The turret box is a beautiful piece of work, so clean and fresh looking, and the fuel fillers are awesome, I like the way they have little brass inserts in them, forming filters, well, I'm guessing they're filters.

@ Kimmo: Thanks for the props! I donno about the book thing, though. That's for others, I think!

@ Keith: You are one sharp-eyed man, my friend! Little did I know that I pulled the ISO Metric sized rod out of my stock instead of the ANSI-UTS sized rod...

Darn, now those wing nuts will never turn

@ Christopher and Craig: Thank you, guys!

@ Matt: Well, you know all that pure white styrene on your Grizzly build has put me to shame!

Actually, I'm just as messy with the brass, but you just about have to clean up the corrosion and burned flux from the soldering, so shiny brass becomes a serendipitous by-product of necessity...

Indeed, the perforated liners in the fuel fillers are the strainers. Although, I confess that I only had a written description of them, so what you see is a bit of "imagineering."

OK, so it seems like a long time since I've updated this thread (which also seems like a repetitious opening...).

I HAVE been doing some work on this build, just not much that's been photo or posting worthy.

Since my last update, I've added the two sheet metal covers over the rearmost sponson openings. The fuel filler tubes run into the sponsons and then forward to the fuel tanks (which are located in the sponsons outboard of the radiators). Cooling airflow requires that the rear sponson openings must be closed off, and although I didn't have any photos of the actual covers, rusty outlines and screw holes inside of Churchill hulls under restoration provided the clues to get these hopefully close.

I also had to add the inboard end of the compressed air reservoir tank. In order to give the illusion that the hull sponson in these areas is open on the inside, I ground away the sides of the AFV Club hull before adding the inside end of the air tank. This also created small cavities for the ends of the fuel filler tubes to fit into.

In order to get the locations of the openings in the sheet metal covers to line up with the fuel fillers, I had to temporarily glue the fuel fillers to the cross member that supports the forward end of the compartment deck. I used PVA (white glue) for this doing the right / starboard side first. I had to do the right side first because the air tank also established a fixed point that the cover had to be fitted around.

Another reason why the fuel fillers can't be permanently installed is that their tubes extend into the cavities on either side, and I need the cross member removable at this time to paint and assemble. If the fuel fillers are permanently glued to the cross member, it can't be fitted into the hull.

Once the right side cover was made, I used it's measurements to make the cover on the left / port side symmetrical.





After getting the air tank installed, I was able to move on to the hydraulic and pneumatic plumbing and layout out the electrical wiring. Here you can see some of the plumbing on the floor.



The electrical wiring locations were figured out and the mounting clamps for it have been installed. I'll paint the wiring separately and install it into the clamps during assembly and finishing of the gearbox compartment.

There is one more set of pneumatic lines that run to and from the air compressor on top of the gearbox, but I'll make these lines and fittings after I get the gearbox permanently installed.

So, with these last parts built, I've done some final test fitting of all of the previous components and made notes as to the finishing and assembly sequence.

Right now, the main components are washed and drying in preparation for their primer coats, and hopefully, in the next post I'll be able to show some progress on painting and final assembly of the gearbox area.

Happy modeling!

Excellent work,I look with bated breath for what you do and I look forward to the final. Good luck!

Paweł

Great progress Mike and certainly looking exceptional..

I really am looking forward to seeing more of this as you put it all together..

Keith.

Now you're just makin us all look bad!
Wow that is nice. How in the heck did you bend those lines so evenly and without kinks?
J
J

He has a jig for that, like most all things!

Superb work, Mike. It looks full scale already, and all of the details look like they each have a purpose, not something cobbled together.

mikes got a jig for everything !!!!!!!
dave

But can he do the Irish jig after a few Jamisons'? THAT is the question,isn't it?
J

Oh, I don't know, but it sure would be well worth watching!

@ Pawel & Keith: Thank you, gentlemen!

@ Jeff & Dave:

Ring-ring...

Hullo, Jigs-R-Us. How may I help you?
A jig for what..?
Of course we have a jig for that.
We have a jig for everything!

You guys are killin' me, I tell ya, killin' me...

Seriously, though, the appearance of functionality is a factor of replicating the prototype as closely as I can. All of these lines and components are present on the real tank, so the modeled parts naturally look right.

