sevoblast

Well, since there is no way I will live long enough to ever equal 1% of the skills shown by Tread, Harpy, Chili, and other builds, I will go another route, and do a few articles on mechanics and electrical how to's, basics to start.
On this thread, the theme is a basic idea of how to neaten up the electrical wiring in the tank. My tanks are fighters, so exterior detail is not paramount. Service and accessibility is, however, as are the little tweaks to get the most out of your power and combat systems.
I will continue this thread as time and construction allows. I am using my tired old German Sherman as the basis for this article, since he is in the process of a ground up overhaul.
First off is basic hull wiring, as shown in the photos.

sevoblast

For basic wiring, many of the stock wire lengths are way too long. In this photo, you can see the hull opened up, and the shortened power lead for on/off switch, speaker, motor leads, and battery connections. Throughout my tanks, all have the low resistance electrical connectors, on motors and DMD/TO to battery connections. All batteries are equipt with the connectors, and care was taken to make sure that all leads are the same polarity on all items. In other words, if I have to snatch a set of trans units or DMD/TO systems from one tank to another, the electrical connections are identical.
Also, notice how the receiver leads from the DMD/TO were neatly bundled with wire ties in to basically a ribbon cable, and the installed for fitting antenna lead is brought under and behind the speaker, then coiled around a piece of plastic tube on the starboard side. This affects in no way the range or performance, but does get the installation neat and orderly, and out of the way for service.

sevoblast

Next we will start on the turret. First photo is the outside, and you will notice the lowered apple. I am not going to get in to an arguement about the merits of lowered apples, suffice it to say after 4 years of experience with them, it is simply a cosmetic thing that I do. It also affects turret wiring to an extent.
With no recoil at the moment, the interior of the Sherman turret is pretty roomy.

sevoblast

You will notice on the turret interior photo the two white tabs on the inside of the turret upper half. This is to attach the base with the turret ring. Tamiya says to glue the two parts together. Again, for servicability, I may need to get in there, so with this set up I can with no trouble. With some careful sanding and filling, the rear lower seam of the turret and lower ring are a pretty close match.
Here you see the Medusa's head of wires to arrange and bundle in the turret. I keep the flash unit in the barrel, and since this particular turret is modeled after a photo I saw years ago of a captured Sherman with a P4 long '75 in him, the emmiter for the battle system will be in a tube on top of the recuperator housing outside the mantlet. There is precious little room in the modified mantlet to accept the 6mm hole for an interior mounted emmiter because of the housing. When doing an exterior emmiter housing, you must take care to align the emmiter tube with the barrel, in both planes, horizontal and vertical. This can be done with a rod inserted in to the emmiter tube and aligned with the barrel. Failure to align the tube will lead to some interesting bank shots as you fight, and may adversly affect the outcome of said fight.
Before you get too far on the work, it is time to fit the metal elevation arm to the elevation unit. This metal arm is basically bullet proof and will not fail, which experience shows is not so with the stock plastic arm.
You will also notice in the previous post the twisted cables for the speaker wires, and in this post the twisted cables for the recoil, emmiter, and elevation unit. Twisting them makes them easier to keep in position, eliminates the various loops of wire in the turret and hull, which will of course snag something just when you don't need such an occurance, and keeps the interior view neat. When twisting, always, always, always hold the wire near its terminus, and then twist them gently as you work your way down the length of the wire. DO NOT hold the connector and start twisting the wires at either end. Connectors are fragile to a point, and holding them while twisting the wire may well damage them, leading to time consumning repair of connectors or expensive replacement of parts.

sevoblast

OK, now that we are ready to do the final wire clean up, it is time first to adress the turret rotation system. We all know that many Tamiya tanks have "issues" with this, in that sometimes the turret will hang up in certain areas, and it may not be the same areas. Heng Long and Wasan do not have these problems. Best turret rotation in the business as long as you file out the rotation blocker cast in to the turret ring. There are a couple of things which we can do for the Tamiya system. For starters, the rotation unit must be square and in proper alignment with itself and the turret ring. Second, the clutch in the rotation unit is the culprit, and usually said clutch is the MAIN culprit. First photos are of the rotation unit as it comes, and then disassembled. The third is the offending clutch, disassembled.

