Rex, keep that stuff and paint it up a bit. Would look cool strapped down to a flatbed or lowboy.

I doubt they'll give you any money back but worth a try.

You can buy just the chassis on eBay anyway, may have been cheaper than buying the whole kit?

Yeah ---- I had that thought but I didn't put much effort into looking for that kind of a source of parts. I'm an impulse buyer. If I had a dollar for each of the things I should have done, but didn't do ------ I'd be rich.

But by the same token, If I didn't do some of the dumb things I did do, I'd be even richer.
rex

The cardboard cut outs of the parts I needed turned out well enough to carefully draw those dimensions on to a sheet of styrene. I drew those parts just a little larger than what was needed because of a lesson I learned in the past.


If something is too big, you can file it down. If something is too small, you cannot file it up.


A little bit of trimming and fitting was needed, but I was happy enough with the basic cab to glue it together. I didn't glue the top down for now, I need to make up my mind about what kind of an interior I want to deal with --- none really, but it needs something to look at because of all of those windows. I don't want to build it all buttoned up. However, I may change my mind about that later.




The real life 1:1 scale M26 and M15 are a nightmare of details and small parts. On my model only the parts that can be seen from 10 feet away will end up being built by me. Uhhh, make that 15 feet --- at night.


A thought crossed my mind that kinda scares me. I'm not sure I really want to consider making this an R/C tractor, but I could steal the R/C gear out of one of my HL tanks and use the gear box to drive a rear axle and the turret motor to steer the front tires. I have bought and cannibalized a half dozen HL Panzer IIIs in the past to R/C some of my scratch builds, so I know that will work. Most of the HL tanks I have bought from Mato just sit on the shelf and have never seen dirt. I'm sure one of them won't mind being an electronic organ donor so that this creature might live. But that's just a thought I had during a recent rainy night with thunder and lightning.
rex

I would send you a spare set if needed!!!

edoubleaz ----

Thanks for your offer of help and support on this project, but after much thought about what would have to be done to the Bruder chassis for an R/C conversion, I think I would be much better off to build a chassis from scratch. My Bruder conversion is more toy like than anything else. 1st of all, If I started over I would find more accurate/realistic tires, maybe even cut loose of a few bucks for a Tamiya Globeliner. I am building the cab and everything else that is on the chassis frame to be easily removed, not too much is permanently glued down, and could be transferred to a more serious project.


I am amazed at the help I have gotten from the tankers on this forum over the years. Besides the helpful and encouraging comments posted on my project threads, I have gotten 187 PMs since 2010 offering ideas, help, suggestions and friendly advice on my efforts. This truly is a 1st class forum with Gold Star members, and it is half of the fun I have with this hobby. Thanks to all of youse guys !!!
rex

I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, But I made some progress with the cab --- I decided to do the frontend first, and work back. So far so good. Here's my progress.



rex

Looks Awesome

Excellent work as usual.

Herman

Wow you guys are making me want to get a globeliner and the body kit and 3d wheels and tires and build an rc tractor and maybe a trailer.

Hi Rex if you want tyres that look more like the right type Not perfect but they fit Tamiya wheels I Used these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOUR-LARGE...IAAOSwWTRW0yY7

shape the treads by spinning them in a drill and sanding a radius on them also remove the side markings on the tyres they are a perfect scale diameter .You will have to search for them took me a while to get enough.

regards pete

before and after photos

This is a cool project. It looks great.

Hey !!! Thanks for that source idea ---- those tires look like they could be of use on a lot of builds. I would need more than 4, so I did a Google search for --- LARGE BLACK LEGO TYRES 24X43 --- I found a Lego page that showed a bunch of the tires they make. I gotta investigate exactly what they have. A lot of it could be modified as you suggested. I didn't know Lego made tires, and I also saw some differential type gears that look interesting.

Thanks again !

Hi Rex they do fit Tamiya truck wheels you have to pull them to get them on but they fit.

regards pete

While I started wondering what to do next, I began to think I could have made the windshield armor plates and engine vent doors work. I found a bag of really small brass hinges that I forgot I had. They are little gems that would have been perfect. I wish I had discovered them before I glued the heck out of everything.


Also, I did a search for building a "military machine gun skate ring" for the top of my M26. Good grief --- I never had a clue that there were this many ways to mount a machine gun. I thought everything in the military was "one size fits all"???


http://www.bmgparts.com/mount.html

rex

"I never had a clue that there were this many ways to mount a machine gun."

That is a lot ofways to mount a machine gun. All the cool looking ones said NAVY on them so they wouldn't work for the Dragon Wagon.

try this

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...U8XCy85joDP3RA

Yeah --- I ran across that one when I was getting educated about gun mounts. The one mount that I never would have thought existed is the one for a BAR. Some of those mounts are so complicated they have more parts than the gun that is on it.
rex

Hello Rex Ross

Thanks for posting your build. Question, could you post a picture of those: really small brass hinges you found, if you know where you got them from, please let me know also.
Thanks
George

George ----

I got the grey plastic hinges from ---
http://www.rccountryhobbies.com/contact.html




Those are used a lot on R/C aircraft for aileron and flaps. I guess they are still available at any kind of R/C aircraft store. I have no idea who made them.


The brass hinges came from Micro Mark.

www.micromark.com
1 800 225 1065

outside the US

1 908 464 2984




Page 31 of Winter 2016 catalog.

I may still redo everything I've done so far with operational hinges. I really need to learn to plan ahead ----
rex

For those who need to know. MG mounts are a dime a dozen. Do you know why they put the handle on the barrels of the .50s? So Marines could pick them up and fire from the hip without burning their hands, no mount needed. (Sorry Rex, I couldn't help myself.)

Herman

wheels
https://www.shapeways.com/product/ZD...34&rc=WishList

tires
https://www.shapeways.com/product/6P...05&rc=WishList

Not cheap, but to make it look perfect, only the best.

Thanks for posting that --- I agree --- beautiful product. 3D is definitely developing to be a big factor in this hobby. My problem is that I'm not cheap, I'm just broke.
rex

Herman
No problem. Post anything you want. When I was in the Navy I learned that the one thing you never wanted to do was challenge or question anything a Marine said ---- unless you wanted a Purple Heart.
rex

I got a little more done on this thing ---- the top and back of the cab looked like easy work before I do the sides and the gear on the rear.
rex