Modelling Patton tank interior in 1:35

Hello, Pawel!

Glad to see you're still working on making this project happen. I must admit I have not been posting much lately and it's good to see my friends here, including you, still working on such beautiful things.

I've got a little project I hope to post soon. Motivation, however, is low these days.

I do hope you are fairing well through this "plague". It's really been a trial of sorts for most of us here in the States. Political wrangling has influenced a lot of horrible decisions and made things much worse than necessary here.

It's not fun anymore when my family is fearful of venturing out of the house. But I will not say anymore about that.

I miss building and painting and scratching up my details! I have so many projects that have stagnated it's astounding! 

-Mike

Hello Juan!

Thanks a lot for your comment! For now I'm safe nad healthy, thank you very much - I just still have to sort out the situation at work. I hope I can make the necessary corrections to my 3D models soon - and start drawing new ones (in the M60A1 interior), there is still so much to do...

Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

Hi Pawel,

Hope you find yourself safe and healthy.  I'm happy for your progress, can't wait to get a set from you once you're ready.

Best reagards,

Juan

Hello Joe!

BenHet is an interesting handle... Anything to do with that Special Forces camp in I Corps?

If you want to take a look I have a Duster straight out of Khe Sanh on my web page:

http://vietnam.net.pl/M42en.htm

Thanks a lot for your kind words! It's true nothing happened in this thread for quite some time. It mainly has to do with the fact, that I was overwhelmed with work in my old job to the point where I had to quit and in my new job they don't let me get bored neither... On top of that I moved to a new apartment and there's also the plague...

But let's not limit ourselves to bad news. There are good news, too - my freind Kevin visited an armor museum in California and took some badly needed measurements of the interior for me - so I'm very slowly but steadily integrating those measurements im my 3D models. It's a funny thing, mu guesstimations have led to some measurements being serously off, while some other are so close that I'm not changing anything.

I'm still having some problems with squeezing everything in and the models got so complicated, that my PC has problems processing it - but I hope I can finish it some day - plus I know there are some tankers waiting for their copy. So I'm hoping to find some more time to put some more work in this.

Thanks a lot for your comment and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel, that's just amazing. I see the last post is over a year old? Has their been any progress since?

Would very much like to have a set.

Joe

Mike, Ray - thanks a lot for your kind words! I'm sorry you had to wait so long for my reply.

Ray - that's the good thing about it, I can turn my 3D model anyway I please. Here, I have prepared two more drawings for you:

That azimuth indicator is one of the things I would like to have measured. The outer diameter of the upper cylinder (and the cylinder's height) would be particularily interesting here.

What do you say?

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel, been looking at your original diagram, and I think your azimuth indicator is about 10% to big. Also, your travesing gear assy is to far forward. It should be more to the rear towards the TC's seat. That should open up the space for the ballistic computer. Can you rotate the diagram so we can see what it would look like from the TC's seat?

Ray

That looks amazing, Pawel!

Hello!

The pace slowed down, I must admit, but I'm still working on it.

Here's what I have so far on the early ballistic computer (this could also work for the M48A3):

Thanks for lookin' and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello Ray!

That picture IS a great help, but unfortunately it also shows how much more space I need for the ballistic computer. An exact measurement of the diameter of the azimuth indicator or dimensions of the gunner's control box (the one to which the small one with the handles attach) would really help here. Too bad your source didnt give any answers yet. I'm trying to rearrange the parts a little to get more space, but I would also like to get some accuracy here.

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

Not getting any answers from the group I requested info from. Here is a picture of what you are looking for. Hopefully, it will help.

http://www.toadmanstankpictures.com/m60a1_trainer_28.jpg

Ray

Hello everybody!

I still can't say I've got enough data to be sure here, but I have managed to tweak the power pack ("the cadillacs") a little and I have won a few millimeters this way. I have drawn up the azimuth indicator and I have mocked up the old ballistic computer a a 8x8x8mm box - that would be 11 inches in real life. As you can see on the photo below it doesn't really fit for now. I have to do some more squeezing...

The drawing above is just a screenshot from my 3D software, nice renders are geting problematic at this complexity so please excuse me. I still could use some help here if anybody has access to a real-life tank that could really save the day here.

