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Jonathan Moore 10-06-17 10:42

Armour Dreams
 
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Now, I know that this sort of thing is frowned on by some but I have always dreamt of owning a tank and not having endless resources of money or living in an area where I might find one, I decided my only option was to build one. At first it was only going to be the turret but now that this is nearly complete, I have decided that I might as well make the rest. The decision as to what tank to build was decided by the chance buy of a 2cm KwK magazine as found in a Panzer 2. Anyway, I have just finished the main armourment.

Jon

Jonathan Moore 10-06-17 11:06

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more pictures

Jonathan Moore 10-06-17 11:20

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and some more

Jonathan Moore 10-06-17 11:28

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and some more

Jonathan Moore 10-06-17 11:33

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and that's it for now.

Jon

colin jones 10-06-17 14:04

Excellent fabrication there Jon! nothing like finding a magazine then building everything around it.

Hanno Spoelstra 10-06-17 14:14

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With your fabrication skills you will have a running PzKpfw II in no time, for sure. Keep at it!

Are you going for the regular PzKpfw II, or for the Luchs version?

Hanno

Attachment 91307

Jonathan Moore 10-06-17 16:28

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I am glad that you like it, in the end its going to be an early Ausf A/B so no add on armour but roughly like this picture. I have had all the chassis steel profile cut to size already and I have completed all the drawings for the upper super structure and wheel radius arms so things are progressing in the right direction, but the Morris comes first.


Jon

Dave deBlois 10-06-17 21:31

This is an amazing project I for one will be following this. As a fabricator myself I am very impressed with your work. You have fantastic skill.

Dave,

jdmcm 18-06-17 22:27

I love the finish on your cannon, can you share its details? Looks so very real!

John

Jonathan Moore 19-06-17 08:41

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Its definitely not real and could never be made to fire anything, in the mad world that we live in, I decided better safe than sorry. The Magazine is an original and the 2cm round is inert ,other than that, its all fabrication and a bit of turning. I painted it with matt black under coat and then weathered it with a wire wool and a green kitchen washing up scrubber. I am glad you think it looks realistic it makes it worth the effort.

Jon

Jordan Baker 19-06-17 14:24

Very cool project.

Ryan 20-06-17 13:46

Wow.
Then build me one. 😉

Tim Bell 20-06-17 18:17

What engine are you planning... hopefully something which sounds close to the original?

Jonathan Moore 20-06-17 20:37

Good question but as I have never heard an original its going to be hard to replicate. The details of the automotive side of things ,is a subject that I haven't quite got my head around yet. A petrol V8 would be good but of more concern is the gearbox. I want the interior to look right as well as work and as the original had a remote gear box and clutch, (that is, separate from the engine) I cant ,at the moment, find a cost effective solution. I have plenty of ideas but I keep finding snags. Still, plenty of time to dream. An ideas would be greatly appreciated.


Jon

Hanno Spoelstra 20-06-17 21:10

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathan Moore (Post 239219)
The details of the automotive side of things ,is a subject that I haven't quite got my head around yet. A petrol V8 would be good but of more concern is the gearbox. I want the interior to look right as well as work and as the original had a remote gear box and clutch, (that is, separate from the engine) I cant ,at the moment, find a cost effective solution. I have plenty of ideas but I keep finding snags. Still, plenty of time to dream. An ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Could a T16 Universal Carrier axle work? That would give you controlled differential steering.

There seem to be a number of spare axles floating about, so please don't wreck a complete carrier.

Attachment 91643

Picture source: http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...t=15134&page=3

r.morrison 21-06-17 05:58

Good luck
 
:salute:Well if anyone can pull this off ...you will Jonathan! Good luck.....Robert

Jonathan Moore 21-06-17 11:05

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Thank you Robert, I am sure its going to be fun.

I have had lots of thoughts on the steering side of things and I know that it wont be simple. The engine, gearbox and drive are situated on the right side of the chassis not down the centre line, which makes things more interesting. I don't really want to cut up a carrier axle. In the simplest terms, my thoughts are based around an axle casing with a diff in it and a set of brakes on each drive shaft left and right. Not quite that simple I know. I have done some work on a tracked dumper that utilised a clutch system on each track but that wouldn't be appropriate for this application. Its a lot to get ones mind around, steering combined with the remote gear box and the fact that to use a conventional gearbox the drive has to be reversed, otherwise you get several reverse gears and one forward.

