Churchill MkVII tank by Rik Thistle - FINISHED - Tamiya - 1:35 - 1944

[Rik Thistle]

Hi all,

 

Continuing my venture into the plastic modelling world I have upped the scale to 1:35, and gone for Tamiya's MkVII Churchill tank.

From the Tamiya website ....https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/35210churchill7/index.htm

"This is a 1/35 scale plastic assembly kit model of the British Infantry Tank Mk.IV Churchill Mk.VIII. Introduced at the end of 1943, the tank demonstrated its worth during the Normandy invasion while supporting Allied infantry units. The traditional form of the tank, including the unique suspension system with multiple small road wheels, has been faithfully reproduced. In addition, the kit comes with figures which depict a commander, gunner, driver, and a farmer. Abundant accessories such as a cart and milk cans are also included to create a simple diorama."

 

From Wiki, the production years/numbers were...

Churchill I 1941 303
Churchill II 1941–42 1,127
Churchill III late 1942 675 or 692[30]
Churchill IV 1943 (together with Churchill V) 1,622
Churchill V 1943 (together with Churchill IV) 241
Churchill VI early 1944 (improved Churchill IV) 200
Churchill VII 1944 (together with Churchill VIII) 1,400
Churchill VIII 1944 (together with Churchill VII) 200

 

The Churchill was seen as a bit of a rush-job at first, with more armour added as the war progressed at the expense of speed. It seems many of the MkVIIs were used as flame throwers.

 

I will do my best to 'weather' the Churchill kit once built, and probably also build it in to a Normandy setting.

 

Below, the box contents. It is not the most complex of kits but is still a nice challenge for me.

 

The kit also comes with Four figures and a milk cart. One does need one's milk for one's mid-afternoon tea. (Edit: On closer examination it is not milk...more likely Red wine ...that's our boys!)

 

So, straight in to the build, and immediately puzzled. It seemed there should be 4x 'Poly Caps' included that I could not find. After 3 days of searching the kit's plastic bags I did eventually locate them in one of the bags. It's strange how you can look in the same place a number of times for something only to find it on the 3rd or 4th look. The 4x black Poly Caps were all attached to a small sprue. I believe the Poly Caps provide a friction fit for sub-assemblies allowing easy removal for painting etc.

 

Two of the Poly Caps went in to a pair of Drive Sprockets (above), the other two went in to a pair of upright housings (below).

 

Now on to fitting the Road Wheels. Once the wheel halves were glued together all, bar one, rotated freely. I guess some of the cement must have wicked in further than intended on that one. I'm still learning what the optimum amount of glue is required is.

 

The Hull parts laid out waiting for the Idler Wheels and Drive Sprockets to be fitted..

 

The Hull sub-assemblies. I won't fit them together until I get a feel for what painting will be required. Note: There is actually a battery compartment in the Hull as the model was initially intended to have a simple Radio Control functionality - I don't think that was ever made available though?

 

This was just a short post to get the show on the road. Next post should cover the Upper Hull and maybe some of the Turret assembly.

 

All for now,

 

Richard

Edited January 23 by Rik Thistle

[ccoyle]

Hey, Rik, I had to remove your tags. Not because I'm mean, though. See here.

[Rik Thistle]

Chris,

 

Ah, I didn't realise that tags were not used on non-ship builds - my apologies. Thanks for doing that.

 

Richard

 

PS: I see that I should also use 'Done' rather than 'Finished' on non-ship builds. I'll modify those headings now.

 

[ccoyle]

8 minutes ago, Rik Thistle said:

I see that I should also use 'Done' rather than 'Finished' on non-ship builds.

Use 'FINISHED' in the title (all caps), but 'done' as a tag. I probably fixed most, if not all, of those already. All part of what I get paid handsomely for. 😉

[Rik Thistle]

Use 'FINISHED' in the title (all caps), but 'done' as a tag.

 

Argh...I've just 'done' all my non-ship builds. I'll go back and change them to Finished. Sorry for misunderstanding.

 

Richard

[Egilman]

5 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

All part of what I get paid handsomely for.

That is why you get the big bucks..... {chuckle}

 

2 hours ago, Rik Thistle said:

Note: There is actually a battery compartment in the Hull as the model was initially intended to have a simple Radio Control functionality - I don't think that was ever made available though?

Yes, it is one of the very early molds... When Tamiya originally started producing models, they were all wired remote control.... they eventually stopped producing the motors and reduction gearing when they realized that most people were building them as static pieces despite the motorized functions.... For years everything they produced was from the same molds they produced the remote control kits from...

