AGW Newsletter - August 1997
Hello fellow large scale armor buffs. Welcome to the AGW online newsletter.
There are those of you who will remember when I said something similar to this about seven years ago when I came along with the first version of the first AGW newsletter!
Something about myself and my involvement with large RC military models but not too much I don't want to put everyone to sleep. My name is Jerry Carducci and I have been involved with large scale military modeling about 24 years. My first big large scale model was a Bandai 1:15 scale Hummel I bought in 1975. ( I had 'experimented' with the 1:25 scale Tamiya models in the early 70's). I got my first 1:10 scale model in 1976.
I started the first version of Armor Group West in late 1989. AGW was then and is now intended as a forum for the hobby. I intend to impart whatever I pick up along the way about the hobby via these pages. I welcome input from others who are working with the hobby as well. AGW originally started as a quasi 'club' with dues and the quarterly newsletter; a straight typed no frills newsletter although at the end I tried to add drawings, sketches and photos. Using a photocopier had definite drawbacks! I was always scrambling for material and rushing to print and mail the darn thing. Well somewhere after a trip to Germany in 1992 I decided to call it quits and I turned the bulk of AGW over to Richard Upton of Oakland, Calif who had been chomping at the bit to get more involved in the 'club'. He promptly overhauled the newsletter and christened it " Recon Report". Later he and some other locals formed a regional club called "Bay Area Tankers" (BAT) ostensibly for the bay area enthusiasts but extending to a large part of California. BAT is primarily a club for enthusiasts of the Bandai and Tamiya 1:15 and 1:16 models and there are some absolutely outstanding modelers among their ranks. Richard has done a very snazzy newsletter; really small magazine, which made my old sad looking newsletter pretty 'plain'.
My view of Large scale Military modeling ( in case anyone is listening!)
My vision of large scale military vehicle modeling has always been one of a hobby somewhere between model engineering and rc helicopters. The engineering part comes in not only from the complexity aspect but that much of the production of models of this type are from hobby machinists and dyed-in-the-wool tinkerers. I hope to write to this vision and appeal to those of you like minded modelers out there. Certainly there is room for all enthusiasts; not everyone wants to or can design cast machine their own Centurion or Patton but all you need is commitment……
So welcome to the new AGW and our newsletter,..........
This newsletter will not look that much different than the old one, at least not in the beginning as I'm not a pro desktop publisher. There will be no dues( thank the maker) and no mailings (yeeessss).
Topics this edition
Also as I have touched on suppliers of RC tanks and equipment in some of the attached pages I will include a list of known suppliers or larger scale models; that is 1:10 and above.
A matter of scale
A mention of scale designations; that is it more appropriate to indicate say tenth scale as
1/10 or 1:10 ??? Is this a question of simple format or is one more technically correct than the other? Somehow it seems to me easier to determine that the subject under discussion is easier to perceive when described as 1/10 of something but….but I rather fancy the latter designation and I try to use it.
Patterns, molds, master parts
What follows is a article I wrote for the original AGW newsletter . The information has been requested many times; I hope you find it useful. Originally published in the ARMOR GROUP WEST- July 1990 newsletter, my apologies for any unresolved typos as this was scanned and OCR converted from copies I had.
One thing I'll say up front: Be careful with fiberglass cloth don't breath the dust and use a respirator; something I can say I've always tried to do when sanding or cutting parts.
Fiberglass Molds and Parts
I've been asked to give a brief description of how I made my molds for the Sherman and SDKFZ 222 hulls: These are female fiberglass molds to be used to make fiberglass hulls or other parts. They last a long time if taken care of. Here goes. The first thing to do of course is to make a plug for the mold, otherwise known as a master pattern. The plug can be wood, plaster, plastic or a combination of these and also auto body putty because it is "moldable". I'm asked what I use for blue prints. I don't really use any, but rather draw up my own working drawings which lay out the major components of the subject. To get the dimensions and plate angles for the 222 for example I used several sources; the Tamiya 1/35 model, the book by F. M. Von Senger und Etterlin; German Armor 1939-45; as well as various pictures. I know some modelers will disagree with me on this next point but I try to keep the amount of detail incorporated into the plug at absolute minimal. This will make for less wear on the mold and it will produce consistent parts longer. Weld marks and other details can be added later on the actual part. I made my plugs for the 222 from basswood for the body, pine for the turret and engine cover; the Sherman plug was made ( I started this plug 7 years ago and just got around to finishing 7 years later ) from plywood with auto putty and fiberglass re-enforcement on the inside. I used several 1/35 models for reference, a friend's full size vehicle, and various drawings and pictures.
