Hi Guys,

Some more progress pics:

The bin fix - had to move it forward slightly to allow for the rotation of the turret (warp )



the basket - added some wiring and the last panel which needs painted in . Only thing I can think to do yet is add a fire extinguisher (something I forgot to do in the interior)









A little work on the rear and I made the bins:







Basket in place - if you swivel the turret slightly you can see through the tank







Al

Al

Left Hand side from a facing forward perspective I'm guessing , I'll do my best

Jerry

Hi Jerry,

Thanks, probably passed that stage now but the pics will always be useful.

Al

Nice looking interior

Hi Lars,

Thanks for dropping in. I see Eduard have just released an Interior and Exterior PE set for the Grant and Armorscale have the short 75mm barrel and canvas cover

'Murphy's Law'

Al

I'll console myself with these:









Panda We210 tracks

Hi folks.

To days installment: altered the drive wheels to fit the WE 210 tracks, as per Terry's review. Also seem to have lost an idler wheel along the way, so some searching will need to be done. I have a set from the Academy M10, so they will do and I'm sure the lost one will turn up somewhere!!! MAde 6 pads of the tracks to check the fit.









Al

lookin good

mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks fior looking in.

I'm suprised no one asked about the Pands tracks! Well before you all rush in , the detail is pretty sharp. They require a bit more clean up on the edges than the Dragon ones but go together much easier.

I will certainly use then on future projects.

Al

Arev you sitting comfortable? Then I'll begin

Well it has been a case of 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. I ran into major problems when I test fitted a small section of track. I fittted the Formations boggies as per the instructions and thought nothing more about them until I went to fit the track, there was simply not enough room above the rollers. I removed the boggies and tried setting them at a lower height but this meant that the wheels were far too far below the hull.

Was there an article sometime ago on site about the different fixes that had come out for the Lee Boggie Issue?

Anyway, as I managed to destroy 2 set in getting them off the hull, I'm afraid I had to consign them to the bin.

Plan B came in the form of the old Tamiya Grant Boggies that David aka Drader had kindly sent me for an early Priest project which has now been superceeded by the Academy M7 option. So with a little filing and cutting I fitted them instead. Not as detailed but the tracks now run freely and at the correct height.

The Panda Plastics We210 track is good to work with. Being double block I thinned it down a little to allow for an easier fit on top. Here's a couple of plics with the replacement boggies and a small section of track fitted. I have to say that with the ability to pin the sections together without glue, makes joining and arranging the sections much easier.







Al

Alan....



One word:

SUPERB !!!!!!!!

Really, a very nice job...

all ahead !!!!

Hi Alan. My first post, although I have peeped in quickly before. I know virtually nothing about the Grant or Lee, so could not have offered much anyway.
Was an interesting build so far. You made a great job of the interior, and from what can be seen through the small hatches, it should be perfect. Good luck with the rest of the build.

Hi Marcos,

Thanks for looking in and you kind comment.

Hi Frank,

Don't know a great deal about the Grant either, learning as I go. Thanks for dropping in.

Al

Hi Al,

I have been following your build for a while now. Thanks for sharing everything with us. Like others have said I know/knew very little about this vehicle so I didn't have much to offer. I have now learned alot about the Grant and look forward to building it one day.

Your interior work makes it look less daunting then I thought. It really looks the part.

Cheers and I look forward to seeing how this baby turns out.

Jeff

Looking great Alan, jsat goes to show that the kit doesn't have to be a museum grade replica to be made into a great model. I think we have all been spoilt for too long and our standards have got to ridiculous heights. It's more about the model than the modeller these days and you are doing a fine job of reminding people what it is all about
Fine work
Al

Hi Jeff and Al,

Thanks for looking in guys and glad you're enjoying the thread. Also thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

Lots of track pads and track links to clean up, so it's switch off, relax and get on with them.

