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Post by loyalist on Jan 14, 2016 12:10:35 GMT
Here's my first conversion of a Mk II tank. The Canadians admired the BEF's Lloyd command vehicles but had no access to them and decided to modify some US Mk IIc tanks as Field Commander's vehicles. The increase in superstructure space was achieved by making the front wall vertical, the roof horizontal and eliminating the internal HMG turret. The HMG was moved to the roof and accessed by a hatch. A radio was fitted and the 'Tommy tank' conversion was done, including removing the driver's cupola and mounting its hatch directly to the deck.   Since the photo was taken the plate with the aerial has been removed and the aerial glued directly to the roof at the right rear. I didn't like the castings for the Tommy tank guns and thought the barrels were too short, so made my own. I found numerous antique beads that fit snugly in the cupola in a jar of hundreds; Kim kindly let me use them. A brass rod was glued in each bead, then a shortened tank barrel with styrene collar was drilled and glued to the rod. The gun is 1/8" (3mm) longer than the AD version. I did a similar conversion with some HMGs so they look like ball turrets but don't have the styrene collars. The object in the background is a test piece for a MK II based vehicle similar in principle to a Llloyd command vehicle, or possibly a Cardigan carrier. It's 2" long, twice the length of a MK II or III superstructure; after cutting a track unit in half and checking the proportions if the tank was lengthened an inch I think that will be too much. I'm considering shortening the superstructure to 1.5". In metric that will make the superstructure about 38mm long, 25mm wide and 20mm high, so a little smaller than a Lloyd or Cardigan's superstructure. |
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Post by Quendil on Jan 14, 2016 12:41:15 GMT
That looks really good. The gun is much improved on the tommy tank one. Any idea on the bead size so I can get some?
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Post by loyalist on Jan 14, 2016 14:15:29 GMT
I didn't measure the bead diameter or internal diameter of the cupola, just picked beads that looked close to the right size and test fitted them. Craft or hobby stores may sell suitable beads (take a tank along to test fit them).
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Post by Quendil on Jan 14, 2016 15:01:25 GMT
I didn't measure the bead diameter or internal diameter of the cupola, just picked beads that looked close to the right size and test fitted them. Craft or hobby stores may sell suitable beads (take a tank along to test fit them). Unfortunately I am very rural so no craft or hobby stores that are easy to get to so have to get most items online |
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Post by loyalist on Jan 15, 2016 14:15:21 GMT
I'll measure the beads tonight.
The structure in the background in the photos was shortened to 1.5" long this morning and fitted to a stretched (by 0.5") tank chassis. Looks pretty good; the larger tank will replace the first one in the photos as the Field Commander's vehicle - a Canadian version of the Lloyd with lower speed (6"). I haven't decided whether to put the Lloyd's single HMG in a ball turret in the hull, on the roof like the first conversion, or use the HMG from an armoured flivver on the roof. (I'll probably save the flivver HMG turrets for use on a river monitor or landship.)
The first tank conversion will be used as an alternative MK IIc for a tank company commander instead of for the Field Commander. Its superstructure is removable so it can also represent a regular Tommy tank.
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Post by novista on Jan 16, 2016 9:46:31 GMT
Amazing converts, nice, definitely suit a new carrier. Do you think push moulding the wall plates would work?
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Post by loyalist on Jan 16, 2016 12:19:20 GMT
For Quendil, the bead diameter is 7mm.
Making a push mould of the stretched track units is possible using two part moulding putty, but you'd have to sand/file the inner side of the resin (corresponding to the open side of the mould) smooth and flat, then figure out a way to attach it to the plastic body. I think there could be problems with air bubbles in the thin track treads. I'm content to make more stretched hulls using styrene though it's relatively slow.
Last night I made another HMG ball turret for the MK II equivalent of the Lloyd Command Carrier. The model will be photographed this evening.
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Post by loyalist on Jan 18, 2016 16:53:18 GMT
Change of plans: the superstructure from this tank is now on a lengthened tank chassis, a more fitting Field Commander's vehicle based on the Canadian version of the US AIC. It'll count as a Lloyd Command Carrier but slower and with an extra HMG. It has a ball HMG turret in the hull mount plus the one on the roof.
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Post by madmorgan on Jan 25, 2016 2:46:14 GMT
As usual in awe of your conversion skills. TY for the info on the 7mm bead for the 'ball' gun slot. I'm checking Walmart for some of those peel and stick items for fingernails and scrapebooks - I've successfully used faceted gems in the past for fantasy stuff, I'm sure there are some close to 7mm halved with selfstick on the flat side. Failing that, I've got a 'bead' collector old lady - she used to belly dance, all that costume stuff  |
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Post by loyalist on Jan 25, 2016 4:48:39 GMT
If you use only half a bead I think the gun will look too low in the turret recess unless you put something 2-3mm thick under it.
When 'BEFing' the tanks I trimmed off the turret ring above the deck but thought the bead/gun looked a bit too high (as seen in the photos), plus I had trouble getting the rim trimmed off without some damage to the deck.My solution was to cut off the roof of a spare HMG turret, and using multiple drill bits and a round file opened a hole in the roof until it was ~7mm in internal diameter, then cut a wedge out of the front to match the hull opening and glued it on.
Looks better imo. You can see the rings in the photos of the tanks in the AIC thread if you enlarge them. They'll be easier to see in photos of the painted tanks - pending.
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Post by madmorgan on Jan 25, 2016 8:56:54 GMT
Yes, I see and you're right, those 'half-beads' won't work. Just a thought.
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Post by loyalist on Feb 18, 2016 0:27:42 GMT
Evolution of the concept: a stretched tank for the Canadian Field commander's vehicle - lengthened 1/2". First basecoat of paint applied. I'll be using Lloyd Command Carrier stats (except for slower speed of 6"). A Lloyd Carrier still towers over this vehicle though its length is shorter. The tank in the initial post is now the command vehicle for a Mobile artillery battery. The superstructure seen in the background in an earlier photo was was shortened 1/2" and used for this new version. Note re-purposed antique bead as the BEF version of the HMG turret.   |
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Post by madmorgan on Feb 18, 2016 2:55:03 GMT
Really fine work. I just got my Conqueror order today (my first) and am extremely happy with the contents - all the modeling is crisp and well defined. More will flow from them soon, if I have the funds.
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Post by loyalist on Feb 18, 2016 3:56:01 GMT
I think you mentioned a stretched version of the Conqueror tank but haven't seen it on their website yet.
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Post by loyalist on Nov 17, 2016 23:41:04 GMT
Evolution of the concept: a stretched tank for the Canadian Field commander's vehicle - lengthened 1/2". First basecoat of paint applied. I'll be using Lloyd Command Carrier stats (except for slower speed of 6"). A Lloyd Carrier still towers over this vehicle though its length is shorter. The tank in the initial post is now the command vehicle for a Mobile artillery battery. The superstructure seen in the background in an earlier photo was was shortened 1/2" and used for this new version. Note re-purposed antique bead as the BEF version of the HMG turret. I've decided I don't like the longer superstructure and have gone back to the shorter one from the original conversion, with short deck sections ahead of and behind it. Painting is at the dry-brushing and washing stage and hull number decals are on. Painting should be done in a couple of days - photos will be posted. There are photos of the tank with the same smaller superstructure and decks fore and aft of it on page 1 of the 'AIC Conversion' thread in WIP, but the tank is in black primer and hard to see unless the image is enlarged. |
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