00 FD 96 John's Main Contender

[John Clarke]

No32 reporting for duty Charles, a renewed enthusiasm.
After doing a few mods on Centurion recently, thought I'd have ago at the right hand side bins on Chieftain. It's nearly three years ago I started the left hand bins (x4),a long winded job of my own making with the upgrade parts and triangular bin rebuild.

So Ghetto the blaster fired up, spinning something to bring out the dead Chieftain builder. (I'm not dead)
Yes, yes, a bit of "Pendulum, some Uplifting trance and hoping to remember how I did the other lot the first time round .

More Chieftain input needed gents, don't hide them away under the bench.

[Phil Woollard]

Get on with it you guys

[John Clarke]

Thank for the prompt Phil. it's difficult build you know (yes you do) So how many Chieftains were sold? 50-60+ and we've only seen 10 ish on the forum.
I'm guessing there's quite few boxes hanging around the Chieftain owner's houses. The FBI (Forgotten Build Investigators) will be out looking out for them hopefully.

Like sleepy Joe, I've a few in the garage, but unlike Donny who keeps his in the bathroom, ballroom and storage rooms. I keep the rest in the wardrobe.

Still ploughing though the bins, not the greatest mod to the tr-angler box, but the extra 30mm length helps out on the look. The donor material came from an old video player this time. (RIP, rest in pieces)

[John Clarke]

I know it may sound painful, but here's the wear dimples and grease nipples on my sprocket.

[John Clarke]

While waffling on about the prospective of some the Chieftain parts on Charles topic No34, thought I'd better get my own house in order.
The Dozer blade control box cover casting letters needed slight adjustment. Mixing a five up with an S. Shocking. Though not as if I'm ordering the parts from stores is it?
If I don't know what the casting number is, I'll make it up. It always usually starts with FV (Fighting Vehicle?) not as if someone going to have a book on them are they? Are they? No, Don't answer that one.
Now they need a slight clean up and they should be good to go. Always a nice little bit of detailing I can actually do and their almost in the right place.
Another little one step forward.
I find the little 1's extremally difficult, as they break up on the spue, roll over on the job or flick across the room
(I also know where Renault got their inspiration from for the name of their small family hatch back too )

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[John Clarke]

Charles aging Chieftain. Hummm, they all are, well it been four years since we all salivated over the delivery dates. I bet there's a few dribblers too waiting for Leo2 News too.
Un-like Charles, my aging Chieftain's hasn't turned a track yet, does that mean it's still as new?
No, I don't think so.
Small light speckles of rust have turned up on the spare track links, making them look super! Age is not a bad thing

Liking Charles idea of uprating the barrel Flash light source, I brought a couple of high intensity bike front lights.
Battery voltage of these things is 3.7volts, If used on the tank, a small load resistor may be prudent of around 200 ohms if the measured momentary (flash) supply is a round 5volt from the flash unit.

Here's a couple of stills. I've mounted the lamp in the very nice rifling tube brought from Phil Woodard, the lamp is mounted on a insulated alloy plate and great care must be taken with the reflector to maximize the output, The reflector being clear plastic construction, was glued lightly in place with canopy glue so as not to damage the reflective surface.
Originally I was going to convert a Heng long HV flash unit, but this unit is plug and play with no buffer electronics' and no HV to give you a fizzing jolt.

I noted that Vincent thought the light too white, It is. (Blinding white this one is, even in day light )
So, I thought I'd maybe experiment with orange filters at a later date.

The main thing is to have something you can see during day light hours.

Great Idea's, keep them coming

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[John Clarke]

All this chat on the front head lights reminded me of a mod that I've been wanted to do to the head light guards.
The Armortek guards are missing a leg at the back and the shape at the rear end is a little square-ish. The mod doesn't rectify the misposition of the one of the cross bars, but it goes some way to rectifying the shape and putting the head lights towards the front of the guard as it gets a little thinner after the cut and bending.
A good epoxy to glue the joints back up and redrilled the front guard mounting holes about 5mm back towards the turret. Blanking the originals with some 3mm alloy welding rod. I used the original rear mounting holes, drilling and placing the "Extra" middle leg between them.
It's not a bad "hack"
The actual tank lamp guard.

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Original Armortek piece.

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After cutting and gentle bending.

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Fitting with the extra leg and realigning before gluing up.

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[Steve Norris]

Hi John.
Looks like a very worthwhile mod, I will be copying your example when the time comes if that’s ok.
Regards
Steve

[John Clarke]

I'm pleased you see it as a worthwhile mod Steve. I wish I could change a lot of parts to get the model closer to the original build, but the spares box would be over flowing.
BTW it's not copying its evolving

[Richard Goodwin]

Nice work John, that’s about as close as you can get to the original without totally rebuilding it so not much scope for improving

[Charles A Stewart]

Nice work John.

And thank you for the reference photo too, I wasn't to sure of the cable arrangement

So, some more basket weaving required Better order some more Weld stuff.

Cheers all.

Charles

[David Battson]

Hi John,
That's a very effective mod to the kit piece, straightening the side bars improves the look considerably, as well as the extra leg ...diddle.........

[John Clarke]

......diddle dumb!

[John Clarke]

Returned to the rear lighting this week on Chieftain, especially after seeing that impressive rear lighting set on the Leo2.
Weather's warming up a bit, so I can do a little painting too. Managed to fit both rear bins, a little big, especially now sitting on the bin trays on top of the mud guards or what ever they're called. Wiring for the lighting has been passed through 2mm plastic braid because it holds it's shape better than a previous copper version I used.
Now all I have to do wire up to the control box, so that independent switching of the side lights, registration illumination and convoy lamp can be made.
The Convoy stripes will be painted on at a later date. (10-4 Rubber duck)

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Fitted Braided wire sleeve on rear bin tray to the rear lamp housing, needs tiding fake welds and bins adding.

Bins added, pictures a bit fuzzy (flash turned off) and the registration illumination difficult to see without the numbers painted on, that and the Convoy stripes below the exhaust box enclosure and spare track links.

After dark

[John Clarke]

Once the Chieftain turret goes on, I don't want to have take it off for minor maintenance, KT was heavy, but Chieftain is far worse. So with the T cross plate removed access to the majority of the control gear was a priority.
You'll Probably notice I didn't use the Red B ESC box. The Taranis X9D plus didn't like it, causing all sorts of problems with traverse control. Replaced it with a good old electronise ESC and painted it red.
It happens.
The lighting at the rear is completed and tested from the transmitter. There'll be four modes, off, IR and convoy lamp, side and rear lights and finally the full house with head lights.
With the higher performance speakers I don't have to worry about master volume position. It can be set where I want, I'll control the volume then with the transmitter.
It's Easter, so I thought I'd throw in a couple of Easter eggs too.