@ Jer: Sorry to disappoint, but there's no magic, no jigs, and dancin' to get those lines straight. Just .010 lead fly-tying wire straightened out by pulling it through my fingers. Most of the bends were made in place around toothpicks and / or a piece of thick brass rod.

The lines are held in place by CA and small L-shaped "clips" made of lead foil. The L's are glued in place and folded over the lines as I formed them.

(You can actually see a few of the L-clips in place for the electrical wiring harness yet to be installed.)

The compression fittings are Grant Line #127 hex head nuts drilled through with a pin vise and bit while still on the sprue. The drilled out hex castings were cut from the sprue and slipped over the lines before I installed them.

Anyhow, I've airbrushed the preliminary base colors in the compartment and on the various separate subcomponents.

All of the airbrushing for this was done with Floquil Model RR Colors reduced with lacquer thinner (since Diosol has gone the way of the dodo...).

The colors chosen were matched, more or less, to the photos in Montgomery's Haynes book and website. He's very adamant about the white interior and green gearbox. (When it comes to the detail painting, though, I think that I will go with steel-colored hard lines vice the copper lines that Montgomery has used in his restoration based on strategic material shortages assumptions.)

The colors used and the sequence I sprayed:

(After washing and drying)

1. Used strips of blue tape to mask off a few gluing lines and attachment points on the various parts and inside the compartment.

2. Sprayed Light Gray Primer over all.

3. Sprayed Box Car Oxide Red over the areas to remain in "factory primer". Also, used this color on the rear cooling air grates and upper rear hull plate.

4. Masked the primer red areas in the hull.

5. Sprayed Reefer White in the hull and on the bulkhead wall. I allowed some of the gray primer to work as pre-shading.

6. Cut and applied two hole masks for the main brake drums.

7. Sprayed Rail Brown on both the main and steering brake drums.

8. Sprayed Weathered Black on the air compressor and the final drive muff couplings. Also sprayed a little of this same color on the centers of the brake drums. The intended effect will be that the brake drums were painted black and have rusted around their circumference from heat.

9. Masked around the circumference of the steering brake drums.

10. Sprayed a mix of Pullman Green, NYC Jade Green, and Rail Box Yellow (6:4:1) on the actual gearbox and speed change lever assembly.

By the time I was done cleaning my airbrush, the paint had dried enough to remove all the masks.

Here's the result-













The detail painting, weathering and assembly will be done in the following (planned) sequence -

1. Detail paint and weather the inner hull and bulkhead wall to include the hard lines and generator. I will then install the flexible drive shaft from the speedo drive wheel and the electrical wiring harness.

2. The gearbox and speed change lever assembly will be weathered and assembled. I will measure and add the drive belts for the generator and speedo drive wheel to the power pulleys on the gearbox. I'm going to use elastic Easy Line for these belts, and the plan is to slip them over the generator and drive wheel after the gearbox is glued in place. (We'll see how that works...).

3. Paint the fan.

4. Install the gearbox, fan and bulkhead wall. Add the forward deck support cross member.

5. Fabricate the final pneumatic lines and install the air compressor onto the gearbox.

6. Paint and install the fuel fillers along with their fuel return lines.

7. Add the rear deck support cross member the rear cooling air outlet grates and upper rear hull.

Hopefully the next updates will show all of this coming together as planned...

Happy modeling!

Well,that proves he isn't drinking Jamisons' as he could never get precise work like that accomplished whilst seeing double.
Wow brother,I can actually feel the grainy texture of the partially rusty final drives.
My sanka that I started is starting to look shabby to me now. Well,even more shabby that I originally thought.
J

@ Jer: Hey, mi amigo, lacquer thinner and Tamiya X-20A will have you dancing all the jig I want...

Ok, so an update on the finishing and final assembly of the gearbox compartment.

I've done most of the detail painting and the weathering of the inside of the compartment along with most of the subassemblies.

I used Vallejo Model Color and Citadel / Games Workshop paints for the details and ordinary artist oil paints for the weathering. On top of this, I have airbrushed a dust glaze made with Tamiya's XF-57 Buff and then given it all a coat of Testor's Dull Coat.

