Churchill Mk3 number 67

[Gary Richardson]

Hi,
Looking good but all the photos I have seen do not have the gutters fitted when they have extra armour . But I could be wrong.


David

Hi David

I am still in two minds about the gutters, I too have been scouring photos and doubt the gutters were fitted when applique armour was added. I wanted to adapt the front applique armour so I had the choice but will probably leave the gutters off as the front one interferes with the tow cable fitting at the top of the horn. Talking of which, does anyone know where I can get the correct tow cable ends instead of the wire thimble ended ones which come with the kit. As one of the cables will be required to hold the derrick in place they will need to be functional and capable of towing the tank in case of flat batteries.

Regards
Gary

Churchill cable end and fittings

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all

I have made good progress now that the effects of covid are receding. The idler and drive wheels have been assembled, given a cast appearance and primed ready for the top coat. The idler adjusters were an extremely tight fit after the primer had been applied to the horns. I used the mill to skim the channel on each adjuster block for depth and width and now they slide easily. I will use a very thin layer of Rocol dry lube to ensure they stay free sliding.
I have also started detailing the pannier hatches and the air intake blocks. I have ordered a mix of miniature eye bolts for use on the door wire stays and will add photos once they arrive. The air intakes have three access panels per side but they are not all the same size. Having checked photos of various Churchills the centre panel is larger than the two outside ones, there does seem to be quite a bit of variation though, with some having mesh behind the panels as seen on the Churchill Trusts Mk4. I will go for plain panels with 4 x 10BA hex heads to hold them in place. I will also add the wire mesh at the top of the intakes.

Regards
Gary

Milling the idler adjuster blocks

Nice and free

Just the top coat required

Six plates required

Plates ready for drilling

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Just a quick update. I have fixed the cable holder above the pannier hatch just using one modified button head screw. I have also been making a set of lifting eyes for the air filters, these go on the ends of the top section of the filter blocks. I will fix them in place using 1mm brass rod supports and epoxy.

Regards
Gary

Cable holder above pannier hatch.

Easy to make using the mill to shape them.

Just need drilling for the brass rod supports.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Detailing for the air filter blocks continues and the lifting eyes have been completed and attached using 1.2mm brass rods and epoxy, the 1mm rods were a bit flimsy. I have drilled the holes for the covers and have some 10BA bolts on order. The blocks that go on the top edge and I assume were for attaching the air filter snorkels have been milled, that was a fiddly job as they are quite small. I will also be making the three clasps and hinges that are on each side. There are also two hooks on each end next to the lifting eyes that will be added.
The sloped front section in the middle of the block seems quite roughly cut in a lot of the photos so a bit of distressing may be required prior to the Milliput welds being added.

Regards
Gary

AVRE Mk3 courtesy of the Tank Museum

Adding the brass rods

Ready for some epoxy

Holes drilled for the 10BA bolts that hold the covers

Covers and blocks, block positions to be double checked prior to drilling.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

I have started making the catches on the air filter blocks. Still a work in progress and needs a bit more fettling so only one photo at the moment.

Regards
Gary

Needs tidying up and will probably fix using a tiny countersunk screw.

[Andy Cameron]

Hi Gary can’t wait to see this finished, can I ask how you assembled the bogies in respect to the brass bush faces that butt upto the carrier frame. As the axle is held by grub screws the internal assembly which rotates would mean the brass bushes face will rotate against the carrier internal side. I noticed you painted the bushes in situ, is it just accepted that the bush face and carrier wall will simply wear the paint away with time, I guess the amount of rotation is quite small.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Gary can’t wait to see this finished, can I ask how you assembled the bogies in respect to the brass bush faces that butt upto the carrier frame. As the axle is held by grub screws the internal assembly which rotates would mean the brass bushes face will rotate against the carrier internal side. I noticed you painted the bushes in situ, is it just accepted that the bush face and carrier wall will simply wear the paint away with time, I guess the amount of rotation is quite small.

Hi Andy

I treat each bogie assembly as an individual unit, most had enough free play that the bush being painted and rubbing against the frame doesn't matter.
For the ones that were tight and had restricted rotation I used neat alcohol to wipe away most of the paint on the bush. If they were still tight I dresssd the outside edge of the bush with wet and dry. I think the most important thing to remember if painting parts pre assembly is the let the paint dry and harden. I use Tamiya paints as I wanted a specific mix and with 50% thinners the paint sprays very easily. I left the parts to dry for many days and find the paint is very durable. I also use Rocol dry lube for axles, bushes etc. This can be applied, left for an hour and then wiped off with a soft cloth and it leaves a very thin layer allowing the wheels to spin easily. You can also put a film of it on the outside of the bush but only if you pre paint the parts. They use Rocol for RN submarines so should be good for our tanks, it also explains the price
Hope this helps and feel free to contact me if I can be of help.

