Armortek

Hi Stephen,

Kevin is now the official Archivist for you thread Thanks!

I like the water vapour solution for the reasons you indicate. However you need to build a custom system to generate enough vapour to get decent blasts of "exhaust". The well tried and integrated oil systems work well and are deservedly popular. The tips below apply to both up to a point.

a) For water vapour systems. Reduce condensation in the pipe run by employing plastic and PVC fittings rather than metal (eg copper plumbing pipe). This may also apply to oil systems but clearly plastic components would need to be kept away from the heater element.

b) Arrange the pipe run so that condensate droplets run back into the reservoir and do not form pools or traps in the pipe work.

c) If possible avoid 90 degree bends in the pipework to maintain energetic and unrestricted vapour flow. Same issues as full size exhausts, gas flues etc.

Kevin will now probably point out that I have already shared all this gen on p24!

Kind regards
Fabrice

Time to get the colours right on the exhaust system. The exhaust boxes were supplied new in a silver colour, whereas the pipes and fishtails were a gunmetal colour, as Paul Scott's photos show:





So I re-sprayed the fishtails in Alclad Gunmetal and started the weathering:



You trod on the exhaust shields at your peril after she'd been running as you could easily fry an egg on them. They developed a very distinctive pattern of heat scorching and rust:



Now, where's Simon Manning when you need him....:



Third colour added:



After toning down with filters:



Apologies Simon, way to go.

Regards. Stephen

burnt rust, one trick iv'e seen, spend more time on it than you want to, there are 5-6 tones to the color build up and a bit of texture, i struggle with it but it improves the more you play with the colors, the exhausts look great, a nice bit of paint will finish them off lovely, how about a job at kwik-fit, regards simon.

Hi Stephen
This might just be the best build ever on the Forum.

Just stunning

Derek

A diversion to install the smoker. Heeding Fabrice's wise words, I've turned down the Armortek brass union to accept 3mm id tubing and avoided right angle bends with a new T-piece. The tube then exit the hull at the shortest point. I've drilled the exhaust boxes to accept the tubing which runs direct into the mouth of the fishtails. We'll see if this increases pressure in the system and makes for a more concentrated smoke plume.







I then installed the full exhaust pipes, complete with expansion joints. Quite why is a mystery, since they're mostly concealed. Ah well, modelling madness has set in. The exhaust elbow is lower than the boxes, which requires a couple of subtle bends in the pipes:








Finally, I've made a start on the exhaust pipe shields. I suppose I'm now duty bound to make the aux gen exhaust on the port side....







Regards.

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

the exhausts are looking superp!
Let us know, how the smoker is working.

I'll do that Gunter.

I looked up the aux gen exhaust in the Illustrated Parts List and was dismayed to see it showed a full blown silencer box:



Now, I like detail but two were enough and this wasn't going to be visible... I checked with Paul Scott's restored Cent and he has a much simpler arrangement with a through tube. I was prepared to have a go at that and the mounting elbow:







Now for the final stage of weathering the various exhaust shields. I suppose after forking out for a Mig Jimenez Workshop session, I had to try out the full armoury of stuff, pigments, enamels, washes, filters etc. It's probably overkill but out of curiosity, I thought I'd see how far I could take it. Simon, way to go!













End of a section, now for something different.

Regards

Stephen

Stephen,
The weathering on exhaust looks perfect. Your cent is going to be magnificent with all the details and improvements you have made. I'm getting lost when you switch from real tank to model - Its getting hard to tell the difference. Great techniques. Can you please make the folding lawn chairs <from brass of course> for the crewmen to use during "off time"???
Best regards,
Bob

Ah, Bob, you mean like this?



Or like this?



Choice is yours.....

All the best.

Stephen

Stephen,

Aagh! So your lovingly created "100 Gal Fuel Tank" is just the biggest chemical crapper outside of Boeing?

And the wire? Good grief! To discourage unauthorised loitering? Constipation is not a problem in the jungle. The word does not even exist in the local languages. So the prickly wreath was keep out varmints/dunny-bugs or prevent VC ambush?

I only suggeat the latter because we all recall the revolting story about a Ninja hiding out for days in a Shogun's long-drop to impale the owner on a spear....

All cheap gags aside, your exhausts are a work of art. Kudos

cheers
Fabrice

Steven,
I hadn't thought of the 1/6 scale "travelling" loo - but what a great accessory eh? Fabrice beat me to the punch on the barbed wire around the potty. Now I realize the importance of those chairs - to keep one's hinder parts from hitting the wire. I'll take two lawn chairs please. One for relaxing and one for "business". Keep up the fabulous work - and apologies for hijacking your thread!
Bob

I'd like to celebrate the extraordinary support my Cent build is getting from friends in Australia, New Zealand, the US and UK - truly the wider Armortek community.

Here is an animation of the construction of one of the track guard bins, by Allan Bowers in New Zealand. The actual bins are hopelessly complicated with double skins and complex folds and not easy to understand. The best way to approach a challenging assembly is to deconstruct it. Based on photos and dimensions from Paul Scott's restoration in Australia, Allan is creating another of his very accurate 3D models which will make fabrication and assembly very much simpler.









Click on the link below to start the animation:



Hope it's of interest as an example of what can be done with modern software, such as Solidworks, which I believe Mark uses.


Stephen

Interesting to see the Centurion AVRE at the Cobbaton Collection last week, which confirmed a couple of things. The vehicle is in virtually the condition in which it returned from Gulf War 1. The exhaust shields show the same distinctive pattern of rusted scorching and, as the IPL suggests, the Aux Gen exhaust has a silencer box. Too late now to make one and it's concealed anyway. That's my excuse.




Regards

Stephen

With preparations for TankMod hotting up, only a couple of small details to report, the two armour fillets at the front of the engine decks, which I'd missed, and the hull breather:











Regards

Stephen

I've now got to replace the kit's Mk 5/2 L7 105mm L/52 gun with the Mk 5/1 (Aust) 84mm Ordnance QF 20 pounder. Although the 105 was based on the design of the 20 pdr and the breech ends were interchangeable, the 20 pdr barrel has a number of differences, including a concentric fume extractor positioned further towards the muzzle and a distinctive and different taper. (105 on the left (3), 20 pdr Type A on the right (4)):



This is 064 and her barrel name, which of course alludes to Phuoc Tuy Province, the Australian Task Force operational area:









To represent a fully run out 20 pdr and get the full recoil, a short 4cm extension to the barrel is needed at the breech end, the fume extractor needs replacing and the barrel has to be re-profiled.

Having measured up the 20 pdr on the Tank Museum Cut in Half Cent, (thanks to David Willey, Curator), assembled the material and one sixth dimensions:





First the barrel extension, with brass sleeve insert to support the join. I may well also braze in some joining fillets:





Then the fume extractor body:











Still some detailing to do.

Regards

Stephen