HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 (edited) Mods please let this stay. Alot of the finishing techniques im going to use are also useable on destroids and such especially the huge HWR MKII Monster coming out soon. I will also be showcasing something that almost always seems to get attention from peple on here. The construction and finishing of one of the MOST expensive Tamiya R/C tanks. The Leopard 2A6. This build will take around a week from start to finish. I had no idea where else to put it so others can see it since its not anime or scifi. Thanks for looking Sean. P.S. I will understand if it gets deleted. Edited April 8, 2005 by HWR MKII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myersjessee Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Cool! With the Monster coming out I'd love to see a heavy artilery build-up, as well as a chance to get some ideas for a tank for my diorama. Mods, please consider leaving thread for buildup. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeo-mare Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 i am also looking forward to this build up, it is a great way to see other peoples work (which many times gives me something to strive for) and also a good oppertunity to learn some new tecniques from people. chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 Thanks for your support guys. Here is the first pic for now. Its the box it came in and the basic hull and turret with no details added yet. Note the little green thing in front of it is a pack of stick gum. The kit comes with a turned aluminum gun barrel, cast aluminum drive sprokets fiber optics and LEDs for the lights, and a few computer modules to control motion, effects and sound. Ill post pics of the internals as i get to them if i get too many parts out now ill lose track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 All of the screws and nuts come in non resealable plastic baggies so the first thing to do is put them into little sealable tupperware bins or into ziploc bags. I went the ziploc way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 You will need alot of them on this one. I didnt go the tupperware route last time since i used all i had in the house on the Tiger 1 and the wife wasnt too happy. The kit also comes with a parts guide seperate from the instructions and it does come in handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeo-mare Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 very cool how much did it cost you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 Heres the 14 road wheels( i got the kit last night actually) it took about 2 hours to build all 14. Each wheel has 2 brass bushings in it ,a metal axle and 4 screws. The only other bit i have done so far is the gear box and thats the first 10 steps of the instructions. No pics of that sorry i didnt have a 4th hand to hold the camera while i was putting all the gears on the axles ZEO In the states the kit goes for around 1500 dollars minus the 4 channel controller and battery you need to buy seperate. I got the kit off of evilbay for around 800 along with shipping the total came to around 1000 dollars. i love tax time I picked up a 6 channel acft controller from my neighbor here in the UK and im going to the market on sunday to visit the Tamiya store there and get the battery and paints ill need. sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeo-mare Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 wow thats alot of money. how fast is this when it is complete? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 I have no idea i havnt driven it yet. If its anything like their tiger is it wont be very fast. It is a tank lol. Then again i have seen footage of real leopard 2s catching air off snow drifts doing around 50mph. Both tracks completely off the ground. I think im in for a suprise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 I will be posting alot over the next 3 days. only breaking for sleep, food, wife time, and time to go work on real tanks. One thing that i cant emphasize enough is to work on a kit like this in a immaculate area. THERE ARE NO SPARE SCREWS! In one bag there are screws less than a millimeter long and thinner than.05 pencil lead. Tamiya does give you some tools to do the job but you will also need standard fine tipped phillips head screwdrivers, jewelers screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, and other odds and ends that may come in useful for some unknown purpose. If you read and follow the instructions to a T you shouldnt have too many troubles on the kit. Be sure to read through each step at least 3 times before you start on it. If you get confused in the size of a screw compare it to the picture in the particular step you are working on. The picture is the exact size of the screw it represents. Once you complete a step where you may have to make 5 or 10 somethings like the shock absorbers on the outer hull take a 10 minute break. It works trust me. This isnt a speed build but if i lose momentum it is hard to get the pace back up. Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 here is the lower hull with all the basic parts added. The bars going across it are the torsion bars. The torsion bars act like they do on the real tank giving it what is known as an "active" suspension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 Here is a side view of the lower hull. I have left the road wheels off until after painting. Next step for this part is primer. Each of those silver rods you see is a actual working shock absorber. Leaving the road wheels off also allows me to paint the wheels seperately and add the rubber tires to them afterward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 These are obviously the tracks. They have to be the most beautiful tracks i have ever seen. They are metal links with rubber pads added to them just like the real thing! I cant wiat to wear these in if you look at a real tank these pads get chewed to hell and back, sometimes the pads are missing on some links. No i wont go out of my way to rip them up but im not worried about wearing them a bit it all goes into the final look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 Final posts for the night. I know i said id leave the road wheels off until i painted it but i decided to attach them for now so i