Gary's 17 Pounder

[Gary Richardson]

Good afternoon

I have made some more progress on the 17 PDR while waiting for the storm to blow through. The large moulding to the right of the breech block has been added and the brake detailing has also been glued to the stud axles. Now the wheels are on it will be easier to move the gun. The shields are ready for the supports to be attached which have also been top coated.
I have started marking up the handle locations and tool holder locations where I need to drill the fixing holes on the trail arms. There are a lot of Dave's extras to fix in place plus lots of sanding for the plastic parts, car filler will be used to hide the joins in the trail arm plates.
The Armorpax details make a huge difference to the look of the gun and I must repeat what a good job Dave has done, there is some very fine detail especially on the gun sight and brake components. Also a big thankyou to Armortek for a fine kit.

Regards
Gary

Its a big beast of a gun

[Robert E Morey]

Gary,
Thats looking really good. Those Armorpax detail kits are really something!
Bob

[Gary Richardson]

Gary,
Thats looking really good. Those Armorpax detail kits are really something!
Bob

Hi Bob

Thanks, the Armorpax extras are excellent. I have many bits of bling from Dave and Mark Lawson on my Tiger 1 and more recently the Churchill AVRE.
it all adds to the realism.
I just hope my weathering is up to scratch having seen what Dave has done on the 17 PDR.

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

I hope you are all well and looking forward to the Christmas break.
I have made some progress on the trail arms and started adding the fixtures and fittings. The large tool box was going to be a problem as I may need to remove it and make a useable box with a lid and a metal tray for it to sit on. In the end I decided to drill through the trail arm and use 2.5mm threaded rods with a securing nut on the inside of the arm.
My friend Pat kindly gave me an early Christmas present, a Canadian publication about the 17 PDR. This was very timely and has clear photos and a scale line drawing. It appears the trail arm fixings and fittings varied so I have gone for the one that looked most interesting. It is similar to Dave's set up with a few tweaks.
The next step is to add all the plastic 'welded plates' to the top and bottom of the trail arms. I am also going to round off the edges on the seat bracket and make a different seat holder.

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

As it is fairly mild this morning I managed to get the shields and assorted parts top coated and varnished. The shields are now ready to attach to the frame. I have also been adding the fixings to the second trail arm and only have the spade holders left to do before the plastic parts are attached.
There are still some welds to add to the trail arm components which I will try to get done in between the Guide Dog collections.

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Happy New Year everyone.

I have now fixed the shields in place and made a start on adding the plastic additions to the trail arms. Next step is sanding the plastic plates to the correct thickness and filling any gaps. I did have to move two of the metal tool holders as they fouled the spade movement, it was just a couple of millimetres so no big deal.
I have been using Araldite for all the additional fixings and so far it has worked very well. The 17 PDR seat is also being worked on and I am rounding off the edges on the bracket prior to undercoating the assembly, I am probably going to make a new seat post holder out of brass but will see if there is a decent photo in any of my books to get the correct profile. I am also adding the rest of the welds to the trail arms once I have the sanding completed. There may be a pause as it is cold and icy outside and I am not looking forward to working in the garage/workshop.

Regards
Gary
P.S.
I will post better photos later.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Yet another small job completed. I have added the Milliput welds to the towing plates at the end of the trail arms. For those who may be new to detailing I have added a photo of the tools I made for doing different types and widths of welds. They have certainly made it easier to get the weld effects, especially on the Churchill AVRE whose turret has three different types of welds.

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Despite the freezing weather I managed to get some more painting completed on the 17 PDR. The towing array, tool box and seat are ready to be attached once the trail arms are finished.

Regards
Gary

Etch primed prior to red oxide layer

Starting the top coat

Top coated with SCC15

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

A bit more progress has been made on the trail arms. The large plastic plates have been sanded smooth and to the correct thickness and I have attached the welded strengtheners plus the fixing just in front of them.
Can anyone confirm what the fixing is for, I suspect it was the attachment point for the caster wheel that was used to help manoeuvre the gun but haven't been able to confirm this. Answers on a post card please

Regards
Gary

[Steve Lewington]

Hi Garry
It just keeps getting better and better.
Nice one mate.

Regards

Steve and Tiny

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Garry
It just keeps getting better and better.
Nice one mate.

Regards

Steve and Tiny

Hi Steve and Tiny

Thanks, I am enjoying this build. It's a really nice kit and Dave's add on parts are brilliant. A really good project for the cold winter evenings.
I should get the second trail arm completed today and hopefully start the priming.

Regards
Gary

[Steve Lewington]

Hi Gary
The little guy is loving the build.
I brought him a pak 43 and printed some 88 shell's for him last week all good.
OMG he said he would like a 17 pounder so he could build it on his own and make it just like yours.
My wallet is having a nervous breakdown lol
Keep up thegreat work.
Best Regards
Steve and Tiny

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

I managed to get the garage warm enough to spray the etch primer on the trail arms. Hate to think what my electric bill will be. There was quite a bit of fine filling to do where there were slight gaps at the welds on the metal fittings, simply used my finger to smooth the filler in then continue the weld marks so it blended in.
Hi Tiny, glad you like the 17 PDR, I have added a couple of close up photos of the seat I recently attached, hope you get one someday.

Regards
Gary