Challenger with enhanced armour.

[Guest]

My only concern would be how the weathering would effect the primer coat especially if its Vallejo and also all that metal work.

Steve
I think once you have a coat of satin varnish on the top it should react the same as any other acrylic, after all we are just adding paint to paint - I will experiment in the near future.
Mike.

[Guest]

Update,
So work has commenced on the turret, and the first order of the day was to replace the turret casting numbers/info.
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Looks better in scale than in the blow up here. Figures are 1.5mm and 1mm in height.
Next it was the turn of the turret top rear and all those lift up lids. The amount of Challenger 2 models that we see and the details are missed and the holes left as gaping chasms.....
So I started with making the loops that are on the lid and then the bodywork so that a padlock can be used to secure them...
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You can just make them out, made from a copper wire strand from electrical cable and wound around a 1mm bit of brass rod the resulting 'spring was then c/a'd to a bit of scrap 15thou card and then cut into double loops and cut into strips and added to the openings.
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The 'details' for the viewable areas were made from odd parts of lead wire, 'T' handles spare from an etch set and the head of a pin for the rounded filler cap.
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Once in place it does not look too bad, just the others to furnish next.
Cheers,
Mike.

[Jim R]

Hi Mike
Very impressive skills. Looks superb.
Jim

[Guest]

Hi Mike
Very impressive skills. Looks superb.
Jim

Jim,
Many thanks.
Mike.

[Graeme C.]

Mike, the Russian green looks a bit dark in the picture, but you can see it in daylight, but it looks good with paint on it. Turret details are nice.

[Guest]

Mike, the Russian green looks a bit dark in the picture, but you can see it in daylight, but it looks good with paint on it. Turret details are nice.

Cheers Graeme,
Still deciding about the paint, I may wait untill it is all in primer and then do some shading.
Mike.

[Guest]

Update,
The turret is now well underway, and it is now a case of working my way around it and adding items here and there. The slat on the bottom of the hull rear has finally been hung on the attachment bar, and swings freely.
The slat and reactive blocks are now on the turret, pics below.
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Slat sections built and joined...
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Reactive blocks with new handles added.
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Positions marked for the frame to hold the slat armour....
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And all in place.1.
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And 2.
Cheers,
Mike.

[Road of Bones]

That looks marvellous Mike- such crisp work!

[scottie3158]

Mike,
Lovely neat work as always.

[Guest]

Update,
Having a couple of days off the build itself - now building tracks, 76 links per side, 4 parts per link.
Mike.

[Si Benson]

Hi Mike,
you’ve done loads since I last poked my head in.....I’m blown away!!
Some excellent work, I’m loving that bar armour.....very nice indeed:thumb2:

[Guest]

Hi Mike,
you’ve done loads since I last poked my head in.....I’m blown away!!
Some excellent work, I’m loving that bar armour.....very nice indeed:thumb2:

Hello Si,
Yes, on the downwind leg now as far as building goes, The base was given its final coat of black yesterday ready for the ground work to start, but got to finish the track construction today I hope.
Cheers,
Mike

[Graeme C.]

The turret is looking good, the tracks sound tedious!

[JR]

The dogs do da's and a kitchen sink to boot Mike.

I trust you are using that jig :smiling2:.

Have you been let back into the house yet ? This 2 mtr rule is not essential to married couples tell SWMBO.

[Guest]

The turret is looking good, the tracks sound tedious!

The brain faded out last night....