Armortek model build

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

Hi all.

Well I am awaiting a delivery from UPS on Thursday. The kit will arrive boxed up and the first job is to go through the packing list and check everything is present and correct.

I continued tidying the workshop today and I've just a couple of jobs to do before I even think about starting on the build.

I'll put new plywood tops on the workbenches so that everything is clean. 

I'm still looking for the right type of vehicle to base this kit on. But I have plenty of time to make my mind up.

[ebinmaine 67,013]

Looking forward to seeing this Mick!

 

[Pullstart 62,588]

At 1/6th scale, will you be able to ride on it?

[953 nut 54,836]

15 hours ago, Mickwhitt said:

I'm still looking for the right type of vehicle to base this kit on

                I had never heard of these tank kits.     Is the plan to mount it on a RC vehicle chassis?  I will be following along for sure.    

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

1/6 th scale is pretty large, the tank I built would easily tow my saloon car it was so well geared.

This jeep will not be able to give me a ride but I'm sure it will be plenty powerful enough.

The kit arrived today courtesy of UPS and I've unpacked it to check the contents against a master packing list, all looks good on that score.

This is the whole set of parts packages laid out on my dining table.

 

There are steel, aluminium, resin and brass parts, as well as all the nuts bolts and screws, the electrical gear for running, lights and engine sound. There is even a stitched canvas roof cover.

This is one of the wheel and tyre assemblies to give an idea of the scale. 

 

I will spend a few days reading the build instructions to get the general layout in my head.  But the kit will stay untouched until I'm absolutely ready to start building. Lots of work to do before spanner time. 

This is the new build bench top, nice and easy to keep clean and catch any dropped M1.6 nuts I might drop. 

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

Decided to sort my tools out a little, all pretty tiny compared to tractor tools. 

 

 

 

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

My old belt and disc sander stopped working, well the motor wouldn't start without a helping hand. A replacement was not an option after spending all my conkers on the model kit. So today it was stripped, cleaned and had a new capacitor fitted. It still doesn't start properly but it runs so it will stay until it gives up the ghost or I find the where with all to buy a new one. This piece of equipment will really see some use in the model build; cleaning up parts and keeping lathe tools sharp etc.

I also made a small tool carousel for the build bench. There are only a few tools required according to the instruction manual, so I made up a unit with Allen drivers, combination spanners and other bits and bobs. Hopefully it will keep things from rolling about all over the bench. 

 

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

The original land rover has aluminium body panels, but certain edges are strengthened with galvanised steel cappings. 

In the kit these cappings are made from brass sheet, but it will never look authentic painted. So I had a bash at making the corner caps from suitable steel sheet. 

They look quite good I think, especially as a first try at copying them.

 

I also bought a couple of pairs of miniature water pump pliers which are really cute and will help a lot in this build. 

 

I'm only tinkering at present, making tools to assist in the build. I built a mini steel folder that can handle 3 inch lengths of steel sheet to bend accurate 99 degree angles. Along with a pair of vice plates to provide a good surface for bending metal too.

Plenty going on and I haven't started the kit yet. 

[ebinmaine 67,013]

1 hour ago, Mickwhitt said:

miniature water pump pliers which are really cute

Seconded. 

 

 

Very interesting Mick. 

[Handy Don 12,040]

2 hours ago, Mickwhitt said:

My son introduced me to these pliers a year or so ago. I’m still getting used to quickly adjusting the parallel jaws and modest displacement but they are worlds better than my “Channelock” pliers at working nuts and bolts without damage.

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

The larger pair have a push button to movedvthe jaw but the others you just open the jaw and slide it. 

I've also bought another pair that are coming later and they have the traditional jaw shape fir pipe gripping.

Knipex make loads of different patterns so well worth a look. 

[Handy Don 12,040]

10 minutes ago, Mickwhitt said:

...the traditional jaw shape fir pipe gripping.

Knipex make loads of different patterns so well worth a look. 

Mine has the button, too.

Yep, My son has one where the lower jaw reverses--smooth and toothed.

I carry a small adjustable wrench in my bicycle toolkit and I’m thinking of replacing it with the small Knipex. Similar weight but able to handle larger nuts as well as grip other things.

[sjoemie himself 3,065]

On 1/24/2024 at 10:26 PM, Mickwhitt said:

 

 

Looking forward to this build, I'll be watching 

 

also.. VERY nice shop you've got there sir

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

So, I reckon I'm ready to begin building, or at least preparing to begin building.

