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World of Tanks Campaign II
djohannsen
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Virginia, United States
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Posted: Sunday, September 07, 2014 - 02:57 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The Dragon kit and Tank Workshop turret have arrived:


I opened both items and took a gander. I believe that the Tank Workshop turret is designed for the Tamiya Sherman (and not Dragon). So, the diameter of the turret ring on the turret is significantly larger than the ring on the hull... I could just start hacking at the hull to enlarge the ring, but might think about this for a bit to decide how best to proceed. I would welcome any comments or suggestions about how best to make the necessary alterations.


Dave
sherman-vc
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Alberta, Canada
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Posted: Sunday, September 07, 2014 - 03:33 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

The Dragon kit and Tank Workshop turret have arrived:


I opened both items and took a gander. I believe that the Tank Workshop turret is designed for the Tamiya Sherman (and not Dragon). So, the diameter of the turret ring on the turret is significantly larger than the ring on the hull... I could just start hacking at the hull to enlarge the ring, but might think about this for a bit to decide how best to proceed. I would welcome any comments or suggestions about how best to make the necessary alterations.


Dave


Hey Dave just a suggestion, but the way I would handle this would be to take a razor saw and cut the ring off the bottom of the Dragon Sherman and put it aside. Next do the same thing to the TMD Turret. Then cut a round piece of plastic card the size of the opening in the bottom of the TMD turret and blank it off. Then attach the ring you cut from the bottom of the Dragon Turret. To cut the round piece of plastic card you can use a compass to mark the size out or I picked up a fancy one from a drafting supply place(if there is a Michaels craft store in your are they should have one)that has a sharp scribe that you can use instead of a pencil.

Regards,
Rod
ComradeMP
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Posted: Sunday, September 07, 2014 - 01:49 PM UTC
Here's what I did on my "Bancho" for the what if campaign. I had the opposite problem, but it could work. Type 74 turret ring too small for the T-62 hull.




If possible remove the turret ring on the turret. Do as sherman-vc said with the plasticard and cover up the opening left. Then use some plastic strip and make a ring with it to match the hull. Then glue that ring to the bottom of the turret. The way I did it, I could adjust it as needed to sit in the right place before it dried.

I didn't have to remove the old turret ring, but the idea is the same. Now the new turret sits just fine on the new hull.
djohannsen
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Posted: Sunday, September 07, 2014 - 09:08 PM UTC
Thanks guys. I knew that a half-a$$ed hacking away at the upper hull was ill-advised, so I'm glad that I asked here before doing anything.

I've ordered a scribing compass (and am thinking about digital calipers). I'll wait for it to arrive before I start anything with this (some time for planning is always good).

Dave
djohannsen
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Posted: Monday, September 08, 2014 - 02:24 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hey Dave just a suggestion, but the way I would handle this would be to take a razor saw and cut the ring off the bottom of the Dragon Sherman and put it aside...


I've done a bit more thinking (I know, nothing good can come of that)... Instead of making multiple cuts and gluing styrene disks to resin turrets and making sure that I get the transplanted turret ring glued exactly centered on the grafted styrene disk, I'm again coming back to widening the turret ring on the upper hull.


If I grab some digital calipers, I can determine the diameters of the Tank Workshop turret ring and the ring on the upper hull. I then can easily determine exactly how much the hull ring would need to be enlarged (i.e., by how much I would need to increase the radius of the opening). Again, using digital calipers, I could pencil mark, quite precisely, the necessary increase to the ring diameter and very carefully remove styrene so that the Tank Workshop turret would fit.

To me, this seems far more simple than swapping turret rings. However, as I have only pretty basic building skills, I am open to hearing why this would be a bad idea (in fact, I am very open to learning from those who know much more than I do).

Since I'm taking everyone's time, I've got another question: Why do the Tamiya and Dragon turret rings differ by so much? That is, why aren't the kits manufactured with a turret ring that accurately reflects the real thing (i.e., 69"/35)?
sherman-vc
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Posted: Monday, September 08, 2014 - 03:31 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I've done a bit more thinking (I know, nothing good can come of that)... Instead of making multiple cuts and gluing styrene disks to resin turrets and making sure that I get the transplanted turret ring glued exactly centered on the grafted styrene disk, I'm again coming back to widening the turret ring on the upper hull.


