Colorado, United States
Joined: December 25, 2004
KitMaker: 3,770 posts
Armorama: 2,263 posts
Posted: Monday, September 05, 2016 - 06:27 AM UTC
I got a fair amount of work done in the last day or so. So far I have two main assemblies; the gun/mount and the cruciform base/outriggers. There will be two more key assemblies; the "trucks."
I finished the cruciform and attached one of the outriggers. Figured I better see it I can still get the mount on. Nope, can't get it turned enough to align the "teeth" on the mount to the slots on the base. Sprue cutters fixed that.
Now, with both outriggers on, it's very difficult to get the gun/mount assembly attached.
The gun/mount assembly is resting in its place (not glued). I did glue the barrel travel-lock in.
So many parts involved - it's rather surprising.
Mike
tatbaqui
News Writer
#040
Metro Manila, Philippines
Joined: May 06, 2007
KitMaker: 2,713 posts
Armorama: 2,451 posts
Posted: Monday, September 05, 2016 - 06:35 AM UTC
Looking sharp Mike -- that AM barrel sure enhances it.
California, United States
Joined: December 06, 2004
KitMaker: 3,694 posts
Armorama: 2,693 posts
Posted: Monday, September 05, 2016 - 07:42 AM UTC
Wow, that's quite a bit done on that 88! I'm still working to fit the deck, hull, rear and from panels together. Also looking ahead at the folding instructions for the Photo-Etched parts. This will be my first time with PE on a kit (I had folded an Eduard Jerry can holder many years earlier).
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: March 03, 2009
KitMaker: 19 posts
Armorama: 12 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2016 - 07:05 AM UTC
wow I'm still lookin at the sprues and mapping out a painting sequence.....lololol. That metal barrel looks good alright . dunno if 6 months gunna be long enough for me
Colorado, United States
Joined: December 25, 2004
KitMaker: 3,770 posts
Armorama: 2,263 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2016 - 07:47 AM UTC
The barrel and all the brass (tubes and brass colored PE) came with the kit (very nice indeed). The silver/gray metal is the Eduard PE (hard to see in these pictures). Once I break down the gun and cruciform, I'll take new pictures to show you the PE bits.
I do appreciate the comments guys...keeps the spirits and motivation going.
Mike
New Mexico, United States
Joined: June 16, 2014
KitMaker: 681 posts
Armorama: 603 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2016 - 08:17 AM UTC
My PE set finally came in for the Stuart V. Here are the headlight guards which are the first assemblies I wanted to tackle. I prefer not to anneal parts as they become so soft, but the curves on the larger guard where not going to happen without it...
Cheers,
PH
On the Bench
MiniArt Grant Mk I with Interior
IBG Marmon-Herrington MKII
Ontario, Canada
Joined: November 03, 2012
KitMaker: 2,275 posts
Armorama: 2,233 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2016 - 10:57 PM UTC
So I am doing a AFV Club Sd. Kfz. 251 Asuf D for this campaign.
Here are some progress pix. Also doing another Dragon 251 D for the 251 campaign...yee haw.
I decided to use a shiny white enamel, then use dark acrylics...then lighten them up as the washes , filters continue to the finished product. Never did it like that before so it will be neat.
Notice my "ready round rack" I scratched up. It would probably be an in field crew design.
SgtRam
Contributing Writer #197
Ontario, Canada
Joined: March 06, 2011
KitMaker: 3,971 posts
Armorama: 2,859 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 07, 2016 - 11:39 PM UTC
Work progressing, frame went together ok, a little fiddling. Everything seems to fit ok, just watch for location and part directions.
#454
Georgia, United States
Joined: July 10, 2016
KitMaker: 1,273 posts
Armorama: 1,138 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 05:58 AM UTC
Mike- That gun looks awesome, you could photoshop that thing and it would look real;-)
Paul- can I ask your annealing technique? I'm a newbie at that!
David- Your car is looking great.
Kevin- the old adage, a firm foundation to build upon!
"I can make armored cars, safe and unassailable...and behind these our infantry will be able to follow quite unharmed and without any opposition."
