The Panzerkampfwagen E-100, Part 2

 It didn't take me long to get the basic shape of the tank, but the devil is in the details. And how the parts fit together. And durability issues, etc...

While I intend to do the "real" E-100 turrets as well, I decided to go with my own take on the fictional design certain model companies have picked up. This is partly because I wanted to make sure that they are actually compatible with both this tank and the Maus, but also just because I think this one looks nicer. Also, I still can't quite get the Maus' turret mantlet right.

Early progress shot of the E-100

My first iteration of the wheels and drive sprocket.

I ended up having to redo most of the new objects you see here.The wheels ended up not being smooth enough, the drive sprocket and idler were remodeled again entirely from scratch, and I spent far too much time trying to get the track links right.

The joins you can see in the hull were necessary in order to print this goliath since it needed to be split into smaller parts, as the largest I can realistically print on my little Ender 3 is about 20 x 20 cm. These have been revised a couple times in order to get the cleanest fit possible.

A slightly more final turret design, with repositioned range finders.

The Panzerkampfwagen E-100, Part 1

 The story begins in late 2019.

 I had been captivated by the idea of making my own RC vehicle for some time by this point. Initially, I had wanted to make a submarine, then an aircraft carrier, then a battleship, but nothing had ever really come to fruition beyond a plethora of design concept sketches. At some point though, probably when World of Warships became unplayable for me, I had picked up War Thunder and quickly developed a fascination with tanks.

 There was one tank in particular that stood out to me- the Maus, a German super-heavy tank. However, not long after I had begun playing it was announced that the Maus would be removed from the tech tree, and new players would be unable to acquire it. Heartbroken that I didn't have enough time get it, I resolved to come up with an alternative.

I had considered, and tried playing World of Tanks instead, but the lack of realism among other issues quickly ruled that out for me. The only option for me left then was to acquire a physical, remote controlled scale replica of the tank. The only problem with that though, was that only one company sells a remote control Maus, and it is far to expensive for me to afford and apparently of middling quality. This was not a problem for me; I would simply make my own.

Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus"

I spent a long time scouring the internet for any information I could get my hands on; blueprints, diagrams, measurements. I found a handful of other people who had documented their own DIY Maus projects, the one most notable being Craftsman Sheng on YouTube, with his brilliant wooden 16th scale model. His was the method I settled on, as I already had some plywood on and and thought that his video would make for a good guide. However, having inadequate tools and little experience with woodworking, I came to realise I had bitten off more than I could chew and returned to the drawing board.

By January of 2020 I had come up with a different solution- 3d printing. For my birthday the following month I received my first 3d printer and set to work learning how to use it. I had intended on making a 16th scale Italian tankette, the L3/33, as a gift for a friend I had at the time, but also because its small size made it the perfect test project. I learned a lot from this endeavour but never actually finished it, though I have since redesigned it from scratch now that my modelling skills have improved.

I didn't really get much further than this.

 Now, this is finally where the title of this post finally becomes relevant. While I had been researching the Maus, I had stumbled upon its 88 ton lighter rival, the E-100, and grew to like it better. I began work on the 3d model in mid June of 2020, and so started a project that would take me over a year to complete.