Help me build a Sherman +++COMPLETED+++

[Army_Air_Force]

30 minutes ago, BIG X said:

Looking at the main bodies - as you get a choice of 2 different ones – depending on what you are building - I can see the following differences – outlined in blue – do they make sense and what are they exactly?

 

 

I can also see a lot of what look like 'hooking points' that are just 'blobs' on the kit - I will come back to that after a bit more googling - but it might be best to 'skim them off' and use bits of wire to make these - or maybe I can drill through them...  I'll have a closer look later.

The parts on the left are handles for axe and pick, and the line with a loop on the right is a steel towing cable and eye.

[Badder]

Hi Steve,

Regarding your 'parts of a tank' diagram.

First thing to say is that unlike German and British tanks (amongst others) American tanks had the commander's hatch on the right hand side (as you sit in the tank facing front) This is sometimes a 'cupola' - a raised circular structure with 360 degree viewing 'ports' so that the commander can look around while safely locked down in the turret. So your Sherman would differ from the King Tiger in that respect. BTW it's not uncommon to see people buy figures for a 'figureless' tank and put the commander figure in the wrong hatch.

 

The armour 'Upper front plate' meanwhile, is usually called the 'Glacis' - and this is the term most often used, but actually a 'Glacis' can be any piece of sloping armour. The word was first used in reference to sloping mud/earth and stone banks which helped in the protection of castle walls

 

I note that there is no name given for the rearmost wheels of the running gear, the ones which the tracks wrap around as they are lifted from the ground.  These aren't connected to the engine/drive system in any way and only rotate because of the friction of the tracks running over them. These are called the 'idler wheels' then.

 

As I'm typing this, others are replying and are probably answering all the questions you have raised, so I will end my 'novel' here.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Troy Smith]

12 minutes ago, BIG X said:

…as it doesn’t appear on any of the instructions?  Maybe it rests on top somewhere? As ‘stowage’ – there is a jerry can too…

 

spare road wheel,  allied armour often ended with all  sorts of extra tat stuck on  for extra armour.

 

eg

 

this is a really extreme example,  and the stuff at the hull rear  looks to PZ.IV track, 

 

note the Firefly's here

 

and a page of this

http://www.theshermantank.com/category/add-on-armor/

 

I did warn you

 

 

 

[Army_Air_Force]

This video from a few years ago, shows a Chaffee recovering a Stuart tank with the steel tow cable.

 

 

[BIG X]

8 minutes ago, Mike said:

As Troy says, the Sherman was much-amended both on the production line as well as in the field.  I'd focus on the build & painting if I were you Steve, just so you don't send yourself bat crazy with the details

What do you mean 'send myself' - I'm already there - have been for a long time

[BIG X]

8 minutes ago, Army_Air_Force said:

The parts on the left are handles for axe and pick, and the line with a loop on the right is a steel towing cable and eye.

haha Stephen - so a bit of wood colour for the handles and some gunmetal for the towing cable - thanks for that - Steve

[Badder]

Regarding the 'spare wheel'. That's exactly what it is. But it seems to have had the rubber 'tyre' removed. Spare wheels were usually stored/strapped/tied/held in place on the glacis, as makeshift additional 'armour', as were spare track links, sandbags, barrels filled with sand/concrete, logs, etc. I'm not sure what that 'funnel' shaped part is, but it could actually be a funnel! for re-fueling.

 

Badder

 

 

[Mike]

7 minutes ago, BIG X said:

What do you mean 'send myself' - I'm already there - have been for a long time

 

Well... I didn't want to presume too much

[Badder]

The 'barrel cleaning rods' have been mis-identified. It's a common mistake. This is actually a very long 'washboard', adopted by 'skiffle' bands as a musical instrument when struck, scraped and rubbed with a metal thimble. Here, the washboard is extra long and can be played by 4 crew members all at once.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2017 by Badder

[BIG X]

6 minutes ago, Mike said:

 

Well... I didn't want to presume too much

OK - is it time to get the spoons out then  oh yes - I think it is...

 

For this one I'm going with SCC15, rather than the US olive drab...

 

 

 

...that is Vallejo Model Air 260

[BIG X]

22 minutes ago, Badder said:

The 'barrel cleaning rods' have been mis-identified. It's a common mistake. This is actually a very long 'washboard', adopted by 'skiffle' bands as a musical instrument when struck, scraped and rubbed with a metal thimble. Here, the washboard is extra long and can be played by 4 crew members all at once.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

 

 

 

 

d'yer know I was actually believing you when I first started reading that...

[Mike]

You sure you're not The Tick in disguise?  He had a thing about spoons if I recall

[BIG X]

9 minutes ago, Mike said:

You sure you're not The Tick in disguise?  He had a thing about spoons if I recall

more of an 'X' than a tick 

 

BIG TICK doesn't sound right

[BIG X]

1 hour ago, Troy Smith said:

the long rods on upper hull are for cleaning the gun barrel.

Do we have any idea what colour the 'pipe cleaners' would be?

[Bullbasket]

2 hours ago, BIG X said:

Looking at the main bodies - as you get a choice of 2 different ones – depending on what you are building - I can see the following differences – outlined in blue – do they make sense and what are they exactly?

