I am working on a dio where there are 2 dummy tanks in it .

I want to show 2 types, one fully build (canvas type) and one without the canvas, only the frame (with a welder working on it)

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

The fully builded dummy is not really a problem, but the framework is, #:-) .
I spent the whole week trying to get something decent but it just won't work.

I tried:
- copperwire glued with CA glue
- copper wire soldered
- thick solder wire glued wit CA
- plastic rod glued wit CA and plastic glue.

Al the wire is 3 mm thick

You now what?? it did not work, or they fell apart after a while or it just looks terrible wrong.
Yesterday I wanted to call the project of, but I just can't this is something I want to do

I have to be honest I never scratch builded something before and I do have 2 left hands so if someone has a idea AND it could be fool proof then I would be grateful

This may be a stretch, in looking at the pictures the frame is pretty 'beefy'. You could try using thin strips of balsa or bass wood, sand it round and use that. The turret will be the biggest challenge. You could try soaking the wood in hot water and bending it around a jar or can of the correct size to get the round shape.
You may want to try two part epoxy instead of CA with the wire. Use one of those soldering jigs with two aligator clips to hold the two ends together. Then give it a full 24 hours to dry.

I would have to agree with slodder on this one. As for the dummy turret ever thought of maybe using a golf ball and cutting it in half to get the roundness of the dummy? #:-) Good luck and I hope to see it when it is finished.

Im not the most experiencied scratchbuilder in the world but the easiest medium I think you can use is plastic strip. Comes in lots of different shapes and sizes and looks good when painted. I find balsa wood too flimsey for awkward pieces and eventhough I have never tried with wire would imagine this to be the hardest of all to master. Soldering would be a must to achieve good results. If took this project on, I would look into the plastic strip.

Im sure you can get a lot of suitable plastic for free as well. If you check on plastic containers, they usually have a stamp of what plastic has been used and if it has a large "PS" or "PE" it should be OK to use. I cant remember which of-hand which is right, but will check when I get home. You could also use sprues from used kits! Heat and stretch a little.

Plasticbattle is absolutely right - Plastic comes in round or tube shapes and can be heated and bent to make those shapes in the turret.

Good Call!

Can you find out more how the turret was onstructed IRL? Looks almost too smooth to have formers underneath. The third picture might show a former going from left to right. If that's correct, you'd need only to make the initial circular base and add ribs accordingly from left to right.
As for the frame of the chassis, I've had very good luck in creating framework using aluminum tubing which your hobby shop should carry. It will take gentle bends nicely. To attach two sections together, I've filed the tip with a round file (rat tail) and put a dab of super glue then hit that with accelerator. Good news is, if the angle is off, you can de-contruct it, shave off the glue and do it again.

I read an article several years ago in a magazine (the old Military Modeler I think) with a dummy tank in it. If I remember correctly, the author used drinking straws for his framework. Just a thought.....

Patrick

Try brass tubing instead of rod. You might want to look up a article on the internet about soldiering. I think the turrets are nothing more than big bags inflated with air.

Here is an idea... use a SOLID piece of styrofoam that you carve and press to shape. Then glue strip styrene over this where you want to "indicate" a support strut. Finally cover the entire piece with the canvas material you have selected (linen would work well... or an old sheet!), and drape it into place. Use a watered down white glue solution to saturate the material and mold it into place permanently.

Great idea, Keith. A combination of styrofoam base with "structure beams" glued to it to show through the canvass at the right places. Then I'd cover it all with "water+glue" drenched toilet tissue or paper napkins. For the turret, think of something with the right shape you can cut to size (pingpong ball, maybe one of those small artists dishes that are used to mix paint in ? )

I remeber seeing a really short video clip on the history channel that had a sherman tank that was a balloon it showed a couple of soldiers lifting it up.

I found that article I was refering to. The only problem is the drinking straws were used on the flotation skirts for a D-Day Sherman. The artilce I remembered shows the framework built onto a Italeri Chevrolet 15-CWT chasis. The skin of the dummy is a Crusader and it is being lifted onto the chasis by crewmen. The framework is built with .047 Evergreen Plastic rod. Sorry for the confusion...........

Patrick

Of course the whole reason for the fake tanks was to confuse the recon planes that the Germans were sending over ... imagine the callin report when a pilot saw two grunts carrying around a tank

"...ve muz be kaput... ze allies now have a breed of ze armee man what can carry a sherman tank on his sholders... I thought ze Fuhrer zaid VE were der Supah Raze!"