Quote from: Wardukw on July 04, 2024, 12:14:25 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 04, 2024, 08:15:13 AM

Quote from: Jakko on July 04, 2024, 02:14:19 AMDepends on the tank. On Leopard 2s, only the front skirt plates are armoured, and they hang from substantial hinges. On the M1 Abrams, most of the skirt plates are armoured (the rear third or so isn't), but less thick than the Leopard 2's, and there are supports behind them to help take the weight. Challenger's original skirt plates were unarmoured steel plate, but still with supports behind them; from the Gulf War on, they were fitted with armoured skirts, which apparently didn't need upgrading of the supports.

By supports behind the skirt do you mean attached to the hull between the tracks?

Ken on the M1 you'll see that the side skirts are hinged so they fold out for track and wheel maintenance..there bolted at the front and swing outwards and held in place with locks on the hull and supports near the suspension.
British armour like the Centurion for example..the skirts sit on supports between the suspension units and then get bolted to the track guards ..Chieftain is the same and also Challenger.
Most tanks mount the hard side skirts the same way.
Hope that helps ya abit 

That would explain why the attachments on so many vehicles look too small to actually hold the weight of the skirt.

Quote from: kerick on July 04, 2024, 12:50:23 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on July 04, 2024, 12:14:25 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 04, 2024, 08:15:13 AM

Quote from: Jakko on July 04, 2024, 02:14:19 AMDepends on the tank. On Leopard 2s, only the front skirt plates are armoured, and they hang from substantial hinges. On the M1 Abrams, most of the skirt plates are armoured (the rear third or so isn't), but less thick than the Leopard 2's, and there are supports behind them to help take the weight. Challenger's original skirt plates were unarmoured steel plate, but still with supports behind them; from the Gulf War on, they were fitted with armoured skirts, which apparently didn't need upgrading of the supports.

By supports behind the skirt do you mean attached to the hull between the tracks?

Ken on the M1 you'll see that the side skirts are hinged so they fold out for track and wheel maintenance..there bolted at the front and swing outwards and held in place with locks on the hull and supports near the suspension.
British armour like the Centurion for example..the skirts sit on supports between the suspension units and then get bolted to the track guards ..Chieftain is the same and also Challenger.
Most tanks mount the hard side skirts the same way.
Hope that helps ya abit 

That would explain why the attachments on so many vehicles look too small to actually hold the weight of the skirt.

Exactly right bud ..without the supports either near the suspension or in-between it they would put to much strain kn the track guards which are made of thin steel and they would buckle severely from a side impact which thin steel plate did do when hit with a big chunk of high speed circular steel  .
They're more useful against hollow charged anti tank rounds like HESH and API ...rounds like APFSDS don't care one little bit 

Quote from: Wardukw on July 04, 2024, 01:03:52 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 04, 2024, 12:50:23 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on July 04, 2024, 12:14:25 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 04, 2024, 08:15:13 AM

Quote from: Jakko on July 04, 2024, 02:14:19 AMDepends on the tank. On Leopard 2s, only the front skirt plates are armoured, and they hang from substantial hinges. On the M1 Abrams, most of the skirt plates are armoured (the rear third or so isn't), but less thick than the Leopard 2's, and there are supports behind them to help take the weight. Challenger's original skirt plates were unarmoured steel plate, but still with supports behind them; from the Gulf War on, they were fitted with armoured skirts, which apparently didn't need upgrading of the supports.

By supports behind the skirt do you mean attached to the hull between the tracks?

Ken on the M1 you'll see that the side skirts are hinged so they fold out for track and wheel maintenance..there bolted at the front and swing outwards and held in place with locks on the hull and supports near the suspension.
British armour like the Centurion for example..the skirts sit on supports between the suspension units and then get bolted to the track guards ..Chieftain is the same and also Challenger.
Most tanks mount the hard side skirts the same way.
Hope that helps ya abit 

That would explain why the attachments on so many vehicles look too small to actually hold the weight of the skirt.

Exactly right bud ..without the supports either near the suspension or in-between it they would put to much strain kn the track guards which are made of thin steel and they would buckle severely from a side impact which thin steel plate did do when hit with a big chunk of high speed circular steel  .
They're more useful against hollow charged anti tank rounds like HESH and API ...rounds like APFSDS don't care one little bit 

This definitely answers the question! I'm going to put heftier skirts on the junkyard dog and I want it to look at least halfway real. Some models like this one look like sheet plastic just glued on. I'll make some upper supports along the top of the hull and maybe something from the lower hull if it needs it. Thanks for the info. The internet was not very helpful on this one!