 

Some of them are very rare collectors items today, the last four I got rid of were traded for over 800.00 in modern kits... (psst; they are only valuable if they have the motors, gear pak and controller, and are unstarted) And obviously, some of those molds are still producing kits today....

[Rik Thistle]

Egilman,

 

they were all wired remote control.

 

Interesting. It would have been fun to give the tank a bit of a wander, but if I'm putting it in to a diorama of some sort, then probably not such a good idea 😉

 

Richard

 

[ccoyle]

I built the motorized King Tiger way, way back in the day.

[Rik Thistle]

Chris,

 

King Tiger - I'm guessing it was the Tamiya model?....it looks quite the thing,, and 1:16 scale.... https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/56018kingtiger/index.htm

 

From what Tamiya writes the tank sounds were authentic and impessive.

 

Looks like it still available? .... https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/tamiya-king-tiger-tank-with-option-kit-13599   ...  for about £700, phew.  Maybe one day 😉  Edit: I see it may be a fully assembled die cast model., so probably not your one Chris.

 

Richard

Edited December 8, 2023 by Rik Thistle

[ccoyle]

5 hours ago, Rik Thistle said:

King Tiger - I'm guessing it was the Tamiya model?....it looks quite the thing,, and 1:16 scale

 

No, it was a 1/35 scale kit.

[GrandpaPhil]

I built the crocodile version of this kit a number of years ago.  It built up very nicely.

[Rik Thistle]

A bit more progress on the Churchill.

 

The Lower Hull sandwiched between the Wheel assemblies. All fairly straightforward to get to this point.

Also shown below are the Tracks.

 

The Upper Hull and Muffler assembly. I was thinking perhaps leaving the circular door on one side of the tank open, with a hand reaching out to take the milk from the Farmer - I'll see what the final assembly looks like.

I'm noticing that the dark (Green) plastic isn't so easy to photograph. I'm using a mobile phone and a desk lamp. I'll have a play with better lighting for the next post.

And the famous Jerry Can....a classic design exercise of sheer functionality and reliability.

A great insight on the 'Jerry Can' here.... The True Secret Weapon of WWII - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUkbGHFAhs

 

Next, the Turret. I'm cleaning up mould line joints and using as little Cement as possible. However some joints don't stick as well as others, and sometimes the Cement leaks out of the joint....practice makes perfect, I guess.

 

I'll leave some of the Turret features off for now until I figure out the painting sequence.

 

The main sub-assemblies.

 

And now it starts to look like a tank. I had felt, looking at the box art and online images that it might not have been the best proportioned or 'good looking' tank out there, but seeing the assembly below has made me change my mind.

 

The Front Fenders ready for fitting. Again I may hold off fitting these till I have the painting figured out. Also the Upper Hull is not cemented in position so I have some flexibility for disassembly for painting. Also, I notice a slight upwards curve of the track covers at the left end - I suspect something isn't sitting down right, so will investigate.

 

I'm finding the plastic models I've done so far go together quite quickly. However, I need to understand better how to prepare parts and get to grips in applying cement. Also looking forward to the 'weathering' and possible diorama.

 

Anyway, it's good fun and I am happy the way the tank is turning out.

 

More soon.

 

Richard

 

PS: The Spell Checker on the website is a real boon 🙂

Edited December 10, 2023 by Rik Thistle

[Canute]

Parts cleanup: a sprue nipper or fine flush cutting pliers. Tamiya makes some nice tools.

Clean up off the sprue: a sprue nipper and fine files. A trip thru the cosmetics section of your pharmacy/chemist will yield many options. If you use fine metal files. get a file cleaner. Styrene clogs everything. I use a rubber cement puck to clean up the foam backed files.

Gluing: use a paperclip to make a stylus to apply drops of cement. Or use a fine paintbrush only for gluing. There are a lot of tools out there for applying glue, for deeper pockets. Another option is a syringe, the kind they sell for injecting insulin. Small and easy to maneuver. Although the glue will probably eat thru the rubber plunger if left in the tube.

[Rik Thistle]

Ken,

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I do have reasonably sharp, flush side cutters.  They leave a neat cut. And the tip is narrow enough to fit between the part and the sprue without pushing.

 

I have noticed my Needle files do quickly get clogged up with plastic dust so am continually cleaning them.

 

Glueing: Although the 'Plastic Magic' bottle has a fine tipped brush and, even after wiping off most of the brush glue on the lip of the bottle, the brush can carry quite a lot of glue. I hadn't thought of using a paper-clip...will look in to that, thanks.

 

I have got quite a few syringes....one is currently used for storing watered-down PVA glue.

