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Mastering a Full Interior for the Tamiya Matilda

C

Chris ITA

Member
Anyone that saw my introduction might have a clue what this is about, but for those that haven't:

I'm in the process of starting up a business producing and selling interiors for allied tanks, and British and Commonwealth tanks in particular, called Inside the Armour. The first product is a full interior for the AFV Club Churchill. The master for this is finished and its now being cast ready for sale. It will include lots of resin, styrene, 45+ etched parts and wire for wiring (plus of course the wiring diagrams!)

Product number 2 is going to be a full interior for the new Tamiya Matilda, and as I'm currently mastering it, I thought you guys might like to see some progress, and maybe chip in with any advice :)

I started with the breech for the 2pdr:
IMG_6165.jpg


IMG_6166.jpg


IMG_6168.jpg



This is considerably smaller than the 6pdr breech I mastered for the churchill, and more complex, and its still not complete! Several parts will be supplied to detail this, but due to the difficulties of casting and the thinness of some parts, they will most likely be rendered in PE
 
Re:Mastering the Matilda

With that done, I've had a go at the masked floor and contents.

As the seperate parts to be cast and assembled:
IMG_6162.jpg


and all dry fitted together:
IMG_6161.jpg


I've since received info on the dimensions of 2pdr ammo, so I'll be redoing the ammo bin, but you get the idea

And finally, the very complicated and eye straining firewall:
IMG_6174.jpg

I still have some rivets to add to this, and its missing handwheels which will again be supplied as PE

Any comments welcome

Chris
 
Re:Mastering the Matilda

Way cool Chris!!! Production status of my new Matilda is now on hold till your interior is available.
 
Re:Mastering the Matilda

Thanks guys, great to have some early interest in this. Had a lucky break today and think I might have secured some very useful additional photographic reference :)

More pictures when I have something interesting to show
 
Re:Mastering the Matilda

OK, so here are the fruits of several hours labour working on the hull stowage:

Sponson 2pdr and Besa stowage:
IMG_6180.jpg


The left and right sponsons are mirrors of each other, with 14 2pdr rounds aft, 2 boxes of besa ammo in the center, and 12 rounds of 2pdr forward. I've left these in three parts so that they can cast in twos and assembled as mirrors of each other

Next I did the grenade stowage for the turret:
IMG_6184.jpg


These are rather small!:
IMG_6186.jpg


MG Spares:
IMG_6181.jpg


Radio spares:
IMG_6182.jpg


And two periscope prisms with two water bottles. It doesn't show so well here, but the prisms have frames around the 'glass':
IMG_6183.jpg



Thanks for looking guys, more soon :)

Chris
 
truly brilliant work i dont think my eyes focus down that small :laugh: and my fat fingers certainly couldnt get to grips with that .you sir are a genius :notworthy
 
looks great always good to see scratch building and new companies opening up
good luck and keep going
 
Chris looks like i'm not the only one getting around :laugh:

Superb work! It looks very very nice!

I may have to put my name down for one B)

Jaymes.
 
Thanks Guys:)

A quick update today :

First I tackled to complete lack of interior for the mantlet and armament:
IMG_6201.jpg


This includes the inside face of the mantlet itself, gunner's sight, 2pdr breech of course, and the besa.

Here's a close up of the Besa:
IMG_6198.jpg


And on that theme I cracked on with turret parts:
IMG_6200.jpg


L to R: signals satchel, spare cuppola vision blocks, commander's IC box, 2pdr shoulder brace and the vision block for the cuppola itself

More soon ;)

Chris
 
Very nice Chris, some serious scratch building there. I have one question, which Matilda variant is the interior for? I ask because the ref I have show an access panel on the upper section of the fire wall.

Rob
www.scratchmod.com
 
Thanks Rob

I'm working on reference for the MkIV, as the kit is the MkIII/IV.

However, I'm awaiting further reference, and I'm considering adding options to the kit so that people could build a MkII version also. This might mean including two firewalls

We'll see when the reference arrives ;)
 
Sorry for the lack of progress on this one guys

The good news is, I have some excellent internal photogrpahic reference on its way to me courtesy of a friend with access to a matilda, so this will resume when that arrives
 
Hi Chris.

No problem on the pause. The stuff you already are showing us is enough to keep me totaly amazed and interested. Especially if at the end this will all be available in some nice bright shiney resin and brass :cheer: .

Gary B)
 
great news, the reference has arrived!

In the same post though, the last of the prototype parts for the Churchill interior kit also arrived. Priority is to do the test build of that first, so I can check quality, fit and use the experience to draw the instructions! As soon as I've done that I'll crack on with this one

Chris
 
With the churchill off the bench (for now) I finally got back to this

Thanks to the new reference, and to Rob for pointing out one of the flaws, I've corrected the firewall:
IMG_6409.jpg


IMG_6410.jpg


I also received a couple of test casts of the Number 11 radio set back too :) :
IMG_6406.jpg


As I needed one of these for a Crusader MkI I'm doing, I wasted no time in painting one up to see how it came out:
IMG_6404.jpg


This set was only fitted on tanks up to 1942. It will be suitable for BEF and early desert deployed builds. However I want to make this kit suitable for almost any timeframe, so I decided to master a new Number 9 set to go in the kit too so you can build a Mtailda for 1942 onwards:
IMG_6408.jpg



I am thinking of releasing the two radios on their own (with a small etch sheet for some details and the number 19 set 'cage') as a 'British Tanks Radios' set.

I'd be interested to hear if this is the kind of thing that might interest people?

Chris
 
Looks great Chris , I think items like the radios etc , once a correct master is made are invaluable for other projects modellers may need them for . It may be a good idea to do a list of vehicles that carried them so people know if the radio is correct for their build .

Jenny :kiss:
 
Good idea Jenny, I'll include that in the packaging :)

Briefly though, between the two, they cover every british tank of WWII from the A9 Cruiser to the Comet, and a number of immediate post war tanks. They are also seen in a number of armoured cars, and in universal carriers, so lots of uses ;)

Chris
 
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