MM Armor Contest Japanese Medium Tank Chi-He - Page 9

**treadhead1952** · #81 01-29-2011, 10:39 PM

Hi Mike,

Excellent work, I will be sure and pick up the kit and send it on to you to finish for me.

And I promise to come visit you in the funny farm after you finish assembling yet two more sets of tracks and punching out and attaching all those tiny rivets . LOL

Seriously, those tracks look great and I can hardly wait to see the tank up on both sets of tracks, it ought to be getting close to done now. I bet you are looking forward to a nice relaxing aircraft build next.

**GreMir** · #82 01-29-2011, 11:08 PM

Rob,
This is my first tank ever

I'm using laser cut tracks and let me tell you that they are worth every penny I spent on them.
I didn't think about taking any in-progress photos, but each link consists of four parts and it's very easy to assemble. The only problem is that there is a lot of them

Jay,
I moved/ left the country/ there was an eartquake/ post office went on permanent strike

I'm swamped with work, but maybe tomorrow I will be able to start painting. When this is done I will jump to the Bf 109G that needs wings.

**GreMir** · #83 02-26-2011, 11:23 PM

Yeah, I know - turtles are building faster than I do

Second track painted and installed (FINALLY!!!)

I also did those towing hooks in the front and rear - spent about 3 hours trying to bend floral wire to the desired shape (in the process badly scratched three fingers in the left hand

) and almost gave up. Turns out floral wire was to stiff for such small bends and I finally realized that the best solution will be to use solder wire (the same as used for springs). I'm not entirelly proud of the result, but after wasting better part of the evening on those three hooks, they will have to do.

The last assembly for the hull are the headlights, but I will wait with them until the end - turret is next.

**redhorse** · #84 02-27-2011, 11:37 PM

Coming along nicely, you're building no more slowly than I do! The hooks look really good, I'd not thought of using solder wire. I need to remember that...

**GreMir** · #85 02-28-2011, 05:13 AM

Jim,
I know you are just being polite about the speed, but thank you anyway

Solder wire is a little too soft and requires care while handling, but it's a breeze to form.

**GreMir** · #86 03-06-2011, 08:42 AM

Started working on the turret. I'm using all the extra parts provided in the kit so all the hatches will be raised and will have hinges. I will also continue with the rivets - thankfully there is only a few of them here

**duditz72** · #87 03-07-2011, 11:34 AM

Mike that is looking pretty darn good!!! BTW The P-47 is almost done should be able to post some pics of the end result this week.

**GreMir** · #88 03-08-2011, 01:11 PM

Thanks.

I finally solved the paper delamination issue while making rivets - too bad AFTER I went through the entire hull...
The best way to do this is to delaminate the paper yourself as the first step in the process

This leaves you with very thin paper to which I apply the thin layer of CA glue (non-printed side). After glue dries I cut the disks with the punch drill and form them as before. Another advantage of doing it this way is that there is no need to color the edges - they are very thin to start with and forming of the rivet masks the white edge even further.
Turret is being done this way and I just have to remember this for the time when I get to build another tank....

**ron1144** · #89 03-11-2011, 01:38 PM

Well very cool work, may i ask were you found this tank !!!!!!!!!!

**GreMir** · #90 03-11-2011, 02:18 PM

Thanks.
You can get one here GPM - modele kartonowe