 

Richard

[Canute]

Richard, I, too, use Plastic Magic cement and yes, the brush carries too much liquid. I use an old plastic blister pack, the clear part, and drop some cement into it. I can dab the clip into the puddle and apply my cement more precisely. Can't do that with the Tamiya cements, they evaporate too fast.

[NavyShooter]

I had the 1/35 motorized Jagdtiger many moons ago.  Built that up as a kid and loved it.

 

I also found the 1/35 RC Flakpanzer Gepard - I sold it a few years ago - new in the box.  Box was open, but never assembled.  All the sprues were still sealed in plastic bags. 

 

I've built the 1/25 Panther that Tamiya made in full RC along with the 1/35 Tiger.  That was back in about 2001 or so.  Kept me busy while at sea in the Persian Gulf for 6 months.

 

[Rik Thistle]

Brad,

 

Yeah, the motorised and Tamiya RC products look very interesting.

 

It's amazing how far plastic models have progressed since I was a kid building little Airfix kits.

 

Those were mostly planes that usually got filled with gunpowder around Guy Fawkes time...they never really did explode - more like melted. However we did eventually figure out how to make explosions, but that's another story 😉

 

Richard

[wefalck]

I stopped 20th military modelling some 40+ years ago ... however, I understand that today Friul Modelismo makes metal tracks with individual links for many (most?) tank kits on the market. They seem to be preferred by 'serious' military modellers over the rubbery plastic one, because they sag prototype fashion. Just to mention ...

 

Polystyrene does not work very well with normal steel files. I use diamond files (including cheap nail files of different sizes and coarseness).

 

Back in 1941/42 the Brits in North Africa apparently were hunting down German 'jerry' (hence the name) can, because they were far supperior to the simple thin metal boxes that were used by the British Army then. In the German army they are still used and since WW2 a white cross indicates that they are used for water. Back in the days, when I drove a Citroën 2CV, I always carried one with me, effectively doubling its range.

[Rik Thistle]

Wefalck,

 

Yes, there are loads of after-market accessories for today's kits. I'm trying to stay away from them for now till I get to grips with the basics. The lengths that today's modellers go for realism is very impressive. Lots of examples on YT.

 

Diamond files -  I'll have to look in to that. I guess the pitch of the 'grit' is larger than that of the teeth on needle files?

 

Jerry cans - The Brits had rectangular petrol cans which leaked easily and were not robust. Jerry cans were eagerly sought out by them....the Jerry cans were extremely well designed.

 

Yes, I can imagine a single can could double your range in a 2CV - they were lightweight and had a small engine - another clever design, fit for purpose.

 

Richard

 

[wefalck]

Diamond files don't have a 'pitch'. They are like sandpaper, the diamond grains are randomly distributed. There are also diamond needlefiles, but the cheap ones seems to be too coarse for fine work. One has to look up and down ebay & Co. to see what is on the market (don't forget the 'nail art' department, where they sell the same abrasive strips as for modellers, but at half the price or less ...).

 

It seems one can spend easily as much money on 'aftermarket' parts for kits, as for the kit in the first place, or even more.

[Rik Thistle]

Diamond files don't have a 'pitch'.  Yes, I was guessing the gaps between adjacent grit particles are sufficiently large to stop material getting trapped in there. I've now ordered some cheap ones off Amazon - I'll report how I get on, thanks.

 

'aftermarket' parts    I was quite surprised how deep and wide the product lines are for this market.

 

Richard

 

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, Rik Thistle said:

  I was quite surprised how deep and wide the product lines are for this market.

Yes Deep and Wide... and realize, 3D printing in production modeling is just starting to get recognized as a marketable product, Full kits are becoming available now.. (prices are very high as they figure out the way, but will come down in the future) Most aftermarket is still cast resin, but 3D printing is making inroads in that market...

 

The best thing about it, is the guys doing 3D printing production are doing subjects the big plastic companies are ignoring, the kits we all would have liked to see are now slowly becoming available...

 

It's a good time to be a modeler, if you have the pocketbook for it....

[Rik Thistle]

Egilman,

 

Yes, 3D printing is rapidly gaining speed and accuracy. I wonder where it will all end?

 

By the way, thanks for the history lesson within your 'USS Gwin build'...I've just had a quick read of the early pages. There is so much to learn on this website.

 

Richard

[ERS Rich]

On 12/10/2023 at 1:16 PM, Rik Thistle said:

Anyway, it's good fun and I am happy the way the tank is turning out.

It’s looking good, enjoying following along….

 

-Rich

[Old Collingwood]

Richard  just following on from your  glue  woes  -  could  you not use  Revell  Pro  glue its the  one  in the  shaped  Yellow and Blue bottles  that  sit on their  bottoms  and have a  metal  needle  for their applicator,  they  are  very good  and if the  needle  blocks  easy to clean  with  fine  wire.

