Thats a very sharp looking build! Excellent work all around! You have quite a bit going on with it between the figures, the bridge span, and the wading stacks. Since your Churchill is equipped with the amphibious wading stacks, I would suggest a beach seawall or anti tank ditch setting for your diorama base. Those stacks were removed shortly after landing and leaving the beach area as they were no longer needed.

Thanks SH, I hope my build string helps you with your future build. Thanks again for looking and good luck.

Looks really good! I plan on building one of these Churchhills with bridge sometime.

S.H.

Thanks Gamera and Kevdog, your compliments are greatly appreciated. I am not a prolific military armor builder and take many of my processes from the experts here and other forums. While we felt we learned something from this build, it always has room for improvement, we just decided to call this one D-O-N-E. I may make a separate display base with a blown bridge crossing, other figures, and perhaps another vehicle, but all that would be another build basically. Thanks again for following along.

Jon_a_its, regarding the weak plastic joints in suspending the bridge, theres a few things you should know. First, we cemented the bridge to the hinge point on the tank to provide a stronger finished product. Second, by doing that it took a significant load off the cable connections. Third, we created several parts from metal to replace certian plastic ones, including at the points where the cable connect to the eye loops. Fourth, the fix position of the bridge also help us when we rigged the winch cable through the turnbuckles for length and to keep them taught. Fifth, we did not use the kits provided string and instead found a strong nylon cable weave that better replicated the steel cable in scale and also strengthened the build. Hope this helps...

Ben & Jarrod: You guys did a beautiful job here! She turned out perfect!!! Love the figures! 

Great job you two.  Weathering and figures look good.  Intricate piece with lot's  to look at.

Any issues with the Ubolts and winch assembly holding the bridge upright?

I have the kit & these parts look very fragile 

Excellent work. The weathering is awesome. Those outside photos need a river or ravine to really emphasize that Churchill bridge layer.

Jarrod and I are near the point of calling the kit done, just some minor clean-up of the dark wash and a second flat coat on it. So this is the end of this string. Thanks to all who commented which helped direct our build to something more authentic than what we may have ended with, all of you are appreciated.

Should we build a diorama base, we will start a new build for it and include the very minor clean-up from what you see here. 

Just like most people who post images, you think its done till you look at your photo results. Jarrod and I could do so much more but there is a time when to call it D-O-N-E, and this is around 96% there. It's been fun but my *** is leaning towards either an aircraft or automotive build next.  













Next build coming soon.... As always, critiques and comments always welcome.

Ben and Jarrod

Excellent work guys. Applause are called for.

Gamera

Captain: Less smart than done that, been there, got the T-shirt

Hey, the notion of having a "handle" for armor models is not exactly obvious.

Which makes is an excellent thing to share.

That, and at least you can still find the t-shirt

She looks really good guys! You did a knock-up job on her! 

Captain: Less smart than done that, been there, got the T-shirt on breaking small parts on models while picking them up and moving them around. 

Thanks Gamera and CptMac82 for your input, its appreciated. I was planning on mounting it on something for the same reasons, but Jarrod and I are still undecided on just how much of a base to build. We want to start on a couple other builds, but we also want this to really look like a finished product. We want a convincing base but not something that takes the focus away from the kit. So perhaps an earth incline to a partially destroyed wood bridge and a few more figures looking on. 

OK, finally an update with something to show. Jarrod and I have been working on the tank to the point where we can seal what we have and begin the final road dirt, slight washes, and very light chipping. Next we will begin the same on the bridge, but here is where the Churchill is at the moment.







Hope you all approve as Jarrod and I like it so far.

Ben and Jarrod

Gamera

just so you can attach the model to it and then handle only the base

Gamera is smart here.  As long as you can still get inside the hule (e.g. the turret or the like is not affixed) drill a small hole for like a 3/16x3 (or M5x75) bolt to pass through.

