Hello CAN-AM!
I am posting this build as I feel its not something that is being done much in the Tank Community, and I would like to show everyone what kind of results you can actually get from 3D Printing. 

I would like to start by saying this does take some 3D design knowledge, however I taught myself this based my my 2D cad experience, which Im sure many here have. 

The first step was creating a solid model of the tank. This process was very time consuming but made much faster thanks to access to reasonably accurate 3d models available in games. I used the T-35 Tank from war thunder as the reference for my print. Even if you do not play these games, I would recommend learning how to use the War Thunder Asset Viewer tool within their CDK. It allows you to load up any of their hundreds of models and rotate them around to look at all the bolts and wheels and such. Even some minor interior details can be observed this way. 

Armed with this, I created the solid Model:




I will post the remainder of my progress pictures slowly as I write information to go with them.

I should mention that all the parts are printed on a second hand MakerGear M2, save the tracks which were made on a pair of Flashforge Dreamers. 
First thing I created were the tracks, I figured I would start there because If I could not print workable tracks I would have to modify the body to accept KV Tracks. One of the more tedious parts of the process, the tracks are printed as two parts, and acetone glued together. I then found some dressmakers pins and melted them into place with a soldering iron. Works nicely.

There is all 4+ feet of track needed for the monster. 
Next up were the road wheels, idler and drive sprockets, I have printed the wheels black so they keep looking like rubber when they wear. 


In total there are 16 of the road wheels, I am just using brass tube as a bearing surface.

Are you using ABS or PLA? I ask as PLA will get softer when sitting in the sun and likely stretch and bend when under load if you are going to RC it.

What layer resolution did you do the tracks in? 100micron?

Hello Jarlath, I am using ABS for the whole tank, and I definitely started out with the intention of RC  
The tracks were printed at 120 micron (different printer), the rest of the parts are either 100 or 200 depending on the level of detail required.
The next step was figuring out the suspension. I simplified the tank quite a bit, replacing the 4 shocks and coil springs per rotating bogie to just a piece of spring steel with static bogies. as it will be hidden under the skirts anyway. See below an image of an early prototype. 

After this I printed the hull out in 4 pieces and glued them together. The walls are 5mm thick, and have proven to be more than strong enough.


Also visible is some putty on the rear slope, printing overhangs is quite a challenge in ABS. 
The firewalls in the hull help to reduce flex, however next time I will make the wiring holes much larger.

Looks splendid !

Makes me want to 3d my Maus even more... Tracks are the issue however... So big... for each of them

Jarlath wrote:

Makes me want to 3d my Maus even more... Tracks are the issue however... So big... for each of them

Want to buy my Maus ? Not asking for a lot.

Laugh. You forgot that I bought a Juckenburg Kit as well for research and dims?

PM me your asking price, cause I'm poor after Las Vegas... Or maybe we can work out a deal (recoil kits?)

As for printing a Maus, I can imagine working on the tracks and suspension would be a bear. The tracks on this are covered but the Maus they are even more so. At least the body is geometrically simple on it!
More progress pictures to share. At this stage I had printed the frame that holds the return rollers and the skirts, and mounted the motors.
I will describe what the tank is using for electronics when I catch up to present date on these posts. 


The rollers were just fudged on with tape and were unsanded, it was rough, but here is a video of some early movement.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eusdzzvuF1bvpeHilOKZvsjw-VJel6GT/view?usp=sharing  no avatars or links? You guys are rough on the newbies!

Here is another shot with more progress, this time beside my PZ III end to end for scale. 

dam thats going to be something to see

What slicer are you using?
Infill %? Standard Infill pattern?

Jarlath, I am using Simplify 3D, with a 20 or 40% triangular infill based on if it is a structural part or not. The exception being the motor sleds, which were printed at 80% because the first versions broke on me. These serve a dual purpose, allowing me to angle the standard HL motors to fit in the sloping rear end and to move the motors back and fourth to allow for track tension adjustment. 

Here the next stage of the build, adding the track guards, upper hull and engine deck details. 
at this point I also had installed a prototype cooling fan and the TARR smoke unit. 

Cool. I use Simplify 3D too. Such a fast slicer...

The hull looks so nice and smooth. You acetone slurrying the surfaces?

Only parts that have been acetone treated are the side skirts, but you have not seen them yet.

Any other really smooth surfaces are the result of being face down on the glass print bed, like the track guard tops.

Nice details. Is there interior shots ?

I will post a shot of the inside later, but I am hesitant. The wiring looks as bad as the outside looks good.

Ahhh. I'm usually the opposite.. Nice neat (borderline OCD) wiring and horrible exterior details.

I would have no issue making the wires pretty if I did not have the thing apart 3 times a week while working on it, so I have the wires really long to move pieces right now. Later I will do plugs on every wire to solve this.
Here are some shots of the stage of testing out the turret rotations. I have the 2 secondary turrets simply bolted to some servos under them, they follow the position of the analog knobs on my transmitter. The elevation of the secondaries and the rotation of the MG turrets are "manual"  
The main turret uses a modified servo with a big turret ring gear to do continuous slow rotation on a slip ring. Only the main turret has elevation and recoil servos, because I could not control the additional 4 servos needed to do all 3.
I should also mention the headlights, they are warm white COB LEDs
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100pcs-a-Lot-0-5W-Watt-70-80LM-High-Power-LED-Light-Diodes-LED-Bulb-Chip/32794987448.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.u5CkFi
These suckers heat up, so I had to current limit them a bit more, but they are crazy bright and glow more like an incandescent then the blue you get on the standard HL tanks. 

Awesome. Love it. Do you have something scale next to it so we can have a sense of the actual size ? Still would like to see the inner workings (suspension, wiring etc).

Hello Mike, You can see the suspension and the hull next to a PZIII in the pictures above.

Oh crap missed that post thanks !

Gotta love those Russians and their beasts! Great job!

Dean, you okay if I post some of your pictures on the UK forum ? Boys would love it there.

Sure, I will soon have this page up to date if you want to wait a bit.
Currently everything is on minus the tools, and im looking to paint.
I will also do some shameful internal shots and describe what hardware im using.