 

OC.

[Rik Thistle]

OC,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. The Revell glue you mention actually came with the first plastic kit I built, the Sherman tank. It does glue well. But it had a very toxic smell and it wasn't easy for me to quickly reposition the long yellow cap back onto the steel nozzle whilst I held the glued parts together...I kinda needed three hands.

 

The Plastic Magic cement is actually fine for me...it doesn't smell, and the cap (with brush) can quickly be located back onto the bottle whilst I hold the parts together. I just need to up my game at applying the correct amount to the join...I'm getting there 🙂

 

Richard

Edited December 11, 2023 by Rik Thistle

[Darius359au]

I use MrCementS ,it's a thin cement and the brush is pretty small ,you only need a small dab on a join and capillary action does the rest!

I've used it on 1/35 up 1/16 Armour with zero hassle and mess.

Richard

Edited December 12, 2023 by Darius359au

[Egilman]

12 hours ago, Rik Thistle said:

By the way, thanks for the history lesson within your 'USS Gwin build'...I've just had a quick read of the early pages. There is so much to learn on this website.

Oh, my pleasure Richard, I love history more than modeling I think... (and it shows I guess) and that's another one I need to get back to... It's been a while... I bought something else to aide that voyage about a year and a half ago... Part of it was knowledge of PE and the build process, but thanks to RGL & Mikes 1/700 work, (and a few others) I'm learning.... Some of it was kit parts or the absence of them, It was the way Dragon did the Gleaves/Benson series of Destroyer Kits, but I found the parts I needed....

 

But I don't want to throw a derail into your wonderful Churchill tank log...

Edited December 12, 2023 by Egilman

[Rik Thistle]

Richard,

I use MrCementS    I had a look at that on the web...it does seem quite good, however the solvent in it does apparently have a potent smell...I'm quite sensitive to strong solvents and since 'Plastic Magic' cement is odourless (to me) I'll stick with that for now...but thank you for the suggestion.

 

Egilman,

I love history more than modeling I think.    I understand. This site reminds me of Wikipedia....I'll go there to read up on a subject, and end up following a trail of hyperlinks to a subject that is completely remote from the initial one but still fascinating. I don't think there are many forums like this which, although ship centric, is such a great general learning experience.

 

I have no issue with 'derailing'...all part of a build, and I can soon pull it back on course 🙂

 

Richard

[Rik Thistle]

Hi all,

 

Another update on the Churchill tank progress.

 

This week I've been concentrating on assembling the figures that come with the kit.

 

The box artwork implies there are four figures plus the Farmer's cart etc, but in fact there are six figures included. Considering the kit only costs somewhere between £20-£30 I think it is a good value purchase.

 

I started by assembling the Cart and it's accessories. There are 6 wine bottles, two small and four larger - more on that later. And there is even an oil-lamp.  Note: there are also 6 sets of Goggles on the clear sprue....I need to find out who is carrying those.

 

Below. An example of two of the figure sprues. I'm no expert but the figures seemed well enough made. They all had mould lines down the middle but that was easily filed/scraped off. Some of the parts (eg body and leg) didn't fit together perfectly without a bit of fettling but all things considered everything was fine.

 

The chap below, leaning on the box is in charge of map reading (navigation) so there is a map layout that can be scanned, cut-out and pasted to his board.

 

This poor fellow must have been testing how much weight a soldier can carry - he only seems to be missing the kitchen sink.

 

As advised in an earlier post, diamond files make a quicker job of removing plastic (compared to engineering needle files, which clog up easily). So some cheap ones (from Amazon) were ordered. They work fine, but don't quite have the accurate geometry of needle files. So I use them for roughing out the excess plastic and finish off with a needle file as necessary.

 

The figures assembled. I will glue on the rifle, spade etc once they have been painted. Also shown is the map copy (coloured in) and pasted to the board. Again I'll wait till painting is complete before fitting the map to the figure.  And there seems to be a couple of spare pistols....someone is sure to want them!

 

Finally, a question. The farmer is actually handing a bottle of wine over, rather than milk. I'm assuming it is a Red wine rather than white. The bottle label seems to have a 1937 date on it. It's in Normandy. Anyone care to make a guess/confirm if it is a Red and from which vineyard?  😉

 

So it's time to get the paintbrushes out and get the figures etc painted. I'm also starting to have some early thoughts on what kind of diorama I could make. There are a few pictures of Churchill tanks in France on the web, but not so many of the MkVII. So I may use a background from one of the other Mk's.

 

Well, that's it for now, back soon.

 

Richard

Edited December 14, 2023 by Rik Thistle