 

The electronics pack is way beyond my abilities and the first job should always be to put everything together and bench test it.

 

First off is the transmitter. These days they are not merely a radio and receiver.  They are a powerful computermibob which has to be so that they can control incredibly complex quad copters etc.

 

The tranny arrives with nothing programmed into it, so you have to build a model profile to carry out the  switching functions you need.

 

A teenager could probably do it in five minutes, but it took me the best part of a day to figure it all out and get it working.

So many switches and channels, presumably for opening bomb bay doors, putting landing gear down etc.

I can now put the electrickery away until the build is sufficiently advance to start accepting it.

I have made an Armortek kit before and they are beautifully engineered. But they are not highly detailed. Some parts are simply too complex to make and still keep the kits affordable. So you either stick to the kit and end up with a reasonably detailed model, or you do as much as you can to produce the parts that are not included in the kit.

 

I much prefer making a more detailed model so a lot of what I do will be fabricating parts to scale.

 

The kit includes a steering wheel, it's nice enough; 3D printed plastic. But it's not good enough... so I start by making a new one, just to get my eye in kind of thing. Bit of lathe work and some hand filing. I just have to make the spokes from stainless wire now. 

 

 

 

One of the things you have to remember about the Land Rover is that it was built just after WW2 as a competitor for the Willy's Jeep. Rover made luxury cars, no one could afford luxury cars so we had to build things that would sell overseas and generate income for the country.

So Rover had to work fast and use parts that were on the shelf in their factory. The steering wheel was originally destined for a Rover saloon but ended up on our beloved 4x4.

More later, sorry to have gone on lol. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,013]

Beautiful detail! I appreciate you taking the time to document this.

[rjg854 11,293]

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

So a little progress on the build. Nothing from the kit yet, just me stretching my creative muscles to get back in the groove.

The steering wheel is ready for paint just about. The spokes are 1.5mm stainless wire. 

The little brass widget is the dip beam switch that mounts on the wheel boss.

 

 

I also didn't like the radiator cap, it looked wrong for the scale. So I turned a new one from aluminium. Looked better but needed a tiny punch making to stamp an arrow on fir direction of turning and a milled grip round the edge. 

 

Mine on the left, original on the right.

As regards scale model making, I was once told to treat it more like sculpture than engineering. Something might be absolutely to scale but look wrong, best to make it look right than to actual size. 

 

I'm loving getting back into model making, there is something so relaxing about turning raw metal into a miniature version of a machine etc. 

[ebinmaine 67,013]

48 minutes ago, Mickwhitt said:

As regards scale model making, I was once told to treat it more like sculpture than engineering. Something might be absolutely to scale but look wrong, best to make it look right than to actual size.

 

 

Good logic there.  

 

In the distant past I can remember 1/24 and 1/25 model kits having very distinctly different sized pieces even though they're so close to one another. Doesn't necessarily scale up or down every time.

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

Still faffing about as we would say over here.

I moved a couple of steel cabinets to make a little more room in the build area. 

Then I didn't like the grab handles that were included in the kit.

Full size they are made of steel tube, shaped to a D handle. They're designed to allow folk to lift the back end up if it gets stuck in mud and they rejoice in the name of "Bog handles"

The kit version we're laser cut from flat steel plate.

So on went the old thinking cap and out popped these.

 

 

Lengths of 3/8 copper brake pipe, bent to shape and fixed with M1.6 machine screws. 

Thay are a little bigger than the kit ones and if they are too big when I check the outriggers they mount on I will make some a little smaller. As I mentioned scale is only OK as long as things look good. 

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

The steering wheel needed some finish filing, so I broke out a tool that is new to me but second hand from some Sheffield engineering firm.

It's a Diprofile filing machine. Powered by a dentist motor it basically grips a needle file saw or even scraping tool and operates as a reciprocating tool.

A skilled operator would use it for sinking and working on precision tooling. I use it to make filing a bit easier on the hands.

I bought it quite a few years ago but it has sat patiently in my tool cabinet, waiting it's moment to shine.

It would have been a very expensive item when new but I got it for a song from a dealer who had no idea what it was.

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,013]

On 2/14/2024 at 10:39 AM, Mickwhitt said:

So on went the old thinking cap and out popped these.

Nicely done Mick.  

