Thanks , yes I read this.I’ll go and have a look at the Amusing Hobbies kit.
Photo and very brief mention is from ‘Profile AFV Weapons-Conqueror Heavy Gun Tank’ very much pre-W.O.T. era.
Photo and very brief mention is from ‘Profile AFV Weapons-Conqueror Heavy Gun Tank’ very much pre-W.O.T. era.
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Ah, OK, I didn’t look too closely at those because I was discarding them anyway to convert the hull into the American type 
That they didn’t include much of the gun mount detail, I can sort of understand. But why there’s not even a part to close that huge gap is probably the strangest thing about that kit … It’s even worse than Tamiya’s old missing sponson floors, because at least those are only visible from underneath while this gap is on show to everyone who looks at the model from the left.
Still, the gun mounting is missing so much stuff it’s also almost hard to believe.
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Rob Griffin’s book Conqueror (Marlborough: Crowood Press, 1999; ISBN 1 86126 251 5) has about two columns covering FV 215B on pages 126–127. By January of 1957, the prototype was apparently 80% complete and intended to be finished later that year, but it was cancelled before that happened, as were the two pre-production vehicles on which work had not yet started.
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Do a search for “jagdchieftain”. The hull is at Bovington! Certainly a contender here, as is the FV215B thanks to Brian.
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Sorry (X2) that’s my glacial broadband sabotaging my comms again😐
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Re the FV 215B: are we not looking at this from the wrong end of the telescope here?
The proposed gun tank, sporting the massive 183mm,was developed at least to the wooden mock-up stage. To my mind it doesn’t matter whether or not it was FV 215, FV 215B or FV 215Z – it got that far and therefore ties neatly in with the whole criteria of the campaign, viz:
Ever seen a prototype that didn’t quite make it to series production? This campaign is all about those “more than a sketch on an envelope” concepts that for whatever reason failed to make the final hurdle to standard-issue equipment.
Amusing Hobby appeared to have based their kit on pics of the mock-up; it’s on a Conqueror chassis, because it was on a Conqueror chassis. The WOT people may well have based their concept on the same info, or even put their own spin on Amusing Hobby’s effort (which I think is highly likely) – surely that doesn’t matter? If, in the spirit of the campaign, you wish to model an interpretation of the FV 215-whatever, then surely, crack on with the AH kit. After all, when I modelled my Soviet “T-74” for the previous campaign, I didn’t adhere strictly to Trumpeter’s effort – far from it; and to further emphasise that that was indeed the case, I added a name plate with the suffix “as envisaged”, which surely, after all, is what the thrust of the campaign is all about, is it not?
If it was me, then I would tackle the AH kit, and modify according to my (limited) knowledge of armoured vehicle development, and add a stowage rack there, a different MG here, a tow-rope there and so on, and so forth, which is also a lot of fun. I note that one modeller at least has done, presumably, just that (from the www):
And a pretty good job he’s made of it I feel.
Also, be aware that the so-called FV 217 “Badger” - by Amusing Hobby - apparently had some provenance:
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Agreed, and that is a nice looking build of the FV215b.
I’ve stalled a lot of builds trying to recreate some small detail, that becomes somewhat obsessive.The exhaust covers on Tamiya’s Chi Hi being but the latest example.
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Trumpeter E-10
Easy model so far but the suspension units and a few hull seams require some filling.
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Trumpeter E-10
This is a genuinely fun model because everything fits and painting should be easy. Construction is very far along now. Details are kinda soft. Tools are on the petite side but have molded on clamp releases. Normally, I would replace the tools but my spares box is low on those items so the kit parts must serve.
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Trumpeter E-10
Construction is done. The model comes with two sets of individual link tracks and two sets of one piece flexible tracks. My version uses the ‘early’ individual link tracks, 86 links per run.