I've described my painting techniques in several other build blogs here on Armorama. I won't bore you with a repeat of these descriptions, but if anyone has any questions, don't hesitate.









In these last photos, you can also see the electrical wiring harness installed for the tail light, convoy light and the electrically fired smoke emitters. These wires were made from metallic sewing threads (because of the nice textures) and painted to represent fabric covered wires.

I've also added the flexible drive shaft for the speedo drive wheel. This was made from a piece of .018 braided hose sold for auto car modelers. (A very neat product.)



I've painted the fan to represent bare metal with the clutch in a light gray. I have no idea if these are prototypically correct or not.



The air compressor still needs to be weathered, but I'll do that as I install it and the final compressed air pipes and hoses.



The gearbox is painted and weathered and ready for installation. You'll note if you look closely that I've added the two drive belts (turret motor generator and speedo drive wheel). These are made with elastic EZ Line, a product used mostly by aircraft modelers for biplane rigging and antenna wires (RR modelers also use it for power lines on their layouts). The ends of each piece are anchored in holes drilled in the bottoms of the drive pulleys with CA. The EZ Line will be stretched around the generator and speedo drive sheaves.

(If you really look close, you can see the bits of plastic from drilling the holes that I hadn't dusted off before I took the photo...)









I should add that in these photos, the gearbox and fan have not been glued in place yet and the tension of the EZ Line drive belts has pulled them slightly out of alignment. I'll block and brace the gearbox in alignment and then glue it up.

(I was actually intending to dry-fit the drive belts, but once in place, everything was fitting about as well as I could hope, so I'll leave the gearbox in the compartment and glue up directly from this test fit.)

Next up, I will install the air compressor and its associated pipes and hoses. This will be followed by the front compartment deck support. Next will be the speed change levers with the fuel fillers. Finally, I will add the rear deck support and the rear cooling air outlet grates.

Happy modeling!

Nice work Mike. Good tip with the car modeler supplies, the younger guys might not think to look elsewhere for all sorts of doodads. Train and aircraft accessories have their uses for armour builders too.

Kimmo

Great update Mike and it really is coming to life.

Now don't forget when you pose the chap filling this beastie up, he has to be seen pouring 'Petrol' and not 'Gasoline' otherwise you lose the historical accuracy

Keith.

I'm so enthralled watching this power plant come to life that I don't even remember what the tank is. Great work and paint.

@ Kimmo: Old school rules! Guys that wait for the latest design-purpose AM accessories can miss out if they don't take a peek into all the corners of the modeling-world.

@ Keith: Petrol... What is this petrol stuff you speak of? I was sure this thing ran on gasoline. Now you tell me that I have to go looking for... petrol!?

@ Bryan: LOL! I have to turn over the box top and look at the picture every now and again myself to remember what this thing is!

Thanks for the kind words!

Here's today's little update:

I've installed the air compressor and its associated hoses and lines. The thick rubber hose through the bulkhead draws filtered air from the engine intake system. The smaller metal line runs from the compressor through a small filter on the forward deck support and then to a pressure relief valve on the compressed air reservoir tank.

I didn't fabricate these hoses and lines until I was able to mount the compressor since it was just too hard to estimate the measurements.

Once the compressor was glued to the gearbox, I started with the pressure relief valve on the air tank, made that, added an extra long piece of solder wire, slide the small filter on that. I then bent and measured the line from the tank to the deck support and glued the filter at that location on the line. I then painted the line and the valve and filter and glued the valve end to the air tank.

After that dried, I made some final adjustments on the line and glued the filter to the deck support. I allowed that to dry, and then completed the run to the compressor. After that, the big rubber air hose was simple.

After making the final connections to the pump, the hose and air line painting was touched up and I added the highlights to the compression fittings to the pump.

The speed change lever assembly (gear shift assembly) has also been installed now.

All of these additions will require some more weathering, but for now, it's time to allow the paint to dry.











During all of this air compressor stuff, I left the gearbox and fan loose so that I had a little "wiggle room" to make some small adjustments if necessary.

Now with these parts added, I've permanently glued the gearbox in place. I've used artist matt medium as a glue here. It dries clear and flat, but unlike PVA glues, the matt medium is not affected by future application of paints, etc. It's also quite a bit stronger in small areas than PVA. It basically works just like the clear acrylic glues that are used for clear parts, just that it dries flat instead of gloss.