Some would suggest epoxy at this point, but, really a washer and a nut will hold the bolt to the hull.  This can be then passed through a building board until a final base is set up.

It's a practice pretty common in model ship building, and for similar reasons.

Looks great guys!!! 

I'd go with a small simple base just so you can attach the model to it and then handle only the base and not have to touch the model again.  It really helps to not break the more delicate parts. 

Been some time since the last update so we thought we would show everyone our progress.

- add, repaired, items on hull and turret.



- began first stage of weathering.



- started adding wear and weathering to tracks.



- assembled and started painting of the figures.



- added base coats to bags, tarps, rolls, etc.

Next gloss coat and decals, then add tracks, final assembly, final wash / dry brush / weathering. Jarrod and I still undecided on how to display it when done; diorama, kit only (no base), kit with basic base, etc.

She's coming along great guys! You're better modelers than I, I'd have broken off half those tiny guy lines and cables. 

And here is a little snippet, it's got green paint!





Time to let it dry for a day or two, so lets see what I can get into till then (?).

Thanks Gamera. Jarrod and I finally got the kit primed, in this instance with flat black primer. I previously mentioned that its been more difficult than we thought it would be getting a correct color for the base green.

So here is what Jarrod and I finally came up with:



And here are shots of the premiered kit:





Along the way we started on the accessories, including the figures. Here's the color pallet for them:



Figures in base coat:



Looking forward in getting some No. 24 B.S. 381 on the plastic. Hope to show it next update.

Ben and Jarrod

Ben & Jarrod: She's coming along great guys! 

Thanks Mike and Gamera, we appreciate the feedback. 

Jarrod and I wanted to have this update show some painting but that still has not happened. You see, we want to ensure all the assembly is finished to the point of painting but we keep finding things to add. This was especially true when we were looking for any information concerning the pioneer tools (shovel, pick/axe, sledge hammer, pry bar, etc.). We thought it kind of odd that the instructions did not show or tell us anything, but we had the parts in the kit (?). After some research we found the following images:





So with the new information we added the items to the engine and final drive covers for what you see here:



The instructions also failed to call out and forward driving lights, but once again we found the parts in the kit. Here is the end result. One of the little clear lights evidently fell off on the left side, should be an easy fix:



In our research we saw several photos of a brace that tied both exhaust stacks together. This seemed to be a very common brace on most all AVRE extended exhaust configurations.



Once again, we found what we thought were the parts in the spares of the kit, but no mentioned in the instructions (?). Here they are on the exhaust, but keep in mind that we cannot connect them until the exhaust is fed through the rear winch:



Last update we talked about starting the assembly for the bracing on the intake and exhaust extensions. After several attempts to create something using the Frankenstein method of kit and scratch parts (unsuccessfully), we decided to create the bracing from scratch. You saw some of the work in an earlier photo, but here they are more or less finished. The tensioners will be detailed more through painting:



And the big test was to see if the exhaust, winch, tools, and bracing will all fit in harmony. It was a success, with no touching or binding of assemblies:





The last thing were are showing is pretty much the final; assembly of the bridge carrier components and cables:





And everything from this update:



Well, thats it for now, thanks for following along. As always, comments are not only welcome, but encouraged....

Till next time,



Ben and Jarrod

No worries Ben, it's been very hectic around here too. 

She's looking superb! 

This is a really cool build! You've got my attention.

Thanks Gamera, sorry for the late reply or update; the ramp up to Christmas was very busy, but Jarrod and I are back!

So, been near a month without showing any work on this. Thought I might provide some updates. Most everything is assembled except some very small parts or details that were waiting for paint. I did manage to get some of those small things done. 

