Retired Bob

That looks superb!

Absolutely superb Stix, that looks very realistic. Sorry I have not updated my Sherman thread but I am away from my home for a couple of weeks.

Drat!....I was thinking that from photos of the Normandy area there were a lot of dead cows, but a turret works as well. The problem with telegraph poles is, do you bother with the telegraph wires?

It certainly looks different to the normal overall OD, nice camouflage painting Dennis.

Good luck with daubing dust on.... just sayin.

It's looking good George, always a nice forward step when the painting is ready and the decals applied. Some dust and mud can always hide any imperfections on a tank build.

Your Firefly is looking really good Stix, and the figures show how small they are in 1/48th. I have a Firefly 1c that I have assembled in 1/35th from a Dragon M4 and a spare 17 pounder converted turret, the one with the thickened cheek armour and no empty shell port. I only have 1 clear photo from the IWM site of this type of Firefly, but the censor obliterated the regimental markings on the negative. It was more than 25% started so I could not enter it in this GB but I'm dragging it towards being completed along with my dozer bladed Sherman.

That's the plan, however getting to the painting stage has taken longer than I anticipated, you wouldn't believe how much filling and sanding it's taken. Exactly, Lee say's dry brushing is old school, well since I left school in 1971 I think that that qualifies me to still do it.

Your Lee is looking good Ed, and the tank commander figure finishes it off. Looking forward to seeing you paint them.

That fine desert sand gets every where (I know from personal experience) Just drybrush some dust all over and jobs a good un.

The rails main purpose was to attach a framework decoy system, that's what those small rectangles are for, attaching a fake cab and canvas tilt over the tank so they looked from the air as trucks. They were used on all desert tanks as the allies did not have air superiority. You're M3 Lee is looking really good, nice p/e work.

I'm trying to finish a Blue Steel armed white Vulcan by mid-May for a display at my model club, very arduous, Airfix kit and lots of white paint. Tracks are all dry now so glue bottles removed. Should have the upper hull on today now that I've added the hatch periscopes and counter-balance springs from some fine wire. Unlike Lee I do dry brushing, even with acrylics.

I brush painted my dozer blade with AK true metal 'steel' which is a coloured wax that is then polished, came up really good. Then I slapped on a load of mud as in my photo.

I agree that the idlers did not have a rubber tyre, I have painted mine up as bare metal but I thought that the return rollers were made with the outer part of rubber, my Squadron/Signal Sherman walk around book details the other parts of the running gear but doesn't say anything about the return rollers. Anyone one else know their construction?

Good to see you back on site Roger, hope you did not get any grief for me disrupting your gardening. I put my Vulcan to one side and got the tracks fitted to 'Apache' today, it's always a good feeling when that hurdle has been overcome. First I painted all the road wheel tyres (that's tires for Lee and Dennis) and the return rollers with a dark grey/ blue paint (Vallejo 71054) I know that they are mostly going to get covered by mud and any other weathering but It's what I do. I glued the tracks onto the wheels and skids, I'm tired of the workable tracks coming apart when transporting them to club meetings or shows, these tracks are staying put! The photo shows some bottles of glue weighting down the hull making sure the running gear and track is straight along the lower run and some sponge holding the track tight against the suspension skids and rollers as the glue dries. It can dry overnight and I'll start detail painting it tomorrow. Any comments or questions are always welcome.