benskipper Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 (edited) HI All, Well I have a break(ish) from college work and a weeks leave from work so time to crack on with the next project, a Challenger 1! I built the original Tamiya model years ago not long after it was first released (bought it from Beatties in Notts opposite the Odeon, both are now but a memory). I bought this one from Hannants in the summer as a little treat to myself. She'll have Eduard ecthed goodies, and a few alterations to the body work once my Osprey book comes... She'll be pained up as KRH vehicle as used in Op Agricola 1 in 1999. Those of us there may well remember these things tearing up the Dragodan (now called Arbëria as Dragodan is a Serbian Name) racing snatch landies and VW Golfs up the hill towards Film City, ahh happy days! Here's whats been done so far... Filler...just a bit PE going on Edited May 30, 2011 by benskipper 1
Iain Ogilvie Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 Oooh - interesting - I have one of these to build as a change of pace from wingy things - so will be following closely. Lots of pix and tips pleeeze! Iain (who's only built one tank thingy in the last millenia - but rather enjoyed it!)
Stormbringer Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 Very nice indeed. Are you going to be using the Echelon decal set on this one? Pete
benskipper Posted January 2, 2011 Author Posted January 2, 2011 Very nice indeed. Are you going to be using the Echelon decal set on this one?Pete Oh yes. KRH details are the bad lads for me.
Stormbringer Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 Echelon do do some rather nice decal sets for both Challenger I and II. I have both sets somewhere at home. Pete
benskipper Posted January 6, 2011 Author Posted January 6, 2011 Slowly getting there. I'll have some new photo's to publish very soon.
Mantog Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 I notice the Tamiya Mk1 turret has raised writing on top, just like the Challenger 2 I built, what's that all about?! I filed/sanded it off mine, can't remember what it said
benskipper Posted January 7, 2011 Author Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) I notice the Tamiya Mk1 turret has raised writing on top, just like the Challenger 2 I built, what's that all about?! I filed/sanded it off mine, can't remember what it said It was the FV number (which in later turrets was moved to the hatch behind the operator/loader cupola) Turret type etc and barrel type. The last 2 were deleated in later turrets esp after Op Granby where barrels were changed. I'll be leaving mine on...'cause I can. muhahaha Edited January 7, 2011 by benskipper
benskipper Posted January 9, 2011 Author Posted January 9, 2011 (edited) So far I've worked mainly on the turret. I've flattened the front glasis plate and added some PE to the rear deck. The turret is about 70% complete. Here's some photo's to whet your appitites... Front Galsis plate insert with welding restored. Extra storage on port side of turret, both items were left over from my AFV Club Scimitar build last year. Smoke laucher welding added. Turret slowly getting there. Basket on rear of rear stowage bin is for water. The turret is straight forward enough to build, but you will end up using filler. Regarding the hull all I've added is the top rollers, skirt hangers and rear bulkhead as alot of stuff could get damaged by my ham fistedness during building. If you're planning on using the Eduard PE set the tool placment points on the Startboard rear of hull need to be filled in prior to popping on the PE goodies. Edited January 9, 2011 by benskipper 1
benskipper Posted February 27, 2011 Author Posted February 27, 2011 (edited) Finally got my modellling Mojo back courtsey of the M109. You know how it gets you start with all the best intentions then...urghhhh, NFI sets in for no reason. This evening I've sat down and realised I hadn't approached this project in the right frame of mind, because I'm familiar with the subject matter it was all go go go which scuppered me a little. Anyhoo time to be a little an@l about the whole thing and look at it properly, so instead of doing EVERYTHING at once, I'm going to concenrtrate on the turret and work through that BEFORE I do anything else. First off the large recess for the road warning light was filled in with some old sprue... ...I've also added the rear access hatch bolts, both top and bottom... ...next the water filler cover cap restraining chain. It's a little too long, but I'm not going to loose any sleep over that... ...and finally the reinforcing strips were shaped... ...my original intention was to make the strips wide enough for the shape to be cut out once glued and dry, however I think I may have left it a little too long, so all I've done is added heat stretch sprue and placed it in the rough posiitons ready for sanding and trimming up. The result should be just right. The next step is to look at the top of the turret and crack on with that. I did toy with chaning the basket from a Mk1 to a Mk3, but after speaking with someone in the know the early Mk3's retained the old Mk1 basket. Edited February 27, 2011 by benskipper 1
benskipper Posted March 6, 2011 Author Posted March 6, 2011 (edited) Right then, that's the front turret plate complete. The stretched spure reinforceing areas have been sanded flush with the main plastic acrd areas, so once painted they should 'mould in'. I've removed all of the various moulded on hatch handles and hanging lopps and replaced these with various diameter wire. Top Tip sandwich tie wraps are idea for hanging loops, I use 0.5mm wire for this, which Tesco's supply with their basics sandwich bags, you get 50, so 1 lot alone should last several models. For the hatch handles I use 0.75mm wire, this is recycled paking twists from electircal goods, normally keeping the power lead nice and neat. This is the rear hatch behind the commnaders hatch, I've removed the moulded square side bars and replaced with stretched spure to reflect the true to life circular one, the handle is as described... ...the rear ammo loading hatch behind the operator/loaders hatch has had the same guage wire inserted for the handles (0.75mm). Note the sprue filler is now sanded down and welding line replaced.. ...the offside of the turret front now complete with smake discharge units in place and wire load loops. These are 0.50mm wire and have been uniformly spaced across the turret by inserting a 1mm metal slide between the turret and the loop during gluing, jobs a good 'un... ..the nearside turret front with camnet basket. the black lines along the top are stretched spure shapeded into weld lines. The baskets mesh are from the Eduard kit, and offer a good, more realistic alternative to the Tamiya nylon mesh. The gun barrel. I neglected to photo this in full, glue it in stages with liquid poly from the barrel FRONT. Unfortunately no matter what you do you will get a seam line which requires a bit of work with a knife, and a small amount of filler around the recouperator, but aside from this the barrel is spot on. I had looked at getting an AA resin barrel, but glad I took some time and effort on this. Next stage the nearside turret side, rear of turret and rear turret top. Edited March 6, 2011 by benskipper 1