What I do for this process is to use the various sources to cross check one another for accuracy before I commit any measurement to paper. By cross-checking each of the sources I feel I can get almost as good a representation of the full size vehicle as if I had spent several days with a ruler and camera in a museum. It also frees you from really being dependent on a museum. If there was one near me with all of the vehicles I want to make I'd probably spent all my time making drawings. Lastly I don't make any claim that my models are absolutely true scale in every sense. They are very close in my opinion but not perfect. You'll find that in 1/10 Scale You will most likely have to make a concession or two in favor of strength over true scale anyway. The plastic models get away with true scale more than large electric or gas driven jobs because they don't really have to deal with the stresses of their larger counterparts. Then there is MONEY. If I had unlimited piles of cash I could have everything made using techniques similar to the originals which is the best way to get good looking parts. ANYWAY .....
A very important point to keep in mind is when you design your plug you must not have any undercuts on it or you'll not be able to remove the plug or the parts made from the mold! I made the 222 hull in two parts and joined them afterwards.
Preparing the Plug
Once you've made your plug the next thing to do is to sand it smooth and coat it with sanding sealer. Multiple coats and sessions with steel wool and you're set. Remember that the surface of your plug will be the surface of your final product so make sure it's what you want. Also the smoother the plug the easier the removal of parts from the mold. If you want a rough surface on your hull you can do that later.
Ok so now the plug looks like your grandma's dining room table. Now you coat the plug, actually spray it, with poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) which is a release agent. If your hull is a large one you may want to consider an air fitting to be incorporated into the mold. I didn't use one on the 222 but did on the Sherman. All it was is an old brass tire valve stem I found in the parking lot at the local COSTCO tire shop while waiting for my car. The end opposite the valve end was perfectly flat so all I did was put a piece of plastic tape over the end which rests on the plug and viola it was dons(remove the valve first). The PVA held it in place once it dried.
Next you're ready to mix up a batch of Gel Coat which will be the surface layer of your mold. Mix it up according to the makers instructions and lather it on. You can color it if you want but why bother. After this sets begin applying the layers of glass cloth, making sure to use laminating resin ONLY. Surfacing resin has wax as part of the material and it doesn't adhere well to itself .
Make the sold shell thick enough appropriate for the size of the part, how the mold will be used( free standing or supported) or if you need to slightly bond the mold to free the parts. When the several layers are applied you are well advised to begin freeing up the plug from the mold shell. Try not to bond it too much. The reason you should do this early in stead of waiting in that fiberglass will shrink ONTO your plug and when rigid can be difficult in the extreme to remove without destroying the plug and if you're like me I WANT to save the plug. Keep the plug in the mold cavity throughout the lay-up process even if loose so as to keep the mold from warping. The very last layer of resin should be surfacing resin so your mold won't be sticky.
When you remove the plug for the last time it you've got yourself a mold.
Cleaning the Mold and Minor Repair
Clean up the mold edges and any imperfection on the mold surface with body putty and fine steel wool. Decide to use the mold free standing or imbedded in plaster of Paris. I did this for my Sherman M4Al mold. Simply make up a wooden frame and place over the mold shell, taping the mold down to a flat surface( line the surface with waxed paper. The mold is upside down ISN'T IT?? Next fill the box with plaster and go have a pizza. I waited 4 days before I touched mine.
Making Parts from your new mold
Making parts is the exact opposite of making the mold. Now that your plug is safely tucked away in you closet you can proceed. Be sure that the mold is clean(dog hair looks funny on a tank hull) and coat it with PVA and allow to dry. Mix up the Gel Coat and lather it in, although you may want to color this one. Next layer in as many cloth layers as you want and if you want any hold downs, screw bases etc., by all means feel free to include them. The smoother and bubble free you make the hull the happier you'll be later-If you don't plan to resin in any fixture or re-enforcement later you can make your last resin layer a surface coat.
When the lamination process is complete pop the hull from the mold, if you incorporated an air fitting you can use it to assist hull removal by applying LOW air pressure to it.
Enjoy making hulls, turrets, vents etc with this procedure. I'm sure you will realize the description of the procedure is a very high level one but should suffice to get you going.
Metal Hulls
I've also been asked what technique I have used in making the King Tiger hull. It is the same as I use for gathering the info for making the mold plugs. Instead of making the hull from wood as in the case of the plug I used 1/4" (6.5m) t6O6l aluminum plate, hold together with stainless steel machine screws. When I'm finished with hull I will take it apart one last time clean it, copy the parts in aluminum as masters, put it back together, and MIG weld it at strategic points. For torsion bars I use either 3/32 or 1/8 inch (2-38-3-17 m) K&S piano wire. I'm going by what I've been told, what I see in the other models I have and experiments. (make up the hull and load it up with enough weight to approximate the finished weight. I design the suspension so that if I don't like the bars as is I can remove the bearings bore them out to the next size and try again. The assumptions here of course are that you've already built the suspension arms and that all of the various metal rod/ wire you use has similar "twist characteristics" but increasing capacity with increasing diameter. I don't see a need for much larger than 1/8 on most 1/10 scale models unless you're using huge heavy batteries. On my STUG I started out with 3/32 as it is a small vehicle with a total of 12 bars. I hope this helps.
