I don't think I can fully explain it, as I was originally going to build a 1/35 Tarhe helicopter next, but this kit and subject kept pulling me to it, so.....
My next kit build is a 1/35, AFV Club, Churchill AVRE with Small Box Girder (SBG) Bridge.
First off, I had no idea that the Churchill tracked platform was used / converted into well over 10 different configurations, not including the original tank. While that to me is impressive in itself, I heard good reviews of this kit, so here goes.
DESCRIPTION:
The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armor, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles. It was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war. The origins of the Churchill's design lay in the expectation that war in Europe might be fought in conditions similar to those of the First World War, and thus emphasized the ability to cross difficult ground. After several marks (versions) had been built, a better-armoured specification, the Mark VII, entered service with the British Army. The improved versions performed well in the later stages of the war. The Churchill was used by British and other Commonwealth forces during the North African, Italian and North-West Europe campaigns. In addition, 344 Churchills were sent as military aid to the Soviet Union during the Second World War and more than 250 saw active service on the Eastern Front.
DESIGN:
The hull was made up of simple flat plates, which were bolted together in earlier models and were welded in later models. The hull was split into four compartments: the driver's position at the front, then the fighting compartment including the turret, the engine compartment, and the gearbox compartment.[19] The suspension was fitted under the two large "panniers" on either side of the hull, the track running over the top. There were eleven bogies either side, each carrying two 10-inch wheels.[20] Only nine of the bogies normally took the vehicle weight, the front coming into play when the vehicle nosed into the ground or against an obstacle, the rear acting in part as a track tensioner. Due to the number of wheels, the tank could survive losing several without much in the way of adverse effects as well as traversing steeper terrain obstacles. As the tracks ran around the panniers, escape hatches in the side could be incorporated into the design. These were retained throughout the revisions of the Churchill and were of particular use when the Churchill was adopted as the Armored Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE). The Churchill AVRE was a Churchill III or IV armed with a spigot mortar demolition weapon which replaced the 6 pounder gun. The effective range of the 230mm high-explosive "flying dustbin" round was only around 80 yards of 230 yard maximum range. Crew was increased to six to accommodate a demolition NCO in addition to driver, commander, gunner, wireless operator, and co-driver/machine gunner. As well as the mortar ammunition it carried "General Wade" 26 lb explosive charge, and "Beehive" charges of up to 75 lbs of explosive. Both types of charge had to be set manually, but could be detonated from the relative safety of the AVRE interior. The AVRE could be fitted to carry different combat engineering equipment.
NOTE: The above information was provided by Wikipedia and the images from AFV Club.
MODEL KIT:
While many 1/35 armor kits boxes are normally 2-2.5 inches tall, this kit is as tall as it is wide (around 5 inches). So to answer everyones first question, YES, this kit has a lot of parts. This mutli-media kit consist of over 500 parts (excluding the bridge) in the usual green plastic with a further 15 clear plastic parts, 29 etched parts, 24 steel suspension springs, a length of thread, and for the first time from AFV for this kit, individual track links. Added to this is the decal sheet, 20 page instruction sheet and the now standard poster with just the box art image of the Churchill MK.III AVRE to add to the collection (as seen in the first image above).
The kits mold quality and details are very good. It is basically the previously molded kit with the upgrade of individual track links versus the rubber belt in previous editions. It also contains a new tooling assault bridge, A-frame legs, pulleys, steel girder gearbox. Other detailed parts include petard mortar, armour plates, metal-sprung suspension system and a choice of markings for 5 Assault Bridge Units (ABG). Along with the out of box kit I also purchased a crew from MiniArt and resin storage from Resi-Cast.
The instructions appear to be well made with clear images and call-outs. Inside the first page is a color chart to aide in detailing the build.
The first 13 steps all revolve around building the right and left panniers.
THE BUILD:
Steps 1-2 begins with the drilling out of numerous holes. With this kit used for several different variants of the Churchill the holes they specify in step 1 is for the Mark 4 (Mk IV) AVRE. Step 2 is all about adding the metal spring suspension on both panniers. Perhaps one of you can tell me why "they" chose to call the right and left suspension boxes panniers?
When removing the first parts I began to see both flash and mold seams, though small (see below). This means care is needed on every mating surface as well as exposed areas. Some flash though minimal is also found throughout parts of the kit.