Cheers

Al

Hey Mac, long time , no see. By golly, your Grant looks great . I wish i had known you needed a set of WE 210 tracks. I still have 2 from when they were RHPS . Anyway, looking fabulous and I will be watching yours closely prior to building mine .

Dave

Hi Dave,

Yip it's been a while, how's things? Enjoy the build when you get to it.

Al

Hi folks,

well the tracks are on, with a little light weathering. Added the lights, side skirts and bars this evening. Still work to do on the hatches, tools and think about some baggage.

I haven't been back to the rivet counters post yet on PMMS, but will have a look to see if there is anything important that needs to be added outside. Hopefully a bit more tank like now.

Apologies for the odd colour in the pics, fading light!!

















Al

A bit more tank like...... , It looks great!!!! Bob

Looking fine ,Mac. I was relocated to Northern Virginia and it's taken awhile to adjusted and building . I think i may use the Academy Priest suspension although Rob's nice correction set is super. Hey, have you seen the Dragon 8th Army infantry set yet?

Hi Bob,

Thanks for looking in and your comments, much appreciated.

Hi Dave,

Yip, thought it had been a while since you had been around. Hope all is well and you're settled in now. I saw the Dragon set, they are not bad, I was a bit disappointed that they got some basic things wrong so haven't actually purchased them yet. I have some old figures I'm working on for the infantry and may use some of Pete's desert tankers on this one. It's going on a smal dio, my first in 15 years with a Dingo scout car and a Mk I Universal Carrier.

The Academy M7 looks good, I have an old Italeri one too, that I bought after the Deep Wader I did, as I enjoyed the build so much. Will get around to them sooner or later, one for N Africa and one for Italy lol, lol. Resicast have some excellent accessories for the M7 now, so they will have to go on the buy list.

Take care

Al

Hi Guys,

Well this is the stage I reached yesterday early evening. Added the lights and started work on the hatches:










I've added most of the remaining parts, with the exception of the tools.

I was undecided how to finsih the kit, whether to levave it desert sand or to try and add some camo. I settled on the latter and have marked it as a Grant from C Squadron The Royal Wiltshire Yeomenry, 9th Armoured Brigade, 2nd New Zealand Division.

The Wiltshires were only in Egypt for a short period but took part in the action during the Battle of El Alamein in Oct 42. They were I believe the first Regiment to make 'contact' with the enemy. They had a mix of tanks, Crusaders, Sherman IIs and about 14 Grants. I couldn't determine if C Sqn had Grants but I've opted for them.

On the markings, they carried the vehicle names with them across the issue of tanks, and where vehicles seem to have been knocked out a I or II seems to have been added to the new tank name. Not a 100% sure on this but it looks that way. Certainly they had the same names on their Crusaders and Grants as they did on their Shermans in Syria, in 43. It is possible the markings around the time of Alamein were in Black not Yellow but I could not find specific proof of this so I have opted for the easy option and used yellow.

Still a lot to do yet add scratches, and a large amount of sand/dust needs to be added. The side doors will be open once I get the externals done and I need to sort out some stowage.

Anyway here's progress so far.




















Al

For those with an interest in photography these might interest you. 4 pics that were taken at the same time as those above, but with a slight shift in the light (natural), Amazing how a change in the light can effect the colour so much.









Most certainly a case of What You See Is What You Get!!

Al

Your photos look great Al, they're all going to be added into my desktop folder !!
I've been watching your build from the beginning with the intent to use it as a guide when I build my own Lee and Grant .
I've got a Priest and Grant on order at my LHS and I'm just waiting for some birthday money to grace my wallet.
Looking forward to the finished diorama.
Cheers

jjumbo

Al , what a difference the camo and a little weathering can do to a model. I've always liked this tank and now I think I'll get it.Thanks for all the in progress photos as I'll use your build to help when I start mine. The second set of photos seem to highlight the weathering a bit more than the first.Thanks again and a job well done Bob