1/50 AC1 Sentinel

**PacificWind** · #1 08-13-2021, 12:44 PM

This is my next 1/50 scale project...
I can't believe I'm doing this one but I guess it just had to happen, sooner or later.
It's one of my favorite AFVs ever - AC1 Sentinel.

For those who are not familiar with this tank, I recommend the article from Tanks Encyclopedia.
Sentinel AC-1 (1942)

The model I'll build is my own design and when everything's done, I hope to release it on Ecardmodels. It's an extremely important project to me as it was my little dream to have this tank in my collection. And as I haven't seen any paper model of it, I also want to release a digital kit, to let the other modelers build the Sentinel too.
So this time, I'll be designing very carefully, a bit slower than usual, but that's simply because I want to make this as professional as possible.

Wish me luck!
Honestly, this project is not that difficult as some of you may think. I'd say it's just tricky in some places. The turret will be the "biggest battle".

**Vermin_King** · #2 08-13-2021, 01:07 PM

Best of luck, sir

**PacificWind** · #3 08-14-2021, 02:04 PM

Thanks. Looks like the wishes help.
Today I started the project once again. I mean I redesigned the camouflage pattern and changed the colors. I didn't like the first version. The new one is much better. I'll stay with it.

Today I also designed the second part of the "hullbox". Fits perfectly.
More updates soon.

**Vinalssergio155** · #4 08-14-2021, 02:14 PM

Excellent project that is progressing very well Kacper !!

**Brent** · #5 08-14-2021, 04:20 PM

Great work. I am looking forward to this. I want to see how you design the turret.

Brent

**rockpaperscissor** · #6 08-15-2021, 05:58 AM

Wonderful! A great looking design. Will be watching with interest.

**PacificWind** · #7 08-15-2021, 03:12 PM

New update!
Another successful day! I did what I think is the trickiest part of the Sentinel, after the turret of course.
The upper front of the tank's hull...
I had to do many calculations and measurements to design it, but thankfully, it was worth it beacuse everything fits perfectly.

By the way, I've got a question, maybe someone has more knowledge about this tank than I have.
Australia built 65 AC1 Sentinel tanks. They had serial numbers ranging from 8001 to 8065. However, the hull number(casting's number), from what I've seen, was often completely different. For example, tank with serial number 8049(the one that is now in the Bovington museum), has a hull casting's number BK AH 84. The Sentinel in RAAC Tank Museum has a serial number 8030 but the hull casting's number is BK AH 31. I also have one WW2 photo of Sentinel with hull casting's number BK 13, without AH.
My question is, can we find somehow what was the hull casting's number for the tank with serial 8026(the one I'm recreating)?
BK stands for Bradford Kendall Ltd foundry company. AH stands for Axle Housing.

I decided to choose a tank that didn't survive, and probably there're no photos of it, just to have some more freedom in things like the camouflage pattern. It would be great to find its real hull casting's number but if it's impossible, I'll just choose some random number I find "quite correct".

**CharlieC** · #8 08-15-2021, 03:43 PM

Each major casting on the Sentinel had its own unique number. The "AH" is, as you said, the axle housing. It's a separate cast piece which was bolted to the hull casting. The hull number was on the rear part of the tank hull and is of the form "BK H xx". The first image is a hull casting having the turret ring machined - the hull cast number is "BK H 12".

The Sentinel was lower than its Allied contemporaries - it's about the same height as the M3 light tank. The other images are a Matilda II, Sentinel and Grant lined up possibly in 1944.

Are you going to add the periscope mountings above the vision ports?

Regards,

Charlie

**PacificWind** · #9 08-15-2021, 05:02 PM

Thanks for the more precise information, Charlie.
So, it looks like the hull's casting number is hidden behind the spare track... At first I assumed the Axle Housing number is also the hull number because I couldn't find any other thing like this on the hull. What's more, I've seen Sentinel that doesn't have the BK H on the rear... It's in the attachment.

But going back to my question, is it possible to find the actual BK AH number for the tank 8026? That front part with this small detail is the last element of the "hullbox" and I have to make a decision, what number should I put.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CharlieC

Are you going to add the periscope mountings above the vision ports?

Yes, I'll add them later, together with many other details. Usually I build tanks in the following order: "hullbox", running gear, hull's details and other elements, turret, varnish+antenna(if the tank had the antenna).

**CharlieC** · #10 08-15-2021, 05:59 PM

The image without a hull cast number is the AC 1 hull that was at the Melbourne Tank Museum, then in Littlefield Collection in CA, finally at the Cairns Armour Museum. It looks as if the hull cast number was present but has been ground off at some stage.

I don't know of any way of finding out which castings were assembled into each tank. Presumably there were production documents for the AC 1 but I've never heard of anyone finding them in any of the Australian archives. Probably simplest thing to do is just make a cast number up - so long as it's in the range 1 - 66 no one will complain.

Not all of the surviving Sentinels are historically accurate - the Bovington one is probably pretty close to the original, the Puckapanyal one has been "restored" by the Army so is only approximately correct, the one in Cairns is a lash up of an AC 1 hull used as a bulldozer with an AC 3 turret recovered from a firing range.
Australian sentinel

Regards,

Charlie