The center seam on each pannier is noticable where the springs are attached. The good thing is that the seam will be hidden when the remaining suspension is added. The other mating surfaces fit very well with no seams or ejection pin marks visible.
IMPORTANT 1: The instructions imply (by the arrows) that the springs are glued to the suspension box, but don't do it! They can be inserted into one side/half of the pannier and the springs will hold them in place while you add the other side. What we are going for is a working suspension. Be careful not to add cement to the inner spring locations when assembling both sides.
IMPORTANT 2: Be very careful with the orientation of the springs as one side is offset. The instructions show both sides with the same orientation but that will be a problem when adding the lower suspension arms. If you DO NOT glue the springs that will not be a problem as you can turn the center spring shaft to whatever orientation you need for each side.
Here is a pannier with the springs assembled.
Before getting to far into this build I should note that Jarrod initially appeared to have no interest in helping his dad with this build, but once I started he insisted he help just to ensure Dad gets things done right (smile). So here we go....
Steps 3-5 assemble the lower suspension boxes including the individual arms for the 11 road wheels per side.
After working with larger scale models recently this part of the build required my full attention. While it appears to be a part heavy assembly (and it is), the build process was straight forward. Careful trimming and clean edges are very important in step 4 when adding the individual cross members to the suspension box. There are slight reliefs in each side to guide the positioning but care is needed to ensure the cross bracing is at a right angle with D1 and D2 as that is needed to properly attach the other side. I kept verifying the assembly angles with a straight edge.
If you look close in step 4, it indicates not to glue the suspension arms. We found that funny considering they instructed the builder to cement the springs in place during step 2. If you glues the springs in step 2 it wouldn't have mattered if the suspension arms were glued in step 4. So, if you took heed to our earlier note regarding the springs you will have a functional spring suspension when finished. To ensure the box assembly retained its cemetery we added each suspension arm and glued its cross brace to the other side before proceeding to the next arm. The flexibility of the unglued side made this process easy. Upon completion of step 4 you will have a sturdy lower suspension box.
Step 5 has Jarrod and I add the completed suspension boxes to the pannier and spring subassembly. We recommend the builder test fit the assemblies to ensure the spring mount orientation is correct with the suspension arms. This will help when attaching the two assemblies. The bottom portion of the pannier has very slight raised guides to assist the builder in adding the box suspension correctly. Once again Jarrod and I chose to add each subassembly incrementally by spot gluing a couple attachment points at a time to ensure the assemblies align properly. We have to say that the nicely molded parts definitely makes this suspension process much easier than it could've been.
Step 6 will have Jarrod and I add the road wheels to the suspension arms and springs. If we did our due diligence in removing any flash on both points this should be fairly easy, then we noticed the attachment point of the axle shaft to the single road wheel which was not much larger than a pin head. To complicate the process the end of the axle and the hole inside the road wheel have corresponding key slots though I'm not sure why (?). Perhaps it was engineered into the kit to increase the difficulty of a clean and straight bond (smile). Because of the very small margin for error, make sure the road wheel with the axle is fully inserted through the arm and spring. Jarrod and I managed to get them all attached correctly and without gluing any of the moving parts erroneously.
NOTE: Each suspension unit consisted of a bracket, frame, axle, wheels and springs. With the introduction of the Mk VII the suspension was strengthened by replacing the tie plate between units 2 and 3 with a welded plate producing a combined suspension unit.This change was also retrospectively applied to some earlier Mks, especially those in service as AVREs, Bridge layers and ARVs which were required to carry heavier loads. Looking at this model kit it appears that AFV Club got this detail right!
In Step 7 we build up the sides of the hull then add the pannier assemblies. Prior to adding the pannier the drive sprocket is added. The instructions show a retaining sleeve added between the two sprocket halves. The problem in our build was that the kit did not supply these parts (T3).
Upon numerous inspections and inventory Jarrod and I confirmed that the retaining sleeves (T3) were not in the kit. To solve the problem we went to out spares and plastics bin. After cutting the hollow extruded plastic to the proper length we added them and closed the drive sprocket with the outer part. Once the drive sprocket assembly was complete Jarrod and I added it to the side(s) of the hull. We waited to add the front track guides until the panniers and the hull were together to help us align the guides (as there were no pins to aides). And that completed step 7, so far so good.
Thanks once again for following along. your comments are encouraged. Till next time!
Ben and Jarrod