I've started messing around with this kit. I've had it for a few years but I got the bug and had to play with it. The surface detail is really nice, and pretty refreshing after building the Emhar Mk.IV! But there are some disappointing parts about it, mostly the representation of the bottom and inside faces of the track sides. The kit is almost as if it were to be what car modelers call a "curb side." Just the body and wheels, no interior, no engine, etc. This is a problem if you get it in your head you want something more The other problem is there is distortion, either in the original model, or in the molding, or both. Many parts are just a bit off square. A few are off enough that it's easily noticeable. I'm trying to compensate for it as much as possible but I can only go so far.
The bottom of the tank wasn't even worth looking at.
I've got some thinn styrene on the bottom now and have started drilling out holes and putting in rivets. I've got the transmission housing covers cut from the Emhar kit to add on there. Surprisingly, the Emhar Whippet had pretty good lower detail.
Here is where it's getting difficult! I decided I couldn't live with the poor and nonexistent inner detail. Just adding the detail to the insides isn't enough, I wanted it hollow with inner detail. I wasn't happy with the inner detail on the outer faces either. So...I obtained a new set of track sides from Accurate and started cutting the sides away- Once I have the other two sides cut away, I'll have all for sides ready to fill out. There will still need to be one more hole on the inner sides and modifications to make the holes smaller where the hull meets the sides. There is plenty of reference for the detail inside those holes on the sides that face out. But the other sides facing inward under the tank? What goes on in there??? Just the reverse of the sloped plates and a flat section running above the lower wheels? Does anyone know or have drawings of this area? I can guess if I have to but I'd like to know.
-- Edited by BLOWHARD on Friday 4th of February 2011 10:13:59 PM
Hi and Welcome to Landships Dave. Just been looking at your Mk IV, some excellent work on the Emhar kit. Have you looked at the Whippet here on our main page under :- Tank Articles/British/surviving Whippets/Firefly, there are some photo's of the undersides and various other detail shots. Hope all goes well with the resin kit Paul
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Hey Paul, thanks. Yes, I've had all the stuff from here for quite a while. The areas I wanted are largly in shadow or at the wrong angle, but thanks for the tip :)
Owgy, YES! That's just what I was looking for and I see it was how I imagined it. You must have had a lot of flash on those. Good photos, THANKS!!! :D I can see I'll need to rework my transmission covers though.
Next question, what goes on behind this thing- http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5417916904_4de396e7f9_b.jpg Is there an open area, air intake or exhaust for the radiators, or some sort of drain or something?
One more, does anyone know where this image comes from, and if there is a higher resolution scan of it out there? http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/GreatBritain/GB-MediumA-Whippet-diagram.jpg -from- http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/GreatBritain/BritishMediumTanks.html
The image is from the old Landships site - it's of the Brussels Whippet. Peter Kempf may have had the original image but the chances of getting hold of that are about zero.
I've got Dave Scorer's images of the underside of the Bovington Whippet which are somewhat higher res. It took a bit of fiddling with Dave's images to reduce the flash effects. PM with email address if you want these.
So much for this idea! It's gotten WAY more complicated than I had wanted it. It turns out Accurate Armour's name is a little misleading as far as the Whippet goes! Here is a comparison between the Accurate and Emhar track sides-
Not good at all. I had decided to put my time and money on the Accurate kit because the detail was better or as good as I could do myself on my best day. The detail on the Emhar kit is a little soft and has many sink holes. I'm questioning how sound it would be to try and fix the Accurate sides and whether it would make more since to bite the bullet and go completely scratch hear. Good solid styrene seems like it makes more since than the flimsy resin, once cut away from the centers. At first I thought maybe I could live with the incorrect side profile but after thinking about it I decided that was out. WHAT TO DO? Maybe I will have made up my mind by next weekend.
-- Edited by BLOWHARD on Tuesday 8th of February 2011 04:38:03 AM