A few 1/35 IFV's and AFV's

[Ramba]

Nice! I love the Meng bolts - I bought one set as a whim, but they've been very useful. I have several now.

Thanks! I have set A small and set B small. Set A is without washers and set B is with washers. I accidentally ordered set B as I only wanted/needed set A so with me bumbling the order, I had to order the correct set and now I have two of those Meng nuts and bolts sets. I originally got the nuts and bolts set just for the M1A1 scratch built snorkel mounting bracket but I found another kit I can use them on so they are handy.

[Old Wombat]

Nice work on the snorkel!

Thanks! The indy tracks are nice but very tedious. It took me a total of 7 hours to get them done.

Yeah, well, that lot would have taken me the best part of three or four days!

[apophenia]

... The kit only includes one FN MAG but I am going to a second one as seen in the image below. The original caption said it was in Kandahar, 2006. I have some Legend resin FN MAG's for a Leopard 2A4M CAN but the FN mounts are the same so they will fit the C2 Mexas as well.

Although the standard, rear-stocked C6 GPMG was the most common mount, the C2 MEXAS were also seen with spade-gripped C6 pintle guns. I mention it in case you want to mix-and-match.

[Ramba]

Nice work on the snorkel!

Yeah, well, that lot would have taken me the best part of three or four days!

Thanks! The RFM M1A1 tracks took me 7 hours but split between two days. I am working on the MiniArt T-54 tracks that I started August of last year. I clipped them all off in August but just cleaned them up yesterday. Cleaning up the cut areas of the links took me just over 4 hours. If I remember correctly, it took me almost an hour just to clip them all off.

Although the standard, rear-stocked C6 GPMG was the most common mount, the C2 MEXAS were also seen with spade-gripped C6 pintle guns. I mention it in case you want to mix-and-match.

Thanks for the info. I already have the Legend Leopard 2A4M CAN set which has the FN MAG with the butt stock. It looks like Legend copied the Takom FN. I have two of the Legend sets so will use both the Legend FN's on the C2 Mexas and use the Takom kit FN on something else. The Takom kit FN looks really nice and crisp. Hopefully the Legend FN will look a bit better once primed and painted.

[Ramba]

Working on the Takom C2 Mexas track links and Takom forgot to say how many links per side.


I found this build that says he used 83 links per side.
https://intscalemodeller.com/viewtopic.php?t=23621

The track links are made by Orochi. There are 766 track link parts on three plastic parts trees and seven rubber parts trees. The rubber pieces are to slide over the pins to make the tracks workable. More fun clipping and cleaning up 766 parts just for the tracks. Takom did not include an assembly jig.





I had gotten a PSM 3D printed barrel and as you can see, it has prominent print lines. I am hoping a coat of primer and then the final camo paint will cover the print lines.

[Ramba]

I am being invaded by ants. These are the rubber end caps that go on the pins of the individual track links for the Takom Leopard C2 Mexas.



All the track parts clipped off and cleaned up ready for assembly.


Fully assembled.


I also finished the Meng T-72B3M tracks as well.

[Buzzbomb]

Saw all these individual tracks stuff and my brain went  and had a slight overload.

Not tried the Meng bolts. Typically I have been using the Tichy Train or similar stuff. The last time I tried the "slice off the sprue" bolts, I lost two to the small black hole that lives somewhere on my work space and the other two cut on an angle and looked horrible. Back to the Tichy Train ones 

Really do like what you are doing though.. great thread.

[Ramba]

Saw all these individual tracks stuff and my brain went  and had a slight overload.

Not tried the Meng bolts. Typically I have been using the Tichy Train or similar stuff. The last time I tried the "slice off the sprue" bolts, I lost two to the small black hole that lives somewhere on my work space and the other two cut on an angle and looked horrible. Back to the Tichy Train ones 

Really do like what you are doing though.. great thread.

Thanks!

Yeah, the indy links are a real PITA! I was in the groove though once I started on the RFM M1A1 tracks so decided to do the Takom and Meng tracks as well. I need to get them done anyway so seeing I was already in the groove, I didn't want to stop and pushed on to get them done.

HAHAHA! Yes, when I cut the bolts off the Meng set, they do come off at an angle. I am using a #17 blade. While it is squared off and flat, it is beveled so the bolts come off angled. I also lost two to the carpet monster. I haven't heard of Tichy Train. Thanks for the info. I wish I knew about those before I got the Meng set. They definitely look easier to cut off.

[Old Wombat]

You, Sir, are an indy-track God!

Still holds!

[Ramba]

You, Sir, are an indy-track God!

Still holds!

Thanks! I have the time on my hands for now to get them done so might as well do them now . If I wait to do them later, they will never get done. Starting next week and for the next few weeks I won't have as much time to work on them so trying to get as much done as possible.

[Ramba]

After working on the RFM M1A1, Takom C2 Mexas and Meng T-72B3M tracks, I moved on to the MiniArt T-54 tracks. These are not workable but they are full indy links.


I glued them together in small and large sections. That's it for now until it is time to put them on. The small sections are only lightly glued so I can easily bend them around the sprockets and idlers.

[LemonJello]

That is quite the trackstravaganza going on!

[Ramba]

That is quite the trackstravaganza going on!

