting better since I've restarted this wonderful hobby.
But anyway sometime I think I should make some kits straight from the box...It would be probably less fun, but a far more relaxing

Cheers, thanks again for the comment

Well in my opinion gun mantlet now is almost completed









So, be blunt, what do you think about?

Mauro,
the angle where both parts join is too sharp accoriding to the pics. You could add some putty to get a more rounded shape.
The flat square part on top of the mantlet needs some engraving too as it features a slope in its center.

But you're close to the perfect match. Excellent job !
Olivier