Up Detailing the A34 Comet from Bronco
United States
Joined: October 14, 2012
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Posted: Sunday, March 27, 2016 - 10:24 PM UTC
I'm starting something old this time.
I have had this kit and parts laying around for quite a while, and figured I'd build it while waiting for the Tracked Scud launcher to arrive .
There are some push pin spots that need trimming before the bottom rear panel can be installed.
The outer side panels need some push pin marks filled.
United States
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Posted: Sunday, March 27, 2016 - 10:32 PM UTC
The Legend Tow assembly looks a little short.
I know this kit is supposed to be a XXXX But XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
(Hey maby it will work)
There HAPPY NOW?
Donald
Quebec, Canada
Joined: January 01, 2004
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Posted: Monday, March 28, 2016 - 07:34 PM UTC
How is it a "dog of a kit"? May not be up to 2016 standards, and it needs the usual tweaks of most kits, anyway. Terry Ashley "highly" recommended it.
United States
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Posted: Monday, March 28, 2016 - 11:21 PM UTC
Quoted Text
How is it a "dog of a kit"? May not be up to 2016 standards, and it needs the usual tweaks of most kits, anyway. Terry Ashley "highly" recommended it.
Terry might recommend it, but I wouldn't The fit isn't all that great, the tracks that come with it need replacing that's why I have the indi tracks. The instructions are hard to read on some sections.
Donald
United States
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Posted: Monday, March 28, 2016 - 11:22 PM UTC
I finished the upper hull.
I removed the molded on engine deck handles and replaced them with thin solder.
I'll be starting the turret next, I wonder how the Legend detail set is going to fit? I haven't had much luck with their stuff.
donald
New Jersey, United States
Joined: March 15, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 12:13 AM UTC
United States
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 12:44 AM UTC
Ok it's not a dog.
If you look up at Pic. #5 I said that from what I read that it was suppose to be a dog. I never said it actually was a dog.
The pics in the links are quite impressive I wonder if the Legend turret that I have will fit?
I haven't had much luck with their stuff, as in trying their M88A2 conversion . Every thing there was too small.
Donald
CMOT
Editor-in-ChiefEngland - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: May 14, 2006
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 01:20 AM UTC
I would say that Donald is entitled to call the model whatever he wishes. he purchased the model and he is building it. Even a dog can have pedigree!
Quebec, Canada
Joined: January 01, 2004
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 03:52 AM UTC
If I call Dragon's Tiger I a "dog of a kit", I think I would receive a lot of flak, even if I am entitled to call it such!
New South Wales, Australia
Joined: February 28, 2006
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 04:28 AM UTC
Looking forward to the blog of a kit I personally wouldn't call a dog but that just goes to show how far we have come over the last ten years since this was released to great applause from long suffering fans of British Armour. I bought the latest release which has a few minor changes from the original plus the indy tracks and hope to add Fabio Sacchi's excellent roadwheels to mine. This kit was certainly on par with any DML Allied (and most of the German) releases at the time and I'm looking forward to how your build comes out. It's great to see these being built. It's such a pity that the British couldn't have had them in time for D-Day although I would say the losses would have been pretty similar in Normandy due to the Attack vs Defence factors.
Al
United States
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 06:32 PM UTC
OK now to stir up some more trouble.
I give you LEGENDS Update Set.
The Bronco turret top is 62mm Wide.
And 53mm long
United States
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 06:41 PM UTC
The Legend Turret Top is only 60mm Wide, that's 2mm too narrow.
And 52mm Long , that's 1mm short.
The Legend Mantlet is also short on both sides.
Like so.
United States
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 06:48 PM UTC
The Bronco Resin Mantlet fits really good.
You need to make a cut out on the bottom so it clears the Turret Ring.
Don't forget to remove the 2 smoke grenade mounting strips if you are building the WW2 version .
United States
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 06:58 PM UTC
For those of you who wonder why I have both the Legend and the Bronco Mantlets , I picked this kit up at a model show. The Bronco Mantlet and Metal Gun Barrel was in the kit box. Not bad for $15.
I bought the Legend set to detail up the build.
Man was that a mistake. As you can see above all the Legend parts are too small.
Donald
Wojewodztwo Pomorskie, Poland
Joined: May 26, 2003
KitMaker: 1,208 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 07:21 PM UTC
Hi Donald,
I liked Bronco's comet kit, the only real pain are the tracks and molded on grab handles on the engine deck, never noticed any fit problems.
The legend detail set can be ditched altogether. The parts shrunk over time, when I built mine Comet in 2007 or so the replacement parts were perfect fit, I had painted basic colors and shelved it due to lack of interest. Now in 2015 I noticed that the turret roof had become too small and got a bit of sag, had to remove it and reinstall kits plastic turret roof, turret front with mantlet, I will sculpt my own canvas cover from putty (but you will be set with just using Bronco's resin part). All in all the only resin left are the periscopes and rear tow pintle details. I even used kits plastic commanders cupola, it only needs to have the periscopes added from sheet styrene and its good, also you should glue a strip of styrene around it to make the armored collar taller (up to the cupolas sill if this makes sense).
Cheers,
Greg
For those about to rock, we salute you!
Telemark, Norway
Joined: March 24, 2015
KitMaker: 69 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 07:26 PM UTC
I've built this kit, and cannot remember any fit issues at all. Can't remember it being in need of much filler either.
I used an LionMarc mantlet and barrel on mine, very nice.
