28mm Bronekater

[cgh]

I've been quietly collecting russians in 28mm for my early war germans to fight but I decided I really liked the warlord naval infantry so I got some at Claymore.  I also put some from Black tree in my shopping basket and forgot to order them.  When I went back a few weeks later they were significantly reduced.  Result!  So I started looking into the Bronekater - basically a floating tank with a T28 or T34 turret plonked on but I couldn't afford the money Warlord were wanting so I got thinking....

My work has lots of spare cardboard lying about.



A LOT of lunchtimes later you have this.



This cost me precisely 60 pence in plasticard and a bottle of Coke for the lid.  Everything else was leftovers from other stuff or lying about junk.

Bow



Stern




Plastic lid from milk bottle for T34 turret base (with plasticard filler)



Engine roof and exhausts



Rearish view



Front half



I laminated the cardboard hulls together with wood glue then armoured them with plasticard.  The bridge and the engine roof are a styrofoam base cut to shape then armoured up like the hull and glued onto the hull.  The little brass bits are old (imperial!) brass nuts and bolts glued into position but they're a bit easy to knock off (I used both wood and superglue on them).  The round port hole type things are washers, the railing and flag poles are piano wire.  NEVER EVER USE THIS FOR ANYTHING OUTWITH PIANOS!!!!!  It is a total bitch to cut and impossible to solder as it is I think stainless steel and I didn't have access to a TIG welder for it.  Superglue and a lot of time got the railings done. 

The MG turrets.  Are slightly too fat but that's the price I pay for not spending anything on this.  They are coke bottle tops plasticarded up with a bit of piano wire for the barrel.  The hatches are some I got from Company B for a whole dollar (and I've a bunch more left over).  They sit on top of a plastic plug from a homebrew kit that's glued to the boat.  They rotate nicely.  The T34 turret is borrowed from one of my tanks, it's only ever on loan.  It's a 1st Corp model.

Total length is about 45cm.  A total guess.  I found some info on 20mm bronekaters and upscaled from them.  I worked from pictures on the web, it's not a particular model but a bit of a mash up of various one.

Still to do:  Mast; waves (milliput), wire between some bits (NOT piano, much thinner).  Paint etc etc.  The wooden thing is a gangplank to be painted and the little black rubber things hanging off the back are to be painted as life rings, a bit big but free.

I actually have no idea how often this will ever be used (Hugh - your table is in my sights) but I needed to build this to see if it could be done.  As all the turrets are removable I might be able to wing something to convert is for Russo Polish warfare.  I think sometime I might build a river barge or something eventually for 1920 or VBCW.  Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

BTW for all of you out there thinking about scratchbuilding - do it.  This is only my second model after an armoured train and it's great fun.

[OSHIROmodels]

Seems to do the job 

I'd like to see it with a coat of primer on 

cheers

James

[Sardoo]

Very impressive! The most I get up to at lunchtime is dealing with people who forget that it is MY lunchtime too and interrupt me when I'm eating my Pot Noodles (consumption of which is probably why I glow in the dark.....) 

[Andym]

That's great! Can't wait to see that beastie painted!!

[Braz]

Very nice and can't beat the price. Maybe you can recess the brass bits into the deck a bit or pin them somehow if they keep falling off.

[DoctorPete]

I am sure you can come up with scenarios to use it...maybe even a campaign centered around the ship and crew as it battles along some war-choked Russian river.  I am quite impressed with this model.  The bottle of Coke was likely the most expensive investment in the project.   

[cgh]

For jimbibbly.







I've now got the boat sprayed Olive Drab.  The question is wether or not I need to 2 tone it?

[OSHIROmodels]

Very good 

Just some subtle drybrushing and inking should do the trick with a nice bit of weathering 

cheers

James

[cgh]

Some more pics of the initial paintjob.







I sprayed it Tamiya Olive Drab, my default Russian colour and then Vallejo Flat earth.  I really wanted to do the Grey/Light Grey/White colour scheme but the T34 turret kind of killed that idea.  I need to weather it and rust it up but I have a bad feeling I'll have to actually buy an orange from vallejo for that.  Curses.  I have since made 2 life rings and a gang plank to add to it.  Any suggestions welcome.

[zizi666]

Looking good already.
As for rust, I can't give Modelmates Rust Effect enough praise. Really cool stuff.
If you want to stick to acrylic paints, check out Lifecolor's Rust set. Very good paints in different shades that dry extremely matt.

[von Lucky]

Very nice conversion there, made even more so by the price!

[Andym]

For me, that's nice as it is! It would take a hell of a lot of work to dirty it!