While I continue to work on my AH-1Z build, I'm finding it a very technical and intense. It's taking a lot of research and time to get it right. So I decided to start on my next project early in conjunction with the AH-1Z. Tamiya's 1/35th scale Char B1 Bis, French version. A tank I've been wanting to build for a while. It has been a really fun build and just what I needed to get my motivation up and running. I'm also going to be using a lot of techniques not seen on the Lockt On Art Channel before, like cast texturing, rolled steel texturing and casting seem lines.
I started with the wheel system, taking the scores of wheels off the sprue and cleaning them up. They were then put on two racks and I glued the racks to the lower hull. I moved on to the drive sprocket and idler wheels. The sprocket needed sanding between the teeth to remove the seam line then they were all put together.
I bought a photo etch kit from Voyager Model and it came with brass turned barrels for the guns. I replaced the 75 mm gun by cutting off the plastic one with a saw and drilled a hole in the gun mount for the brass one to fit. It was then installed onto the lower hull.
I added the side skirts over the wheels. Each of which has five access ports for greasing the wheels and the covers were held on by a locking pin on either side. I drilled holes in the covers and made the pins from copper wire.
The upper hull is in one large shell with a lot of detail molded into it. I added a couple of hatches, some grills and the mud chutes. A series of 1 mm holes needed to be drilled into the fenders so I could attach the track skids. For the mud guards on the back, I replaced them with photo etched parts. The two halves of the hull then went together and snapped into place, secured with extra thin cement.
The front glacis plate, driver hatch and gun shield were then added. Although I did make a couple of improvements on the gun shield. First I drilled six holes around the opening, these are bolt holes used to secure the travel lock in place. Second was to cover the gap around the outside of the shield, in fact on the real tank this is where it was welded to the frame. A line of putty solved both problems. I used a toothpick to push the putty into place then added the weld beads with a tool made from a brass tube on the end of a paint brush handle. I cut the tube at a 45 degree angle to give me the arching shape.
The front bar covering the axle was missing a strengthening bracket next to the clevis which I added using a small triangle of styrene. The bar was then added to the tank.
I wanted to texture the surface before anymore detail was added so I moved on to the turret.
Making up the 47 mm gun I cut off 3/4's of the plastic barrel then attached the brass replacement. the gun assembly was then made up.
I put the commanders periscope together which had a nasty gap down the middle of it. I left it as it will be taken care of when I apply the cast texture. It was missing three lifting hooks which I added using photo etched parts.
The turret was in two parts. I added two small side hatches before gluing the turret together, then installed the the gun assembly and the rear hatch.
All of the parts are now ready for me to add texturing, cast seams and foundry marks, which I will be covering next time.
