Monday 6 January 2014

Scratchbuilding a US M2 Medium Tank in 28mm Part 4


Picture 15 Planning Turrets:  The basic octagonal box structure was repeated for two turrets.  Note the top panel of the turret is sloped down at the front so top and bottom of the turrets are not identical.  This is structure, so thick plastic again.




Picture 16 Assembling Turrets:  Assembling the turrets.  Note the spacer to establish the height of the turret and that the front spacer slopes down to the front.


Picture 17 Plating Turrets:  Thinner plastic card is used to skin the turrets.


Picture 18 Basic Turrets:  The basic turrets.  A thicker plastic sheet will be used for the front plate of the turret.


Picture 19 Tubes and Cylinders:  A second structural element is round-section tubes.  Four machine gun turrets are required on each vehicle.  Here, suitable diameter Evergreen tube is capped with thin sheet.  When thoroughly dry, the cap can be trimmed and sanded to match the outside diameter of the tube.  The tube is cut to length and the open end capped, trimmed and sanded.  The capped tubes are then sliced vertically into halves.


Picture 20 Taking Shape:  The machine gun turrets are added to the crew compartment.  A plastic tube was added to the turrets to form a pivot.  Also added was a disk to the bottom of the turret to allow it to turn freely.  Some small similar thickness spacers were later added to the bottom of the turrets to eliminate wobble.  The upside down turret has a thick front plate added and has yet to be trimmed.  Note how the hull’s base plate will form the front fenders and rides above the area the tracks will run.



Picture 20A Taking Shape:  Top and rear view of the basic structures.  At this point, other than the tubes for the machine guns, there have been no curved structures.  This complex shape is built up with layers of flat sheet. 

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