Armortek

"Sherman tanker" is easier, we will get into trouble you know! I didn't realise just how many dodads where involved with the belly and lower hull, I am at the awkward weld stage right now, as it's still light enough to flip over I will get those out the way before the wheels go on. Another addition is to turn up x12 m8 short threads with the smaller diameter end piece that finishes off the axle pivot thread on the inside of each wheel station, more on those tomorrow. Basically if you manufacturer these correctly they will help lock the axle thread and so help prevent the m8 stub axle from becoming lose over time.

W

Hi Phil,
Get repainting the tips or the apprentice stripping the belt down and rebuilding it.
On the Chieftain "banter"thread, John has confirmed they were issued with 1B1T ( or "one-bit" , one ball, one tracer, so every second round red tipped ).
Other troops could have been issued with 4B1T ( or "four-bit", four ball, one tracer so every fifth round red tipped.)

When fitted in the coax role or on the commanders mount, the butt stock as per your picture was not fitted, it was replaced with a butt plate. Butt stock was for firing in a ground role.

Mark

Cheers Mark, I was looking on the Armorpax sight earlier and it seems we have everything we will need on there except the 7.62 link ammo box decals which now look to be no longer available, or have I missed something?

Hi Phil,
to me it looks like the decal they had which is now discontinued was for pure ball, which was not suitable for our purposes anyway, rather than for 1B1T or 4B1T. The commanders MG mount also hid a lot of the markings on the box and most crews that I served with never swapped the box unless it started to corrode. They preferred to take the ammo out of the new box and lay it out in the old box to ensure it would feed out cleanly when needed rather than relying on how it was packed at the factory.
Mark

That's the kind of in service advice I love, so a worn 7.62 ammo box was preferred to a new one packed by the factory! That suits me as I shall enjoy weathering the box, the next thing is to find an opening box that will accept the link. To Ebay!

Phil Woollard wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 29, 2019 6:57 pm

A question for the techies, which GPMG mount do we use on the Chieftain cupola please?

Hi Phil, I'm no techie, but according to Royal Armoured Corps Pamphlet 33 (Chieftain) the cupola GPMG mount was one of 3 variants: Mounting 7 62-mm MG (L37A 1) No. 10, Mk 1 or No.2 Mk 1 alternatively No.8 Mk 1. I couldn't find drawings but the good news is that Dave D has confirmed he will be producing the cupola mount and searchlight anyway!

Re the ammo box, I think Dragon did one in metal for their Browning .30 cal - Henry Kano? It's probably not quite right but near enough?

The real techies can now put me straight

Enjoying your build, keep it up
Kevin

It was Soldier Story, not Dragon...………….

Cheers Kevin I will look into it

I believe Dave at Armorpax is doing sheet of decals which will include my BCF fire extinguisher from my Cent build and something appropriate for the ammunition boxes.

Oh no, Phil, we're not back to rusty tracks are we? I thought we'd killed that one a while ago.

Commander's MG mount:
Mounting 7.62mm MG (L37A1) No 10, Mk1 (could be elevated to beyond the vertical for anti-aircraft use) or

Mounting 7.62mm MG (L37A1) No 2, Mk 1 (could be elevated to 800 mils only).

There was also a No8, Mk 1, which combined the above.

Switched on commanders would tape their MG butt to the top of the sight housing, so that it could be grabbed if you had to dismount the MG in a hurry and use it in the ground role. The bipod remained fitted to the gun.

Stephen White wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:38 pm

Switched on commanders would tape their MG butt to the top of the sight housing, so that it could be grabbed if you had to dismount the MG in a hurry and use it in the ground role.

I’ve seen a photo of that somewhere, i’ll See if I can find it again.

It was in the Haynes "workshop manual"...…….

"Phil says, Next is a big stack of wooden Christmas toys to complete! Actually once the steel track links have been steeped in slightly saline spring water for another 4 days it's rusty fingers time"

Phil, your so bad, and Rusty bits on Chieftains would get you a short stay on special duty's, I hope your better half's going to be treated to an expensive pampering session after slaving over the fiddly ammunition belts.

Or are you building a Range Target? if so just fill it with concrete and put it outside.

I have no internet at home guys so you will have to bare with me until the blokes up the poles have done their job, for now it's borrowing someone else's so photos will be comprised.I have also finished the belly weld beads and can now flip her back over.

Some photos that I have resized as an experiment, and it seems to be working I'm using my portable iPad and it's camera, something I may have to get used to when my lap top dies!