Laffly 80AM master

So a box arrived this morning with a shed load of nylon masters. The most important one to me is the Laffly AMD 80 AM, the first piece of CAD design I created when I discovered 3D printing.

The design was started over 3 months ago, but teething problems cursed it. As the first design it was over detailed and difficult to troubleshoot even before I started looking for someone capable of printing it.

 

The wheels where often used as the test piece to see what level of detail could be printed, as such they have been vastly simplified from the earlier versions. There are two 'front wheel' on this sprue, both of which have one third cut away to slot on the front axle. The others are for the rear axle, with a spare wheel for stowage.

The main hull is currently hollow, which will be filled before casting to avoid damage.

The front axle has to support the mudguards, so the wheel are cut away. the rear mudguard have an interior that hugs the tyres for a sturdier model.

Fiddly bits sprues with HMG, Hatch and MMG. It will be a miracle if I can cast it successfully.

Turret front and back with locating lugs for the HMG/MMG


As I am currently experiencing difficulty casting the howitzers, this could prove a challenge. Moulding begins this weekend, so hopefully three weeks until I start a production run.

~ Bob