If I grab some digital calipers, I can determine the diameters of the Tank Workshop turret ring and the ring on the upper hull. I then can easily determine exactly how much the hull ring would need to be enlarged (i.e., by how much I would need to increase the radius of the opening). Again, using digital calipers, I could pencil mark, quite precisely, the necessary increase to the ring diameter and very carefully remove styrene so that the Tank Workshop turret would fit.

To me, this seems far more simple than swapping turret rings. However, as I have only pretty basic building skills, I am open to hearing why this would be a bad idea (in fact, I am very open to learning from those who know much more than I do).

Since I'm taking everyone's time, I've got another question: Why do the Tamiya and Dragon turret rings differ by so much? That is, why aren't the kits manufactured with a turret ring that accurately reflects the real thing (i.e., 69"/35)?


Hi Dave,

What you suggest would also work.

I am just going from past experience I have a heck of a time getting the opening to perfectly match up with the Turret ring (hence using the ring that was designed for the kit) but that is just me.

The reason for the disk to blank off the TMD turret is to make it easier to glue the Dragon turret ring in place. You have a little more setup time with plastic than resin just in case you get the placement wrong the first time (like that never happens).

As to your second question that is the $64,000.00 question. I think the model companies just do what works for them or really don't give it much thought unless they are providing an interior, not something you can see so why make sure it matches the real thing perfectly.

Regards,
Rod
MikeyBugs95
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Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - 05:23 PM UTC
I finally broke ground on my M4A3E8.





It was at this point that I lost my trusty three blade hobby knife.



And then I found it buried in the sprues. I guess it wanted to get started cutting right away.

Unusually, Tamiya started with assembling the tracks. I skipped that as I could care for making lengths of track that are about 76 links long at 10 pm. It then went straight to assembling the sprockets and idlers. Next to the differential housing. Then to the lower hull which is a kit in and of itself. I got up to step 5 and part of another step when I decided to call it a night



To Be Continued....
sherman-vc
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Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2014 - 02:13 AM UTC
Hey Michael,

Good start, all I have done is opened the box, want to clean up the man cave (that’s what SWMBO calls my home office/hobby room) before I get going. Any thoughts as to color scheme? Some of the available Camo for American Tanks in the game is pretty funky.

Regards,
Rod
djohannsen
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Virginia, United States
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Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2014 - 02:24 AM UTC
Good start, Mike. Thanks for posting.

As for me, I've ordered calipers from Amazon and will have them in the next day or two. I am heading out of town this weekend, so I will start cutting the upper hull next week (I'll post pre and post surgery pictures).

As for WoT, I'm in love with the T20! Now that I no longer have a 50% trained driver and have all the suspension upgrades she's a fairly nimble tank (sluggish acceleration and wide turning radius, but fast). With the 90mm gun, I can even hurt the tier 8 and 9 heavies. It's a blast to hunker down behind the heavies until they get into a slugging match and both sides are pinned down, and then take off to wreak havoc on the enemy flank and rear (though the armor on the T20 is thin, it can still survive a hit or two). I do wish that there were a 1/35 T20 availible (but some serious time with the Googles turned-up nothing).
MikeyBugs95
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Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2014 - 03:52 AM UTC
Rod: since I don't have any camo on my tank in game, I won't be painting it with any camo. I also won't be decorating it with the same markings as my tank in game but I will be using some Archer decals for either A Paper Doll or Army Mule (http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=360765360955#) which I'm more drawn to. If I do a Hellcat then I'll paint some form of camouflage on it.

Dave: I think Commanders Models makes a kit of the T20. But if they do it's completely resin.

EDIT: Commander Models DOES make a T23. Based on the T20 the main difference between the two is in their transmission.
djohannsen
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Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2014 - 04:21 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Commander Models DOES make a T23. Based on the T20 the main difference between the two is in their transmission.



Mike, thanks for the head's up. I partied with Wikipedia for a minute (don't have Hunnicutt's "Pershing" here at work) and saw that the T23 had verical volute suspension (well, the T23E3 had torsion bar), instead of the horizontal volute seen on the T20. The Commanders T23 kit seems to feature the VVSS, and the clunky early HVSS of the WoT T20 is a big part of the look that (in a weird way) I am growing to like (and it's waaaaay beyond my ability to scratch the T20 HVSS bogies).

Dave
corsair924
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Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2014 - 04:49 AM UTC




Ah! Tamyia, compared to a lot of other manufacturers their kits still just fall into place in a few hours.

