tonights moment of madness,S Tank +M-1 Turret =self propelled Howitzer(finished)

[chrisonord]

Whilst waiting for the paint to dry on my Canberra tanker, I had a root through my tin of tank and armour bits to see if there was anything worth creating, but there wasn't   So I went and dug my S-tank out of the stash to start building it next, then the thought occurred to me, why don't I stick the spare M-1 Abrams turret I have on the S-tank chassis, make it a nice long barrel and have the turret fixed to keep the weight down.
So off with the sticky up bits on the tank chassis,and a new barrel was made from ally. I will use the original sideskirts from the s tank and build up the gap between the turret and the chassis with putty and plastic card.
This wasn't going to be my next project as I was going to do several new aircraft for the Honduras air force. But you know what its like don't you when am idea gets in your head
Chris.

[Joe C-P]

Faster, faster!    I'm in the armor mood nowadays and want to see how this comes out!

[chrisonord]

Just for you Joe is a sneak preview of what I have done so far. In the pictures it probably looks like the turret is not lined up properly, I thought this too but after lots of careful jigging and realigning, it is right. Because of the gun being off centre and the turret not being of a symmetrical shape, it gives the illusion and head scratching annoyance, of looking like it is out of line.
So here is some pictures of it, but the gun will probably get cut down a bit before final assembly.




Cheers,
Chris. 

[Sauragnmon]

She looks beefy, mate - rebuilding the lift extension as a downward extension of the turret angles might help with the off center look of the turret.

[ysi_maniac]

Looks promising 
I would go with a smaller turret, from a Sheridan maybe.

[chrisonord]

Looks promising 
I would go with a smaller turret, from a Sheridan maybe.

I don't have anything like that in the parts bins, plus models of sheridans in 72nd scale are a bit thin on the ground.
Also, that is quite a big gun in there.
Chris.

[chrisonord]

Right then,
I did some mods to the turret hull gap and removed the plastic strips and went with the sprue/putty routine. I will shape the putty to match the turret contours, and meet flush(ish) with the hull sides. As long as I can get this something similar I will be happy, as I will be putting reactive armour, and stowage lockers on the sides also. The gun will stay the same length as it is as Sauragmon put it, it is perfect for reaching out and touching things a long way away.
Cheers,
Chris. 

[Taiidantomcat]

Whilst waiting for the paint to dry on my Canberra tanker, I had a root through my tin of tank and armour bits to see if there was anything worth creating,

Who says paint fumes are all bad?  This is really brilliant by the way!

[Joe C-P]

The off-center gun gives a bit more character. I think it'll come together better once all the parts are the same colour/colours.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

You can really appreciate just how small the S-Tank is when you have an Abrams turret to compare it with.  Is that a metal barrel that you are using for this project?

[chrisonord]

You can really appreciate just how small the S-Tank is when you have an Abrams turret to compare it with.  Is that a metal barrel that you are using for this project?

Hya Jeff,
The barrel is an aluminium one that I made myself, with a muzzle from a JS-3 tank barrel. This thing is nearly ready for paint, I just need to make a transit clamp for the barrel, and she is done. And yes, the S-tank is very cosy compared to say an Abrams.
Cheers,
Chris.

[lancer]

Holy crap Chris, that thing is the proverbial monster!!  Very intimidating.  Who's going to use it?

[chrisonord]

Hya Lancer.
I was thinking of giving it to the Honduras army, as part of their joint anti cartel task force they have with the U.S marines/navy/CIA and now DEA.
But......... The marine have taken a shine to it, so they might only might get their paws on it
Cheers,
Chris.

[chrisonord]

Right then, this is just about finished now, just need to put some clear coat and a bit of weathering and its done. I have done quite a bit of alteration work since the last pictures, the gap between the turret and hull was rebuilt using putty and angled to match the turret angle, not that you can tell much any more as I have fitted ERA to it as this would be quite a vulnerable area I thought. Anyway enough jibber jabber, here it is.
Chris.

[ysi_maniac]

Beautiful!