benskipper Posted March 12, 2011 Author Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) Time for another weekly update. This time the rear bin cover and turret top have been tackled, I know I mentioned the turret n/s in my last post, but I've got to sort out the PE. This week I've completed the don 10 reel carrier, detailed the bin lid so it's a little more accurate and added the track tensioning tools to the turret roof as well as the antenna housings. So without further ado some pics for you all. The Don 10 reel carrier handle was copied from an extention reel I have at the guest house, the reel actually rotates as well, though completely useless and perhaps going a little too far... ..now in place with the reworked storage bin cover in place in the background, the hinge bolts are merely stretched sprue glued into a 0.45mm hole drilled into the angled pieces side... ..now the back is complete with all the relevant hinging in place and cover handles in place, again 0.75mm wire. The plastic track tension tools have been replaced by brass rod, with the shaped plastic ends of the tamiya parts removed and glued on the 90 degree rod which goes from the socket to the long bar. The long bar is open at one end and slots in the bent bar's long end to provide extra leverage when adjusting the front idler wheel. This is done by attaching the large socket to a corresponding bolt on the inner hull side and then having several blokes bounce up and down on the 2 rods to tighten the track. These bars are soon bent and don't last terribly long. The tools were placed on the roof as the additional hull front armour covers the original poistions in front of the driver. Note the socket is secured by a large vertical rod to prevent forward movement in transit. The next stage is the commanders cupola and the last of the PE for the turret. Edited March 12, 2011 by benskipper 1
benskipper Posted March 28, 2011 Author Posted March 28, 2011 Hi All, Apologies for the delay in the next stage, but college work has reared its ugly head again. However some work has been done and the Turret is Complete!! I'll be posting pics tomorrow night. Thanks for bearing with me. Ben
benskipper Posted March 30, 2011 Author Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) Hi All, Well thats the turret ready for priming and painting and I've now turned my attention to the hull, the top of which is done, this time I'll be working from the rear forwards. So with out further ado here's some photo's. Note the commander main perisope is a single casting so a little filler is required... ... the remote command wire for the cupole mounted gimpy firing mechanism is in place and the loose strand is the power wire for the small white light searchlight. This will be mounted, like the main gun, after painting... ...and the final pieces of reinforcing for the TOGS sight now in place... ...the top of the hull has been treated to Eduard PE grills and fuel tank covers. I've also removed the moudled on anchour points and replaced these with wire. The air cond unit has had its grills covered also in fine mesh. the black tubes are for the fuel tank overflows. Edited March 30, 2011 by benskipper 1
benskipper Posted April 6, 2011 Author Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) How the week has flown! The back of the hull is almost complete now and she's starting to really take shape. The pics are pretty much self explanatory. At this point I must say that all this detailing is me being a bit of a spotter. The kit is fantasic as an OOB build any additions are me trying to capture the type of vehicle I managed to get my only 252 via FMT3 on! So without further ado... I've blacked off large gap above the the rear drive with some strategically placed plasticard, and added the missing piece of hull which hangs over the tracks. This actually gives the upper hull greater rigidity and if anything I would recommend doing with on similar builds as it makes the world of difference... ...next shot shows the rear of the hull and whats been done so far. This piece fits well but the guide lugs which slot into the side of the lower hull will need some filler to keep them hidden.... ...next the gun cradle. In reality this is a mass of welds, so these were added, along with a retaining strap for the rear mount water can... ...the next bit to get some detail are the spare fuel drum carrier mounting plates. Tamiya have done a great job on these, to be honest, unless your not mounting the drums, and even then with a little work these will come up nicely. I've added some CMK 1mm bolt heads as these plates are bolted as opposed to welded onto the rear hull plate... ...the wire running into the rear light cluster is replicating the power trunking, with a quater circle juntion box on the end. The black lines that are visable are the welds for the various hooks, and fittings. As I intend to mount the drums I've given these a bit of attention. Firstly I added a 1mm bras rod to run along the bottom of the carrier. The profile of the carrier is a little too angular, so this was sanded down. Next I added a bar for the strop tether points with a couple of thin copper wire loops through which some masking tape was threaded to simulate the strops. the moulded on strops were removed witha rotary tool and sanded to give a decent finish.TOP TIP - if you do this and the plastic is scored by the sanding paper then brush on some lquid poly and this will smoooth the area over.. ..again the top and bottom of the drums had some stretch sprue glued around the side to simulate the strengthening bands... Next time I'll have the rear complete and will move on to the upper rear of the hull. Eh Osprey guides have nothing on me, ladies and gentleman I'm on a mission and throughly enjoying it!! Edited April 6, 2011 by benskipper
Irishgreek Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 Your Challenger is looking great. I was curious what that stand is that you were using to hold the model? Looks pretty useful.
