M2A1 Halftrack-The offical final pics to wrap the WIP

All that PE looks cool

Thanks Bill.  I 've been doing that for tiny glued PE parts for a while.  I've heard it referred to as give the surface some "tooth" for the glue to hold n to.  The parts will still pop off at times.

Carl...didn;t think of lacquer thinner. Worth a try.

Thanks moderler#1.

You better get this done for the AMP's show,I was telling Vince about this build last night after the meeting,we where talking about P/E I'am using for my Elefant build. And  brought your madness up.He is looking forward to seeing it after what you did with the Marder,take care looking good!!

John

Just make sure the lacquer thinner doesn't attack any CA joints (it's pretty hot/aggressive stuff but no idea how it would react to CA)...that could be a potential disaster in the making!

Marc? Marc? Marc?

Please seek Metal Health!!!                  

Maybe one of you guys that are going to the AMPS show can give Marc a straigth jacket award for this build.

Hiya Marc 

Same thing I told Shell... ya blink and you miss an update...   and a major update it is  !

I am just come out and say it... Your halftrack is going to AmpsEast .  For all of you not from the east it is a big deal around our coast ! People from Maine to New Jersey and even points to the west make it there.  I didn't think it would be possible, but man, you are making a believer out of me.

No extra pressure

tread

Marc - Very nice work on the body panels, moving along nicely....I am sure after dealing with parts the size of a dust particle, dealing with a sheet is a pleasure. Keep it coming. 11 days left!!

Rounds Complete!!

GOOD MORNING VIETXXXX

 Oops.

 GOOD MORNING FSM!

 Thanks you so much to all that have been following, commenting, and urging me on and thinking of me as sitting on the mental fence.  Dept. of “Metal” Health… liked that one.

 I got good nights sleep in prep for the task this morning.  Getting this all square was a key factor in getting the fighting compartment all glued up.  The fact the there was a frame that goes around the inside top of the box was a big help.  Working upside down...

 1^st thing was to get that square and secure.  I have a stack of pieces of cedar that come as spacers in the box of cigars I buy.  Nice and square and perfect for aligning things.

The floor gets glued on “top”.

The box is just resting on the chassis and I can see that there will have to be some modifications made for it all to get “right”.  An example id the front parts of the floor rest on the bump of the differential and is raised.  The kit floor has a recess molded in to for the fit.  Things like that.

Having gotten this step done has made me think I have a shot at the deadline.  At least for now.

This is getting better and better!  Love those razor edges that PE gives you.  Beautiful work !!

Gosh, you have no idea how much I am learning from your WIP thread.  I really appreciate you taking your time and share all of great tips how to deal with PE stuff.  

Looking great!  Oh yes you can make it.  Just take two weeks off from work if you are not retired.  Lock the door and ask your wife politely to push meals and drinks under the door...

Super work there Marc, you're getting closer to the finish line now...you'll make it!

Marc , what with the reflection off of all of that brass i'm starting to wear my  sun glasses  when i look at your newest postings !!!!....................

Seriously though this is a cool looking build .

I am glad you are having a good time watching this thread.  Thanks for all the comments.

Needing to take a little "MEnTAL HEALTH"' time and with the weather here has been pretty fantastic lately the wife and I and some friends took the Staten Island Ferry over to NYC and we walked up to the Feast of San Gennaro.  A fantastic day to walk around, have so great food and a few drinks.

Here is a view from the ferry with the Freedom Tower going up.  And one of the places we stopped for grilled sausage and braccioli w'oinins and peppers on a nice Italian bread.   Heaven!  I would have taken pics of the cocktails too but there qasn't enough memory in the camera.

Sounds like a good time and a well deserved break glad you had the chance......now back to work   Man I,m hungry now

Marc , i've never been to NYC but if ever was to go back east its the only place i'd want to visit .........maybe a week if that is enough . Its not only the sights but from what i have heard the quisine there is fantastic ............might have pay for a double seat for the flight back .................