Wish I had as much luck with my WOT Cromwell, I'm just not fast enough to use anything lacking a good reservoir of hitpoints.
Had a good round with my T32 last week, damage on 8, killed 3, $45k & 3500 damage caused.

I really love shooting from BVR, got an M8 at 618meters (!!!) last week in my Pz.Sfl.IV--almost done the grind to the Nashorn!!
ComradeMP
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Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2014 - 12:40 PM UTC
Ah, shooting at BVR. Such fun. Nailed a Sherman facing me at 650 meters with the ISU-152 w/ BL-10. Had some spotters up ahead. And they say it's in-accurate...... well it is, but you can compensate. Played it long enough I can do it without thinking.

That's cool, you're moving on from the "toaster" to the "flak bus". Made it to the Emil myself, but I really don't like those paper thin TD's, and grinding to the big gun with the the stock gun is tough.

Oh and speaking of the ISU-152
MikeyBugs95
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Posted: Friday, September 12, 2014 - 02:24 AM UTC
Update on my Easy Eight.

As of last night; the upper hull and lower hull:





And today I put one on top of another:



And now that I am building the driver's and bow gunner's hatches enter those extras that I took from the M46- three periscope guards.
MikeyBugs95
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Posted: Saturday, September 13, 2014 - 09:19 AM UTC
Today's update:

I started the tracks earlier and let me say that these must be the easiest indy link OOB.



I also have almost completed the hull and the turret. I haven't added any of the wheels on yet because I will add them after painting along with the fishtail exhausts. I also need to buy a new barrel as the current one was destroyed after my glue decided to spit out a glob.
ComradeMP
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Posted: Saturday, September 13, 2014 - 04:01 PM UTC

Did the suspension


Wheels, return rollers and sprockets done


and a little something extra. BL-10. " I have become death, destroyer of tanks...."
MikeyBugs95
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Posted: Monday, September 15, 2014 - 01:12 AM UTC
Building is done. Almost. The barrel got messed up from the glue so I had trash that. I ordered a new one e last night along with a decal sheet

I will be building the kit as a tank from the 68th Tank Battalion, "A Paper Doll."

So here's the build so far:





And the tracks:

sherman-vc
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Alberta, Canada
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Posted: Monday, September 15, 2014 - 05:08 AM UTC
Nice work so far guys, I had an unfortunate incident with my Type 97 on Sunday.

Darn carpet monster claimed one of the suspension parts, so I'll have to scratch build the part have one from the other side to use as a master. You know what is going to happen right, as soon as I have the part finished I'll drop it to and it will land right beside the lost part and I'll find both, I'll post some pictures tonight or tomorrow.

Battery in the camera was dead last night. It should be charged when I get home tonight.

Regards,

Rod
djohannsen
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Posted: Monday, September 15, 2014 - 07:11 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Darn carpet monster claimed one of the suspension parts,


I ALWAYS work in the kitchen (tile floor), and yet I've STILL managed to loose small pieces. Oh where do they go...
MikeyBugs95
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Posted: Monday, September 15, 2014 - 07:10 PM UTC
I got the second track length finished. And the first too. At least they're easier than putting together magic tracks.
MikeyBugs95
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Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2014 - 09:06 AM UTC
Well I finally got the replacement barrel in. But it didn't come with any instructions so now I have to source them online. But finally after a few hours I'll be able to prime it.

And like I said in my BLog, I also worked on the figures.
TheSpearman
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Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2014 - 10:41 AM UTC
I'm going to go with a darkly humourous choice:



Playing a number of tier 5 premiums to earn credits and train crews for my tier 10s, I've come to loathe the KV-1S's. So I'm going with Trumpeters KV-1S/KV-85 to mockingly mark the impending death of these and to mark their rightful transition to the KV-85 in-game as part of the upcoming 9.3 patch.
MikeyBugs95
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Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2014 - 11:00 AM UTC
Update time!



And here is the new barrel. I found the Armorscale instructions so I used those.







Some pictures of the figures, although not completely up to date:



MikeyBugs95
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Posted: Friday, September 19, 2014 - 04:55 AM UTC
So has no one else made progress?

I added an antenna to the turret.

djohannsen
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Posted: Friday, September 19, 2014 - 05:08 AM UTC

Quoted Text

So has no one else made progress?


Sadly, no.

The calipers arrived, so I can make the necessary measurements for enlarging the turret ring on the Dragon kit. However, I'm off to Virginia Beach this weekend for the Oceana Air Show, so it will be next week before I can sit down and get started.
 _GOTOTOP