Next moved on to the spare track holders. These actually went quicker and easier than I thought! Measured out a strip for width and length then took a piece of brass rectangle tubbing and removed one side with a dremel to make a hollow square. I then cut using the dremel each independent section and smoothed them off to make uniform and drilled the holes for the locking pins. I then used my diagrams, pictures, and the spare track I am going to use to measure the spacing between each section. Made the locking pins out the appropriate size of copper wire, bent the ends and soldered small chain with a larger ring on the end.
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this is alook with the main parts mounted:
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I have decided since these mounts look so cool I am only going to put the spare tracks on one side and leave the other empty so here is what the one side will look like with them mounted. I should mention too that the spare track needs some detailing to make it look better and more realistic. The "teeth" need to be hollowed out and some little styrene strips added to represent the small ridges on the teeth. You can see I started on a couple of the teeth ...
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Keep in mind I will be leaving or removing a lot of the really fine detail (for example the grab handles and chains that go on the cleaning rod storage tube) to do the painting and then add it back later.
Next I wanted to finish up the jack detailing. I decided to make the early version as the jack that comes with the HL Panther most closely resembles it. Added handles, trimmed the handle to look better, added a little ratchet at the head and remade the jack crown out of styrene. I also sanded/carved/thinned different parts to look more realiatic. If the jack was to be down at the bottom of the rear hull I might not have done so much detail but it is going to be mounted between the exhausts up high and very visable to wanted to make it look better...
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