Phils Famo build

[Phil Woollard]

Do you know Stephen I couldn't kick a foot ball for toffee, my feet and brain are just not wired that way, thank God really as my life may have taken another path! When I scrub up and wear a suit jacket, white shirt and casual trousers, it has been said that I could pass for Mr Andre....bless him that's a first for Mr Beckham!

Todays exploits see photos below. Tomorrow the body work.

[Phil Woollard]

BBC four tonight at 1930 hrs, Regimental stories 3/5 The Royal Tank Regiment's history of bravery and innovation continues to motivate.

[Christoffer Ahlfors]

Logo on the rubber tires - that's a really nice detail!
Thanks for a great build log - following with great interest! Thankfully there is an exciting new episode almost every day.

[Adrian Harris]

> there is an exciting new episode almost every day.

I don't think Phil sleeps...

Adrian.

[Phil Woollard]

Yesterday the body work and in no particular order. the etched parts are really nice, some of the best I have ever seen!...

Adrian, Dave is making some parts for the Berge for me also so I'll post as soon as I get them. I will keep you posted Regards Phil

[florian rudolf]

Omgggg Phil, you do'nt do enythin else in time, do you?
Looking great. Im looking forward to see your engine dummy
In time I'll detailling the Trilex tire center.

[Robert E Morey]

I think there must be more than one "Phil". How else do you build 3 models at the same time?

[Phil Woollard]

God forbid there's another one of me Bob! Today I have set up the tx for one stick control, that way you can have the wheels steering on the other stick,for now the steering rack is locked at straight ahead until I get my actuator at the end of this month, it still drives OK like this! Regards Phil

[Phil Dawe]

Phil,

your Dunkelgelb has a super even finish, can I ask you which paint you use?

Cheers

Phil

[Robert Reid]

So I was not seeing things when I looked up and appeared to see a camshaft and gear???

Very nice build... Though I'll not be a Famo-builder... I am in awe of those of you who are building this monster.

Cool!!!

Cheers,

RPR

[Phil Woollard]

Phil, it's not the paint me ol name sake, it's the prep and the years of painting cars, motor bikes, models, french polish, the list goes on .

This is my simplified method which some will not agree with;

As the Famo is basically made of tin work this model needs to have a decent finish, Start with a good inspection of each piece, you should never worry about getting a panel totally flat as it's naturally wavy after pressing and beating to shape. The billet ali that Armortek have machined to form some of the panels is going to be too straight and have tooling marks in it, so you need to address this first with a file and emery paper.

Then de rag all the edges but dont round off as this spoils the scale appearance making it look like white metal or plastic!

Then degrease.

Then first coat of grey primmer, etch if you like, I like to use it, then see what shows up, the grey primmer will show every tiny detail and all the flaws, address these and prime again, repeat until your happy.

Then the filler primer for cast or rolled material surface texture, that takes a bit of practice (armour in particular), rub down if it's too rough until you are happy with it.

Then the top coat ( the undercoat will affect the the top coat colour, this we use to our advantage) any make is good once you are adept with it, practice practice, distance from the work piece, temperature, your speed, the wet edge, type of solvent, i like flash thinners as they are super quick to dry and give a professional finish if you know what you are doing, these are mainly used to thin base paint to the required consistency for your chosen spray gun ( German paint was often in short supply so was applied sparingly and so it would often be almost translucent!)

If in doubt use Tamiya TS range for the top coat, it is just great but expensive and you will need many cans for a Famo! Use the Tamiya thinners to thin the bottle paint and use it for cleaning the paint gun and brushes etc.

Hope this helps regards Phil.

[florian rudolf]

Hello Phil,
I use aluminum primer. If the metal is ground, it can be cleaned (brake cleaner), then the primer. this is thick and fills up small bumps. Then the red rust protection. Share with Metal, this is used simultaneously as a primer. Let everything dry for several days, then finish can be painted. I use Revell colors and Air brush for small parts and a 0.8 nozzle on a paint spray gun for large parts. so I do that. Later, it can be repainted with airbrush and aged ...
Regards
Florian

[Phil Dawe]

Thanks for the painting tips chaps!

[Dennis Jones]

Hi Phil,

I see you are using single stick, you can mix channel 1 ( RH and LF track steering ) with channel 4 ( front wheel steering ) and it will turn better, when in reverse it works ok as well as I have already tried it on a half track. Saves you having to operate both sticks for steering.

Dennis.

[Phil Woollard]

Thanks Dennis but you will need to go into some detail if you don't mind, there's lot of Famo owners out there who will be asking for the way to programme there Tx, I'm using a DS6 with the left stick controlling the tracks, you were quite right ref the actuator, this ( Armortek recommend) has it's own channel and you simply steer as you said with two sticks. I like the idea of a single stick or certainly the option of either.

Kian has explained the reasons for keeping the wheels and the tracks separate, this quite simply comes down to the surface and how that affects the grip of the tyres ie; on grass the Famo needs wheel steering and a lot of track steering input but on smoother more grippy surfaces like tarmac or concrete you can just about steer using the wheels alone!

I shall enjoy learning this new vehicles traits.

Regards Phil.