As with the rest of you my biggest want is for detail drawings of the Panther, tracks links for the vehicles I want to build. TIGER 1 and 2, PzKw 1,2,3,4, Lynx( especially this one), T-34,etc etc etc. I can get these for the U.S. vehicles but their tracks are as complex. The U.S. suspensions are a nightmare. I need these to make master patterns for casting.
Model making -Today
Since I published that original article above I've added the one capability which has allowed me the greatest freedom in building: the ability to create sand cast aluminum parts. At an interim point I cast some parts in a Zinc Aluminum alloy ( some call it ZAL some ZAMACK ). This was a useful step as I sand cast my parts using a Coleman pack stove and regular Petrobond sand. I've been told there are environmental issues with using this material but I do very little casting with it; usually for hubcaps.
As examples of the castings I've done please refer to the King Tiger, StuG III , Panther F Turret ,mantlet and turret hatch details on the Japanese Type 74 seen on the previous pages. The type 74's outer sprocket half and wheel 'hubcaps' are examples of parts cast in the zinc alloy.
I will post a photo example of an aluminum casting I made from the Sherman hull pattern/master I used to make a fiberglass mold from. This pattern was started using dimensions appropriate for a casting pattern for aluminum. That is to say it is about 1.5% larger than the finished part. Again this pattern was made large to allow for shrinkage; shrinkage which didn't happen to the fiberglass parts (no appreciable shrinkage ) so the finished fiberglass mold and parts made from it were a tad large but I doubt anyone would know. I thought I'd throw in this last tidbit in case someone out there was not yet asleep!
Sources for models- materials
Well you know I'd love to tell you there are dozens to choose from but rats I can't. There are a few, VERY few established long time established sources and other hopefuls. I say hopeful because I've seen so many come and go you cannot believe such a relatively unknown hobby draws so many 'I'm gonna be THE model tank manufacturer' Almost without except the Model Tank maker's Waterloo is the tracks. Just about any competent modeler can build the hull and turret but come to the tracks and ….. Um what do I do now?
Jochen Maier Modelbaubedarf
Allgauer Str. 5
87719 Mindelheim, Germany
Producer of the ZugMaschine Kaeble Z6W2A seen elsewhere within these pages. Also can supply aluminum tracks, sprockets and wheels for the Panthers he made years ago or your new projects. At the moment he offers no tracked models but who knows what the future holds. I have ordered and received many of his products and I highly recommend them. He is not inexpensive. Example: a set or Panther tracks are about $500. The 10 speed gearbox for the Kaeble is about $1,000.
Thomas Wittgrebe
Spelbergsfeld 30
44869 Bochum, Germany
Thomas makes a series of Panthers, Tiger I, StuG/PzKw models and he will only sell arts at the moment. His work has evolved over the years and has steadily improved. He has a PzKw III and Tiger I track in Aluminum which are first rate. I have received parts from Thomas and can recommend him. All are for 1:10.
Osaka Sangyo Boeki
3-4-10, Shoji,Ikunoku
Osaka, 544 Japan
Agents for the Sankyo Series of tank models: the 1:10 Type 74 and the 1:8 scale Type 61 ( both seen elsewhere) , the 1:12 King Tiger(not recommended) There is also a 1:10 Type 90 but I've seen few photos of it.
There are several others who "off and on" offer many, parts kits, etc. Still others who have made models but the current status of which I don't know. There are a couple here in the states but nothing has gone far enough to report.
Of course we in the States lost a great friend of the hobby when Moody Braun died last year. He was the fellow behind the1:10 Sherman HVSS project M4A1. After he died the project was taken over by others who just wanted to make a few up to carry the project to completion. Less than 10 models where completed is my understanding. If this should change I'll will advise.
Another great aid to the hobby Franz Pracht from whom I purchased a number of Panthers quit a couple of years ago. He delivered a darn good model for a reasonable price. I don't know what happened to him although I heard he moved to east Germany. He had a great product line including 1:10 injection molded tracks for the Panther, 400mm type tracks suitable for PzKw II/IV variants AND a neat T-34 track and a T-72 track. A couple of years ago I had the chance to buy out all his molds, patterns, jigs including his injection die but couldn't get the $ together. So I know he wanted to get out of the business at least for the short term; I don't believe a fellow like him ( or my perception of him) would have truly quit the hobby/business unless he had to. Then he disappeared. Our loss
A feature to add to the AGW site
I would like to add a sub page to the site to put posts of interested modelers; those in search of a way to do something; id est casting, transmission suggestions etc. NOT A WANT ADD page, there are enough of those around. I would like to post the request and then the responses as they come in for all to benefit from. Send me your thoughts on this. If I get enough material I'll post em.
Time to say Fare thee well
I'm going to say goodbye now. I don't want to blather on too long. Hopefully I'll be able to put the next NL together sooner. Keep me informed of your projects and progress. Always looking for new model/parts sources, project startups, female tank enthusiasts(?), and all info pertinent to the hobby.
In the meantime don't throw a track!
-jerry