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

 

 

This is the chassis, loosely bolted together as a dry fit. The leaf springs have been assembled and held together with zip ties until they are ready to fit.

You can see I have deepened the countersinking of the major connecting screws so that when the chassis is permanently bolted together I will fill over the bolt heads and make them disappear so the chassis looks welded. 

 

The Land Rover was developed at such speed and by a process of "that doesn't look right" or "we can make that better" that there are literally hundreds of variations across this one model. For example, the front bumper had three different ways of being attached. Initially the whole bumper bar was welded directly to the ends of the chassis rails. No good if it gets bent and needs replacing. So they welded a fish plate to the chassis dumb irons and bolted the bumper bar to that.

Then they changed it to welding the fish plate to the bumper and bolting this to the chassis dumb irons.  

Here the fish plates are welded to the chassis dumb irons, then the bumper is bolted to them.

 

Here the opposite and later modification, with the fish plate welded onto the bumper bar and bolted through the dumb irons. 

Note that these two versions were pre-production models and had closely matching registration numbers, so the change happened very quickly. 

 

The timing of these changes was never really recorded, or rather if it was recorded it was never very accurate.

 

The first actual production Chassis, number 860001, is still in existence.  It was bought by a billionaire for over £250,000 as a pile of scrap. He spent a lot more renovating it.

Would you like to see the results?

Thought you would. 

 

They decided on keeping as much character and patination as possible.

Would have been easier to completely restore it, but that would have destroyed its character and story. 

Strangely JUE has the fish plates welded to the chassis, which shouldn't be, they should be bolted to the chassis. Not sure if that's deliberate or a slip.

By the way, this first ever Land Rover was going to be presented to the king, but they changed their mind and sold it to a farmer, that's how it ended up looking like a well chewed toffee. 

 

 

[8ntruck 6,945]

I remember reading somewhere that the first Land Rover prototypes was built on a Jeep frame.  

 

Anybody know if this is true or not?

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

7 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

I remember reading somewhere that the first Land Rover prototypes was built on a Jeep frame.  

 

Yes that is completely true,  the Willys MB was both the inspiration for and basis of Rover motor cars entry into the 4x4 building arena. Maurice Wilks, the chief engineer at Rover, was the major driver for a new off road vehicke. 

During the particularly bad winter of 1947 the driveway to Maurice Wilks' house was blocked by snow. He borrowed a neighbours army surplus Jeep to ferry himself between the house and road. This vehicle was also used to plow snow and drag fallen trees off the drive after a huge storm.

The amazing jeep convince Wilks that Rover should build their own version, a go anywhere vehicle that could do anything you wanted it to do. 

Two surplus jeeps were stripped and used for parts while the original one Wilks had borrowed and then swapped was used as the donor chassis for the first ever Land Rover vehicle; the Centre steer.

This is it nearing completion in the jig shop at the Rover factory. Steering wheel in the centre, like a tractor which this was designed to copy.  That also meant no left hand, right hand drive for all you chaps who insist on driving on the wrong side of the road lol. but it wasnt a practical idea and was ultimately dropped. 

The original prototype was dismantled and returned to being Wilks own Jeep until 1961,  but this is a reconstruction of it showing exactly how it would have looked.

 

From his first "Dream" of a go anywhere,  do anything Rover to the first Land Rover in the factory yard took 9 months. An amazingly short time to develop a vehicle.

It's a very, very complicated story though, with lots of factors caused by recovering from the 2nd world war and its fascinating to read about the problems and solutions that companies like Rover and Willys faced.

This is me presenting the best book on Land Rover development to my book club as our next book of the month.

The book club is a spin off from my yoga class, of which I am the only male member. Needless to say, the Land Rover book was not chosen by the majority lol. 

[Mickwhitt 4,525]

I carried on with some detail work today, adding the bits that the kit manufacturers don't provide.

The vehicle was fitted with a towing socket on the rear cross member, only three pins because indicators were not standard equipment back then, hand signals only.

I made a socket in brass, turning it from 1/4 inch bar. Three 1mm pins were made and bonded in place. Four 1mm rivets fitted to match the original mountings. 

I had to break out the engineering microscope to check what I was doing.

 

The anti ditching handle is held on with M1.6 bolts.

The PTO hole through the Cross member is a tube welded inside the box frame, turning a brass tube with a "weld" ring round it looks more authentic. 

 

The scope let's me see things in such detail, worth it's weight in gold....