SPA Modeler

I always like to build tank kits here and there. Started with Bandai kits in 1/48 scale, moved up to 1/35 scale when I grew up and had the pocket money to buy these in a local store. A long time ago I bought my first 1/16 scale Tamiya radio-controlled tank kit: the King Tiger with Porsche turret. This kit opened a new door for me as a modeller, having not touched RC kits before.

Later I got my hands on Tamiya´s then new Tiger I kit, called "Full Option" because of the up-to-date micro computers and a sound module. The models sound files have been taken from a running King Tiger in Saumur, France.

Sometimes it is a gain not to start a kit as soon as you have it at home for in this case some really nice after market sets and even technical improvements got available in the last years. And I was lucky to be able to acquire some of them...

These days I stumped upon this large (!) box again and decided to do some more work on this kit. Some years ago German company WECOHE developed an improved suspension for this and other kits. The kit´s suspension replicates the real vehicles torsion bar suspension by using flat strips of metal. Fixed to one side of the hull these strips and moveable on the other side by the suspension arm. This solution works, but the movement of the wheels isn´t close to a "real" torsion bar suspension. In comes WECOHE! They offered a complete new suspension using steel springs that keep a linear increasing force to absorb the shocks of the moving vehicle.



This is their second generation suspension, I got my upgrade to this improved version to a special price for I already had bought the previous one...

I started this build some years ago after having got this new suspension, but had to stop it due to moving and other crap. These days I finally finished to build the new suspension into the tank´s hull. Despite this large size model the space to work in the hull is rather cramped here and there, but now this step is done!

WECOHE never was satisfied by Tamiya´s tanks running way too fast for the scale effect. So they took Tamiya´s gear boxes and took them apart to get this vehicles a more realistic scale like movement. This Tiger I kit has one electric motor and one gear box for each of the tracks. I knew I was not the "engineer" to do this sensible work myself, so after having bought the new improved gear I made WECOHE do the reconstruction using their new parts. I know my borders (mostly...)!

So, here are the completely new gearboxes in place in the hull:

Are we finished with adding expensive after market stuff to this expensive tank kit? Not yet...

WECOHE also found a way to correct the movement of the gun recoil when firing. Tamiya has the gun moving back (recoil) fast when firing, but also has the gun move back forward with the same high speed. Having seen videos of tanks firing this somehow is not realistic. On a real tank the gun moves not as fast forward again as it recoils when firing. Again, WECOHE found a conversion for Tamiyas recoil gear! And again they converted my parts in their shop. This is the tank s turret next to a 1/35 scale Sturmtiger:



Here we have the new improved recoil gear in place in the turret:

The Tamiya kit has metal sprockets and idler wheels with the tracks being in plastic. This is the axle drive shaft the sprocket will be attached to later:



And here we have the kit´s hull next to the same 1/35 scale Sturmtiger:



As with me switching from one build in progress to another updates will follow when available. Thanks for watching.

That's a cool project and seems fun to build. I want onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneee !

Since you are moving to RC, you can send your stash of kits to me! Looking very good so far.

I want one too!!!

Yeah I want one as well, I was looking into these last month until I figured that I would probably never finish it these days and wouldn't dare to make it with the skills I have right now...

Would be cool for you to finish this Thomas, then drive it around your neighborhood while shooting at the annoyed neighbors

With regards, Ninetalis.

hello Thomas. As a retired gunner I must say this is a huge inspiration for me to see such work. Now for the gunnery facts.
newtons law states that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. So when the gun tube goes out of battery "recoil" the energy is adsorbed by either springs or hydraulics or sometimes both. Energy is stored in the cylinders which usually contain an inert gas or fluid such as glycerin, they use this instead of any oil because of the dieseling effect. You don't want that in a body that has HE stored there. AS the cylinders push the tube back into battery this is called counter-recoil and sets the tube up for the next round.

The largest gun I have seen that works solely with springs was the Navy's 3"/50 gun mount and of course the largest on hydraulics would be anything considered a railway gun or large caliber naval guns.

I hope my little bit of gunnery know how would be of use to you but if not feel free to disregard it.

Paul,
your comment is much appreciated! It´s never too late to learn something!