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fenstock

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About fenstock

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  1. If any of you want Russian slogans for your coming Russian tanks, let me know. Seems my wife speaks fluent Russian....because she is Russian.
  2. Looks from the photos that the tank is very near production, if not already in production. Parts are on sprues, not like the Panther shown at Nuremburg, which was so obviously a hand made tank. Supposedly there will be a video shortly, if not already made, of the KV in operation. Already the after market manufacturers are gathering info for parts production. Should be a very popular tank, and will sell well, especially in former SSSR and EU. I will pre-order when the moment it is possible.
  3. Working on getting more photos up. You will see what is done once they are up, and better understand a couple other items in the post.
  4. 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 problems with this, in that sometimes the turret will hang up in certain areas, and it may not be the same areas. There are a couple of things which can do this. For starters, the rotation unit must be square and in prober 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. (photos coming..I hope) To repair the clutch problem, there is two ways to do it. You can order a set of plastic gears from Tamiya USA (Item #72005) 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. (more photos coming) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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? (and more photos coming) Now 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 quiet 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. (still more photos coming) 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, 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 (more photos) 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. (still more photos coming) Here are some shots of the old Sherman, almost ready for paint. 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 his next overhaul. 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. And more photos coming
  5. This is just the first little bit of the article. Feel free to put it in FAQ. How do I put more photos in? There are about 15 to go with the rest of the article. And there are two more for here, one about rolling resistance, and another in the writting about cleanliness and how to keep the tank so.
  6. 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. This prevents you from damaging the connectors and/or pulling the wires from same at the plug. Always do this, otherwise you will be repairing damaged terminals, or replacing a unit if repair is not possible. OK, I see the available space will not allow more photos. I will figure something out on that.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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 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 photo.
  10. OK, You enjoy Applebees, I am enjoying some good Inkerman Red..and will do the info here. Mid way, will open another jug of Massandra, too.
  11. Hey Panther Should I do the electrical info here too? Sev
  12. But you will bite. We all do. And then we are doomed.
  13. Mr Meyer or whatever he calls himself is well known in the RC tanking community. He is a thief and scammer, and I am really surprised he is not in jail yet. The method is always the same, orders something, says he will send a MO, and said MO never arrives. He tried it on me couple years ago. I may have been born at night, but not last night, so no MO no goods. Pleas to send it for his son's birthday or whatever fell on deaf ears. Said he had already sent the MO. Of course, the MO never arrived. Later I heard of him on the tank forums, and he had the stones to try to buy from me again.
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