"Perry's Paper M2A1 Light Tank" or "Trial and Error"

**k.warner** · #1 07-01-2011, 08:18 PM

Alrighty... as the thread title suggests, this was a trial and error sort of build.. more error than trial or build, certainly.

First, let me say, Mr. Perry, you have created an amazing model. I am limiting myself to free models right now, and I must say, you provided me with hours of amusement and fun. I truly appreciate that!

I decided to post this build at the end, as it is my third completed model and I wanted to make some of my own mistakes rather than ask for input from the start. That being said, I have been reading a great deal on these forums, and the information I have soaked up has been amazing. Also, I took a picture of my current tools.. I got ahold of some knitting needles for embossing and they work great.

I started out by thinking good and hard about the model, and after printing up Perry's 1/48 version of the M2A1, I decided to do my first trial, and see what enlarging it would look like. I Photoshopped the pieces to 120% size and moved them to separate pages to make them all fit. I figured it would make the model a bit easier as it would increase the size of the fiddly bits. Also, a larger model would fit better on my desk at work. I work in a place where having such a model to show off is a credit to my historical acumen :-) Well, the resizing worked great, and off to work I went.

I started with the road wheels and (forgive my lack of tank jargon) the "shocks." I made the road wheels the proper way at first, but i just could not get that smooth rubber look alot of guys manage on their road wheel edges. So, i rebuilt them and left the edges bare with just a coat of Sharpie marker. I think it gave a better texture than my poor attempts at making the strip provided look good. So, I built the road wheel assemblies and moved on to the drive sprockets (<--see, i know that term! I used to crew an M109A6 Paladin when I was in the Army.. I spent many an hour cleaning drive sprockets and road wheels). I built these really great drive sprockets with teeth and everything, but then when I got to the tracks, I could not cut the tracks out in such a way that the teeth and the edge of the tracks would match up. The model was not created to do that, for sure, but I figured I could modify it to work. I was wrong. So, I ditched the fancy sprockets and kept true to Perry's simpler build. I think the results turned out pretty good.

The chassis and the bits and pieces that went on it pretty much put themselves together. The parts fitted perfectly, and the build was pretty straight forward. I used the texture technique of cutting details out of a second copy and gluing them in their appropriate places, and it worked out well. The only troubles I had were with the cylinders on top. On the combat car i did a few weeks ago, I had no problem with the turret cylinder, but this one I went through two or three to get the sides to match up with the flattened front. Eventually, I just made do with the best of my attempts. I think the parts would have fit properly, but I was just impatient... when there is a cylinder, is the general practice to wrap the sides AROUND the base and top of the cylinder, or mount the side on the edge of the face of the base and top? Does that question make sense?

The only other part of the chassis i had issues with was the machine gun on the front of the main body. I could not really figure out how Perry wanted that to go together. I think I figured it out, and either way, there was only a very small gap the way I managed it.

So there you go, I had only a few issues, and most of them I figured out on my own. This build was a great experience, and I bet if i saved all the parts I threw away and tried again with, I could have made 3 more models.

**k.warner** · #2 07-01-2011, 08:19 PM

the rest of the images. Also, I just realized I built the upper turret backwards! Ha! Oh well, the crew chief will just be watching the rear, I suppose.

**SJPONeill** · #3 07-01-2011, 08:32 PM

In my experience 'trial and error' in anything is usually the best way to learn...that's come out well...

**Don Boose** · #4 07-01-2011, 08:34 PM

Wow! You are really making tracks (hmmmm), Karl! And you are learning a lot, very quickly. I'm here to tell you that Alberto's tanks are challenging, although, as you point out, the precision of the fit is a big help, and they sure look great when assembled.

A couple of drops of glue at the bottom of the road wheels will deal with the issue of the small gap between the bottom of the road wheels and the tracks. And with regard to the turret, come on over to the house and I will introduce you to my famous Handley-Page Hampden with the cooling flaps on the front of the cowlings.

Bottom line: Excellent work on a historic armored fighting vehicle!

Don

**KCStephens** · #5 07-02-2011, 12:08 AM

Another great model Karl. Congratulations you are doing a great job.
I see your tool kit is growing larger. It's amazing what you can find around the house to aid in this addicting hobby. I look forward to seeing your next creation.

**CharlieC** · #6 07-02-2011, 12:35 AM

That's a very creditable build - Alberto's models are not easy.

I can see you've run into the problem with band tracks in cardmodels - the model is so light and the tracks too inflexible so the tracks don't look realistic. There are a couple of ways around this. The easiest solution is to score across the hinge lines which helps the tracks bend realistically. The other solution is a bit more complicated - look back through the threads for a thread on Pz 1F tracks - this uses baking paper (parchment in the US?) to form hinges between the track elements.

The M2A1 used rubber block tracks - I'd cut out separate pieces and glue them on to the top and bottom of the band.

Regards,

Charlie

**modelperry** · #7 07-02-2011, 04:59 AM

I second Charlie C's comments! On tanks with band tracks, I almost always score them at the hinge lines to improve the flex. And, like Don suggested, I always glue them to the road wheels to get the tank to sit right.

You have learned much in such a short time! This one looks very good!

Greg

**Don Boose** · #8 07-02-2011, 09:34 AM

As always, the advice from Charlie and Greg is golden. I note that you are getting comments from Charlie, Kevin, and Greg, who are some of the top armor builders. For a duffer's method of dealing with Alberto's tracks, see Post #71 here: Perry T1E1
And Post#1 here: PTA M3 Light Tank Army Heritage Day Edition

Cutting out the distinctive rubber track blocks of the M2A1 will help a lot, too.

I'm looking forward to seeing this tank in person at USAHEC and to your next build.

Don

**k.warner** · #9 07-02-2011, 10:48 AM

Thanks for the compliments, gentlemen! Don, the track on your build for the T1E1 is exactly what I was looking for! I am about to start a larger version of the CSS Palmetto State that I built a few weeks ago, but I think I am going to take another stab at this one when I am done. I want to resize it to double to make a bigger model, and make the roadwheels a little more detailed as well. I think I will look for some historic photos, as well, to add some additional details.

**Don Boose** · #10 07-02-2011, 11:05 AM

Karl - On my cart in the MHI reading room is the Library's copy of R.P. Hunnicutt, A History of the American Light Tank, Volume 1: Stuart, Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1992 [AHEC call number UD570.171.H84 1992]. It has photos and a good drawing of the M2A1.

If you enlarge Alberto's 1/48 M2A1 twice, it will be 1/24, very close to 1/25. You will probably want to reinforce the hull with 1mm card.

By the way, I have Michal Rafalsk's T1E1 from GPM on order and will show it to you when it comes.
GPM - modele kartonowe
T1E1 U.S. Light Tank -1/25 - model build

Hunnicutt shows the progression in design from the Cunningham T1 to the M2 and then to the M3 light tank.

Don