There is some slop when fitting the drive sprockets, idler wheels, and road wheels. One locating pin for the shovel is in the wrong place. The top foot of the jack is mangled by an ejector pin mark. The gunner’s periscope is not that great. These are all minor issues and easily corrected.
For best results, I will give the tracks two days to dry before sending this to the painting station. There are brass screens for the engine exhaust fan and intakes. I will add those after the first round of priming.
For comparison, this vehicle is about the same length but perhaps 20% wider than a Jagdpanzer 38.
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Trumpeter E-10
Since I had some spare time and cannot paint this just yet, I decided to make some modifications. The biggest change is the addition of front fenders and rear mud guards. I also added one headlight, a horn, and some periscope guards.
Normally, I would cover a conjectural vehicle like the E-10 with various storage boxes. A box on the upper surface would raise the height of the vehicle, block the commander’s view, and obstruct the rotating machine gun. A box on the front surface would contribute to nose weight and obstruct the driver’s view. A box on the rear would extend backward and probably end up getting smashed. Jagdpanzer 38s never received such boxes, probably for similar reasons. Therefore, I did not add any boxes.
I briefly considered adding a multiple tube rocket launcher to the rear area but decided that makes no sense. This is not an assault tank. It is a cheap, throw away, ambush machine.
I do need to add some spare track. The model comes with 8 spare links. That is not much but better than nothing. There is some spare room on the rear plate where it should fit.
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Oh dear rabbit holes are deep and I’ve fallen down a very deep one.
Whilst looking into said rabbit hole on the whole FV215 I rediscovered the SST Chimera JagdChieftain design sometimes incorrectly called “Goliath”, I will from this point call it Goliath as I just like the name right or wrong. Itchy fingers found a Tamiya Chieftain on eBay and hit buy. So I have a major conversion on its way using hull, running gear and engine deck.
Now the biggest head scratch for me is the running gear as the Goliath had a stretched hull and a seventh road wheel, the stretch I assume is in front of the engine bay but would the extra wheel be there? I know the Horstman suspension doesn’t allow single wheels however that is solved as Horstman at the time were working on the Hydragas suspension for Challenger so sorted we fit one hydragas unit per side. Or do we replace the whole lot with Hydragas?
Profile drawing I’ll be working from, but with a few ‘improvements’ as I go.
And this, which is the model Bovington tank museum have in their archives
Edit. To any of those wondering about the maple leaf on the side of the model, the information I found indicates that Canada was showing interest in the project!
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That E-10 is looking good! Pity there’s no room for external stowage, but then they weren’t expected to last long enough to need any…
I like the Goliath! I’d go with the hydragas suspension if it was in existence at the time, because Horstman and odd numbers just don’t mix.
And that FV217 seems to be more than just WoT fantasy - I did find a few obscure refs so it’s OK by me.
We might need something to balance all these tank destroyers!
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I’ve been trying to scribe / cut out one of the rear doors, maybe add a bit of ‘what if’ interior.
Slow and careful progress on gun barrel( I find glueing a bit at a time helps with lining up the two halves( doubt if there is after market for this).
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I did read somewhere it existed in blueprints, that’s why I hoped it would 
I’ve hit the going button 
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Trumpeter E-10
Wanting to keep this project moving along I decided to spray acrylic primer in the middle of the day. That is a really, really bad idea and I should know better by now. It took me three hours to lay down one coat.
One small issue came up. On four suspension units, the hole for the road wheel goes all the way through the mechanism, forming a tunnel. I filled these tunnels with plugs to keep them free of paint and primer. However, when mounting the wheels, the unpainted backs of four road wheels will show inside the tunnels. I recommend capping all four tunnels on the side facing the hull during assembly.
The back plate did not have enough room for spare track links so I left those off. If I ever build another E-10, I will completely rearrange the stowage. The vehicle could also use a bore cleaning swab and a wrecking bar.
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Nice work Doug - you may be the first to cross the finish line! As for those unpainted bits in the tunnels, is this a shout-out for copious mud? 
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