That's one heavy metal 1/2 track \m/

wow I've heard horror stories about NYC i would never walk around a place like that but we come from two very different places (backwoods of Indiana) but I'm sure you wouldn't be found in a tree stand at 5:30 in the morning with 5in of snow on the ground and a 10 degree temp either lol

As I was chopping, grinding and sanding my way to a good fit of the box to the chassis so it met up with the cab… I have discovered the advantage to using CA to put this thing together.  It’s relatively easy to take a major assembly apart.

I kept looking at the three sided frame around the top of the box…along the sides and across the back.   Couldn’t stop thinking how many guys bashed their heads jumping out of the back when the gate is dropped.  Then I realized the answer was zero.  Because that cross piece is not there.  I assembled the whole thing backwards.  The sides face the right way but the frame is backwards… cross piece is at the front.  And the floor is backwards… the recess areas of the floor should be to the rear for the guys to get in and out.

Stay tuned for “Metal Box-The Sequel”  

Uh-Oh

General Disarray.....I had him as a commander at one point.....at least you have not seen Major Disaster yet....keep on plugging

Rounds Complete!!

Wow.....that's just the way I build..... I feel your pain...cheers....Kenny

Mike is right. Major Disaster is way more unforgiving....dig in and  ' git 'er done ' you can do it Marc.

tread 

This might help ......................

At least you caught now and not at the show... ...wouldn't be fun without some detours along the way and the others are right...Major Disaster is a royal pain to deal with!

so Marc VERY fine work on this build just need to know how many times do you run your head in to the wall while your working on this build?? AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA.

Clay

Bang my head against the wall?  Oh... every now and then.

Acetone, sanding, blood stains on the wall but all it right way 'round now.  Pics later.

LMAO the stress reduction kit made my morning!

wing_nut

Bang my head against the wall?  Oh... every now and then.

 

 

Acetone, sanding, blood stains on the wall but all it right way 'round now.  Pics later.

Hmmm , i thought i was the only one around here with this kind of sense of humor .............

wing_nut

I kept looking at the three sided frame around the top of the box…along the sides and across the back.   Couldn’t stop thinking how many guys bashed their heads jumping out of the back when the gate is dropped.  Then I realized the answer was zero.  Because that cross piece is not there.  I assembled the whole thing backwards.  The sides face the right way but the frame is backwards… cross piece is at the front.  And the floor is backwards… the recess areas of the floor should be to the rear for the guys to get in and out.

Marc,

while I do agree you have the floor backwards to the sides and back, there is no gate to drop. To exit the M2/M2A1 you either went through the cab, or jumped over the side/back.

If I understand you correctly, the cross piece you mention is in the right place, that is a stiffener angle iron that holds the top of the sides and back from flexing around etc. The seating arraignment and floor recess is correct to one another other, the sides and back armor just need to be removed and flipped around.

The recessed area for the feet of the soldiers is to the back as you mention and the rasied portion (due to the drivetrain/axel etc.) to the front which has extra seating on it and is flanked by the large internal stowage boxes.

Hope that helps.

Really hope you can get this down before next weekend, I'd love to get a close up look at this.

Best,Ken

Pre-post edit:  Ken, since I typed this post in Word… I do that sometimes cuz it’s easier to spell check… I saw your post just now.  You will read that I finally realized all that you said.

Back on track…err… halftrack... finally... sort of... OK... yes, it is

Had a serious bout of “not paying attention”

After getting the box all pulled apart and almost completely glued back again up I had, once again, a revelation that something again didn’t look right.  Turns out the only thing backward before was the floor.  Would have been a lot easier to fix that had I been… paying attention.  The aforementioned guys would not be bumping their head when the jumped out the back.  It’s not a tailgate. So the frame ‘round the top was right the 1^st time. Doing the redo had the side effect of the seams at the panels are just not as perfect as they were the 1^st time around.  Not sure what or where thing got misshapen but I got it as close as I could and that will just have to be that.

Nearly all the interior is done.  Seat, gas tanks, 30 cal gun mounts, storage and radio rack all there now.  Working on the ring mount for the 50 cal.  I may just make that deadline after all.  Of course by saying that I have probably hexed the whole thing.