Hey folks,

I picked this one up yesterday. I am curious as to whether or not the canvas mantlet cover is necessary on a WWII model. I have read that it was added post war but have seen some builds with it on a WWII tank.


Thoughts?

I don't know where you might've read that but on all photos I've seen, WWII Comets had mantlet covers. Don't know about the post-WWII ones though. I bought the Legends resin update set for mine Comet . Very nicely cast, includes the mantlet with canvas cover and not too expensive, esp. with free shipping from Lucky Model.

HTH
Greg

Funny thing is, I can not remember either. I have been reading up alot since yesterday and gathering info from a few different places. I know I have seen a couple of galleyy builds both here and at ML without the cover. I just wanted to be sure I was not making a mistake by adding the cover if not necessary.

The cover is necessary. The postwar versions had a larger cover that concealed more of the mantlet, though. The one you want reveals the trunnions on the sides of the inner mantlet.

I checked the pictures again and there is one photo of Comet without mantlet cover, it's the photo after which Bronco had their boxart painted. Looks to be in winter setting, but I dont know if its WWII or post WWII. And Gerald raised a good point here: WWII covers were different from post WWII covers. This makes Legends cover post war type...arrgh Guess Im in the market for some hesian now

Cheers
Greg

Thanks gentlemen,

I may just have to try my hand at making one out of tissue for the first time.

looking through what I've picked up on the web I've found two pictures of comets without dust covers ...



hth
Rick

On the first one Bronco got their artwork based, but it seems post war photo as the tank doesen't have the WWII type exhaust covers? Second one is some prototype as it doesen't have the return rolers and it has narrower Cromwell type tracks.

Cheers
Greg

Hmmmm, interesting. At least we know that there are at least a couple out there without the cover. Anyone have any ideas on how to make one using the tissue method?

Look at the original in photos and try to figure out how many pieces of canvas they used, one or several stitched together. Then duplicate this using pieces of tissue paper (the kind used to pack mens' shirts or sold as expensive wrapping paper for gifts). Crumple it up and then flatten it out first, to break up the longer fibers. Cut it oversize and tack it in place on the model with a little white glue. When the positioning seems correct, wet the whole tissue with a mixture of water and white glue. Add any folds and creases, then let dry. Trim to size after it's dry, and paint. The tricky thing is to prevent the tissue from looking like wet canvas that's stuck to the underlying surface. You want it to blouse a bit and sag, so you may need to tease the wet tissue away from the surface using toothpicks or whatever other tool you may have handy. That's why I rarely use the technique these days.
Another approach (and almost certainly that used to create the masters for the aftermarket versions) is to sculpt the cover from epoxy putty. You have plenty of working time, and you only need a little water to prevent the putty from sticking to your tools (most brands, anyway).