sevoblast

To repair the clutch problem, there is two ways to do it. You can order a set of plastic gears from Tamiya USA or, second, you can simply put acc glue in the clutch carefully (I use a gel type and use a tooth pick to massage it in to the clutch area). Let it set up as you now start the reassembly of the rotation unit.
I hate phillips screws in a machine, especially my tanks. For the next steps, you will need to obtain 4 1.5mm by 4mm long socket head screws, metric of course, 1 3mm by 24mm long socket head screw,2 3mm by 20mm long socket head screws, again all metric, and 3 3mm inside diameter flat washers, and 3 3mm jam nuts.
First, you reassemble the two plates of the rotation unit using the 4 1.5mm screws and the existing lock washers that were on the screws you took out to disassemble the unit.
Next, you use the two shorter 3mm socket screws and reinstall the primary and second gears from the motor worm gear. Use 2 of the 3mm flat washers and install them on the 3mm screws before you insert them in to the unit. Install the jam nuts on the bottom of the two screws, and tighten gently until snug. Then loosen them 1/2 turn, and check for free movement of the gears. Don't forget to lube the shafts of the screws before you insert them, as they are the axel that the gears turn on. No damage will happen to the gears by using the screws, as the gears have a metal tube inserted in them to prevent wear.

sevoblast

The final step is to use the remaining longer 3mm screw, install the flat washer on him first,lube him (I use the Tamiya "ceramic grease", or a good Label grease will do also), insert him thru the clutch gear, install the jam nut, and tighten to a snug fit, and then loosen him 1/2 a turn. Again, check for free play in the gear. Next, apply a small amount of grease to all gear surfaces, and run the unit to make sure nothing binds. This little build is to eliminate the excessive play in the gear train of the rotation unit, which leads to premature wear on the gears, and to eliminate the clutch system which causes so many problems. You may notice as you run the unit the some or all of the gears are not perfectly round. This is normal, and affects nothing. The first two photos shows you the end result. Last photo, well that's the Pershing commo cable used at the telephone box at the rear of the Pershing. Guess what we are going to use him for?

sevoblast

Today we will do the final touches on the electrical system for the tired old Sherm.
In the first photo you see the securing of the antenna lead from the receiver. As I said, coiling it around a plastic tube does not affect the range. I use two wire ties around the tube, bore a 2mm hole in them, drill and tap two 2mm holes in the inner sponson, and secure with 2 socket head screws and washers. Tape is used to secure the lead under and behind the speaker. I know there are neat little plastic clamps and holders available, but I am at the end of the supply line, and they ain't here.
Next you will see the final wiring from the turret. Nothing fancy here, just again bundled with wire ties and slightly curled as the upper hull is put in place. The idea is to have nothing that will tangle or hang up on something inside the tank, and allow quite a few full turret rotations before anything gets twisted. You will notice the plastic wire wrap, available at many auto supply shops, around the turret wiring where it comes thru the metal cross piece. This it to prevent abrasion of the wires under heavy use. You can also find rubber grommets to fit the hole, and use them instead, running the wires thru them.
Also you will see the installed beefed up rotation unit. This is now so strong you can right a tank lying on it's side with it.. While the turret can be turned by hand with this setup, it is recommended that you power turn it to get to the removal area.
To attach the hull MG, I use what we call in the automotive repair business "dum dum". Official name is "rope sealer". It is a modeling clay like substance that never hardens, is somewhat adhesive, and will hold the MG in place, both in the Sherm and Tigers and Panthers, and yet will give so if you hit something or become entangled you don't damage the MG or hull mount therefore. Also, one wire tie was looped around a turret rotation mount to retain the hull MG wiring and keep it away from the drive systems.

sevoblast

OK, in the last post I mentioned the photo of the Pershing commo cable. Well, we ain't gonna use it for commo. We will make a spring loaded antenna with it. What you do is take a section of cable, which is actually a long spring, Take a section of 1/32 plastic rod, 10mm long, and a section of the commo cable 8mm long. Insert the rod in to the spring about 3mm or so. Then, cut another piece of rod to the scale length of the tank arial you are modeling, and insert it in to the other end of the spring, with a drop of acc glue. Again, I use the gel type acc, and apply with a tooth pick. After it dries, insert the short end below the spring in to the antenna mount of your tank for test fit. If all looks good, remove it, put a drop of acc on the end of the short rod, insert it in to the mount, and hold until dry. Paint a flat black. This little mod allows you to do a 360 degree turret rotation and not get hung up on the antenna, or damage same

sevoblast

Here is a little section on sprocket mounting. The German tanks, and the Sherman, use a phillips screw and lock washer to attach the sprocket to the transmission. I really hate phillips screws, especially in a mechanical mount of a high stress part. So, you trot down to Home Depot or Lowes, or your local hardward store and get some 5mm x 10mm socket head screws and the corresponding allen wrench. Remove the phillips had screw holding the sprocket on, reuse the lock washer, and insert the socket head screw, tighten with the allen wrench. Simple,and bullet proof. Also, here is a little tip for the KT sprocket hub. Take your sprue cutters, and cut 4 slots in the section that goes in to the sprocket over the retaining socket head screw. This will then hold the hub cover in place strongly without glue. If you need to get him off, just pop out the cover, and your have access to the retaining screw. I also cut off the molded in cone head bolt in the centre of the hub cover, drill a hole in it, and install the proper size micro bolt thru the hole with a nut on the inside, leaving about 1 or 2mm outside the hub cover. You can then grasp the bolt with small flat pliers, and remove the hub cover easily. For Tiger 1 hub cover, I wrap one layer of electrical tape around the section that goes in to the sprocket, trim the ends beyond the end of the hub cover, and insert it. Again, keeps in place quite well.

