As my next project I'm building Tamiya JSU-152, and this vehicle has seen some action. I'm toying around with the idea of leaving one wheel off, maybe mine damage or something:



Now, if anyone has some detail pics about JSU suspension, preferably damaged one they would be greatly appreciated. Probably best if suspension arm is missing. Thanks.

Decided to lose suspension arm and scratch build end of torsion bar from left over axle:

Nice work on the torsion bar conversion.

Personally though, I think you may have overdone the sagging in the tracks (if the first pic shows how they're going to look in the final version).

In that pic there is 83 links, 82 gives roughly same sag as Tamiya link&lenght tracks. After that pic was taken I compressed suspension little so that vehicle is slightly slanted to rear right, and I'm going to test sag with original 82 links as glue hardens.Luckily Friul tracks are easy to adjust lenghtwise... I should have left idler unglued but in that time I wasn't planning to alter any suspension parts, it all came to me as afterthought.
But I have seen pictures of really saggy tracks on some of these vehicles, and as this particular specimen has seen some heavy action we'll just have to see how this eventually plays out.

Here: http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/sub4/JSU122inCzecho.jpg

Quite saggy

Now basic construction is done. Which track tension looks better?

Saggy:



Less saggy:

All I built is Soviet armour and I'm a big fan of sagging track but the less saggy picture looks better.

Greg

Yup. Less saggy

Less sag, especially if the mine broke the track, and the field repair probably involved shortening the track by removing 2 damaged links.

Also, mine damage would most likely take out the front road wheel, which would've been the first to run over the mine, or the rear road wheel if the tank ran over the mine while backing up. It seems unlikely to me for the mine to destroy a middle road wheel

But if the mine was bit faulty, you know... to explode, not to explode? That is the question Ok, anti tank gun then, hit straight to the suspension arm.

This point I'll let this project sit for a while, I have other JSU-152 from big T on the way and I'm going to convert it to JSU-122s (I'm using CyberHobby 9112 as donor kit). Hopefully both kits arrive in reasonable time, I would very much like to paint these at same time.

Edit. Less sag it is.