- The version Jarrod and I are building will be using the intake and exhaust vents. The slide molding of the one piece vents is excellent, but the small parts associated with them are not. Most of the issues I'm having are with me, not the parts. Some parts are so small they almost disappear within the tweezers. The attach points, hooks, and turnbuckle are individual pieces that would rival even some small PE on ships. The scale plastic rod that attached to the turnbuckle and to the top of the tank were broken in multiple pieces and what was left was severely bent up. I decided to use steel rod in its place. One issue with that was the intake bracing is more like the letter "Y". Both the rods from the turnbuckles join together and a single rod attached to the tank. I saw a couple images with individual rods joining to one location on the tank to, so if the scratch built metal "Y"'s are a problem Jarrod and I may make individual wire reinforcements. After some work, rework, groveling, and more rework, here they are ready for paint. In the photo is a cable for the lift too.





- The tow cables appear on the box image, but the actual photos of the built kit on the side of the box left them off. We were going to add them after painting but then thought better of it and added them now. One strange thing we noticed is that the pin hooks that hold the tow cable ends were far to short on the kit to hold anything, to we also modified them to show a bolt being used to keep them in place through the eyelet. Jarrod and I mentioned earlier in the build that the angle iron used to keep the tow cables in place above the pannier doors were all but destroyed in the mold process so we decided to make our own from modified spare PE. After three attempts we finally come up with something acceptable. So here is how the kit looks with the complete tow cable assemblies on as well as the intake boxes. 





- Keeping with the main tank chassis, we decided to add the front machine gun before painting too. Instead of using the poorly detailed kit part Jarrod and I decided to use a turned brass barrel from spares. We think the results speaks for itself. During this update we also added the periscope covers too. 



- More on the main tank chassis, we texture painted the exhaust to reflect rust. Here it is drying while resting on the tank. We're still going to add paint variations, but a large part of what lays on the rear deck is covered. The exhaust opening will benefit from some detail painting as well. 



- Same thing is going on with the turret, we decided to add the various small parts to the side and top of the turret before painting. Looking at the image it seems we need to straighten the PE before painting (small thing). Once the painting, weathering, and detailing is done, All thats left to add is the crew figures and antenna.



- We finished the main assembly of the bridge to include the lifting yoke and cables. In the process we found that the parts that attaches from the lift cables to the yoke are permanently attached. Since we want to be able to remove the bridge for travel, we decided to make a new end that has a separate piece (pin) that slides through the yoke bracket and through the lift cable assembly. It will hold it firmly in place when displayed and is easily removable for moving the display.



- Jarrod and I have also managed to get the soldiers assembled and the resin after-market detail items cleaned up and fitted as well. Of course all of this will be painted before being added to the Churchill. 

So thats it for now, but at least we're still moving forward on the kit. Next, priming, then lots of painting.

Ben and Jarrod

Ben & Jarrod: That looks fantastic guys! The bridge section looks like a pain to keep straight and non-twisted. Love the extra detail you're adding. 

DRUMS01

And here is the other cabling in real metal but smaller diameter.

The beading section of the local craft store can be a real reasure trove for modelers.

OK, Jarrod and I finally found what we think is the right scale and shape for the wench cabling. We also found another great looking cabling just a little smaller. 

Nylon micro weave wench cabling (various colors too). 



And here is the other cabling in real metal but smaller diameter. 



And here is a better detail view with comparisons. The one on top is the smaller scale real metal cable. Just below it is the lightest color of the S-LON Beadsmith followed by a typical string and then a darker S-LON cable. Jarrod and I are going to use the last one with kind of a steely blue hue to it. The weathering should really add depth (we hope). 

Some other thing we've been working on for the Churchill.

- multi part hook clamps for the extended intake and exhaust vents.



- the wench pully's along with the electronic disconnect linkage. You can also see the end of one of the cables. The basic pully contains 5 parts while the pully with the electronic disconnect is made of 11 pieces. 



This last week has been a challenge to get some paint on the kit, but we hope to have that resolved this week. Thanks for looking, and let us know what you think.

Ben and Jarrod

Progress:

The bridge as an assembly is d-o-n-e, however there are still many small parts and all the cabling to be created. Here are the steps for the bridge.







