Catwoman / D4C

[mabloodhound]

Those are nice tracks.   Just make sure to install them in the correct direction.
Put them on the wrong way and they will pack the dirt in between the shoes.
Keep the pictures coming.

[Bill76]

@Dave : I notice that you know how the tracks are fitted despite what we can think about the shape of the plates. It seems to be in the wrong way but thanks to pictures of real crawlers, no wrong way.

Georges

[Ray Dunakin]

Looking good! I like the "flip cap" on the end of the exhaust pipe -- that's a nice touch.

[Bill76]

This type of blade was common in the 60' and seems to be the early hydraulic lifting system on these Caterpillar. The blade can moved around two big pins on a U frame and the action is coming from a combination of two rams / two triangles for high extension.

The original blade is very poor detailled and needs to be rebuilt. The lower part is fitted with a new line of bolts as the upper gets a extra extension.

The blade is mounted on the U frame with several pins to adjust the angle of the blade. Four arms allow the fitting and the ajustments? The arms are brand new.

All new parts are made with styrene and Evergreen.

[Bill76]

Some more pictures of the the blade.

Next step : the canopy.

Georges.

[Bill76]

The building is on the last run and the canopy is the only fantasy on this Caterpillar. This canopy is inspired from a picture seen a D4C brochure in an ''African version''.

Funny part to built and I use a rolling machine. Very easy job to roll this metal roof. The main frame is made with 3,2 mm Evergreen. Some details are fitted as handles for an easy access on the driving plat-form.

Several levers are added for the brakes and the gear box.

Next step : the entire kit ready for the final assembly.

Georges

[Ray Dunakin]

I like that canopy, it should look really good on the cat!

[Bill76]

@Ray : thank you.

Last parts for the D4C : the two hydraulic rams. Not the easiest parts to do because of a lack of inspiration in the beginning. No way to use the two ones included in the kit.

The cylindric part is made with a 4 mm tube and a square end is added with four bolts. Each end is equipped by a ball joint and they are made with glass pearls for neck lace (from scatchbooking stuff and cheap as well !). That gives a ''round aspect'' and copes quite while with the extrenal part of the ball joint. Bolts are made with Punch and Die.

The main difficulty was to find a way to built a chrome ram rod and I've been searching for a while because I didn't want to paint just a plastic rod. So I spent a lot of time at looking for such a stuff. And, one day I discover in a farm display shop a box of syringes for cows. And the size of the needles were those which diameter could fit (1,6 mm).

The needle is cut at the good size and to reinforce the fitting, I add a rod into the needle to the external part of the ball joint. Good fitting, good looking !

The hydraulic hoses will be mounted later.

Here are some pictures. Georges

[Bill76]

Two mores pictures with the entire rams.

[Bill76]

Last stage of the building : the front grill. This special design grill gets more than 300 holes and fortunatly, a friend of mine owns a computerized drill so quite easy to realize. All the holes are in an area that measures 1,5 centimeter by 1,6 centimeter (0,59 inch by 0,63 inch). So I prefer to make it as real as possible instead creating a decal.

So here's the whole kit ready for a cleaning operation.

Georges.

[Ray Dunakin]

Last stage of the building : the front grill. This special design grill gets more than 300 holes and fortunatly, a friend of mine owns a computerized drill so quite easy to realize. All the holes are in an area that measures 1,5 millimeter by 1,6 millimeter (0,059 inch by 0,063 inch).

Wow, that's small! I'm so used to seeing models in larger scales, and this looks so good, that it's easy to forget how small it actually is.

[Bill76]

@Ray : I have given a wrong information : it measures 1,6 centimeter (0,63 inch) by 1,5 centimeter (0,59 inch). The drill is 0,6 millimeter diameter so 0,023 inch.

About 0,4 millimeter (0,015 inch) between each hole and the plastic sheet thickness is 0,25 millimeter ( 0,0098 inch).

Now, that's correct. Georges

[Barney]

Well I have got to give it to you for your perseverance and quality of workmanship on a kit that would have hit "the bin" within minutes of me opening the box.
keep the excellent work up.
Barney 

[Ray Dunakin]

Ah, I see. But that's still pretty small!

[finescalerr]

Why isn't it painted, weathered, and detailed yet? We're getting impatient with these unnecessary delays. -- ssuR