It has been a while since I joined here and I've never posted any of my work other than whats in my sig. After a conversation with Saul, who encouraged me to post this here, I'm finally posting something.
This project was initially started on another site but It lost steam, what with real life getting in the way and all and I really need to get back to it. It will also help me get back to some other Half Track related work I am very overdue on. I will be building a pair of M2's, They will for the most part be a representation of a vehicle showing early/mid properties and another with mid/late. For the ease of typing I will from here on out refer to each as and early and a late.
While I am thrilled with the DML half track, I have to admit that there's a bit of disappointment with the kit in terms of accuracy. From a technical standpoint there is so much 'wrong' with it for any detail oriented freak like myself but it will allow me to do what I love most, fix it. This thread will mostly be about correcting any inaccuracies along the way and/or super detailing. I will be using a few different after market sets, Eduard and Voyager PE sets as each has some things I like and some things I don't like, I will also be using after market tires/rims by Trakz.
I wasn't happy with the rim detail on the Trakz combat rim, the hub is far too square, the actual rim was much more round, Dragon's rim is quite nice so with a little cutting and sanding, I've got the best of both worlds
From here we move on to the construction of the bogies, or 'suspension basements'. There are a few different styles found on actual vehicles and I will do my best to represent an early style as well as a later style. I'll start with the early style like the ones found on this M4A1. Studying these photos will help one understand all that is missing/wrong with Dragons parts. Notice the square hub just under the return wheel bracket, the casting scar that follows from there and all the way down the face, the missing rivets on the road wheel arms and the casting marks/numbers and what appears like 'ribs' from the main body to the mount. Also notice in this early style there is no sharp square lip around the bottom edge, in fact it's just the opposite, a seemingly ground down chamfer.
The first thing I have done will be done for both early and late, I will make the drainage hole found on the bottom of the angled section of the basement assembly. After drilling the holes I take the same drill bit and wrap some thin copper wire around it a few times.
Then after sliding the wire off, I will cut it with a knife and press each ring flat. This will represent the raised lip around the hole.
While those are drying I have added the large casting scar found on the outside surface of the suspension basement (left basement in picture ), the four missing rivets on the road wheel arms and I have also added rough casting texture to the arm with glue as these things were fairly rough and not smooth like the Dragon parts, and I removed the square lip around the bottom edges with a knife and beveled it back.
After joining the parts, I add the casting ribs with stretched sprue and casting numbers from an Archer set. I have also scratch built the exhaust bracket using plastic sheet, copper wire and bolt details shaved from spare parts, ( it could've been much better though, notes for the next build ). I have glued the exhaust end on in order to help hide the seam when attaching to the pipe.
Now to the springs. The early vehicle would have either been without a idler spring or had a single spring. I have chosen to scratch build a single spring. With some tubing, wire, sheet stock and a bit off the kit part I can make a fairly believable single spring for the rear idler.
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