Yes it is quite the trackstravaganza I have going on. I am currently working on two sets of Panda tracks right now. One for the 2S6M Tunguska and one for the 9K330 Tor. The Tunguska tracks are full indy links but not workable. The Tor tracks are also full indy links but they have pins to insert into each link but they fit a bit loose so not sure if they are workable or not. The Tor also has separate pad inserts. I have seen images with and without so I might not use the pad inserts.

From the words of Smashmouth (I changed a couple words in the last verse to track).

Well, the years start coming
And they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart, but your head gets dumb

So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow

Hey now, you're a track star
Get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a track star
Get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold

[Ramba]

The trackapalooza continues. For he last three days, I worked on the Panda 2S6M Tunguska and the 9K330 Tor tracks.

The Tunguska tracks are full indy links but not workable. The guide horns are separate. I actually started the tracks back in March, 2020 but only did a few. First photo shows the few I had already worked on already assembled. The rest of the pile of tracks and guide horns were just cut this past Sunday.



The Tor tracks are also full indy links but they have teeny, tiny pins to insert into each link. The Tor also has separate pad inserts. I have seen images with and without so I might not use the pad inserts.



Most of the pins are very loose and fall out of the tracks. Some snap in and hold the tracks together to make them workable but I had to glue the loose ones on. I glued the ends of the tracks then slid the pins through. Even with the glue, I managed to make them workable.



I would have gotten the tracks done earlier today but I had to clear the snow from the driveway and off the car. We got 11 inches from around 1am to 9am this morning. Clearing the snow took a good two hours even with the snow blower. It was the wet snow so the impeller kept getting clogged.

[Old Wombat]

Looks cold.

[Ramba]

Looks cold.

Yes, it is cold. We got 6 more inches today.

[Ramba]

Got more indy track parts cut off the trees and all cleaned up ready for assembly. I worked on them Thursday and Friday. Between the two days, it took roughly 8 hours to cut them all off and clean them up.

The one with the long rectangular parts are for the Trumpeter T-80BVM. The long rectangular pats are the track assembly jigs. The T-80BVM tracks are not workable. The other set is for the Trumpeter T-72B3M. These are workable.

[Ramba]

As LemonJello said earlier, the trackstravaganza continues.

I worked on three sets of tracks from Friday till today. It took roughly 12 hours to get all three sets assembled. The ones in front are for the Trumpeter T-72B3M with grating cage. They were cut and cleaned a while ago but just got them assembled today. The two sets in he back are the RFM M1A1/A2 T-158 tracks.


I got two sets of those RFM M1 tracks. This pile has almost 2,000 pieces.


The RFM tracks assembled. The RFM M1 tracks will be used on some Dragon M1A1 kits.


Trumpeter T-72B3M tracks assembled.

[Old Wombat]

The RFM tracks look really good ... But, also, really scary!

[Ramba]

The RFM tracks look really good ... But, also, really scary!

The RFM tracks are nice. You need to glue the guide horns to the pins and then the top and bottom of the track pads snap together. Some of the pads are pretty loose so will require some glue.

They do take quite a few hours to cut off, clean up and assemble so be prepared to spend time putting them together.

[apophenia]

... They do take quite a few hours to cut off, clean up and assemble so be prepared to spend time putting them together.

Time well-spent! 

[Ramba]

... They do take quite a few hours to cut off, clean up and assemble so be prepared to spend time putting them together.

Time well-spent! 

Yes, time well spent as the indy track links do look good.

[Ramba]

Yesterday I spent some time on the Hobby Boss ZBL-09.



Mine won't be a ZBL-09. I am doing it as a what if. The PLA has a new Type-19 8x8 IFV with an unmanned turret with a 30mm gun.



The ZBL-09 and Type-19 hulls are not the same but close enough for me but mine isn't going to be an actual Type-19, it will be loosely based on it. I had to cut out the turret ring, troop hatches and one hatch on the front of the hull that is behind the driver. The cut out areas are now plugged in with sheet plastic and I made a new turret ring. I still need to fill and sand those areas.




The reason for the new turret ring was to fit the new turret. I am using the turret from the Tiger Models T-40 Nexter CTAS kit. While the Type-19 turret is unmanned, the T-40 turret is manned. I haven't decided if I am going to convert the T-40 to unmanned yet but I am sort of, kind of, maybe leaning that way. The turrets aren't the same but will work for my what if.



The T-40 turret covered the troop hatch area and other forward hatch so that is why I had to remove them. Here is the T-40 turret test fitted. This is as far as I got. The T-40 has a 40mm gun instead of a 30mm. I will more than likely leave off the missile launchers.

[Old Wombat]

Interesting!

Not that Chinese or Russian AFVs interest me (except as targets) but good modelling does.

Carry on, that man!

[Ramba]

Interesting!

Not that Chinese or Russian AFVs interest me (except as targets) but good modelling does.

Carry on, that man!

Thanks! While I am using Chinese vehicles as a base, mine is just a general what if. No real affiliation to anything. The Type-19 is one of China's better looking vehicles though. Another one of the better looking ones is the Type-625E Advanced Anti-Aircraft Gun System. The turret has so many what if possibilities. I am really hoping Hobby Boss makes one in 1/35.