heavyaslead

Some pics of finished FO tank.

Raining outside now, will get some running videos later.

Uses the electronics from Tam JDGF 10


REAR


INTERNAL ELECTRONICS


TURRET RECOIL/ELEVATION BATTLESYSTEM


SPARE TRACK CABLE DETAIL


FRONT OPERATIONAL LIGHTS AND MG


MAIN GUN AND BATTLESYSTEM EMITTER


TOPSIDE


FRONT

Ex_Pat_Tanker

Awesome!

herrmill

Very nice! Congrats on finishing one of the first out of the block.

RC_BobM

Really great to see one nearing completion. Looks fantastic. Hopefully the printed hull and bits will hold up better than M60. Love those tracks!
Bob

tomhugill

Very nice! What made you go for the type 10 electrics?

DirtyBird69

heavyaslead

The form factor of the Type 10 fits really well in the rather narrow hull, because of the differential drive and steer transmission, had somewhat limited choices of electronics.

maillemaker

Looks cool!

Steve

tomhugill

Was it a case of go tamiya or go home? There's quite a few third party options but if it's the case that seems the best option!

heavyaslead

Well I am most comfortable with Tamiya, its plug-in-play is the feature I like best and to know the battlesystem will perform accurately to spec.

Not against third party, but not a fan of programming or downloading software to configure a tank. If I have to hook up my laptop to my tank, I might as well play World of Tanks instead LOL

Actually got lucky and pulled a used JSDF Type 10 for about 425 dollars, so it was a no brainer with all the servos, recoil and lighting controls.

ksoc

Great looking tank. Thanks for sharing the picts!

rshermanking

nice looking Churchill this is mine at the moment

heavyaslead

Maybe you know, what is that boss/hole on the top of the turret?

Is it a Machine Gun mount or periscope port?

Ex_Pat_Tanker

The one on the right side outboard of the periscope? I suspect that is the '2" bomb thrower' (aka the smoke grenade launcher).

heavyaslead

That sounds plausible, though looks to be manual i.e. canister hand pushed thru hole.

Ex_Pat_Tanker

I believe its the same flare pistol style device as was fitted to the left hand side of Sherman turrets (at the behest of the British Army)

heavyaslead

Aye, flare pistol, now I understand.

So did this have a plug/hatch of some sort when not in use?

Looks a perfect drop point for a anti-tank grenade...

Ex_Pat_Tanker

Not sure if the Sherman had one? I would have thought maybe some kind of weather plug perhaps, but you're going to have to climb out of the tank to uncork it so its going to be uncovered in combat - tho to be honest, if you let infantry climb on to the tank unmolested then I'm sure there are plenty of more obvious places for them to stick an antitank charge

heavyaslead

Videos coming soon...

Notes on the build:
1. The supplied mini servos (used for recoil and elevation) are underpowered, strongly recommend replacing with hi-torque metal gear mini servos.
2. The HL turret traverse is great works quite reliably
3. The turret ring gear could be upgraded with ball bearing, but using white lithium grease works well too, the ring fit is excellent
4. Some minor work on the SLA plastic had to be done to make parts fit and install easily, not a problem, just be careful as the material is somewhat brittle compared to ABS plastic
5. The gun barrel diameter is small, so consider a mini-LED for the gun flash if you want that feature
6. The metal tracks are wonderful, some of the best tight tolerance pinned fitted tracks I have seen, the pins are knurled to avoid backing out

Longsheep

Yes that is the 2" bomb thrower. My 1/16 Centurion is a early model and has one too, but it is rotatable. AFAIK only smoke rounds have been developed for it.
More details about it: "2in Bomb Thrower" and variants... - Tracked vehicles - HMVF - Historic Military Vehicles Forum

heavyaslead

OK thanks for that great info.

So if I model a 24" (made for scale) pipe out the boss? That would be reasonably accurate as its looks like the bomb-thrower was clamp, bolt or thread mounted to the turret roof.

Longsheep

I am not sure if there is a shroud around the barrel of the thrower, but the inside assembly should be as shown on the photos.
The thrower seems rather easily mounted or dismounted.

ThurmanMerman'sSherman

That weathering looks amazing! Sometimes with these tanks I have been seeing on the boards I can't tell if it's weathering or real mud! Excellent work!

Ex_Pat_Tanker

If you fast forward to 14 mins into this vid You can clearly see it behind Nick Moran's head. Its bolted onto a flange on an outer tube welded to the turret, not directly to the turret roof. Looking at the pictures of the thing on its own, the length of the barrel past the flange is about the same as the pipe in the turret roof - I don't think anything actually sticks out, and if you were to look at a Sherman, you can also barely see the muzzle poking out of the roof.

heavyaslead

New video


Performance:
1. The tank is surprisingly agile considering the real tank performance history, pirouette is especially capable.
2. The tank performed with no issues, no thrown tracks, no material spooled up in the drive or idler, no breakages (wonderful)
3. One must be careful on driving side inclines as flipping the tank is more likely considering the narrow profile of the tank
4. With the track guards removed, it is a virtual monkey climbing vertical obstacles with ease, even side swiped obstacles are navigated well due to the all around exposed track.