Things of note during the bridge assembly:

- In step 48 part U22 does not have any specific slot, pin, or mark to fit it to. Careful assembly will have you add half of it to one of the two SBG subassemblies and allow overhang to add the other half of the part to the other identical subassembly. This will also assist you in properly adding the PE part G23.

- In step 48 the guide pins along with the side pins make adding the two assemblies together very difficult. To aide in the assembly we suggest that the guide holes on end plate (U4) be drilled one size larger or slightly reamed larger than what is already there as that will allow some slight drifting into place. In addition, the side pin can be removed if needed as they do not aide in squaring up the final assembly. Doing this will allow you to add the assemblies and keep them square and straight, which will be very important in following steps. Jarrod and I used a straight edge to ensure they were properly plumbed. 

- In step 48 the hinge pivot brackets (parts U6 and U11) appear in the instructions to be attached to the outer side of the SBG frame sub-assemblies K and J, this is not correct. Step 49 will correct the previous image by referencing the subassemblies (K-J) and showing the proper orientation (see below). 

- In step 49 the SBG frame can be attached in any configuration as all four ends match the attachment point for part U27. Make sure the bridge hinge pivot brackets of subassemblies K and J are oriented to the inside of part U27 when assembling the frame (see image). 

- In step 49 all four road plank parts (U1) are identical from the top and ends but they require careful orientation. Look at the bottom of the parts to ensure they are added correctly to the SBG frame. They must be attached with the multi-angle bracing on the inside of the frame in order for parts U16 in step 50 to fit. Look closely at the instructions and test fit the mentioned parts before permanently attaching them.

- In step 51 it identifies two parts as U32 which is incorrect. One is right and the other is left oriented. The correct part number for the second piece is U33. So when one U32 and one U33 are used together they mate up correctly. By the way, there are 4 identical "U" sprue so you really could add two U32 parts in error if not careful.

- In step 51 parts U20 (two per side) have an ejection pin tab on the side that captures part U24. Those very small tabs must be trimmed for the parts to fit as intended.



On another note, step 31 identifies parts without any part numbers. 



Upon careful inspection Jarrod and I identified the fuel cans and carry tray as E1 and E38. Two cans are attached to the carry bracket to make the part shown on the instructions. In addition, the scale angle iron parts holding the top of the cans and attached to PE part G10 are actually other PE parts G15. 



While parts detail has been overall very good along the way, there has been numerous mold ejection pin depressions and tabs (some shown on the instructions and some not). This can create issues if you do not catch them prior to assembly. There are also numerous instruction errors that I suspect have been caused in part to drawings from one versions kit instructions being added to other versions instructions of that model. With new sprue trees added and a mix of borrowed images, there are definately some errors, so check and test fit every part and review all the parts trees in the kit before starting on assembly.

Our next update will build some of the cabling and then the painting will begin.... till then.

Ben and Jarrod

Thanks lurch. 

UPDATE: 

We finished the four sections of the bridge Small Box Girder (SBG) bracing. 



Jarrod and I were surprised with the bridge details but also let down a little with some of the ejection pin tabs and their locations. The photo below gives everyone an idea of the large half round tabs that had to be removed around delicate pin detail (parts U6 and U11 had 4 on each part and in curved sensitive locations). This has been an ongoing issue throughout the build. 



Next was butting two of the subassemblies together at the large ends to make the two long SBG sections. Once that was done we tied them together with the two part cross sections (U27/28) at each end. Here is where Jarrod and I stopped today (in the middle of step 49). 





Looking ahead, there appears to be some very small parts that will be used as stress points for connections and cable linkage. Regardless if the bridge is cemented to the lower hull pivot point or not, this will be a very delicate build once complete. If anyone else has already built this kit, please let me know if there are any load handling concerns ahead regarding those small parts (thanks).... 

Thats it for now, thanks for following along, comments encouraged.

Ben and Jarrod