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all

I woke at silly o' clock this morning so thought I would add an update.
I have completed detailing of one of the air vent blocks except the welds and cut marks on the angled front face. Making the clasps, hinges and blocks has been very time consuming but I quite like the result and the clasps work. I used 1.6mm countersunk screws and epoxy to fix the hinges in place and 1.2mm brass rods for the blocks. The screw heads will be dressed so they are level with the hinge material and a little car filler used to hide them. I have also added the two hooks at each end of the filter block next to the lifting lugs.
I am still waiting for delivery of the 10BA hex head bolts that will hold the covers in place, hopefully they will arrive today. I am looking for suitable mesh for the top of the filter and think the aluminium mesh they use for car repairs may work although it is quite flimsy, I have a small amount and will experiment later.

Regards
Gary

One filter down, one to go.

The covers will be secured with 10BA bolts

[Andy Cameron]

Thanks Gary, I did look at that grease…….certainly looks like top grade stuff, might as well get the best so I’m not having disassemble and re-grease too often.

[Michael Allen]

Gary

How many 10ml pots do you have to buy?

Thanks

Mick

[Michael Allen]

Gary

How many 10ml pots do you have to buy?

Thanks

Mick

[Gary Richardson]

Gary

How many 10ml pots do you have to buy?

Thanks

Mick

Hi Mick

Each batch of SCC15 I mix up requires 7 pots of Tamiya paint ( 5 x XF81, 1 X XF71 and 1 X XF58 ) plus 50% thinners. So far I have painted all the bogies, idler and drive sprockets and used between 14 and 19 pots, that includes experimenting with the mixes. I have another 36 pots I have acquired from various sources. I know that sounds expensive but I usually pay between £2 and £2.20 a pot and will probably have some left over for the next model. Plus the pots are easy to obtain unlike some of the other brands I have tried.
I like the way it sprays and the paint hardens well, especially if you leave the components for a few days before assembling. I will probably be using Abteilung 502 paints for the detailing, shadow, dirt etc as I did for my Tiger and they work very well over Tamiya paints.
So I suppose I will spend about £120 on paints ( I already have the oils), not too bad for when you consider how much our tanks cost and much less than on the Tiger where I was constantly changing the base colour and repainted the camouflage as I didn't like the first finish. I like to paint the components prior to assembly which inevitably uses more paint but gives more protection against corrosion, especially with dissimilar metals and our climate.
At the end of the day, paint selection is a personal choice and there are some brilliant modellers out there who use water based paints to great effect and no doubt use far less paint. I did look at ordering large spray cans of made up paint but the company I have used in the past when spraying aircraft now has a minimum order of 6 cans just as expensive than the small pots.

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Just a couple of photos showing the latest progress on the panniers and air filters.

Regards
Gary

All top coated ready for attaching to the panniers.

Welds will be added next prior to the top coat.

Pannier welds underway, the stud welds are particularly fiddly as very thin.

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning

I thought I would show the homemade tools I use for detailing Milliput welds as it might assist those new to our hobby. They are made from differing diameters of brass tube filed at an angle and then smoothed and tips rounded off. The handles are just left over Milliput that would of been thrown in the bin.

Regards
Gary

Easy to make weld detailing tools

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all

I hope your are enjoying this lovely weather. It's so nice to be able to spray outdoors and get the paint dried quickly.
I have finished detailing the main body of the air filter blocks and the welds on the panniers. A couple of welds on the panniers had to be redone to get clearance for the mudguards but that's the way it goes when doing lots of modifications.
The next stage for the air filters is to make the cover that goes over the top. Again I have seen various versions, some with a single bend in the centre and others with a two stage bend. I will work to the photos I have of the tank with the derrick as I have copies of the original operational documents with photos.
The air filter front covers were made from aluminium sheet with 10 BA hex head bolts. The catches, blocks, tie downs were made from brass using a mill to get the correct shape. Mr Surfacer 500 was used to give the block and covers some texture.

Regards
Gary

Welds completed on both panniers

Air filter surfaces textured

Front of air filters

End of air filters

Next job , make the air filter top cover