It was necessary to clamp one end of the gearbox down to its mount to keep the EZ Line "drive belt" to the generator from pulling the gearbox out of alignment.

Happy modeling!

Superb work there, Mike!

@ Bob: Thanks, Bob! See ya in about a month at the Fayetteville AMPS show.

Well, I think I'm about ready to be done with the gearbox compartment.

All of the parts have been installed and the rear deck support and cooling air outlet grates and upper rear hull have been added.











I have made the gearbox compartment deck removable. I added two small brass wire pins in the bottom rear edge of the deck which fit into corresponding holes on the rear deck support. These pins will keep the deck aligned without the need for any glue, so when all is said and done, I should be able to lift off the deck and view this detail if desired.

For basic viewing, though, the two side maintenance doors on the deck will be displayed open which should give a decent look inside (at least as well as the crew had when servicing the beastie).

So, time to move on to some other part of the build...

Happy modeling!

As I sit here looking at the pictures and drooling all over my keyboard, I'm not really sure that any words can convey my thoughts at this stage......

Gary

Damn fine work. Can almost smell the fuel and grease.

Kimmo

Looks amazing; I think you got a pretty good balance on the weathering.

Looking forward to seeing what's next.

Ok,I have run out of cool things to say long ago. I am happy to see you concentrating on another Commonwealth project after that spectacular Bren Carrier.
I managed to miss the update before this one. That trans and final drive compt. is superb my friend.
J

Geez Mike... All I can say is WOW! From the looks of the sponson pictures you have similar plans for the fighting compartment.How about the turret?

Great work! Keep at it!
Pete

@ Gary, Kimmo and Christopher: Thank you, gentlemen! I appreciate you checking in and all the kind words.

@ Jer: No worries, old friend. I know you're checking in from time to time. Yea, this one is another Commonwealth project, but I'm getting in my dotage to where the research challenges are just about as much fun as the modeling. This has been a very educational build so far.

I knew next to nothing about the Churchill before I started, and now I can at least correctly spell the tank's name 3 out of 5 times. (OK, ok... 2 out of 5 times... but at least I'm improving!)

@ Pete: Well, hello, Pete! Nice to see you here on Armorama. I appreciate you checking out the Churchill project and the kind words.

In answer to your question, I'm afraid that the gearbox compartment is pretty much it for the interior work on this beastie. I will have at least one of the turret hatches open, but there will be a figure filling it up. All the rest of the hatches will be closed.

My initial plans for the vignette was to depict a re-fuel and re-arm pause at an after-action rendezvous point. The original composition had, as part of the fueling operation, a motorcycle being topped-off next the rear of the tank. But on reflection, things were compositionally a bit one-sided and unbalanced.

I have a couple of technical features that I want to show off in a particular way, so that precluded rearranging those elements to achieve more balance in that direction.

So... I decided to move the cycle and have the tank itself being fueled, but as luck would have it, the Churchill fuel fillers are INTERNAL to the gearbox compartment.

Oh no, no simple Sherman tank-like "flip open the fuel filler covers and have at boys" for the ol' Churchill. Why, that would just be too simple! For the Churchill, it's break out the wrenches and lever up those d@*ned heavy hatches and watch out for the blazin' hot exhaust stacks while being careful you're not spilling flammable liquids down into the bowels of your tank...

Anyhoo...

Once I decided to open the maintenance hatches on the deck to access the fuel fillers, the rest of the detail had to be added.

Down the research rabbit-hole I went, and the further I went, the more details I found. This entire segue has just been about building some place to stick the gas... (oops, sorry, Keith!) the "PETROL" into the tank.

Now that that's been taken care of, I can move on to the rest of the build.

Stay tuned. Hopefully I'll have some equally interesting stuff coming up.

Happy modeling!

Having a rough, very rough idea of what your display will look like, I am looking forward to seeing a couple (few) of well painted Brits on and around the vehicle. Of course I bet you have located a few 'Flimsies' to add another dimension to the 'thing' your also dragging behind the Churchill.

If not I have a few spares from a well respected Canadian model company

Keep up the great work and according to the weather forcast you should have plenty of time over the next few days to work on this unless you have webbed feet!


Keith.