 

 

Apologies if this has already been answered, but to identify the parts that you have ringed in blue, they are, starting at 12 o' clock;

Barrel lock for the 17 pdr. When being transported, the Firefly's turret was reversed.

17 pdr cleaning rods.

The end of a stowed tow cable.

Blanked off bow machine gun. This area was used to stow extra ammunition in Fireflys.

Radio pot.

And finally at 9 o' clock, stowed crow bar and shaft for the pick axe.

You're right to go for SCC15. M4A4's (which is what the Firefly V was based on) when shipped from the factory in the States would have been finished in Olive Drab, but once rebuilt in the UK into Firefly V's they would have been repainted in SCC15.

The barrel cleaning rods were usually in natural wood, but sometimes they got painted over with SCC15 if they hadn't been removed during the repaint.

HTH's.

 

John. 

Edited November 24, 2017 by Bullbasket

[BIG X]

2 minutes ago, Bullbasket said:

Apologies if this has already been answered, but to identify the parts that you have ringed in blue, they are, starting at 12 o' clock;

Barrel lock for the 17 pdr. When being transported, the Firefly's turret was reversed.

17 pdr cleaning rods.

The end of a stowed tow cable.

Blanked off bow machine gun. This area was used to stow extra ammunition in Fireflys.

Radio pot.

And finally at 9 o' clock, stowed crow bar and shaft for the pick axe.

You're right to go for SCC15. M4A4's (which is what the Firefly V was based on) when shipped from the factory in the States would have been finished in Olive Drab, but once rebuilt in the UK into Firefly V's they would have been repainted in SCC15.

HTH's.

 

John. 

That's brilliant - Thanks John.

 

One supplementary question if I may - what colour would the crowbar be...

...you know how people get over Spitfire crowbars  

[Bullbasket]

I usually paint mine black, and then rub a pencil lead over it.

[BIG X]

Right - back to the tracks – or should that be ‘back on track’.  Here is what you get…

 

 

 

…they aren’t exactly those single link tracks that you put together piece by piece – but then again I’m sure that would completely put me off with my skill level and these are supposed to be ‘fast build’ kits.  This ‘real Sherman’ has completely different looking tracks though…

 

 

…however this ‘schematic’ shows very similar tracks…

 

 

I need ideas and tips on the colours of the various bits of the tracks and how to go about painting them – so please help me

[Badder]

Pure guess on my part, but I'd say those tracks in the photo are for sandy beaches?

 

Badder

[Bullbasket]

Those are T-49 tracks, and it's unusual to see them on a Firefly. The ones that you showed from the kit are correct to use. Not sure of my numbering here, but they could be T-54E1 tracks. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

To paint them, try a 50/50 mix of black and brown and then when it's dry, rub a pencil lead over the raised portions that would come in contact with the ground. On the inner part of the track, paint it with some dark grey to represent the rubber that would have worn off of the tyres on the road wheels.

 

John.

[BIG X]

3 minutes ago, Bullbasket said:

Those are T-49 tracks, and it's unusual to see them on a Firefly. The ones that you showed from the kit are correct to use. Not sure of my numbering here, but they could be T-54E1 tracks. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

To paint them, try a 50/50 mix of black and brown and then when it's dry, rub a pencil lead over the raised portions that would come in contact with the ground. On the inner part of the track, paint it with some dark grey to represent the rubber that would have worn off of the tyres on the road wheels.

 

John.

I love a man who knows his stuff.  I guess you mean the 'real one' has 'funny tracks'.  Thanks for the tips - most appreciated.  This sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun and looking on the bright side - if I begger them up - I still got 2 other sets to play with  

[Army_Air_Force]

There's some good pictures amongst those I sent you, showing the rubber on the inside of the tracks, and how the dirt/mud spreads around the wheels, suspension and hull.

[BIG X]

4 minutes ago, Army_Air_Force said:

There's some good pictures amongst those I sent you, showing the rubber on the inside of the tracks, and how the dirt/mud spreads around the wheels, suspension and hull.

There are some brilliant pictures there Steve and you have saved me hours of googling.  I get what you mean about the rubber on the inside of the tracks.

Cheers matey

[AgentG]

Nearly every single Sherman Vc came from Chrysler wearing T62 tracks. The T62 became known as "British track" as almost all of the M4A4 production was exported. These were all steel tracks, no rubber at all, inside or out. Painting them in a dark rust with bright wear points will be correct. The area on the inside where the road wheels contact the track will also be free of rust.

As a side note, the T-49 three bar cleat track seen above was most prevalent on US Army tracks in the Pacific and Italy. It was designed for maximum traction or where a rubber track would be subject to great wear.

The major immediately visible difference between the T 54E1 and T62 was the three rivet heads on the road face of the T62. In this scale the provided tracks will be just fine. 

T-62

 

T-54E1

 

Photos from this wonderful website http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/tracks/vvss_tracks.html

 

G

Edited November 24, 2017 by AgentG

[Bullbasket]

Thanks for that clarification G. I was too b****y idle to go upstairs and check Hunnicutt.

 

John.