Post by Beekster on Nov 25, 2017 13:26:24 GMT -6
These two arrived from Luckymodel yesterday after only a couple of weeks on the boat:
First impressions in the box are good. The parts look nice and the detail is top-drawer stuff. Looks like the bogie assemblies go together like Tasca's do, but without the same vertical positioning of the volute springs. A certain amount of compression of the gudgeon arms will be possible to pose the model on slightly uneven ground, but no extreme articulation is possible. More on the downside of that later...
The link-and-length tracks might be OK for a static, flat-surface model but I won't use them as they have a built-in sag behind the drive sprocket that shouldn't be there on a properly tensioned track. I like the idler wheels, which have separate lips to get the undercut right for the first time in styrene (you can get correct parts as 3D prints, however). I am disappointed that the idler mounts do not allow for positioning of the idler to adjust tension on link tracks, so those will have to be changed on my models.
The hull construction is a little more complex than that of Academy, which likely means that careful attention will be required to get everything square and true. On the other hand, the parts breakdown of the engine deck is such that conversion to a diesel version will be a teeny bit easier. For the M31, the support arms for the lattice boom can be built so that they are stowed for travel, fixed to the hull for lifting modest loads, or fixed on the ground for maximum lift. Nice.
Back to that issue about suspension articulation. If you want extreme articulation, you'll have to tweak things or use a Tasca/Asuka suspension. I'll likely go that route with the M31, since it will be a bridgelayer with four sections of M2 Treadway bridge cantilevered out in front. That was heavy enough that the front suspension compressed almost completely with the bridge attached. The articulation issue will rear its ugly little head if you have similar plans.
And oddly enough, the Grant won't use the kit suspension either. It will get standard Sherman bogies, because it is slated to be built as an Australian 'dozer tank using Resicast's M1 'dozer kit. That project will also require conversion to a diesel variant, and some fancy bending & soldering of brass wire for the unique grenade screens fitted atop the fighting compartment.
First impressions in the box are good. The parts look nice and the detail is top-drawer stuff. Looks like the bogie assemblies go together like Tasca's do, but without the same vertical positioning of the volute springs. A certain amount of compression of the gudgeon arms will be possible to pose the model on slightly uneven ground, but no extreme articulation is possible. More on the downside of that later...
The link-and-length tracks might be OK for a static, flat-surface model but I won't use them as they have a built-in sag behind the drive sprocket that shouldn't be there on a properly tensioned track. I like the idler wheels, which have separate lips to get the undercut right for the first time in styrene (you can get correct parts as 3D prints, however). I am disappointed that the idler mounts do not allow for positioning of the idler to adjust tension on link tracks, so those will have to be changed on my models.
The hull construction is a little more complex than that of Academy, which likely means that careful attention will be required to get everything square and true. On the other hand, the parts breakdown of the engine deck is such that conversion to a diesel version will be a teeny bit easier. For the M31, the support arms for the lattice boom can be built so that they are stowed for travel, fixed to the hull for lifting modest loads, or fixed on the ground for maximum lift. Nice.
Back to that issue about suspension articulation. If you want extreme articulation, you'll have to tweak things or use a Tasca/Asuka suspension. I'll likely go that route with the M31, since it will be a bridgelayer with four sections of M2 Treadway bridge cantilevered out in front. That was heavy enough that the front suspension compressed almost completely with the bridge attached. The articulation issue will rear its ugly little head if you have similar plans.
And oddly enough, the Grant won't use the kit suspension either. It will get standard Sherman bogies, because it is slated to be built as an Australian 'dozer tank using Resicast's M1 'dozer kit. That project will also require conversion to a diesel variant, and some fancy bending & soldering of brass wire for the unique grenade screens fitted atop the fighting compartment.