As a long time liker of spare bits builds.. lots of boxes getting ticked here.. I like where it is going   

Quote from: kerick on July 04, 2024, 03:41:01 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on July 04, 2024, 01:03:52 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 04, 2024, 12:50:23 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on July 04, 2024, 12:14:25 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 04, 2024, 08:15:13 AM

Quote from: Jakko on July 04, 2024, 02:14:19 AMDepends on the tank. On Leopard 2s, only the front skirt plates are armoured, and they hang from substantial hinges. On the M1 Abrams, most of the skirt plates are armoured (the rear third or so isn't), but less thick than the Leopard 2's, and there are supports behind them to help take the weight. Challenger's original skirt plates were unarmoured steel plate, but still with supports behind them; from the Gulf War on, they were fitted with armoured skirts, which apparently didn't need upgrading of the supports.

By supports behind the skirt do you mean attached to the hull between the tracks?

Ken on the M1 you'll see that the side skirts are hinged so they fold out for track and wheel maintenance..there bolted at the front and swing outwards and held in place with locks on the hull and supports near the suspension.
British armour like the Centurion for example..the skirts sit on supports between the suspension units and then get bolted to the track guards ..Chieftain is the same and also Challenger.
Most tanks mount the hard side skirts the same way.
Hope that helps ya abit 

That would explain why the attachments on so many vehicles look too small to actually hold the weight of the skirt.

Exactly right bud ..without the supports either near the suspension or in-between it they would put to much strain kn the track guards which are made of thin steel and they would buckle severely from a side impact which thin steel plate did do when hit with a big chunk of high speed circular steel  .
They're more useful against hollow charged anti tank rounds like HESH and API ...rounds like APFSDS don't care one little bit 

This definitely answers the question! I'm going to put heftier skirts on the junkyard dog and I want it to look at least halfway real. Some models like this one look like sheet plastic just glued on. I'll make some upper supports along the top of the hull and maybe something from the lower hull if it needs it. Thanks for the info. The internet was not very helpful on this one!

Your welcome matey 😊
Yeah the ol internet can be quite unhelpful when it comes to things along these lines..luckily I've been up close to quite a few tanks over the years and ya just pick up crap 😆
In 1990 I got to look at alot of tanks ..it was quite busy for awhile there 🤣

I masked off and sprayed the terra cotta paint for non slip surface today. Kooky thing was no matter how much I shook the can it only sprayed when upside down! And I switched out the nozzle for a new one. I'll take the tape off tonight and post some pics tomorrow.

I found a pic of the EE-T1 prototype in the MERDC four color scheme. It's a possibility.

Well it is tomorrow now so here are the latest pics.

This is what that the terra cotta paint looks like. Its quite the rusty red but that won't matter.



With the tape off.

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I stole some mud flaps from a Bradley. They shouldn't leave those things parked just anywhere.



I stole some M48 headlights too. Just doesn't look right.



These are the kit ones. They don't look right either.



I'll scrape the bottom of the junk box and see what else might be in there.
I should work on painting up the road wheels but I think building some side skirts will be more fun!
I have a plan for front mudflaps too. I'll see how well that works. I looked up the MERDC patterns and there is a tropical pattern. More to consider.

Those two wells at the end of the engine deck look a lot like the m.g. positions on the old LVT(A)1s... just a random thought...

Quote from: kerick on July 04, 2024, 08:15:13 AMBy supports behind the skirt do you mean attached to the hull between the tracks?

Exactly. Here's an M1 Abrams with its side skirts removed:

You cannot view this attachment.

British tanks with deep skirt plates use similar supports. Tanks with skirts that only cover the top run of the tracks just hang them from the hull side, as they will be much lighter in weight and generally aren't intended to serve as armour anyway. Instead, they're there to counteract the shadows cast in the suspension and/or to keep dust down a bit.

Thanks Jakko! That's what I suspected but the confirmation is perfect.

Finished the ERA blocks today. Pics later. I think it turned out pretty good.

Here's the ERA blocks in place. Worked out pretty good. I cast more than I was going to need so I was able to pick through and use the best ones. The biggest problem was self induced by overfilling the molds. Trying to sand off the excess was a PITA.









Time for some primer. I'm going to look into that MERDC tropical pattern some more.

Now it looks like a mobile glasshouse

That UV resin cures crystal clear. Great for headlight lenses and such. The cloudiness is dust and distortion from overfilling the mold.

Looking excellent bud..for a junker its pieces have been used beautifully 😍