Armortek

Today was a cold showery day so I didn't risk finish spraying the hull and running gear and got on with other jobs.

late this afternoon I started on Step 10. Three hours work resulted in the following images.

I would suggest to anyone attempting this step to leave all fasteners loose until the end as adjustment will no doubt be needed.

You may also note that I have used M2.5 Button Head screws instead of 2.5mm Rivets.
Kian assures me that the indicated M2.5 x 12 button heads re strong enough to hold the superstructure together and take the weight. The supplie4d 2.5 rivets are purely decorative.

I'm not gainsaying Kian but to me the difference between rivets and button heads will be noticeable. So I went on e-bay and bought a quantity of M2.5 x 12 button heads and nuts.

I queried Kian about what fasteners we should use in Step 10 to join the Sponson EN0354 to the Bracket EN0376.
He replied :

Use 2 M3 Hex heads. They go in from the inside of the tank.

The bracket was drilled bigger to allow for some tolerance on hole alignment.

Yeah!!!
Ten minutes work this afternoon and three sets of road wheels fitted to one side.

Having the hull upside down helped, let gravity work for you I say instead of trying to hold everything up against it.
As one guy said fitting the ED0106 pins was tight, tighter than a cows a**e in fly time one might call it but a decent Brirmingham screwdriver (copper faced) had them going in nice and sweet. As expected trying to get them into the recess in EN0104 was a different matter, compressing the volute spring and trying to line up the end of a pin you couldn't see with a hole you can't see but a little twerking and it ended up not so much of a problem as one might expect because holes are very close to each other and in-line.

East peasy!!!

Fans of Dad's Army will understand this......

Pay Attention Wilson!

OOOOOPS...Aaaargh......expletives

An hour and ten minutes making the front sprockets and fitting the remaining road wheels ruined! Concentrating on having the right side of the wheel facing out and forgetting about the slide!!!!

Maybe there is something appropriate here?
https://www.noswearing.com/dictionary

Maybe there is something appropriate here?
https://www.noswearing.com/dictionary

Christoffer...I love it..I'll still be laughing when I go to bed.
thanks buddy.

I give thanks to the BBC early evening news, Local Television Programme, The One Show and The Big Bang Theory for getting me through 320 repetitive tasks.

TWO SETS OF 80 TANK TRACKS COMPLETED YEAH

I know I've got to go back and swap the M2 nuts with nylocs (when they arrive from China ) but the fiddly bits(for my pigs teat fingers) are all done. I can put them on edge, start at one end then turn the track over and go back on the other side.
And the best thing about is that you can still talk to the wife (if you have one ).

For anyone who hasn't done any tracks yet, take a look at the track building thread, there are some ideas there to make the job simple and so easy.

Once I've sorted my mistake (i'm still angry at that) I'm going to put the tracks on. Then when the Motion Pack comes - hopefully about the middle of May if everything goes well according to Kian, I can get the hull running and check out the tracks before fixing on the superstructure.

Back on Track......

Geddit? Tracks fitted...'Back on track? Pun Intended.

For those who have yet to make their tracks, 82 are needed per side.

Don't tell Adrian Harris, but he's going to need even more M2 Locknuts

To correct my spherical object-up I removed the bogie and drilled a hole in the back in line with the pin and knocked out with a Punch/Drift.

I notice on the full sized tanks there is a hole in the pin. I guess they screwed in a Pull Hammer and knocked it out.

> Don't tell Adrian Harris, but he's going to need even more M2 Locknuts

I'm all right Jack, I ordered 400

Currently sitting in the sunshine taking the parting off tits off 330 clamps so they'll fit in my machining rack

Adrian.

Another productive evening with my Camping Table in front of the 'haunted fish tank' courtesy of the 'Auntie Beeb' and E4.

Only used a Vice in the Workshop to press the hinge pins into the Hinges, Ad breaks and boring interludes to get the parts and fasteners.

I'm finding with this Kit that so much can be accomplished by getting the bits together and sitting in front of the 'box' without the need for a workshop or large worktop.

Still following along. My, once you start building something, there's no stopping you.

Vince

No point in hanging about Vince.

Looking like a M3, Bits just sitting there, will be joining them all up very shortly.

I'm not going to fix the superstructure until aftet the Motion Packs etc have been installed.

After the superstructure has been done I will be turning my attention back to the Sponson Sides. I have to design and manufacture brackets and Sand Shields for the tracks.

By the ay......Top and botton halves are starting to get heaveeeeeey

Pete - looks like your tracks are a bit slack.
M3 Lee/ Grant tracks, like the Sherman, need to be run pretty tight. We recommend 81 links per side.
Kian

Thanks Kian.

You should see the other side, they are even slacker.
I know the track tension is something that needs adjusting. They have to come off again anyway for the horns to be painted.

Pete

Don't forget to file the inside teeth of the sprockets as well so that the end connectors sit properly: