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Hi all, this is my take on the Sherman Firefly operated by Trooper Joe Ekins of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry during Operation Totalize, Normandy, August 1944. This tank is arguably one of the most famous Fireflies of the war, credited with destroying several German Tiger tanks in a single engagement - including the one commanded by the legendary panzer ace Michael Wittmann. The Firefly was a British adaptation of the American M4 Sherman, rearmed with the formidable 17-pounder anti-tank gun to give Allied forces a fighting chance against Germany’s heavier armor. Although not purpose-built, the Firefly was a practical battlefield solution, and its effectiveness is perhaps best illustrated by Ekins’ actions near Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil on August 8th, 1944. British armoured regiments in Northwest Europe during 1944 typically fielded a mix of Shermans, with one Firefly allocated per troop of four tanks, giving a ratio of about 1 in 4. That translated to roughly 12 Fireflies in a regiment of 52–55 tanks. The Firefly’s enhanced firepower was meant to complement the standard 75mm Shermans, which were more effective against soft targets and infantry. In total, approximately 2,100 Sherman Fireflies were converted during the war, including both the M4 and M4A4 (Sherman V) variants. Despite its stopgap origins, the Firefly played a crucial role in neutralizing the heavy German armor on the Western Front. This build represents the Firefly “Velikiye Luki,” believed to be the tank that Ekins manned during this fateful engagement. On that day, hidden in a treeline and acting as a hull-down ambush position, Ekins and his crew spotted a column of Tiger tanks from the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion. With just a few well-placed shots, some say within the span of 12 minutes, Ekins knocked out three Tigers. Among them was “Tiger 007,” Wittmann’s command tank. While the exact details of Wittmann’s demise have been debated, the bulk of evidence and most historians credit Ekins with the kill. I was not able to find any photographic reference to this particular tank, so this build is inspired by other photos of 1st NY Shermans from the same period. I was drawn to this build not just by its historical weight, but by the layered story behind the tank and its crew. After this engagement, this tank was hit and Joe Ekins was reassigned to another tank as a radio operator, never firing the 17-pounder in anger again. This build is a tribute not just to a vehicle or a moment in history, but to the humble sharpshooter behind the sights. The kit is the RFM Sherman Firefly VC, a well-detailed and nicely engineered kit overall, with just a few caveats. It doesn’t include the applique armor, but thankfully fellow modeller @nicholas mayhew kindly provided me with some spare parts to cover that. There are also a few inaccuracies in the kit-supplied markings to be aware of. As for the workable tracks, the type that warn you to "please use very little glue", they’re not exactly my favorite to deal with, but they do build up well with patience. The only additions I made were the stowage items, which are a mix of Value Gear and Black Dog sets. The hessian camouflage netting was scratch-built using medical gauze and fine paper strips for that worn, improvised look typical of frontline modifications. There’s been plenty of debate around the correct paint used on these tanks—whether it was U.S. Olive Drab or British S.C.C. No.15, or perhaps just the British modifications that were overpainted. In the end, I deferred to those more knowledgeable than myself and followed @Kingsman's advice, finishing the model in MRP’s S.C.C. No.15. Detail painting and the stowage were mostly done using Vallejo Model Color. Weathering was done in three main stages. First, I applied a layer of chipping fluid, then sprayed a mix of diluted pigments, mainly earth, dust, and engine grime tones. After letting it sit overnight, I did the chipping to achieve a worn, operational look. Next, I applied dry pigments to areas where dirt and mud would naturally accumulate, particularly around the running gear and lower hull. Finally, a very fine dust layer was lightly airbrushed over the entire model to unify the finish and tie all the weathering effects together. The weather during summer 1944 in Normandy was very changeable, with hot weather interrupted by huge storms, so I guess that these tanks were dirty. And here are a few detail shots: Thanks for watching, and thank you all for helping me to gether some info about this tank, you can find it here. Cheers, Nenad

I wanted to do a version of Abrams, which was deployed to Europe, so the weathering is a bit muddier considering the rainy and wet conditions of Europe. Many sepV2 are upgrades from previous version, so a bit more chipping and dark tones than a brand new one. Mostly my goal was to create an upgraded sepV2. My first time with a 1/35 kit of this complexity. Hope you like it. All comments and critics are appreciated. Thank you.

I started this a long time ago and after numerous distractions have finally finished it. I am still a novice at figures so, although ok, I will get better with more practice. Here is the WIP thread with some very handy contributions from many posters for anyone doing this cracking kit. All the best.

Had to put the Tiger to one side for drying reasons and needed something reasonably easy to tide me over. So something British for a change. This I bought a few weeks ago and looks a good culprit. Low parts count and a good looking tank and will give me some practice in painting green. I'm not sure what scheme it will be as there is a choice of two British and one Polish. We'll get to that at the end. As mentioned the parts count is low, the largest number being for the tracks. RFM tracks are normally good to make although these look a bit more complicated than German ones. So far it is going together easily. The flat pack tub is a tad tricky and another pair of hands would have come in handy. Some sprue goo was used to keep the sides in place, then proper glue was used to seal them together. No major problems to be found. A bit of cleaning up and some large plastic lumps had to be taken out from the ejector holes (all well away from sight), but nothing too complicated. Anyway, this should be a decent out of the box build. If anyone can suggest what Tamiya green would be appropriate to use I am all ears. Cheers all, have a good week.👍

Next project. My entry for the instagram german army groupbuild. For now i just sorted the sprues and had a look at the instructions to see where the snacks are hidden. I also ordered an upgrade kit from RFM to add some extra PE parts. In regard of the scene i want to create, it's a total clean slate. I'm imagining winter, some german ss soldiers suffering from the cold, maybe a blown off t34 turret in a frozen river.... a lot of ideas but nothing set in stone. I'll keep you guys posted. Cheers!

Finished up the RFM and Dragon kits. Both are excellent and were very enjoyable builds. I'll give the RFM a slight edge because fit was perfect and it has an engine and positionable wheels, but the Dragon is no slouch. My hat tip to the 70s Matchbox kit with the RFM Puma: And the Dragon offering: A link to some in-progress comparison shots is in this post: I just picked up Miniart's non-interior version from a Lightning Deal (very cheap!), so it looks like I'll be going from squared to cubed...

This is my build of RFM's Panzer III Ausf. J, done with Tamiya paints, weathered with oils and Tamiya pigments.

Great choice of GB @Marklo and @Stef N., @PlaStix and I hosted the first Tiger GB a few years ago now. Good luck and I hope it is as successful as ours. Here’s my entry, the RFM tiger 1 I picked the kit up second hand a while ago. Not going for a North African Tiger more an Eastern Front Tiger. I’ve got an Eduard brass set and some very depleted Bison decals. I’ve also got a metal barrel on order. I’ve also got a diorama base cast by Marco Doeser. quick proof of life pic, and into the build after a few hours today it’s starting to look like a Tiger. It’s gone together really well and who doesn’t like building a a Tiger Tank?

Having recently finished building RFM’s Pz.IV Ausf J and currently still having lots of fun with their Pz.IV Ausf J interior kit, I really fancied tackling another of their 1/35 armour kits. This year I’ve not started another softskin, which is what I mainly build, as these kits have just been such a pleasurable experience. The engineering is so good, and the plastic such a similar colour match, that I keep thinking I’m building a Tamya kit😉 As the end of last year was all about Pz.IV. J’s for me, this year I’m maxing out on StuG’s. Over the last few months, I’ve almost finished Dragon’s lovely StuG III Ausf F8 kit which will be based on an Italian campaign vehicle. I have a few decent period images which capture some nice features. I also ‘blitzed’ through Takom’s StuG III Ausf G (Early). This was built straight out of the box with no intention of losing any sleep over it's many inaccuracies. So, as I’m slowly getting to know my way around a Pz.III chassis and some of the later StuG variants, I figured why not check out one of RFM’s StuG's. This is their Ausf G late kit and it’s a belter. I’ve read there are a few issues with some small features (what kit doesn’t) but they are minimal and nothing that cannot be easily remedied. According to those in the know on ML, it is the perfect base kit that requires very little extra work to portray a decent Alkett built last production Ausf G. This kit is the non interior 2022 released kit 5086 and you can build a StuG III or a StuH42. RFM 5086 info It includes both Alkett and MIAG track guards as it incorporates sprues from their Pz.III as well as from previous StuG kits. The tracks are RFM’s own individual links which incorporates a jig to complete small runs, speeding up construction. There is no turned metal barrel, but the one-piece slide moulded one is easy to clean up. There are two frets of photoetch. The largest covers the Schurzen plates. The wheels incorporate poly caps which I personally like and fit nice and snug just like on many a Tamiya kit. The lower hull is of flatpack design and fits together perfectly. The torsion bars can be made workable or you can simply glue the ends onto the lower hull. There is even an option to build adjustable shock absorbers (dampers). Your choice. When it comes to the bow armour the StuG went through quite a few production design changes in this area. Unlike another certain Chinese manufacturer I could mention, the correct parts are called out, even though there are several other variant parts available on the sprues. The running gear lines up really nicely as does all the features on the rear plate. The interlocking bow plate portion which would be partly visible just forward of each sprocket plate on each lower hull side plate stranglely isn't moulded on. I chiselled out the feature and added the welding marks. The transmission plate is just dry fitted in the image below. One of the oddities in the kit is RFM’s choice of tracks. The open guide horn type was seen on StuG’s III's, just not many have been photographed on these late production vehicles. A period image that captured my attention had the more common type seen on these variants and as I had a 3D set of T-Rex links, I figured these were the ones to go for. That decision wasn’t one of my best! Unlike two previous sets which I had a blast with, these were a right PITA. They definitely were not from the same batch as my previous sets as the material was far more brittle. I even had some links break which hasn't happened before! On top of that the pins did not appear to exhibit any taper and a large percentage were already damaged in their small bags! TBH I though of contacting the seller but figured I should as least see if I can build up two complete runs first. I did, but only just and the pins were falling out as quick as I popped them back in🤬 In the end after a few choice words and a few strong shandies, I brush painted over the pin ends on the links with Vallejo grey primer. This seemed to solve the issue but I then found the links were a tight fit over the sprocket and I don't trust them to take much more handling! After all this track building agro I have decided to give the kit tracks a go. Also, as RFM only offer the earlier style round tow cable clamps, I ordered the correct square aftermarket Alkett factory produced ones from Panzerwerk Design Alkett late tow cable brackets. Whilst postage is way in excess of their cost, I also plumped for some of their Type 6B tracks Pz.III & IV type 6B links at the same time. Their tracks look good and have favourable reviews, so I will build them up when they come and choose whether they trump the kit tracks later in the build. As it would give the option to display the vehicle on uneven ground I opted to utilise the kit's adjustable torsion bar set up which will work with the optional moveable damper units. Due to the kit's engineering in this area the adjusable torsion bars naturaly allow the wheels to lift over obstacles, and the moveable damper units equally compress, but they do not naturally rebound. This effect is visible in the first image below. The first and last front bogie wheels are slightly effected by the track tension and are pulled a little higher than they would normally sit on level ground. If positioned on uneven ground they can always be fixed, so it’s nice to have this option. The T-Rex tracks do look the business but this set was far from perfect. The track tension on the other side is a touch loser on the image below so all the bogie wheels sit nice and level. One construction fix which was pointed out to me by a fellow modeller is to do with two strengthening ribs (parts D13 & D14) which you are instructed to add to the undersides of the gun box in step 13. What they do in essence is create a channel which allows the gun box to align squarely onto both of the thin lower hull side plates. The problem is, that they only need the fixing to be off a fraction and the channel will become too narrow and will interfere with what should be a simple slot down on to the lower hull sides. To remedy this potential fit issue, you just need attach the parts directly to the lower hull instead. There are slots in the lower hull side plates too, so it’s a really simple fix. The lower hull interior includes a fighting compartment floor to which the gun cradle fixing mount is attached. Only the inner two of the four spars that fit between the lower hull back plate to the extension over the exhausts featured on these late production vehicles. It is not an issue to fit them as instructed as they are not visible (unless you are an IPMS/USA judge) 🫣 and the extension rear plate you fit has the correct bolt head detail for just the two inner ones that remained. In step 15 you get to choose your gun type and unlike any previous manufacturer's releases, each gets its own breech and cradle parts and construction steps. It is worth mentioning that in step 19 it is not at all clear in which order you attach your breech sub-assembly, gun box, lower hull and mantlet all together! I’m sure there are a few ways that folks have managed to do this successfully, but it is not at all obvious and quite a conundrum to figure out. Breech assembly with added weld detail on the recuperator and an aftermarket barrel. I incorporated the kit's spring so I can leave it adjustable to ensure I end up with the correct length of visible barrel outside of the mantlet. The full breech sub-assembly with the mantlet and muzzle brake dry fitted. I’m currently building up the engine deck which comes as a separate moulding but I’m not going to attach all the parts permanently until I pick some aftermarket stowage. Can anybody confirm whether aftermarket resin StuG engine deck stowage parts fix over the armoured hatches or directly to an unpopulated deck? Engine deck, armoured engine hatches and gun box roof still dry fitted. Progress so far The loaders front armour plate provided in the kit is of the earlier production design which incorporated two (50 & 30mm) plates. Late Ausf G had a single 80mm plate. It would be quite easy to hide the join if it were not for the fact that the kit’s outer 30mm plate part does not feature the extra portion that curves down to match the contours of the inner plate. I shaped a similar thickness piece of grey styrene to mimic the outer plate then scribed torch marks over both to hide the join. I understand the correct single 80mm plate can be found spare on the sprues of many a Dragon StuG kit.

Well it's finished. I've kept it new and shiny looking, well because they are mostly I think? I'd almost forgotten all this was in here - seems a long time ago! Thanks for looking! Nick

This is my build of the M1A2 Tusk II by Rye Field Models. I haven't had much experience with full interiors, so this was a fun, and at times intimidating, kit to dive into. Painted with Tamiya lacquers, and weathered with oils and pigments.

Hi All, Along with the others who have participated in the Leopard Tank STGB I thought I would chuck my finished model here. The wip log can be found here and as with my Gaz Tigr build I made a whole host of mistakes and experienced alot of self doubt that I presume comes from this being my second ever completed Scale model. The kit is by RFM and as with basically all their kits was a really nice (if complex) build. I added T-Rex Studio tracks which were interesting but a little fragile and hard to build at scale. I decided that as if doing my second kit ever wasn't enough I would do a diorama base (inspired by the likes of Nightshift on youtube), would do a tank commander (even though i paint warhammer I don't do faces or cloth haha) and make some custom tarps and have a punt at making a flag out of greenstuff...I also decided to try doing glazing to paint things like the flags and tarps. I painted it with the usual assortment of Tamiya, AK, Mig and vallejo. I didn't weather it too much, I tried to mostly add scratches, some more intense mud on the wheels and tracks and then a general dust layer across the whole model which is something i've seen on reference pictures. The dioarama base is more "free balled" as I didn't really have a reference or the experience to properly match how the mud would look, an the grass was sprayed with greens that I had to hand (next time I would go with a more vibrant green and probably lean into yellows for highlighting instead of light tank colour). I have done this model as one of the Leopard 2a6's given to Ukraine by Germany during the currently ongoing counter offensive. I had hoped that I might have been able to take inspiration from a real image or situation but it was not to be, so this has probably moved more into the "what if" department. Anywho pictures time, enjoy these slightly dodgy pictures from my hooky home made light box (lol😞 Thank you for looking, Mipps

Hey All, Having been told off by dad ( @modelling minion ) I thought I should get my thread up in preparation for Saturday's start. Soooo, I like many others (probably) am taking inspiration from the current horrible events in Ukraine. I will be building this kit as a vehicle in use by Ukraine so I am desperately hoping the long awaited counter offensive starts soon and we get some actual pictures of these big cats in the wild, otherwise who knows what madness I might end up unleashing. My ambition knows little bounds so I have ideas so some figures to maybe add or possibly a little diorama/base for the tank, but I should probably actually get the lump built first before I start getting distracted. I have chosen an RFM kit (not the one with full interior, I am not that insane yet) as I enjoyed building their version of the challie 2 TES. The only downside with RFM is they have ALOT of parts and many of the bits are tiny. But otherwise it will mostly be out of the box with the only real addition being some T-REX tracks as I have been hearing some positive things about them around the place, so we shall see (plus no clean up sounds 👌 to me). I do warn you, the last build I did of a Russian MRAP type thing was an emotional rollercoaster of self doubt and cock-ups, so buckle up cause you are probably in for a wild ride 🤣🤣 A few pics of the boxes and the contents of said boxes are below: Cheers, Mipps

Here's my build of the RFM Panther Ausf. G. Painted with Tamiya lacquer paints, weathered with Tamiya pigments, acrylic and oil paint. As for my impressions on Rye Field Models, like many have noted before, I found the build overcomplicated at times, and the plastic was softer than I'm used to - that said, I'm very happy with the results.

This has been one of those long term projects (it's been gathering dust on the shelf) that I finally got around to touching up and finishing off. Based on photos of one supposedly being resupplied at Sennelager in late 44. It was from RFM's great kit, albeit a bit fiddly. A bit of Voyager etched was used for some of the details, Atak's zimmerit and finished of with Masterclub's great tracks (pins not so great.) Thanks all for viewing. Have a very good weekend.👍

As you know, I'm working on the RFM Sherman M4A3 with full interior. The paint scheme suggests that the inside of the crew hatches in the hull and turret is white, but I read (can't recall where though) that they were painted green, the same as the outside as white would be a giveaway from the air. I've currently got mine in white primer, so a change of colour is easy at this stage. Can anyone help or advise me on this as I'd like to be reasonably accurate. Thanks in advance, Keith 😁

I present my first Sherman in 1:35 scale. It’s the RFM kit of the Firefly Vc built straight out of the box with the markings of the 2nd Armoured Battalion, Grenadier Guards, 5 Guards Armoured Brigade in the Netherlands, September 1944 (so I assume involved with Market Garden). I got the hankering to build a larger scale Firefly after reading Brothers in Arms by James Holland over Christmas. Build thread can be found here: A bit fiddly in places, but all in all a very satisfying build. Brush painted with Vallejo acrylic for the main colour, details in Tamiya acrylics and finished with various Vallejo washes. Hope I did it justice.

After getting my eye back into the game with my AS-90 and also a PzH2000 I thought it was time for me to break out a model that's been sat in the stash for a while but that I've not been brave enough to start until now. Stumbled upon RFM kits in a local shop who just seems to get stuff in at random and I've since picked up, but not started, a Challenger 2, Challenger 2 TES, Sherman Firefly and Leopard 2A6. So I suppose I'd better actually get one started. I decided on the Common or Garden Challenger 2. In my humble opinion the best looking modern MBT, and I will die on that hill. And an excuse to finally have a model with the Royal Tank Regiment Chinese Eye which just tickles me as a bit of nice British eccentricity. This also marks my first adventure away from the more usual kit manufacturers, apart from a Zvezda Tu-160 a few years ago, so I'm climbing out of the Revell, Tamiya and Trumpeter pond. So far I've only got a few steps done as work and other things have got in the way but I've managed to get the main parts of the lower hull together. Very impressed with the detail, slightly less impressed by the huge lumps of plastic from the pin ejectors that needed removing and filing down to get the parts to fit together. But, its all experience. Also, please excuse the background, my workspace is the coffee table... Complete with pin ejector detritus on the right... Ooooh, those tow hooks could do with the quick run over with a blade to tidy that flash... Time to keep on going and try to forget about the RFM track links in my future...