-Leonardo da Vinci, 1487
New Mexico, United States
Joined: June 16, 2014
KitMaker: 681 posts
Armorama: 603 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 09:18 AM UTC
Clayton,
You can anneal brass PE by putting it in the oven at about 480 deg F or 245 deg Celcius for 20-30 minutes if you are doing an entire sheet of parts. Toaster ovens are great for that. If you want to do on one part or a portion of one part, you can use the orange portion of a candle or other flame to do that. I heat the brass until the metal starts to darken and test the malleability at that point. I'm not talking about the darkening caused by soot from the candle, this is the metal itself. If needed, you can heat it until it turns red, but that is pretty hard on really thin brass parts. You can quench the parts in water if you like as it will not cause hardening in brass. If you are soldering, the brass will have to be cleaned again down to shiny metal as the oxides formed by annealing will prevent good solder joints.
Be aware, annealed brass parts are very susceptible to bending after install, so make sure you plan how you will handle the model after they are installed. That's why I Only anneal when I absolutely have to.
Hope this info is helpful to you...
Paul H
On the Bench
MiniArt Grant Mk I with Interior
IBG Marmon-Herrington MKII
#454
Georgia, United States
Joined: July 10, 2016
KitMaker: 1,273 posts
Armorama: 1,138 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 06:32 PM UTC
Excellent! Thanks for the info!
"I can make armored cars, safe and unassailable...and behind these our infantry will be able to follow quite unharmed and without any opposition."
-Leonardo da Vinci, 1487
United States
Joined: April 07, 2009
KitMaker: 3 posts
Armorama: 3 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 08:11 PM UTC
Hi folks!
I forgot to join and started my M60A1 before I took a picture. Can I still use that or do I need to pick a new kit?
Gauteng, South Africa
Joined: July 03, 2015
KitMaker: 280 posts
Armorama: 135 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 08:19 PM UTC
Hi Gary,
Looking forward to see some pics of the Wiesel - got one or 2 in the stash.
Regards,
Kobus
United States
Joined: August 28, 2015
KitMaker: 319 posts
Armorama: 308 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 08:50 PM UTC
That 8.8 looks great! How is the kit to build? Any issues with fit or finish? I have been wanting to build an 88 for a while but am torn between Dragon, AFV, or Tamiya with a PE set.
Washington, United States
Joined: May 20, 2016
KitMaker: 73 posts
Armorama: 58 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 08:51 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Clayton,
You can anneal brass PE by putting it in the oven at about 480 deg F or 245 deg Celcius for 20-30 minutes if you are doing an entire sheet of parts. Toaster ovens are great for that. If you want to do on one part or a portion of one part, you can use the orange portion of a candle or other flame to do that. I heat the brass until the metal starts to darken and test the malleability at that point. I'm not talking about the darkening caused by soot from the candle, this is the metal itself. If needed, you can heat it until it turns red, but that is pretty hard on really thin brass parts. You can quench the parts in water if you like as it will not cause hardening in brass. If you are soldering, the brass will have to be cleaned again down to shiny metal as the oxides formed by annealing will prevent good solder joints.
Be aware, annealed brass parts are very susceptible to bending after install, so make sure you plan how you will handle the model after they are installed. That's why I Only anneal when I absolutely have to.
Hope this info is helpful to you...
Paul H
I have a PE stowage bin that has some serious radi1 involved.
This info might make this easier to do.
Thanks for the info but was wondering if there was a process to harden PE as well?
California, United States
Joined: December 06, 2004
KitMaker: 3,694 posts
Armorama: 2,693 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 09:27 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi folks!
I forgot to join and started my M60A1 before I took a picture. Can I still use that or do I need to pick a new kit?
Just upload a picture of it now.
California, United States
Joined: December 06, 2004
KitMaker: 3,694 posts
Armorama: 2,693 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 09:33 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi Gary,
Looking forward to see some pics of the Wiesel - got one or 2 in the stash.
Regards,
Kobus
A word of warning. Don't expect to have a Tamiya-like fit to them. I found the parts, particularly the hull, to have uneven edges and flash. I still haven't attempted to glue the top on, soon though.
