After making the jack block holder Howard realised that he hadnt got enough strip material to make the spare track link holders se went onto making a set of stowage bins. Followers of this Blog may remember that H made a superb set of bins to my dimensions (the correct scaled dimensions I should add) which when offered up to the model were way too small :-( Anyway, memories fade so he decided to have a go at making another set. I showed him what they should look like, where they fit, opened my reference books at the correct page and went and made the tea!!!
The jack block bracket freshly primered.
The left hand bin takes shape...
...the base of the bin offered up...
...before being Tig welded.
And heres the finished article. Check out the almost scale welding :-)
The lid lip in place.
H reckons the welds are so good the bin could well be watertight! No daylight to be seen.
The two finished bins with a Coke can for size reference, as I've said before everything about 1/4 scale is huge!
The over centre catches take shape...
...here a side view...
...and complete with the hooks fitted to the bins. These are welded (at least on the Bovington Panther they are) but H thought that they would be too small to weld so he riveted them. These catches are a masterpiece as they are fully working (a bit overscale maybe) and hand made from 1mm steel sheet cut with a band saw, drilled, filed and folded by hand...and they work :-)
The tank's back panel with the support bracket and the loop bracket fitted.
The two bins fitted to the rear panel again with a Coke can for reference.
Heres a side view showing the prototypical gap between the bin and the back panel.
Hopefully next weekend (Easter) we'll be making the gun cleaning rods tube and the spare track link holder if we can get the material!
