discussion SimonT - SdKfz.250/9 1/87 Trident

[Fernando N]

Neat detailing Simon and a very brave undertaking with the tracks, good luck :thumb2:

 

[Guest]

Nothing out of the norm then :nerd: Simon.

To those of you unaware when you read " I was up in the loft this afternoon " this in fact actually means a cave deep in The Land of Scrathery, where strange things happen to plastic . Be afraid, very afraid.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Utterly Astonishing!

 

[SimonT]

Rick - I shall certainly try to get them done

cheers Paul - not sure if it will be successful

Jim - the scale doesn't really bother me. It could be a big part at small scale, a small part at big scale, they are all just parts. It all comes down to whether I can manage to build something to the required 2x3mm final dimensions, regardless of the finished scale, if that makes sense. It could be 2x3mm @ 1/35th or 2x3mm @ 1/87th, still 2x3mm, it would just represent different sizes at full scale

Scottie - thanks, still some way off success

Thanks Lee

Rick - magic may be the next option to try

Hi Fernando - more stupid I think

John - exactly

Neil - thanks for dropping in



removed the remains of the kit tracks

I re-glued the broken wheel but it looks to have gone again. Some of those lightening holes in the wheels look like they need a bit of work as well


started on a new batch of links but found that they are not very consistent in their quality so they will be scrapped

I also found that the cutter does not give a nice vertical slice but tends to slope sideways - the downside of having a thin blade I guess

 

[Mini Me]

I've wrestled with the "chopper" problem for years and it came down to blade flex for me as well. I was hoping this would be eliminated in the new "fangled" versions I have seen on the forum, but not the case apparently. Your progress with the running gear looks promising
and I am reciting all the proper incantations to the appropriate gods of the styrene realm, that they smile upon your efforts as you continue your struggle with the nefarious track demons. Press on Sir.
Rick H.

 

[Guest]

I also found that the cutter does not give a nice vertical slice but tends to slope sideways - the downside of having a thin blade I guess

That’s only to be expected, I think. Try cutting a thick piece of plastic rod off square with a knife: unless you’re taking care to compensate, you will end up cutting it at an angle even if you have the blade perfectly vertical. I suspect this is because you always end up pushing the material away with a knife — you’d need to saw slices off to get the cut perfectly vertical, but imagine cleaning up all those links after sawing …

 

[Guest]

Simon.
The only thing that will help is using very little pressure when cutting and doing it it small cuts.
Had exactly the same problem when cutting thin window sections. With a section like that it must be compounded.

Bat blood offered to the Gods does help I'm reliable told. :nerd:

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Hi Simon.
Don't give up with the chopper. Try cutting part way through then turn the piece through 45 or 90 degrees and cut again.
It works well on square stock- whether it will work on your track extrusions remains to be seen.
THEN comes the bat blood part

 

[minitnkr]

I've heard you can substitute viper venom for bats' blood as bats' blood is very unpopular lately. PaulE

 

[SimonT]

Thanks one and all :thumb2:

I have actually found that in this case it seems to work best with a quick sharp push

Since I am not cutting parts that need to join at right angles the slight slope does not matter - the angle, as far as it is possible to tell at this size, appears to be consistent and it is therefore cutting consistently sized parts, less than half a mm thick

I made up a new profile and sliced off a selection of links

I discovered that the road wheels do not fit well to the chassis - only the pins on the sprocket and the rear idler actually mount to the body

The pins on the suspension arms and on the back of the road wheels conspire to just push the wheels away from the chassis - I sliced the pins off the rear of the wheels so that the wheels sit against the pins on the arms

Sliced the pin off the front arm and drilled it out with a 0.8mm bit

Drilled a corresponding hole in the rear of the first road wheel and fitted a plastic rod

Now the road wheel section mounts positively front and rear

I then made a start on installing some links using CA - they are so thin they would just dissolve in TET

There would have been a photo but my computer has decided to stop posting pictures again :rolling:

 

[Guest]

I was really impressed with those links, a pity as it was a good idea.
No doubt you will have another cunning plan.

 

[SimonT]

John - no need for the sad face smiley, my cunning plan hasn't changed, it just needed refining to knock the rough edges off
I did say that links were being installed

Anyway, after a brief posting interlude caused by the site throwing a wobbly (not my computer after all) one track now has all the basic links installed so I shall jump straight to the photos for that


the new links with a more uniform profile



still needs all the track pads adding

not sure the result is actually worth all the effort - should have just covered the kit parts in mud :smiling3:

 

[Mini Me]

Looks like they still need the track shoes.........if that is the case I will reserve comment on the overall effect until that time. I REALLY like what I see so far. Rick H.

 

[Steve Jones]

That's like when I stick 100 rivets on the lower hull of an AFV and then cover it all in pigments. The important thing is that you know the pads will be there under the mud and that's what helps you sleep at night. Or in your case maybe not LOL

 

[Guest]

Good Grief that is small.... I have a pin head ready for your next build of the Titanic......
Love the track work - brilliant.
Mike.