Oh, very nice!
Ken
1 Like
Yesterday and today I set about installing axles, chains and suspension/swing arms for the first time. Not so bad.
Tough on the fingers, not at all user friendly and tedious but it works fine. Springs could be softer but I say that every single time. Not a problem though as springs are cheap, available and of great variety.
Wheels are next.
P
5 Likes
Its been a while since I updated this so I thought I would as I seem to be in the final lap.
Essentially…construction is complete. I have to make and attach a horn. One or two rivets need replacing. Hubcaps for the return rollers are made … I just could not be ar&ed to attach them now. I need to make hubcaps for the road wheels and there is a lot of them Then I need to start wiring up.
It was painted with primer all over but I notice some rust (or something else) so it may need a respray. Corners were cut - primarily on the sprockets. There are two halves to a tiger sprocket - the front and back. These sprockets are two back halves joined. I then made a hubcap that sits over the central boss. And that was it. Not perfect but it was the only solution as I did not fancy making sprockets from scratch.
The whole thing is actually quite smooth - it rolls on its tracks when I shove it! Bit surprised about that but I will take the win.
P
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Lars, that’s an incredible scratch build! Looks awesome to the point of breath taking in craftsmanship.
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As far as I am concerned…construction is now complete on this. Two outstanding issues:
Headlight lens
two missing rivets needing replacement (only remembered them after I took the photos!)
I am no Michelangelo and the purpose of my painting is utilitarian at most - preventing rust and hiding the blemishes.
Some mistakes made, some lessons learned along the way. Bit crude in places but thats the limit of my skill.
Oceans of room inside and I hope to start on the electronics as soon as I can.
It will only ever be a backyard runner so I’m not overly fussy as to the minor details and the ignored details.
P
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This is so frickin’ cool!!!
Awesome work. But aren’t you afraid the tracks might pop off when rolling? They look very loose.
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I tried to match the sag visible in some photos but not in others. I checked a little and the tracks could theoretically hop off but they seemed OK in general.
The track is a heavy alloy which should help to keep it in place at least on the upper return.
At any rate, I can always pop out a link or two if needs be.
I wish the soviets could have been more consistent in how much sag their tanks did or did not have…
P
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Today I rigged it up with the electrics. I am using JP Marine 60 Amp ESCs (for boats) - not fancy, no jumpers or switches but they are bullet proof and easy to work with.
A beier sound card and a Visatron speaker. And the wiring loom from hell. And some kind of Motorbike battery. I hate wiring up ammeters but got it done in the end.
Here are some shots:
And here is a litttle video of its first maiden test run. I really need to sort out the mix on the tx but it will do as proof of mobility! Really sorry about the dog. He is a pest and hates tanks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAgO020kI_U
And now I have to get back to my T-80.
p
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Looks & sounds most impressive!
A+++
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Superb, loved the video & Marshal Poochski. What’s the overall weight (of the Su12)? With your advanced skills a KV1 could also vacuum the carpet in its spare time 
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I guess its about 7 or 8 kg. The dog is 25 kg!
The dog, unlike the tank, could lose some weight…
P
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