sevoblast

Here are some shots of the old Sherman, finished inside, almost ready for paint outside. He is modeled after a photo I saw years ago of a German captured Sov Sherman, with the main tube replaced by the P4 7.5cm. He was "up armored" using battlefield scrap from various tanks, and he was "Germanized" with German tools and accesories. Don't know what unit he was with, or exactly when he was captured and modified.
A little more work on the upper and lower turret joint, and he is ready for paint. It was a poor photo I saw, but the at least two colour cammo scheme was visable. I know the hull, suspension, and turret are wrong, but he is close enough for me until something better comes along.
On the rear hull photo, the little wood studs in the tool attachement holes are round tooth pics, cut to length. I use them to keep paint out of the holes. That way, I can paint the tools, and have no problems gluing them in place. Beats trying to sand paint out of the holes. Cut them off short enough so when you paint with an airbrush, they don't get in the way.

sevoblast

And here he is, the tired old German Sherman is painted and the beginnings of details. Weathering will be done shortly, nothing spectacular, just some light dust overspray. Still waiting for my Care Package from EU with the dull coat in it to lock down the decals.
He is pretty accurate from what I remember of the photo lo these long years ago. Don't remember the number, but I do remember a couple slogans in Russian on him. Slogans will be added before the weathering complements of my personal translator, aka the vco. The up armour on the sides is, as the prototype, a cut up T34. Front armour is a single steel plate, although his was probably two or three pieces welded together. German tools and accessories complete him for now, including the track hangers on the turret sides, which I remember well. After the little weathering and details added, he will take a high speed trip thru the local AO and should accumulate some of the quasi liquid material they have the nerve to call soil here in this rock garden.

sevoblast

Here's another tank with cleaned up innards. The standard HL P3, modified to Full Function complete with battle system. There is a surprising amount of room in him, more than enough room for all the Tamiya goodies. The coming goodies to do the same thing will be a little smaller and compact, and cheaper, mid to late 2009 probably. Included in him is barrel flash unit, operating mantlet and hull MG's, and a generally cleaned up wiring job inside. Notice how I did the antenna for the receiver. Just knotched the rear spacer plates, and strung him thru. Range in excess of 75m today. He does not have recoil, but he does have the standard lowered apple, and the apple led's are visable flashing thru the cupola vision slits.
Again, just a little forthought on the wiring, some trimming and bundling, and it's neat and clean, and nothing is in the way. The antenna mounted on the hull side can be used for the receiver, and will automatically fold down if you need to turn the turret past him. I left him cosmetic.
I also took a "V: shaped file and cut in two teeth where the square rotation blocker is molded on the the stock Heng Long and Wasan turret rotation gear. As stated earlier, my tanks are fighters, and there are times when I need the full turret rotation, hence the modification. You can see the area in the photo of the turret bottom. Simple, and you don't have to be perfect as the teeth are quite coarse and forgiving.
I left the on/off switch in the hull side, and used the stock speaker. Next time I go to the electrical market I wlll get a better speaker to fit the box.
And yes, the stock TU's are in there...for the moment. In the not too distant future Impact TU's will be there. Just don't have any here free at the moment. However, the gear with the clutch has been replaced with a gear from a Tamiya Type 1 transmission, the smaller gear of the two types in same. Since the photo was taken, the gear was replaced and I installed the Tamiya motors. He now pulls like he should, and with no clutch handles much better also. The Impact metal tracks are also a good idea, with metal sprockets and idlers, and suspension arms. I had him in the snow couple weeks ago, with the Panther. Panther just dug in and basically said "no way". P3 floated over the top and trundled around without a care in the world. Plus the tracks are bullet proof, and give him some needed mass for traction. Eventually I will send the road wheels out to be drilled on a lathe and install bearings in them and the idler
Weathering and PE for the air inlets is next. He's going to be pretty grubby, will sport the numbers of a P3 from the Kharkov reaquisition time frame attached to a Tiger Regt. His big brother behind him is next in line for the overhaul trick.