I'm sure you're aware of this, but just in case, the commander's cupola needs fixing in the kit. The rotating part of it (which holds the periscopes), sits on to of the ring as it comes in the kit, but it should actually sit inside this ring. I made it fit by sanding down the rotating part and scraping the insides of the ring it fits into.
Is this rectified in the Legend turret, btw? And the resin mantlet you're fitting to the Bronco plastic, it looks like it may fit the Legend turret well, if the latter is slightly too small.
And how do you know that the Legend turret is indeed too small, and not the Bronco turret too big? Compared to the real thing, that is.
Cheers!
Arild
Quebec, Canada
Joined: January 01, 2004
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 07:46 PM UTC
It would seem that the kit is not so much of a dog as is the AM parts for it!
Wojewodztwo Pomorskie, Poland
Joined: May 26, 2003
KitMaker: 1,208 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 07:59 PM UTC
Quoted Text
I've built this kit, and cannot remember any fit issues at all. Can't remember it being in need of much filler either.
I used an LionMarc mantlet and barrel on mine, very nice.
I'm sure you're aware of this, but just in case, the commander's cupola needs fixing in the kit. The rotating part of it (which holds the periscopes), sits on to of the ring as it comes in the kit, but it should actually sit inside this ring. I made it fit by sanding down the rotating part and scraping the insides of the ring it fits into.
Is this rectified in the Legend turret, btw? And the resin mantlet you're fitting to the Bronco plastic, it looks like it may fit the Legend turret well, if the latter is slightly too small.
And how do you know that the Legend turret is indeed too small, and not the Bronco turret too big? Compared to the real thing, that is.
Cheers!
Arild
Arlid, Legend set offers only turret roof and front with canvas which should fit the kit's parts as it was designed to, but they used some sort of unstable resin (this is not the only Legends set that has this issue) so it shrunk over time, as I wrote a bit earlier when new, it matched perfectly.
You will have the commanders cupola sitting too low if you make it fit in the collar provided in the kit, so you should ultimately make the collar taller around the cupola, I'll post a photo of needed modification later when I get back home.
Greg
For those about to rock, we salute you!
New York, United States
Joined: March 04, 2015
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 08:18 PM UTC
I've built this kit twice...both Mk1As, I still have two in my stash...one will be a Mk1B. One was done out of box, and the other was done with the Bronco After Market Barrel and Mantle. I don't consider this kit a Dog, and had no trouble with the track. It's on par with most kits of the era.
What I did have to do was add head pads for the inside of the hatches.
Telemark, Norway
Joined: March 24, 2015
KitMaker: 69 posts
Armorama: 69 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 08:55 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Arlid, Legend set offers only turret roof and front with canvas which should fit the kit's parts as it was designed to, but they used some sort of unstable resin (this is not the only Legends set that has this issue) so it shrunk over time, as I wrote a bit earlier when new, it matched perfectly.
Ah OK. That kinda sucks.
Quoted Text
You will have the commanders cupola sitting too low if you make it fit in the collar provided in the kit, so you should ultimately make the collar taller around the cupola, I'll post a photo of needed modification later when I get back home.
Hmm... I will have to live with a too low cupola then, as I've "fixed" it in the manner I described. And which was suggested by a guy I regard as an authority on the subject, so I took his word at face value. I can live with it as it is. I only built it to go together with my F01 Tiger I hybrid, anyway.
Thanks for the info, Greg!
Arild
PS I substituted the kit rubber band tracks with Bronco's workable set, as I found the rubber band tracks to be very tight. Too tight for comfort. And the workable set which Donald is using also, is very nice, easy to assemble and rather affordable.
Wojewodztwo Pomorskie, Poland
Joined: May 26, 2003
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 09:40 PM UTC
Scratch that Arlid, you did the cupola the right way!
What I did was to match the collar height as in the Legends detail set, which after looking at photos of actual comets looks to be of the wrong height, it should roughly match the highest points of the bullet splash in front of the collar, so broncos height is ok, you just have to make cupola fit inside!
Donald, pay attention to cupolas orientation, in Bronco direction it is shown to be glued backwards! Three periscope cluster should be facing front of the turret. It is not a big mistake if someone glues it the way instructions show, as I belive the cupola ring was rotatable.
Cheers,
Greg
For those about to rock, we salute you!
New Jersey, United States
Joined: March 15, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 09:40 PM UTC
I've heard of complaints about Legends resin, but as you can see in my build (the links I posted) that mine didn't do anything funky in the 5 years or so it took me to finish it..and the fit issue on the upper turret was my fault for trimming it too much.
The kit is still my display cabinet and hasn't done anything funky since then.
England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Joined: August 09, 2009
KitMaker: 187 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 11:30 PM UTC
Hi
just got back to the old girl thanks to this thread and discoverd part E6 has gone walkes as its not needed on some replacments has any one got one spare they could let me have
New South Wales, Australia
Joined: February 28, 2006
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Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 - 02:02 AM UTC
If you have any of the AFV Club AVRE Churchill Mk III then they have a great "Spare" universal all round vision cupola which fits. You can also use the Tamiya CHurchill one which fits inside the splash ring as it should.
Al
United States
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Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 - 06:58 PM UTC
I reamed out the area for the Cupola.
Here is how the Legend parts fit
I added some periscopes from the spare parts box as none are provided in the kit.
I trimmed the edge of the Cupola to get it to fit inside the splash ring.
