By: Gun Shy
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This is a Stuart tank I "saved" from a Goodwill store,
that was stripped of all of it's weapons, antenna, tools, front plow,
searchlight, and even it's Commander's hatch!!! I felt sorry for it sitting
naked on a shelf, with it's turret thrown on the floor in another aisle.
I hand made a new Commander's hatch out of an old broken floor can lid, PVC pipe, 14 gage solid insulated copper wire, JB Weld, left over plastic pieces, various nails and bushings, and floor sweepings of old Lego pieces. I made the "Commander's hatch" periscope to be a true "rearward facing unit", complete with a "view screen". I rebuilt the searchlight using another piece of PVC pipe, and a piece of film bubble from a tailight bulb package, filled it all with RTV gel, and painted it to match the other headlights. I made the .50 cal machine gun conversion mount out of various stock items from a hardware store, sculpting JB Weld, a left over .50 cal mount hub from a 21st MB Jeep, and a new 21st .50 cal machine gun set. The antenna is made from a piece of 1/8" steel cable, covered with two sizes of heat shrink tubing, covered with Dullcoat, and mounted into more pieces from a hardware store potted into place with JB Weld. The tank has also been "tricked out" with the great "M5 Update Kit" by the famous Point Man from your own board, and I made the tow cable from real 1/8" steel cable, blued it, and fitted it with real cable hardware again from a hardware store. I modified his lugs and shackles to "work", and allow the cable to be installed anyway I wish, by use of the custom bolts and lugs I made from brass hardware again from...... the hardware store. I hand painted the serial number to end in "8" instead of the stock "9", and I hand painted on the "Gun Shy" tank name, and handpainted on the "eyeball and teeth" cartoon logo on the turret ring. I handpainted all of the holes in the raditor vents, and detailed the vent screens. I added more paint details, sprayed the whole tank down with 2 coats of Dullcoat, "borrowed the shovel and axe from one of my MB jeeps, bought three of the missing tank tools from a friend ( one still missing, sigh ) and there you see "998 Gun Shy" ready for action. I apologize that the pictures are not the best, as we shot them in just 5 minutes offhand a club meeting, and if you like these, we will try to take more and better some other time. |
| Outstanding 'Save" trooper. You have done a bunch of fine work to it without a doubt. I can't wait to see photos of it. Keep up the awesome work Gun Shy. Special thanks for sending this terrific project in and sharing it with us. -- GL |
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