sevoblast

OK, next up is the veteran King. He dates from quite a few years ago. His lower hull, wheels, upper body and suspension arms are the remains of my first 1/16 tank with the old single motor/dual clutch deal. He was Full Functioned within a month of the Tiger 1 being introduced. After lots of mods and upgrades over the years, and many a campaign in Danville, he is getting the full treatment and brought up to current standards.
Here I will show how to do the hygene trick on a KT. First up, you will see the Impact suspension, one of the first I got. With that suspension installed, the original DMD/TO & Battery Tray will not fit. So, I simply made another from plastic sheet and 4 spare trans mounts to clear the suspension rails. I countersunk the screws to clear the electronics and battery. For such a large tank there is precious little room in him.

sevoblast

You can see the tangle of wires that need to be secured in the previous photo. Notice the motor leads have been changed to heavy copper stranded wire. Every little bit helps. Copper has far less resistance then aluminium wire, hence the change. Now, the standard low resistance electrical connectors on the motors and battery leads have been installed, and the speaker is opened up to shorten the wire lead. On the KT, this can be done with out cutting and soldering the wire, just loosen the top of the speaker case and push the extra wire in to the case, then tighten it back down. I shortened them. It's colder than a mother-in-law's kiss today, so I have been stuck inside working on tanks all day, and had the time to do the job right.
All my electronics, batteries, and motors have the low resistance connectors, and all are carefully installed to have the same polarity, so if needed I can mix any DMD/TO with any trans set up and batteries with no problems. Just plug and play. This is extremely important with the batteries and DMD/TO set up. Reverse the polarity on a battery hook up, and you have instantly turned some very expensive electronics in to a paper weight, and not a very good weight at that. All electrical modifications are carefully written down in a hard copy with illustrations, and filed in the Doomsday Book of tank mods. If I am working on something and need the reference, it is right there at hand in the tank fabrik.
Next, you will see the ribbon cable going to the receiver. I usually mount mine in the Kings and clones thereof in the back, behind the rear hull cross brace. You can see the little receiver tray I fabricated out of a simple piece of plastic, two screws and 6 nuts. Works grand, the receiver is right there if a frequency change is needed, and out of the way and as far from the motors and DMD as possible. A piece of double sided tape holds him in place during the final assembly, and even if the tank goes Tango Uniform, the receiver stays put. I also use the same tape to hold in the DMD/TO system, and quite often the speaker if it does not bolt in as in the Kings. Batteries I do not strap down at all. If the tank rolls over, oh well, so the battery falls against the top of the hull. Been there, done that, no damage. Otherwise, he stays in place. In this set up, with the optional suspension system, the bolt lugs on the bottom of the speaker have to be filed a little in the rear to clear the suspension and line up with the holes in the hull floor.
Tomorrow, if it's still cold, which methinks it will be, the King will get his first test run of the lower hull. Then it's to the paint shop for some much needed repainting. He should be pretty good. He has, as is obvious, Impact TU's and suspension, and Impact Late KT tracks with the correct sprockets, which come with the tracks, after market motors, and of course bearings everywhere I can put them without a lathe. He is reduced to one battery, as I use 3300 or 3600's in him, and he will fight for at least 2 hours on the one battery.
In the photos you will see the rear hull cross brace. There is a matching one in the front in front of the transmissions. This stops hull twist and flex, and helps with track retention. Toss a track in combat, and the results can be distressingly fatal. Also, he carries the modified idler adjustment system, needed with the heavy metal tracks. With this system and the all steel transmissions, the small stones and debris in this rock garden I live in are casuallly chewed up and spit out. I use this on all my Kings and the JT, and will also install them on the vco's Russian Panther, my Panther, and the JP.
After painting, he will get the final electrical hygene treatments, and off he goes to campaign again. Next up is the JT for the works overhaul trick.

crxsidan85

excellent tips man

gigantohawk

Great tips sevoblast. I like your tanks especially the Sherman. I wonder if the weight of the extra applique armour affected the reliability of the transmission.

sevoblast

Thanks for the compliment. I just try to pass on what I've learned in the last 10 years or so.
gigan, that I don't know. I do know the Germans captured a lot of Sherms, T34's and other tanks. Some Sherms they used as tanks on all three fronts, some they used as prime movers, a few were field converted to AA and other specialities. Have not read one way or the other what they thought of the Sherm in their service. I do know what they thought of them as an opponent. Sovs didn't think much of the Sherm, but used what was given to them. However, from reading I think it was more a case of the Sherm having a tough time with the later P4's, let alone the V's and VI E and B.
To give an example, about 5 years ago near Inkerman at the inner end of our harbor, a Sherman was found in the river feeding the harbor, and recovered by a US company, along with a US halftrack. Both were pretty pristine, no damage. Apparently they fell off of or thru a bridge, and the Sovs didn't expend the effort to recover them.

Panther F

Great information for use on all brands of tanks! [sm=thumbs_up.gif]

YHR

Thanks for all the work, putting this together. Just say no to rat's nests