Richard's Academy/Airfix Hellcat for Simon

[Graeme C.]

The gun sight is brilliant Richard, makes a big difference.

[The Smythe Meister]

Richard!!..... Sorry,didn`t mean to wake you there!......
That is one very crammed and detailed fighting compartment you`ve achieved there :thumb2: ,
This really is coming along so nicely,i DEFINITELY need to add one to my stash!!
Cheers mate,and glad you are on the mend:smiling:.
Andy

[JR]

Hi Richard, just had a read through, some brillent work in true Mr T style including the blood letting.
Must seem so large after the 1/ 700 ship.

[Mini Me]

I'll second what Paul E said..........would love to do one of these in 1/87 scale. Rick H.

[rtfoe]

Jim, Paul, Graeme, Andy, John and Rick, compliments appreciated.
I am enjoying this larger scaled scratchbuilding although I don't go overboard( I know Simon loved it down to adding half an mm if it were possible :smiling2 ...for me what can be seen is good enough and leave the rest well alone. Or even the proportions if not noticeable like the front drivers hatches and covers being slightly squarish or the gun mantlet and position of gun...the former can be covered with water proofing canvas seen on most M-18's and the latter a difference of a few mm. I'd like to see one in braille scale and really like to see others build the M-18.
It'll be a nightmare to replicate another gun-sight for the AFV kit as it doesn't have one either. :tongue-out3:

Cheers,
Richard

[rtfoe]

Good morning fellow modelers...last night as I was adding a cylindrical thingy above the gun-sight, I noticed that the sight was sitting too proud of its mount. So I shortened it by half a cm and re-attached it further in...

This is before with the cylinder added...



...and after shortening by removing half a cm from the back. Prying the bracket from the recuperator was a bit of a challenge...didn't know the combination of liquid cement and CA was such a strong bond with such a small surface area of attachment.



In reality the sight sits much further in...maybe about one or two mm but I was just happy to leave it as that.

Cheers,
Richard

[minitnkr]

I've found "The Possible" is always better than "The Perfect". PaulE

[adt70hk]

Richard

Seriously excellent work.

ATB


Andrew

[rtfoe]

Thanks guys...Paul, works for me too.

Worked on the interior a bit more today with adding containers to the rear bustle cavity and grenade containers on the left wall...



Then I started on the electrical conduit boxes...there's a seam line I need to cover up. Wires and connectors will be made from different gauge of wire.



Cheers,
Richard

[Jim R]

Hi Richard
Moving that sight further back looks fine. Mind you it must have been a heart stopping moment prising it off!
Jim

[minitnkr]

I still have those moments, while modeling, where I realize I've been holding my breath w/o knowing. PaulE

[rtfoe]

Jim and Paul, ya, heart skipped a beat and breathing stalled for a while... might want to shift it again so don't hold your breathe. :smiling2:

Cheers,
Richard

[rtfoe]

Hi,
I did shift the sights again compliments of the cats dropping a few boxes of kits on the table from the shelves above. Anyway I wanted to do it and good too as I could add a heat shield to the gun barrel...



The heat shield is like a pad on the barrel seen here in the next photo...



I began with the wiring...the thicker ones were copper wire and the thinner brass.



Puttied the seam line and sanded down. More wires will be added so watch out for more later.



Cheers,
Richard

[Tim Marlow]

Fantastic attention to detail yet again Richard.

[rtfoe]

Hi Tim, thank you. I did a bit more after the posting as I couldn't sleep... oh dear, Simon behavioral syndrome is catching on...

I made double wiring that ran the whole bottom corner of the turret ring. These connected to the small junction boxes and disappeared behind the controls in the gunners and loaders position. Using cut pieces of foil, I wrapped the brass wires together securing one end with CA to ease the process and then locking the wrap down with more CA. Excess was snipped off.



Bent the assembled wire to fit the curvature of the turret ring and attached the ends by guessing from reference images. Simon would have added nut or screw heads to the wire securing attachments but I'm just a humble "Padwan" learning the ways of the Jedi Master.:smiling2:



Wire leading from the aerial to the radio was attached under the rear bustle cover... and another set of double wires leading from the junction box to the right side of the radio.



The wiring is now complete in this section...now I will need to move onto the gunners side of the turret wall as there are some wires to be fitted running along that.



Cheers,
Richard