A Chequered Chieftain at #10

[Phil Woollard]

I have another chieftain to build Richard so if your going to offer the stillbrew sections for sale that gives us the option to build later mks. So we may be joining you!

[Richard Goodwin]

Just scoping the level of interest at the moment Phil; if its not there, I may just keep it as a one off besides, Its a long way off at the moment as my visit this morning to the Muck Mk10 demonstrated to me

[Richard Goodwin]

Stillbrew progress update..

After my visit to the Muck Mk10, I've had to extend and reshape the front part of the stillbrew. Sometimes, pictures just aren't enough and you need to see the real thing since believe it or not, pictures can lead you astray Here's a side view of the extended and remodelled front.....

I have also now formed the basis of the left cheek and started some approximate shaping including the cut out for the searchlight door to open into however, the power file decided it had had enough so its now on the way back for a warranty repair. Here are some pics though...

Hopefully, it should be back in a couple of weeks

In the meantime, if anyone is visiting a Mk10/11, please could you measure the width of the left side rear of the stillbrew as shown in the pic below......

I have estimated it to be around 135mm full scale but it would be good to know just how close that estimate is? It would be appreciated, thank you.

[Richard Goodwin]

Ok so with a replacement file now received, I did some more carving on the left cheek last week. I had another visit to the Muck Mk10 today to check what I'd done; alas, looks like I've got to build it up again on the end of the cheek to reshape again

I also decided whilst there to do some more measurements on the armoured electrical outlet. Why, because 43mm seemed a little large for the model side armour! This is what I found......btw, all measurements are in 1/6 scale!!

Diameter = 43.3mm
Depth = 16.6mm
Side armour height = 63.3mm

On returning home, I measured the same on the model:

Diameter = 34.0mm
Depth = 11.9mm
Side armour height = 53mm

Now lets calculate a scaling factor using the side armour measurements, clearly we need a scaling factor smaller than 1 since our model is smaller:

SF = 53/63.3 - 0.776

If we now adjust the actual measurements by the Scale Factor, we get the following:

43.3 x 0.776 = 33.6mm
16.6 x 0.776 = 12.9mm

if we compare these with that of the model, we see that the Armortek supplied outlet is within 1mm of whats required from an aesthetic view point when compared to the side armour height, dimensionally, its inaccurate. You may recall that earlier, I had considered it needed to move to the left by 30mm when I was setting out my Berlin skirting pattern; it also needs to go down a little as well!

Best recover it from the scrap bin now

Hope this helps some people.

[John Clarke]

Hi Richard, with a grinding clunk of the brain, your saying some scale parts on Chieftain (hull side armor height from the mud guard up) are at a scale of 1:6.776?
So I can utilize the original dozer round box with a few tweeks. cool

The "Blaupunkt" dial knob at around 41mm suggested and cut earlier with a squinty eye is now consigned to the spares bin. Not so cool.
(Still, it does save on the chiseling of the slots which were always going to be wonky).

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I think I'm just going to stretch or squeeze a few lines and hope for the best.

I know, it's a Mk3s, but it is the right colour.
"Red's dead baby"

[Greg Clement]

This photo may help you to decide, it measures approx 41mm in diameter.

[Greg Clement]

oops! Pressed submit too soon.

I actually think the original supplied with the kit is too small but one made to the correct scale (ish) is too big. I will probably reduce the above by about 5mm diameter and see what that looks like.

[Richard Goodwin]

John,

Not quite! To put it another way, my winkie pot wouldn't look out of scale next to the armoured outlet

Greg,

Nice work I assume it was milled? Wish I had one of them but sadly, I couldn't fit it in my garage More pics please

[John Clarke]

Super work Greg,
I'd be pleased with the one you made, especially with the appendage added. If you chuck it, can you nip it in the post to me.

On the original, I look at the bolts and I think is there a special wafer thin socket to get them out or is it just lots of slapped on layers of paint and the bolts are not really that big, I've experimented with 2.5 AF bolts and 3mm AF bolts. The 2.5mm bolts are practical but look too small, I think the 3mm are impractical but look good filling out the slot. I am using the original model dozer round box supplied with a few tweaks.

Richard
I knew it wouldn't be simple, if you were to measure the width of the model tank and it being correct, would the depth of the dozer round box be correct 1:6 scale? 16.6mm. It looks a little too stand off- ish with that depth, so I'm plumbing for around 14-15 mm depth.
I know, I think too much.

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[Richard Goodwin]

Correct John or at least I think so Personally, I think increasing the depth will make the diameter appear larger than it is because the side armour is sloped. Difficult to know what's right in these circumstances, it's a suck it and see moment I think

[Mark Heaps]

On the original, I look at the bolts and I think is there a special wafer thin socket to get them out or is it just lots of slapped on layers of paint and the bolts are not really that big,

Lots of slapped on paint over the years in a museum. A standard socket would have fitted in the field but no need to undo them unless there was an urgent & compelling battle-field reason to transfer the dozer kit from one tank to another.
The cover plate would normally only ever have been removed back at Base overhaul and then only likely if the tank could possibly be changing from non-dozer to dozer, or dozer to non-dozer.

[John Clarke]

Hi Mark
That's my kind of paint job. Slap it on. "It's a tank"
Glad you said it was museum quality.
Always wanted a museum quality model.

[Mark Heaps]

Hi John,
Slapping the paint on did not always work.

Whilst QRIH were changing from Chieftain to Challenger, a young guy arriving into the fitter section was given the task of touching up the paintwork on a Chiefy ARV to keep him occupied whilst we were sorting out the next couple of Chiefys to be backloaded.

Keen to impress, he reported the following morning that he had stayed late the previous evening & re-painted the whole vehicle by hand as the stores section had provided enough paint for him to do it.

Fantastic, apart from the fact that when getting the paint, he had not specified matt, the stores section knew he was a new guy and they had an adundance of gloss that they wished to get rid of.

We had one very shiny ARV, and the new guy was occupied for the next day painting it again.

Mark

[Greg Clement]

Apologies for high jacking your build thread Richard, but thought I would put up this final photo of resized electrical output box. This is 37mm in diameter.

[John Clarke]

Greg
I'm sure any part of the Chieftain Clan would be welcome to contribute on any of the few Chieftain builds on the forum.
I'm sure Richard and myself would be happy for constructive comments good and bad, Especially if we can help each other.
On my part tooling is limiting, but ideas and supply would always be welcome if not here bang it on my Topic.
The dozer box looks great. I see some rear turret tray deck support and is that a possible flat rear deck?
Great stuff.