I’ve got some leave coming up, and casting around for my next project I’ve decided on the RFM Sherman Firefly, which I picked up only a couple of months ago. Going to be a straight from the box build, rather fancy the Grenadier Guards markings. Paint scheme I gather is pretty straight forward - SCC 15, but there looks like lots of optional parts in the box… I’m no Sherman expert so any advice gratefully received! I’ve picked up some bits and pieces, such being careful to choose the correct sprocket ⚙️. For the SCC15 I have some Mig AMMO paint, but was considering Vallejo Model Air 71.020 as per this link: http://www.plasticpanzers.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1023

Here she is, my finished StuG III Ausf. G. with full interior. If you want you can check out the buildlog. ( i don't know how to add the link 🤣 ) I'm very proud of her. I spent alot of time building, painting, correcting mistakes, learning, researching, weathering etc. Anyhow, here are the pics. Enjoy and feedback is more than welcome.

So The StuG III...... I think this vehicle does not need an introduction so i'm not going to entertain you guys with a history lecture 😉 I bought the RFM version with full interior. And yes..... there are a lot of sprues!!! And by a lot, i mean a LOT! A first glance over the sprues show a lot of detail on the parts. On the bigger parts there is some excess sprue and there are a lot of ejector pinmarks. The plastic itself is quite soft. On the smaller parts that means i have to be very carefull. The hull is assembled, no issues there. Lot of small parts so i took my time, dryfitting every part to make sure the fit was right. As with all my builds i will show the progress in this build log. Feel free to tag along. As always your time, comments and tips are much appriciated. I'll keep you guys posted 👍👍👍

My contribution to the GB will be RFM's very nice 1/35 Sherman M4A3E8. I have been looking for a suitable setting for this kit. I did not want to load it with sand bags and evoke the wrath of General George S. Patton. Or cover it up and hide RFM's handiwork, be it that this would make an interesting subject and the decals and resin are available. I think a concrete covered glacis plate is just plain ugly and Lee @Longbow is already doing an excellent job with the application of applique armour. I wanted a subject a little more naked. Finally, I decided on this: An "Easy 8" on the railway platform at Mühlhausen in early April 1945. An interesting subject in a simple diorama setting. The subject appears to have the two-tone olive drab/black scheme - even better. Another image: I have the figures organised for the setting. A Tamiya boxing for some of the crew figures. And on the way: PanzerArt to be modified to represent the guy hanging off the .50 cal. Alpine Miniatures for the guy at the rear of the turret: Another Alpine Miniatures again on the deck but to the side of the turret: The title is what is on everyone's mind - "Why don't they just surrender?" Ray

I finally completed this shelfer which has been languishing for months while I got on with other things. A great kit that seems to be very popular and well worth the good price I got it for. (Cheers Darryl for the tip.) I have used it as a bit of a mule to try out heavier weathering for once, which I need to learn for my ongoing Sturmtigers. I have borrowed a few tips, some I am very happy with, some ok but more practice and some complete disasters which got quickly covered up. (Don't mention the decals. I slapped on some mud texturing before I had done them. So there is a bit more mud where it shouldn't really be.) Many thanks to @vytautas for the better quality photos. Now I will try and finish of the Sturms and then..... Anyway, cheers for looking and any other tips greatly appreciated.👍

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Without too much babbling, here is the final product. Went with a traditional paint job to pay homage to the original camo seen shortly after 1994, and a slight wink at the BAE Systems upgraded Chally. Those who wish to see the build process (WIP) and my other challenger projects: Enjoy the Photos! Edit; some more photos with the chally in its natural habitat. Well its 35x bigger than this models habitat but nature is the best diorama in my opinion A giant car chasing the challenger about. The paint job looking more accurate in the more usual British weather as opposed to the sunny pictures as seen below.