Armoured Steam Tractor Trailer Completed

Well Here is is The trailer completed (sans ladder) fixed to the Armoured Steam Tractor I'll put in another post shortly with more pictures and a bit of 'historical' blurb...

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Only the 13" mortar to paint up now. I am going to release this to my gaming table sans ladder as I have no idea when I'll get them...

Today I fabricated the tow set up out of styrene sheet and tubing with some coat hanger wire:

Glued it place after giving it a shot of black spray paint:

And a test showed it all lined up well...woo hoo...

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Well the Trailer is getting close to be finished! I've got some painting done, completed the wheel assembly, added some coal to the front of the trailer and glued the upper and lower hull/body parts together.

I still need to build the towing assembly, touch up some of the painting, complete painting the 13" mortar and add the ladder to the roof.

Here's some current status pictures, sorry they were taken with lamps on so there's some glare...

Not sure when I'll get the Plastruct Ladder part still waiting on my local hobby shop to get back to me on that I may have to order it online. Mind you I think this tractor/trailer combo can hit the gaming table while I wait for that!

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Got a bit more work done on the trailer now I have the Lego wheels on hand, here's a picture of the wheels and the lower body/hull. The wheels are 18mm in diameter I used 4mm steel rod as axles and the head off a pin to be 'hubs' for the axles. The wheels will be light grey with brass highlights on the 'hubs' when finished...

There has been a change to accessories to be mounted on the upper hull/body and this will mean a change in equipment to:

1 x 13" Mortar with loading crane and trolley and 4 rounds one of which is reloaded

2 x Disassembled Tripod Mounted Crank Handle Rapid Fire Machine Guns with 2000

Rounds each

1 x Extendable Scaling Ladder

1 x Light Rapid Fire Carbine with 500 Rounds

8 x Galvanic Rifles with 75 Rounds each

2 x Boxes of Dynamite Sticks

1 x Barrel of Black Powder with 10 Fuses

1 x Box of 16 Grenades

1 x Rear tool chest with hand tools, ropes, chains and scaling equipment

Extra coal for the Steam Tractor

I was going to add a feature to the rear of the hull with a ladder like on old fire engines using the 9 pounder cannon wheels so they'd have a dual purpose but when I mocked it up it looked all out of proportion, so out with the cannon, wheels and carriage and the ladder will now be laid out along the right side of the roof. Also on the rear panel two viewing/firing ports have been added along with a tool chest.

Here you see the current front left view of the upper hull/body. The MG is mounted in a tray on the side its locking pin will be brass in colour and pulls out so the weapon can be removed. Near the front left corner topped with a silver disk is the mount where the mortar reloading crane is located when in use...

Here is the current the right rear view of the upper hull/body so you can see the newly added rear viewing/firing ports and tool chest (requiring rivets of course!) and the secound MG mount, I've pivoted the locking pin a bit to show it is movable...

Lastly for this update a picture of top and bottom together but there's still lots to do!

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This post is especially for those of you that frequent my Blog in it I'll cover the building of the trailer that goes with my recently completed Armoured Steam Tractor. I usually post my work on a few Discussion Boards (helps spread the word of my Blog) but not for this item it’s a 'Blog Exclusive'!

As covered before my VSF Engineers require some armoured transport to carry them and their equipment into the heat of battle to complete their dangerous assignments!

I'll add a full 'historical' blurb for the trailer once it’s completed and I'll keep everything on the one post.

It will be constructed of styrene sheets of 0.5mm and 1.0mm and I'll be using 6 or 8 Lego wheels that are 17.5mm in diameter which are currently located somewhere in our great continent in the hands of Australia Post.

The footprint is 100mm x 39mm which in 'real life' means 5.6m x 2.18m.

For gaming purposes it is design to carry (in combat conditions) 8 or 9 men with the below arms:

            1 x 13" Mortar with loading crane and trolley and 4 rounds one of which is preloaded

            1 x 9 Pounder Cannon Disassembled with 12 Rounds

            2 x Disassembled Crank Handle Rapid Fire Machine Guns with 2000 Rounds each

1 x Extendable Scaling Ladder

            1 x Light Rapid Fire Carbine with 500 Rounds

            8 x Galvanic Rifles with 75 Rounds each

            2 x Boxes of Dynamite Sticks

            1 x Barrel of Black Powder with 10 Fuses

            1 x Box of 16 Grenades

            Extra coal for the Steam Tractor

Here are the first pictures of the basic hull/body construction. There are viewing/shooting ports in the two doors and body sides, I am hoping to make two an inner panels per side one with flat sides 'closing' he ports and one with half rifles sticking out ready to fire, but with variable numbers of figures with in the trailer that may not really work very well. The front trough will be a coal supply. The 13" mortar in the last picture is just resting in place for the picture once mounted it will be higher and pointing out at about 45 degrees. The loose hatch will be in the roof with a fitting where the crane would go, not sure I’ll make the crane as I can’t see the mortar being reloading in games it will take too long!

The Mortar is from Redoubt, the cannon barrel is from the Perry ACW Artillery set (if you have spares of these let me know!), the port holes are washers, the handles are bent paper clips and the rivets are sewing pins (lots more to be added yet):

I

hope you enjoy seeing this trailer come together!