25 PDR Breech assembly

[Francis Samish]

The laser cutting process can produce some quite sharp edges, so I took the precaution of just touching the shield top edge with a warding file, both for safety and also to provide a more rounded surface for the eventual paint finish.

[Francis Samish]

The gun is now sitting on the turning plate - or 'firing and targeting platform' - as the official nomenclature would have it. Just visible are the socket head screws securing the axle that I used to replace the M4 countersunk ones in the kit. These are somewhat longer than the ones supplied, and if the model becomes a display piece, will be replaced with studs and nuts, with threaded brass spacers to mount everything securely to a wooden base.

[Francis Samish]

For completeness' sake, I thought I would add some details of how I put the targeting and firing plate together. I started by assembling the inner and outer 'steps' of the ring first, working from the opposite side to the fishplated joints. For the larger, outer, ring, I got myself into a tizzy where somehow, the only way forward was to make a new, smaller, fishplate. Care needs to be taken that all the bent up tabs securing the inner, upper, ring are all at 90 degrees before starting upon the riveting. And, if you need to draw any holes over to get the rivets in, do it only in the plate next to the head - otherwise when you come to peen over the head, you will find at best that it is not as big as its neighbours, or at worst, tries its best to spread into the 'ole. not on top of it.

After this, the hub and spokes are a piece of cake. Sort of. I loosely riveted four spokes to the centre, and then went around and set one rivet in to the outer ring. Again still loose at this stage. Enough to stop the rivet dropping out, but not tight enough to stop the parts moving around. Only then is the second outer rivet put in and rivetted up. Proceed to doing the same with the spoke opposite, and then do the other two of the 'cross'. Now, the centre plate should have located itself, so those four rivets can now be takled. From then just work around filling in the spokes, opposite pairs at a time. "Seemples." (If you are a Meerkat that is....)

[Francis Samish]

'Tis done. Finally. I've shown this to a couple of people already, and they have suggested that it would be a shame to hide the level of finish and detailing under a coat of paint, so I might just leave it as it is. For those who like statistics, this particular 25 Pdr build has taken 110 hours, with perhaps another 25 hours to go once paint and transfers are factored in.

Either way, it needs to go soon, as I have a Mk IV tank to build next (more rivetting, and then some).

So, if you want to save yourself all the donkey work and get on with the 'fun stuff' of adding a full set of Armorpax upgrades, PM me for price and more details.

[Carleton Brown]

Very nice work and some good mods. I will get back on mine shortly, too many summer distrations!

[Francis Samish]

Just adding a short post here for ebay people browsing details of my 25 Pdr that's now for sale. More information can be found at http://www.modellost.co.uk, or tel. +44(0)1308 897 911 Thanks and apologies for these convolutions to everyone else.