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Maybe trying one of the heavier guitar strings?

Please post what works for you, as I've an interest in bending my own guardrails and such-like also.

Good luck!

If you do go the brass or aluminum rout there are springs that help stop the tube from collapsing. Micromark carries them in states but these are the same thing.
https://www.hobbies.co.uk/k-s-tube-bending-springs?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaignid=19833019814&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&adid=&addisttype=xpla&matchtype=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj_bwpvmS_wIVNIBQBh1JPgU0EAQYASABEgIzXPD_BwE

Thanks for the link Snitchy. I think I’ll look into those.

Did some detail work while procrastinating on the turret.

This is awesome. Great work keep it up!

Yeah, aluminium rod should be ok, though a sharp 90 degree bend might fracture it

Im still procrastinating on making the big guns so, more detailing done. This is taking FOREVER! But it’s so satisfying.

It's all gotta get done sooner or later, and in the sooner, it looks great!

I'm thinking to scratchbuild a vehicle for the heavy mortar that came with the DUST SPG that I'm building out as a 'Snow Leopard' for my Nekomimi Winterguard (The Doom Pixies) and am getting a ton of ideas on what I'd like to do from your project- rock on!

Love the attention to detail on this scatchbuild!

Thanks for sharing

Thanks for the comments everyone. Meer_Cat, glad I could be of assistance. Be sure to post pics.

That fine detail work looks excellent. Excited to see this under a layer of primer eventually!

For bending a tube: seal off the end and fill it with sand. That's how you do hardline watercooling tubes for computers - might be worth looking up a tutorial for that to get some ideas. It's not quite mini-scale, but it's plastic and uses a small-ish diameter.

Too. Many. Greeblies! I really need to build the guns or I’m going to go a little mad adding greeblies! Fortunately, the Fam and I are going to the Mountains and then to a baseball game, which will probably be a well needed break.

That being said, I am actually pleased with how things are turning out.

Question: Does anyone know what this is supposed to be for? Besides bulking out the side out the turret, I mean.

Thanks.

It looks like some kind of rangefinder. The old Leman Russ had a similar attachment, but in that case it had some kind of hatch on the front face and I think was supposed to contain a piece of machinery used by the main gun.

AFAIK, the macharius and FW leman russ were produced for the siege of Vraks books. Canonically the atmosphere of the world was extremely hazardous - hence all the gas masks on the old renegades and the Death Korps - so the tanks have a lot of additional air filters and canisters and stuff over where vents would normally be on other tanks.

All of that is to say: Could be a filtered air intake.

Yeah shmvo, that's kind of what I was thinking on the Macharius since there does seem to be a vent, but there is also what appears to be a lens of some sort next to the vent. And as Haighus mentioned, the Leman Russ' also have this on the side of their turrets.

It always seemed to me that those existed only because when they designed the Russ turrets, it wasn't pointed out that they were way too weedy until it was too late in the production process. So, to fix it they just stuck that little box onto the sprue to bulk it out.

The reason I'm asking is because I need to add something to this large space, but I'm not sure what I want to add, If I knew the purpose of that box. it might inform how to shape that thing.

So far, I've got a combination air filter, range finder, gun part housing.

Thanks for the comments, folks! Keep 'em coming.

I have no idea based on any of the books, but I was thinking air filtration unit- given the hose that runs to the inside of the turret. Perhaps the lens could be a spectrographic analysis tool, to determine which pollutants are present?

It might be unrelated to the standard function of the gun and would almost certainly be uncanonical, but you could strap a two-shot tank killer missile box on the side- almost exactly what they did for the M2 Bradley when someone pointed out during development that it had the profile of an MBT but couldn't slug it out with them.

Oh yeah- and the level of greeblosity is of the fethin' scale, man! Outstanding attention to detail.

On the Leman Russ Incinerator model, the same structure has two lenses, that's why I also assumed it's some kind of rangefinder.
See the upper right and lower left pic here:

So, it's time for an opinion poll. What do you guys think of this "Range Finding/Gun Sight Greebly"?

Usually, I can decide almost right away about a gubbin, but I'm not 100% sold on this one.

One thing that worries me is that I don't know what I would put there if I don't use it.

I finally bit the bullet and started work on the guns. I wanted to be able to change out the Twin-Battle cannons for Twin-Vanquishers so I made four of each.

First I made the part that will hold the barrels using 1/2" or 12.7mm tube. I would have loved to have used something a little larger, but this is the largest Evergreen makes. I filed-to-fit some 7/16" or 11.1mm tube and glued them perpendicular to the first tube. Then 3/8" or 9.5mm tube is used for the main barrel lengths. I glued some strips of various widths and thicknesses around the barrels to add some more detail.

The last pic is a length comparison.

I am in favour of adding the box. I always liked them on the old Russ design.

...I feel like I have read an explanation in White Dwarf somewhere for the Russ version, but that looks a bit different and may have different functions.

The wok on the guns looks great!

I just watched a video on YouTube about the M103- the "last of America's super-heavy tanks" and it had a bulge in the turret on either side of the gun mantlet that housed the range-finder apparatus- they stuck out a bit like the ears on a hippo. It makes sense that there would be two, as the calculator would need to be able to measure the parallax between the two beams to know how far it was looking.

So, not only could you add 'the box' to your build- you could add two, and have historical precedent and technical soundness to do so!

Excellent project to follow.

Turret is getting there. I got some work done on the gun housing/shield? At first, I was just going to leave it plain, but I decided to add some edging around the sides to add a bit more visual interest which made a huge difference.

After that, I started on the backside. After a few versions of different components, they're finished.

On a side note, when you build a part that is supposed to attach to a specific space on the main part of your build, make sure it will fit in the spot! A lot of filing and fair bit of finagling later, the extra track links are on.

Wow, absolutely phenomenal work!

Driver hatch done! And more greeblies. I think I may have gone a little overboard with the greeblies as now my tank has a bit of a spaceship look to it, but I’m fine with that. It give the surface more visual interest.

Wow! These just keep getting better and better! The vanquished and battle cannon on the same turret were funny!

Tank is look awesome looking forward to seeing finished!

Looking absolutely amazing. You could also use that empty space for more crew stowage or for a Hunter Killer Missile - many of the old kits wanted you to place it on the side of the turret. I think a range finder (or leaving it as is) looks more sleek and realistic, but this is also 40k, so that concern generally goes right out the window :-)

I was able to get some work done during my limited down time over the past week and I'm almost done with the build.

I got the hatches finished (almost). When they're complete, they'll be open and have a driver and a tank commander. I just need to sculpt those up and get them inside. I'll also need to build a couple of heavy stubbers for the command hatch.

I decided to add that range finder bit to the top of the turret along with some accompanying greeblies for it. The actual box thing on the side of the turret was a pain in the ass to build. But I can live with the final results. Since the consensus was a combination vent/range finder I used varying sizes of styrene tubing for the outside of both. Inside the vent is just some .030"x.030" strips amd the lens for the range finder is a styrene rod cut to fit and filed to a round end. I'll be adding some corrugated tubing to the back that will lead into the turret.

The back needs a few tools or something to add some detail and the back of the command cupola will get a few rungs added so the crew can climb on top.

When those items on the to-do list done it'll be on to the rivets. And when I'm done with the rivets, there'll be more rivets. And then, you guessed it, more rivets.

Very impressive!