Jon

tankbarrell 21-06-17 14:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathan Moore (Post 239255)
Its a lot to get ones mind around, steering combined with the remote gear box and the fact that to use a conventional gearbox the drive has to be reversed, otherwise you get several reverse gears and one forward.

Jon

That's easy, just flip the axle/diff over. The rest is, as you say, much more of a challenge!

maple_leaf_eh 21-06-17 19:55

Panzerfabrik
 
There is a group in Colorado called Panzerfabrik that have made a few repro WW2 German vehicles, including a PzKpfw II.

http://panzerfabrik.net/panzer-ii-ausf-l/

Their build diaries show all sorts of tricks to make bar stock look like the exposed edges of 1" plate and the interlocking keys on hull armour.

David Dunlop 21-06-17 22:37

Just a thought, Jonathon, but do you think posting a 'Wanted' Ad somewhere for Maybach HL 62TR Engine Parts might turn anything useful up? Most have probably long gone to the scrappies, but one never knows what might still be out there.

Maybe chatting with somebody at Bovington about where the needed bits might still be found, is worth a shot as well.

Worst that can happen in any event is absolutely nothing.

David

Niels V 22-06-17 09:18

German vehicle parts, eg some engines, gearboxes etc can be found if you know where to look and who to talk too. But these can be scarily expensive, really not something I would use in a replica .

Jonathan Moore 22-06-17 11:40

Thanks for your suggestions, they are much appreciated. I have been offered quite a few original parts but this is a replica and will never be anything else so I am not going to spend money on over priced rusty original items. The biggest part of this project is the challenge of completing it, to a standard that I am happy with and at a financial cost that I can afford. The Bovington tank museum is a great source of information and I am off there over the summer, armed with my camera and tape measure, to do some dimension checking and lots of sniffing but its a 6 hour drive one way.

Jon

Jonathan Moore 19-08-17 22:36

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Apart from a few other projects, I have been busy making this little item. Its the elevation and depression mechanism for the mantlet, and thus the armament. Not only does it move the mantlet but it also contains the trigger mechanism for the main 2cm gun. I was going to make it a welded component that looked the part but didn't do anything, when I mentioned that to my wife she just gave me one of those looks that said "don't be silly". Anyway Rotating the hand wheel obviously moves the mantlet and then if you pull the lever on the hand wheel, it pushes a shaft, that moves a cam, that pulls a shaft, that rotates the dog leg shaft that in turn moves a roller that lowers a flap that fires the gun. Simple now that its finished. This is the last major item that I have to make for the turret, so apart from a few pins that I have to turn up on the lathe, I can get on spray the bits and pieces. While I wait for the steel profiles for the rest of the project, I will have time for the Morris, I hope.

Jon

Jonathan Moore 19-08-17 22:43

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A few more pictures

jdmcm 20-08-17 02:38

the only word I can think of is...WOW!

Jonathan Moore 24-08-17 20:22

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Today was the big test, because up until now I have never tested if the mantlet, elevation mechanism and the gun carrier, all fit together in the turret. Happily they do, so I can now strip it all apart and play at spraying it all the right colours. Happy days!

Jon

Jonathan Moore 12-09-17 21:42

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One thing that has been vexing me somewhat, is what was I going to us as a sight for the turret. The panzer 2 used a tzf4 sight and as this sight was only used in this tank, there aren't many about and the ones that I have seen for sale have been very expensive, so I came to the usual conclusion. I think that I am right in saying, that British tank sights of the time were fixed, so that the gunner had to raise or lower his head with the guns elevation or depression. German sights were made to bend so that the Gunner didn't have to move his head as the mantlet moved. This makes the sight quite an interesting project in its own right using 4 mirrors to reflect the light and hence the view. I have managed to replicate the reflection aspect and no matter how the sight bends you get a good view out of the end, all be it small. The problem comes when I introduce a lens, as you can see. I am sure that there is a simple solution out there somewhere.


Jon

Jonathan Moore 12-09-17 21:47

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Three more.

Jonathan Moore 15-09-17 23:19

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Flat pack panzer 2 upper hull and blanks for the suspension arms.

Jon


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