benskipper Posted April 6, 2011 Author Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) Hi Irish, Thanks chap. The stand is this one: Donna Dewberry Stand. I believe you can grab one stateside quite easily on line. It's the best piece of kit I've bought in months, it really is worth it's weight in gold. Came in very handy for the turret part of the build. Edited April 6, 2011 by benskipper
Irishgreek Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 Thanks Benskipper! I just ordered one from Amazon. Keep up the great work on that Beast of yours! You have any pictures of yours from KFOR days?
Mike Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 A n'intrestin' thread... a Chally I isn't one I possess at the moment, but I quite fancy one now... damn your eyes!
benskipper Posted April 7, 2011 Author Posted April 7, 2011 A n'intrestin' thread... a Chally I isn't one I possess at the moment, but I quite fancy one now... damn your eyes! You know you want to...
benskipper Posted April 7, 2011 Author Posted April 7, 2011 (edited) Thanks Benskipper!I just ordered one from Amazon. Keep up the great work on that Beast of yours! You have any pictures of yours from KFOR days? Hi Irish, After my 'incident' with a chally the powers that be thought this would be far better (and cheaper to repair) for me to play with... ...though my boss thought this would have been far safer... Edited April 7, 2011 by benskipper
benskipper Posted April 10, 2011 Author Posted April 10, 2011 (edited) Well thats the rear now completed, both back and top! This week I have been cooking on gas and she's starting to take shape. The next step is the fornt glacis plate, which needs a bit of work and may take a while, though the speed I'm getting through things at the mo' who knows? Here whats been done so far. The rear mounted med box is fitted and has PE latches fitted. Top tip the bottom is hollow so I glued it onto thin plasticard before mounting on the nearside rear light cluster... ...the rear mudglaps were way to thick, so again these were replaced and the rivets made from stretched sprue and inserted into 0.4mm holes... ...next the spare track on the nearside was glued into place, whilst the offside was left off and the PE hangers put in place. the remaining track will be used later in the build... ...the welds for the rear hull plate were then added... ...the spare fuel drums are now mounted and the molded on strops replaced with masking tape. The wider sections on the strop spread the load of the strops to prevent damage to the drum... ...the tools are now in place on the rear hull. The pick handle is from the spares box, whilst the drawbar is a skipper special item made from 1mm copper and flattened accordingly... So there you have it. until next time... Edited April 10, 2011 by benskipper
benskipper Posted April 24, 2011 Author Posted April 24, 2011 (edited) Christos Anesti!! Well that's the sides completed. I decided against doing the whole gap thing as to be honest it would be more agro than it was worth and settled for the 'hint' so to speak, and make up with the main details of the side skirting. Tamiya have done a fantastic job representing this, and with little effort it can be enhanced even more so. The front of the skirting recieved the hanger plate just before the external fire extinguisher activator handle. I also added a couple of bolt heads to the top of the steel rope housing. I removed the Tamiya platic rope and relpaced with some hand made copper wire twisted to shape... ...The rear also reived some bolt head, and the rear most plate of the skirting hand bent wire attachment points added... ...next the front recieved the headlights, which have been grinded out and the power wire to the drivers wiper system has been added... ...next the PE details and the other bits and bods and then it'll be ready for the paint shop... Edited April 25, 2011 by benskipper
Stormbringer Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 You Sir have a lot more patience than I do. very nice indeed. Pete
bruce3371 Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 Very nice, my Tamiya original Chally 1 feels so inadequate now lol
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