Mk.5 Centurion Tank - a Big Scale Model from AirDave

[typhoontony]

I have been lurking following this thread cannot believe how good it is fantastic work , I have to point out not all of us were small I'm 6ft 2 and used to drive them yes it was a bit of a squeeze keep up the good work

[airdave]

thanks typhoontony!
yes, it seems you didn't have to be as short as me to drive them.

[rest of this post is copied over from my cutandfold forum]
Chris is seen (in this next photo) climbing from the cockpit after a test drive.
Chris appears to be a fairly big guy and you can see that he fits by twisting himself
around the viewing scopes.
I would hate to have to get out in a hurry though!



This photo comes from the immense site of a new friend, Col Filtness.
He's an Aussie who was a Centurion Tank driver back in the early 50s.
He is also the curator of Armour at the VietNam Vets Museum in Victoria Australia.
He's been involved in the purchase and restoration of a few Centurions!

And his websites, have provided me with an incredible amount of reference photos.
At least 11 sites that I can count, with 30, 40, 50 pages each.
And thousands of photos!
Everything about Centurions, the Museum, Viet Nam and Korea.

Col has also answered a few questions.
So, once again, I send big thanks to him!!

[yuthdaw]

beautiful work! mine is nothing compare to this!!!

[airdave]

I need a little help...advice?
from anyone who has built a large scale tank (paper) model
or has seen an online build of one of the large scale kits.

GPM, for example, as a couple of 1/16 scale kits.
[]GPM - modele kartonowe

I am still working away on cutting out all the Drive Wheel parts,
just finished a modification of the front Idler Wheel and Tensioner assembly,
and for fun, I started work on the Track parts.

At 1/16 scale, the parts are big enough to demand some scale
realism with weight, thickness and three dimensional surface details.
At first, I designed individual Track parts (because of the scale) and figured
out a simple method of connecting the Track Links, using a paper tab inserted
into the next Link which also acts as the hinge point for the two Links.






This Track idea worked, but I ran into a few issues...
first off, each Link part is made up of seven small parts
with lots of little cutouts and holes.
However, cutting, aligning and fitting the connecting tab-slot
for the Link connections, was even more tricky and frustrating.
Multiply that by 88 Links per Track! and its a recipe for a headache.

Then I couldn't figure out how to make the last connection on the vehicle.
Its hard enough connecting the Links on the work table!

So...I did a little redesign, and came up with an idea
that uses the center layer of each Track Link
...and joined them all together in one long strip of Links.
Then you laminate the outer layer parts to that long strip of Links.
Creases in the single central layer (at each Hinge point) give
enough flexibility to allow the track to hinge and wrap around the Wheels.

I haven't done a test build yet, so I don't have any photos to show you yet.
But this is where I decided to look at the GPM 1/16 scale kits and see
how they tackled their Track parts.
I imagined an overly complicated collection made up of hundreds of tiny parts!

To my surprise, in one of the GPM Tank models, I found that they
use a flat, two layered paper Track. Yes, they use 3D artwork to
give the flat Track some 3D life, but its still a paper thickness flat Track.
At 1/16 scale, this doesn't seem good enough to me?

I do see a few extra parts, that I think are surface details which will
add more weight and detail to the track...but I don't understand the
assembly instructions. And I haven't been able to find any photos or
a build thread for this model.
I'd like to see the track assembled to get a better idea of how they
go together and how scale realistic the tracks are.

So my question is, what do I do about the track design?
What will people tolerate as far as assembly, part count, difficulty?
What is acceptable realism at this scale?

Any suggestions for design?
To be honest, I don't want to use rolled Hinge tubes with Pins.


Heres a couple of pics of actual Centurion Tracks for reference.

[thorst]

Dave,

Having tried to build the tracks for a Tiger tank in 1/35 some years ago
from layered and folded card strips in full length at once, I think designing
them as seperate links is better. For any design that I will do in the future,
I'll stick to the method you see in the attachments. It shows a simplified
general track without any detail.

One link is build up by a stripe which goes all the way around both bolts
(toothpicks, needles, wire...), with the interlocking gaps. For the detail on
most tracks, an L-profile can be added above one bolt channel. For thicker
links, an extra layer of card can be put between the two sides of the main
part. And you can add as much layered detail on the plate as you want, it
will not change the principal design.

What might help the builder is if you can get the parts placed on the paper
so that he can cut several parts with one cut (f.e. the L-shaped parts
here would unfold to rectangles which could be printed together without
gaps between them).

Warning: I didn't ever build another track from paper yet.

Hope this helps a bit.

Thorsten

[HMCS]

dave its really looking great!
keep up the real good work

[richkat]

Dave I like the long strip track idea myself, have always wanted to build a tank model but the tracks are the thing that scares me away. Looking great so far (as always with your models).......Rich

[Vermin_King]

I always wondered why more tanks aren't designed with the long strip and then an individual tread overlay.

[Tim Crowe]

Why not give the builder the choice of the two types? ribbon or individual

But at 1:16 scale, they are going to have to be good.

Built a few tanks with individual links for tracks, they can be tedious. But that's just part of the kit.

Tim

[airdave]

Originally Posted by Tim Crowe

Why not give the builder the choice of the two types?

I laughed, fell off my chair, screamed, got back up, hit the keyboard, laughed, fell off the chair, screamed, got back up...

I am so sick of hearing "give the builder the choice"!
LOL
Listen!...the builder doesn't know what the hell he wants! okay?!
I tell him what he wants! okay?!