MM Armor Contest R-17

[Don Boose]

Nice work, Chris. You have a lot of modelling going on right now.

Don

[CharlieC]

Originally Posted by cjwalas

I'll be doubling the thickness of the support arm (or whatever it's called) for added strength.

I'm not sure there was a generic term for the suspension beam - this type of suspension was only used on the FT-17 and derivatives. On the original the beam was a hollow section - the roadwheels were mounted inside the beam. The suspension system looks very clumsy but it seemed to work ok - admittedly the FT-17 wasn't a high speed vehicle - max. speed 7 km/hr.

Regards,

Charlie

[CharlieC]

A walkaround of an FT-17 in Paris - big images...

http://paulbudzik.com/tools-techniques/FT-17/ft-17.html

Regards,

Charlie

[cjwalas]

Wow, Charlie! This is incredible reference. I'm amazed at the variety in size and shape there is of rivet heads. I'm just getting back to this build, so your timing is perfect. Thanks!
Chris

[cjwalas]

Yes, it has been a long, long time since I've done anything on this one. :o
Things are starting to get back to normal here after a major disruption in the house. Still going on now, but settling so it's back to the FT 17, or R-17 as it's listed on the kit.
Not a lot of progress, but a restart on the project, if you will;

Started adding the rivets with a acrylic glue and I'm trying to build up what areas I can to add dimension wherever possible.

Of course it's not easy to get even sized rivets this way, but I'm sure there was at least a tiny bit of variance on the real deal.

I've decided to go with the plates on the outside on the idler wheel. From the photos I've looked at, it seems as if there may be a slight overlapping of the plates on one of the edges?? So to attempt to replicate that, I've cut out each "pie slice" and used more glue on one edge than the other. Not sure if it's going to read or not, but at least I'm trying!

I'm not sold on the acrylic glue for rivets. The rivets on the FT are quite pronounced. They're the cone shaped rivets that used to be so popular on US trains in the 1800s and I think I may need to use a thicker glue and redo the rivets to get them to look a little more accurate?

The wheel support arms are done and I'm looking forward to getting into the rest of the suspension to see what damage I can do next!
Chris

[CharlieC]

I think your approach to the idlers is consistent with history.

The early FT-17 idlers had a solid wooden centre. In many examples this was reinforced by plates on the outer surface. In WW1 images you can see both types. Later FT-17s had a cast idler - the FT-17s at Saumur have this type.

I concur with your experience in adding rivets with glue drops - it does work but it's hard to get the size consistent. Rivets done with a rivet gun seem to be pretty consistent but I guess the older hammered rivets would have a bit of variation.


Regards,

Charlie

[Tim Crowe]

Looking good, rivets work well.

I have heard tell of putting the rivets onto grease-proof paper first then picking the best ones.

Personally I use a 1.5mm dermal punch on card. Either way it's a lot of work!

Tim

[jagolden01]

Chris, looking fine! Didn't even know you were working on this.
Gonna keep an eye on it.
I like the rivets. The glue suggests them well even if not to your liking.

[B-Manic]

I think the rivets look OK. I used this method on a MM kit but used PVA glue colored with a bit of acrylic paint. #1 - OTDAEABT 2 - Maly Modelarz PZInz 140 (4TP) 9/99

[cjwalas]

I've done a lot of rivets over the years, using many different techniques, but I still think glue is my favorite.
I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I went over all the rivets again with another layer of slightly thicker glue. You may not be able to tell the difference in the photo, but it does make a big difference in person.


I figured I would jump ahead a bit and get a start on the turret, as I suspected it would need some extra work. I wasn't wrong.
The fit on the top piece is rough at best and there's much sanding to be done. I'm going to need to do some putty work as well. This is something I haven't done on a paper model yet, so any and all advice, help, examples, warnings, etc. are very welcome. I'm planning on several coats of FUTURE to stiffen the paper up and then apply some interior patching compound as the putty. Anybody try this yet? Sound feasible?


I'm doing lots of heavy home repair work these days, so I'm not getting much modeling time in. Hopefully more time next week or so.
Chris