So, this Christmas I received a 1:76 scale Airfix Cromwell tank kit - and as I put it together, I was struck by the idea of converting it to something more... unique.
And so, off to Maya I went, with a vague idea of a theme (Cleft turret) and a set of calipers to take measurements from the kit.
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| Basic block-out |
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| Adding greebles & panel lines |
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| Sliced up into parts for printing |
Once I had a working model, it was time to run it through the printer
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| (fuzzy) phone camera photo of version 1, fresh out of post-print cleanup |
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Assembly took some work with a file & pin drill (clearances were a bit TOO exact), and it turned out that some parts had to be filed away to let the turret rotate. The separate cupola was also on the fiddly side. And so, back to Maya to adjust a few things and off to the printer again.
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| version 2, before post-print cleanup |
Version 2 was definitely an improvement, but the panel lines on the digital model weren't visible on the printed model. After measuring the panel lines on the airfix kit, it was back to Maya for another round of tweaks.
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| The turret is printed in such a way that the gun can pivot up and down |
Next step - painting the whole model...