dont have a huge box full of sub assemblies. What do you guys think of the size difference between this thing and the Tiger 1 in the foreground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 Notice the photoetched grills over the radiators on the back deck. I cant wait to get this thing up and running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 Final post for the night. i have reached a good stopping point. All of the lower hull is constructed next steps are installing the lightbar assemblies for the fiberoptics. I just noticed that the rear deck of the Leopard is almost as high as the turret of the Tiger. You might be able to tell in the side by side pic above. The tiger weathering is a 50/50 mix of wash and drybrush methods and real weather and dirt. The leopard will have a similar treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LORD KUNGFU Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Wow thats nice. I hope those motors I see are Maubuchi 540s and not 380s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Those are 540s the tiger is powered by the 380s. I dont know if they are mabuchi motors though they came with the kit so its from whoever supplies Tamiya. All of the major sub assemblies are together. There was nothing special involved in the construction just follow the instructions very carefully. I rigged up all the electronics tonight and the sound quality is worlds better than the tiger. I am also impressed with the lighting system. It allows you to have different light setups based on in combat mode or not. The recoil on the main gun is beautiful as well along with a nicely reproduced sound effect of a 120mm smoothbore rhinemetal cannon. I will post pics of the primed stage tomorrow and the stages of painting after i give it the base coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyryder Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 I think all the generic can motors are called Mabuchis. I can't wait to see more of this project. I have a life long love affair with tracked vehicles. I've even gone so far as to convert a 1/35 M60A2 model over to RC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Can;t wait to see the painting part of this build up. I expect some nice stuff from you as usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Its 10 am here and im off to the market to get the paints i need which were actually specially blended by tamiya for the introduction of this kit. I am also going to pick up the crew figure made for it as well. More pics in about an hour and a half or so. A 1/35 R/C M60A2?! is it full function? and what size servos are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadefalconguard Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 OMG that thing is huge. Good luck on that one.......Want to see that thing finished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Sorry these pics are a little later than promised. First an overall shot of the tank in its primer stage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 (edited) Next one with the turred in a different angle. The turret itself is almost as long as the afore mentioned Tiger 1. I do have the base coat of nato green applied already but im having technical difficulties. Tamiya wants us to fit around 10 miles of cable in a 1 mile box. Pics of the basecoat coming soon after field trials Edited April 10, 2005 by HWR MKII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 These oval shaped tabs on the sides are what holds the turret together. All of the electronics are inside it and leave no room for anything else. You have to have the cables routed perfectly or the top wont fit on at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Heres the basecoat of Tamiya NATO green. I used the spray can version because of the size it allows for better coverage. For the pattern i will be spraying on im using NATO black and NATO brown. As i said before these paints colors were actually formulated for the relesae of the kit and match the german colors exactly. The little clear dome on top of the turret is a safety light required by oversize vehicles on european roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Nice side view. I still have to add the smoke dischargers on the turret sides before i give it the camo pattern. You can see the mounting rails on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 (edited) Notice the dirty scuffed tracks. I took the tank out to the proving grounds i have out back and it performed perfectly. The brake lights even work! Ill have pics tomorrow with all the lights on. Edited April 10, 2005 by HWR MKII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Here is the big cat fresh from the factory. The smoke dischargers still need to go on but i need to make the chain pieces for them first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 (edited) This is the standard NATO tricolor scheme. Edited April 10, 2005 by HWR MKII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Sorry for the blurry pics this camera sucks in indoor light Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Final one for the night. It took me 2 hours to airbrush the pattern on by hand. I didnt use any masks just did it the same way it is done on the real vehicle. First spray the outline of the color your applying and then fill it in. I used my airbrush on the finest setting at around 10 PSI and got the perfect pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyryder Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 A 1/35 R/C M60A2?! is it full function? and what size servos are you using? No turret control, though I could probably cram a micro mini servo into the turret to turn it. It's just run off of an old two channel radio I gutted into a project box. It's driven off of a couple of standard size servos that had to be hacked up pretty good to make them (almost) fit. That Leopard looks great. I love it! That camo looks perfect. Will there be any action pics, once it's finished? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Ill try to get some of it and its forefathers slogging through the mud at the Tank museum this weekend after the weathering and the matt varnish are applied. I wish i could put video up somewhere Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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