so it is time to share sore render and some thoughts, or what I don’t like about this design…may be I must settle up Youtube channel called “tank that I don’t like, and why” 🙂 Anyway, back to our model. Today I work on the turrets. What I don’t like about this tank:
– the turret is very marrow, and with guns mounted in tandem there is almost no space in it. Initially I put the periscope gun sign forward, but them looking from above I realize that there is no space for the gunner there. So I move it backward.
– there is no space for hatch in that turrets!!!! commander’s cupola is too small for such, so I move it from it “real place” to the right and little back to provide some space for roof hatch, still only one hatch for at least 3 man is death trap. Remember how I feel sorrow for the driver and radio man, at least they have individual hatches. This is not unusual in soviet practice, KV-1 also have one, so I find my “fix” justified.
– the rear turret plate is sloped, so there can be escape hatch there, except it is with construction similar to Tiger II, but I can’t remember such thing in soviet tank, so I left it intact, but attaches with bolts (the rest of the tank is welded) so the plate can be removed in order so remove the gun.
– the 45 mm mount is made so it can elevate independently, this is very bad because in order o allow that you need hole in the mantled, and this hole is covered by smelled mantled (B) just 40 mm thick, obvious weak spot that allow even some antitank rifle to try themselves!!!! And this is at the front of the tank. even if this do not perpetrate inside the turret and hit the crew it can easily disable the whole gun mounting, 10 mm including. Obviously WoT do not share my opinion what we see on the draw and make it as a “patch” with purpose known only to them.
– commander cupola(C)- no way such thing can exist, it is only 200 mm high, barely enough to put you head in (and without helmet), but on the draw wee see ball mount for the MG !!! the high must be at least double for that!!!, also the MG is at the center of the turret!!! where the commander must go then??? Not to mention to use that MG. So for now I will leave it that way, without MG only with vision ports, but will try to put MG inside, moved to the right.
The design:
– the front plate of the turret on the top view is slow as flat, but giving the fact that it is very schematic I did is as the side view show – round
– The rain shield that cover than mantled is done so it allow 15 degree evaluation of the gun
– I was going to move the real MG to the left to clear it from the commander cupola (just like WoT did) but then it is just behind the 107 mm gun, so there is no space for a man to work it, so I return it at the center. the draw show that there is ammo rack attached to the rear plate (A), I draw 45 mm shell in scale to check if there is space for such, as you can see, there is.
– I’m still adjusting the place of the periscopes.
– I’m considering adding small rain shield over the mantled of the 45 mm gun.
As you see I mention several time WoT , this is because most of the customers will expect to see model that look like their version of ” Kreslavsky’s proposal”. I’m afraid this is not going to happen, my reading of the drawing is very different. WoT have very good researchers, but in this case they didn’t consult the designer of the game model. Our work will be very different and in every post about It I’m explaining why. Enjoy 🙂
P.S. almost forgot- I put only one fan on the turret top, first this was the soviet practice then there is no space for more.