New Mexico, United States
Joined: June 16, 2014
KitMaker: 681 posts
Armorama: 603 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 11:32 PM UTC
Quoted Text
I have a PE stowage bin that has some serious radi1 involved.
This info might make this easier to do.
Thanks for the info but was wondering if there was a process to harden PE as well?
Ron,
Unlike steel which can be heat treated and tempered to restore durability, brass and copper can only be work hardened after annealing by bending or hammering the material repeatedly. This will usually distort the part and cause fractures making the part unusable. Heating the brass further won't have any effect other than to weaken the brass. That is the reason I only anneal brass parts when absolutely necessary.
If you need to anneal the stowage bin to achieve the correct bends, you might consider soldering pieces of non-annealed brass to parts of the bin that aren't visible to restore some of the structural integrity or even completely tinning the part with a thin layer of solder will help stiffen the item somewhat. I believe that most people would just handle the item with more care than they normally would.
Hope this info is useful...
Cheers,
PH
On the Bench
MiniArt Grant Mk I with Interior
IBG Marmon-Herrington MKII
Washington, United States
Joined: May 20, 2016
KitMaker: 73 posts
Armorama: 58 posts
Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 12:12 AM UTC
Thanks Paul
Yep care and caution are the watchwords for this bin.
I`ll get it worked out
New Mexico, United States
Joined: June 16, 2014
KitMaker: 681 posts
Armorama: 603 posts
Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 02:49 AM UTC
On the Bench
MiniArt Grant Mk I with Interior
IBG Marmon-Herrington MKII
New Mexico, United States
Joined: June 16, 2014
KitMaker: 681 posts
Armorama: 603 posts
Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 10:04 AM UTC
Made a little progress on the Stuart V. Finished putting the PE tie downs on the upper hull this evening. The Voyager set has some challenges as the tie downs aren't etched too evenly. Removing molded detail, bending the tie downs and installing them took about 4.5 hours, but they do look better than the molded on parts.
PH
On the Bench
MiniArt Grant Mk I with Interior
IBG Marmon-Herrington MKII
Colorado, United States
Joined: December 25, 2004
KitMaker: 3,770 posts
Armorama: 2,263 posts
Posted: Saturday, September 10, 2016 - 07:54 AM UTC
Flak's gots wheels!
Work on the two "trucks." Again, kits within themselves.
Debating about adding the shield. I don't have any Flak 18 I'm basing this one off of, so I can go either way. Dunno...I'll figure it out soon I imagine.
Mike
It's interesting how this gun was deployed from its "travel" mode to "combat" mode. I'd not have known how this was done if I hadn't built this. Pretty cool.
#454
Georgia, United States
Joined: July 10, 2016
KitMaker: 1,273 posts
Armorama: 1,138 posts
Posted: Saturday, September 10, 2016 - 06:11 PM UTC
It's looking outstanding, Mike!
"I can make armored cars, safe and unassailable...and behind these our infantry will be able to follow quite unharmed and without any opposition."
-Leonardo da Vinci, 1487
Colorado, United States
Joined: December 25, 2004
KitMaker: 3,770 posts
Armorama: 2,263 posts
Posted: Saturday, September 10, 2016 - 07:56 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Finished putting the PE tie downs on the upper hull this evening.
Paul, I have a set from Aber, I think, of these tie-downs. I've gone through 8-10 without a single one coming out correct (using on my M108). So...I went the resin route: bought a set from TMD.
Yours, on the other hand, look fantastic! 4.5 hours spent well.
Mike
New Mexico, United States
Joined: June 16, 2014
KitMaker: 681 posts
Armorama: 603 posts
Posted: Saturday, September 10, 2016 - 08:26 PM UTC
Thanks Mike! I really appreciate the pat on the back. The method shown in the instructions was a complete no go. Had to come up with a way that made sense to me. Sometimes I wonder if the PE companies actually have someone build the products. Of course it's probably just my lack of skill that causes most of my problems...
The 88 is looking great by the way!
Cheers,
PH
On the Bench
MiniArt Grant Mk I with Interior
IBG Marmon-Herrington MKII
