Malkara Cromwell - Finished

[Nick]

Side mounts work very well. As a side note don't forget to add an MG or two for close protection.

[crudebuteffective]

ENJOYING WATCHING THIS

I DO LIKE A "LETS RE USE AN OLD HULL" SOLUTION

[Weaver]

Yep, another vote here for the side-mounted setup. 

The problem is that the vehicle only has two shots between reloads, but that was true for all Malkara carriers (and carriers of Dart, the US equivalent) because the missile was just so damned big. One of the reasons it was so big was that it had a heavy HESH warhead (HEP in US terms: squash-head, basically) rather than a shaped charge HEAT one which, by it's very nature, has a cone-shaped volume of fresh air in the middle of it.

This has given me an idea about what to do with the 1/72nd Airfix Cromwell I got given as a present though: four AMX-13-style SS-11 mountings, two either side of the main gun...

[buzzbomb]

Bench time finally.
With the Easter break coming up and what appears to be pretty awful weather, there is a very good chance this will get finished in the next few days.

So.. here we go af few progress pix

Completed the hull and most of the turret and missile mounts. The boxes below the missile are onboard reload/s, but like the Malkara Hornet, reloading included a bit of kit building as all the fins and bits had to be fitted as part of the reload process.


Turret bits and pieces. The guidance optical gizmo is retractable.. 1950's gimmickry.

Fitted between the reload stowage box and the turret side is a rack for the reloads main fins. My CES says the rear fins are in the box


My thought bubble creature is now saying that I need some missile handling rails/gubbins to ease moving these huge missiles (somewhere between 70-90KG depending on which source you prefer to believe) from the boxes to the launch pylons. We shall see

If the other Commander hatch leaf appears in any of your carpets due to the space/time and/or black hole anomalies that devour small model parts, please let me know.

[zenrat]

I'll keep an eye out for it.

[rickshaw]

Manufacture one, it wouldn't be hard.

On reloads, I think I'd prefer a box system mounted on the engine deck behind the turret.  All you need to would be to traverse the turret to each side to line up the launch pylon and move the missile across to it and then traverse the turret to the other side to reload it.   Much easier.  Further you could make the reload boxes moveable by attaching it to the turret rear to allow access to the engine through the deck.   

[buzzbomb]

Awful weather yesterday on a major public holiday so almost mandatory bench day

Whipped up a basic reload handling system, well to my non engineer way of thinking anyway.
From the reload container, the missile body is withdrawn onto the rear rollers, then some tinkering done there to get it ready for next step.
Missile is rolled forward, with a bit of manual oompf, onto the mounting jack on the top of the containers, where the cranked handle is inserted and them the missile manually jacked up into a position where the fins can be fitted, then the missile manouvered into the lock position on the launch pylons. Jack cradle retracted, the wire and control cables fitted and the missile set for fire. Or something like that.


Things are sometimes better in whiff world where stuff can happen more magically.

Then to the paintshop to start the painting process. Dark Bronze Green, quite a difference from my normal SCC 15 Olive paint jobs.

Oh, the other hatch leaf magicially turned up again, so stop looking.

[Old Wombat]

I'm no engineer either, mate, bur that looks & sounds so right for the 1950's! Especially the UK or Aus!      

[Wardukw]

Not going to put my engineering hat on Buzzy mate.  Your idea works perfectly in wiffy world 👌 😀

[Weaver]

That seems credibly awkward for a 1950s 1st gen system. 

[NARSES2]

Oh my, she looks absolutely stunning just in that overall Bronze Green 

[buzzbomb]

I am calling this done, as it stands at the moment.
Trying to keep a semi gloss finish, in keeping with the times, with a minimum wear and tear for a more peace time development.







On a base.. "Righto Sergeant, take it out. Let's see if these Boffins know what they are talking about"


Thanks for the support during this. I am pretty happy how it came out.

[AeroplaneDriver]

That is absolutely gorgeous. 

[Rick Lowe]

 

[Wardukw]

I do love this...it's green and mean and looks like it's ready for parade duties