Sherman II mid October 1942

[Isitme]

Reply to both Scottie and Steve Jones and anyone else listening....
I mark out the width and other dimensions from a kit offering, but add a mm more all round on a bit of printer paper. Once folded the inside is bulked out with some toilet roll (unused) and the flap is c/a'ed down im the middle, this allows for the folding of the edges. Once the c/a has dried I then crush the pack to the shape I am happy with and then add the straps again from printer paper. The buckles and clips all come from an Aber set in the spares box 35 A21. I have yet to add the shoulder straps as these will be added once the packs are in place.
Cheers
Mike.

[minitnkr]

Nice SBS. Really pretty packs.

[Jim R]

Hi Mike
Well I would never have guessed that the pack was made of paper.
Jim

[Isitme]

Update,
Small packs are now complete and on the model as are the water 'flimsies'....
So some pics.....

Water flimsies, they were called flimsies because of the thickness of the metal...

And finally the packs...


More later...
Cheers Mike.
Hop hip.....

[scottie3158]

Mike,
Looking great the large packs look excellent.

[Isitme]

Update.
Sad day down a t'mill.... Oss saddler done run off wit' button maid.....
So there I was all full of myself - the tracks finally assembled and pinned onto my track painting board. I found an old tin of Humbrol Natural Steel for the end connectors and spryed it onto the pre primed tracks. Next came the Dark Rubber, which was brushed on..... and of course knocked off a couple of end connectors - and that should have been the warning sign. It appears the car primer has weakened the small amount of cement used on the end connectors - but no problem re-glue and carry on :rolling:
I decided to add the tracks first, get them settled and then do the weathering hip hop..... So off we went gently running the first end past the idler wheel and then all the end connectors started falling off :flushed:, they were everywhere, on the bench, on the floor, you just had to laugh:tears-of-joy:....
There was no way to recover, so it was a quick trip to the bin, and luckily I have another box of the same (Is he mad or what? the man's insane!!!!) So I am going to try a different approach, get SWMBO to assemble them and then I can blame her (Ouch!!!!)
Seriously, I have had a think and will try a different route, add the end bolt heads as per my earlier comment, but then cement the track pin to the end connector first to make sure there is glue where glue should be. Pictures to follow, in case anyone else is now sitting with a pile of scrap tracks and cursing my name.... Oh well Hippity hop.
On another subject, talking to an old friend from my BAe days at Hatfield in their model/detail department, who is also a mad modeller like us all. We came to the subject of tanks and what are you doing now? He informed me that where he now works they are developing a succesor to the Challenger/Megatron, but still based on the Challenger. It will be called Emperor, and will have a coating similar to the 'Barracuda' camouflage covering but with an electrical circuit running through it (called ENC1). When the circuit is activated it creats a blurred effect, not invisible, but reflects its surroundings ie trees, bushes. So it must be something like a mirror effect. He would not go into too many details for obvious reasons, but the joke/challenge was - now how do you replicate that in model form...
So there we go, now more of the tracks later as I said, a little set back, but if i was honest, I did see problems but not a complete disaster - more later.
Mike.

[Isitme]

Update.
Further to my earlier update....
Have had a play around with the spare bits of track and have come up with this solution....

Here are the raw parts as supplied in the box (Modelkasten).

Above.
Here on the right you can see that I have now cemented the pin into the end connector. You cannot add an end connector to the other end of the pin as the track pad will not go under both end connectors without breaking at least one off (I tried).
On the left you can see three assembled links joined by this method, but I did try to alternate the pins in both left and right holes.

But decided to go with this method, the pin/end connector remain loose inside the track pad, but the pin on its own is cemented in place and this is the one that will have the end connector cemented to it allowing the pin on the left to be loose.
So onward and upwards......

[scottie3158]

I feel for you mate tracks are a pain at the best of times.

[Isitme]

I feel for you mate tracks are a pain at the best of times.

True, but in a way I think I was half expecting trouble, so progress has been made, and there is no rush to finish.

[Jim R]

It appears the car primer has weakened the small amount of cement used on the end connectors

That is a real shame but I suppose something learned for next time. Was it different primer? Glad you're sorting it. Those packs do look excellent.
Jim

[Isitme]

That is a real shame but I suppose something learned for next time. Was it different primer? Glad you're sorting it. Those packs do look excellent.
Jim

Hello Jim,
Not a problem, all sorted now - further update below. I can only work it out to one of two things and they both contained thinner - either the primer, which i always use and have had no problems with. Or the Humbrol paint and of course white spirit for thinning, but again never had a problem in the past when used.
Thanks for the compliment on the packs,
Mike.

[Isitme]

Update,
So plan B went as described except that when I came to glue link number 3,4,5, etc I came across a problem.....

When the link on the upper right now looking like a stranded fish is joined to the link at the lower left - how do you glue the joint without glueing the whole lot together, tried plastic bag, paper, tin foil - glue still found its way around the edges.....
Now for plan C, and it was so easy the light upstairs eventually went on.....

Now can you spot the difference????? Of course brass rod:rolling:. Having a walk through the plastic strip and rod drawers I came across a packet of 12 thou brass rod/wire, started out as normal with adding the bolt heads, tried a couple of links by first drilling out the holes where the plastic rod would normally fit....

I had no worries about finding a centre as it is already there!!! Just drill through - about four turns, and then there was the hole ready for the pre-cut brass rod/wire
So it was now time to cut out 20 track links, glue them together without the plastic rod, insert a brass rod, add two end connectors and secure with a dab of c/a and move onto the next and the next, job sorted, just like Fruils..... 20 assembled and 20 ready for tomorrow, lot of time used up today working everything out so should be faster tomorrow.
Cheers
Mike.

[Guest]

Are you sure it wouldn’t have been simpler to buy a different brand of track?

[Isitme]

Are you sure it wouldn’t have been simpler to buy a different brand of track? :smiling3:

Sheepish reply.....
Actually I looked at the Fruil set and ordered one :sad-face:, but still kept plugging away at the problem. I will let you know how the sets compare.

[Tim Marlow]

Go on, push through Mike. You’ve nearly cracked it now….great stuff.