I'd love to hear your comments here so thanks in advance and have a nice day

Paweł

Hallo Ray!

Thanks a lot, that would realy be cool! Have a nice day

Paweł

I just sent a request to some friends in Germany who may be able to get you the measurements.

Hello Glenn!

It's really good to see you in this thread! Thanks a lot for your comment!

In the meantime I think I need the help of the forum members here... I have a problem aligning everything around the gunner - it looks like I don't have enough space to squeeze the azimuth indicator AND the balistic computer in... Most likely because I have drawn the powerpack ("the cadillacs") too big. Now my request - does anybody know a posibility to get inside a real M60 and make a few measurements? I think that could really save the day for me here... Until then I keep guesstimating the distances and trying to squeeze everything in.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello Rob!

Thanks a lot for your kind words and for the interesting story you wrote! Good thing you didn't let them boys get you down.

As for the measurements - I thing I got close enough going by the TMs, but I'll keep your offer in mind. The longer I draw here, the more I wish I could get some real-life measurements - those are very hard to come by. I have found some measurements of individual components in an old TM.

Looking at the photos I also think I have to make the top mounts for the hangers a little smaller, because I'm slowly getting into trouble fitting everything together along the turret ring. Luckily the hangers won't be too hard to do.

Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

At 5'2", I'm short by any standard, but I never let my height limit me. I wrestled through junior high school, high school and into college and the army. Played football in junior high and high school and obviously made it through the ranks in the army.

Rob Gronovius

A shorter man like myself

Dunno, you certainly seem to stand tall around here.

Pay no attention to all those mutants over by the Right Guide, we normal-sized folk have to stick together

Pawel

Hello Rob!

Thanks a lot for the info, I knew I could count on you here! Shifting the seat forward and back makes a lot of sense - I think I understand it now. How do you like the detail here?

Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello Rob!

Thanks a lot for the info, I knew I could count on you here! Shifting the seat forward and back makes a lot of sense - I think I understand it now. How do you like the detail here?

Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel

Hello everybody!

I have managed to draw up the gunner's seat, it looks like this:

I'd love to hear your comments about it, I'd especially like to find out more about that upper handle under the seat pan. From the TM I know the lower handle set the seat's height, and the upper handle, if I read it right, allowed to tilt the seat forward and back. Now my question is - what was that good for? How did it operate? Should I show the seat tilted or is it OK straight, as shown above? Thanks in advance for the info and have a nice day

Paweł

 

It does not tilt the seat. It allows the seat to slide forward or backwards on the pedestal. Taller man needs the seat slid back as far as it can go. A shorter man like myself needs it scooted up as far as it can go. So when adjusted, it might not be centered on the pedestal.

Hello everybody!

I have managed to draw up the gunner's seat, it looks like this:

I'd love to hear your comments about it, I'd especially like to find out more about that upper handle under the seat pan. From the TM I know the lower handle set the seat's height, and the upper handle, if I read it right, allowed to tilt the seat forward and back. Now my question is - what was that good for? How did it operate? Should I show the seat tilted or is it OK straight, as shown above? Thanks in advance for the info and have a nice day

Paweł

Straight forward it's going to be, then.

Gunners seat set straight forward.

Gino, Ray - thanks a lot for your kind words. Thay mean a lot to me!

Ray - got you on the slip ring. I also plan to draw the gunner's seat and his footrest. Some drawings and photos got me wondering: Was the gunner seated facing directly forward, or was his seat slightly angled towards the centerline of the tank? Thanks a lot for the picture, you can never have too many of them on a project like this.

Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

 Here is a picture of what I was talking about with the slip ring. The slip ring is what transfered power from the hull to the turret. Round box with a square cover located in front of the sight box.

Pawel

Knight, Mike - thanks a lot for your comments and for your kind words! I'm itching to get something printed at last. Let's see when will that be. Thanks again and have a nice day!

Paweł

 

Pawel, your attention to detail is outstanding! About all you need left to do is the range finder, slip ring and ammo rack located behind the loaders position. If it was me, I'd just print out the 13 round ready rack with the rounds already installed. After all, all you will be able to see is through the loaders hatch. The slip ring is the round box located in front and to the right of the 3 round ready rack on the turret floor.

Ray

Coming along nicely.  Great job so far.