Too long in the shipping cartons! Build Progress

[Graham Jackson]

After my initial post re - Chieftain tracks rust control and the fantastic responses to help with my build I have started a fresh topic as suggested by John Clarke to record progress albeit maybe a bit slow. I will not be clipping the track horns but replicating the magnificent modifications to the return bogies as pioneered by David Bettson. Thank you all for your guidance and sharing your experiences.

Because of the cold weather I have started on the dining room table with full approval of my domestic engineer!

I have loosely assembled the lower hull to see how it all fits together but now dismantled to get ready for painting etch primer, primer and the inside white. Reading the modifications to the lower hull I have decided to leave as is for now and can revisit later if it gets to me.

The advise shared with the tracks has been taken onboard and I have painted the tracks under where the pads go with black Finegans, purchased stainless M3 nuts and then applied a little copper slip in the fixing hole to assist with assembly etc. pics attached

Prior to that I set up a turned up pin to allow the tracks to be machined to 70.4 +0 -.2 to remove any excess from the casting and allow free movement of the pin and split pin movement. Currently considering replacing the split pins with Starlock Washers which I can only find with 9mm o/d and my spotface cutter was 8.2mm. I am interested if anyone has adopted the Starlock modification?

As to the instructions page 5 in preparing the drive sprockets ‘break edges with a file to avoid track climbing’ how much edge breaking has been done to achieve smooth running? As an apprenticed engineer breaking the edge is a couple of wipes with a suitable file. Any more than that if a chamfer or radius. What is the optimum?

I have also orders the additions that Dave at Armorpax supplies but have limited it at this stage to the wipers, commanders machine gun kit and radio ariels. Oil and water drums etc will be good when completed. The only 7.62 x50 rounds and clips that I can find are from AliExpress on Amazon for 15.89 + vat etc. Are these any good quality wise?

Hopefully this all makes sense and I am very happy for any comments to assist and plan to keep posting progress.

Thanks again Graham.
Sorry having trouble posting pictures. I will when I sort it

[Graham Jackson]