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IDF M1 Super Sherman.


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Turret is looking good John ...what putty do you use for weld seams......im looking for something different as the milliput sticks to everything except what you want it to stick to.

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4 hours ago, M3talpig said:

Turret is looking good John ...what putty do you use for weld seams......im looking for something different as the milliput sticks to everything except what you want it to stick to.

Actually, I use Milliput. You're right. It can be a beggar to adhere to where you want it to got. I use a blunted cocktail stick to push it into place, and what I do is to moisten the stick so that the Milliput doesn't stick to it and pull away.

 

John.

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11 hours ago, beefy66 said:

Hard to believe that this is 1/48 scale with all the details cracking job  👍

 

beefy

Thanks Beefy. It's taking a toll on my eyesight though. I don't know what I would do without my illuminated magnifying glass.

 

John.

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12 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

Neat and precise work John, great attention detail particularly in such a small scale.

:thumbsup:

 

Cheers

Darryl 

Thanks Darryl. It's getting very close to the finish line. Trouble is, I'm still waiting for my decals to turn up from Peddinghaus. I asked him to do me a set for my Tiran 4 and for this build. Still no site of them. I may have to resort to making my own.:hmmm:

 

John.

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4 hours ago, diablo rsv said:

Excellent work as usual John, love your attention to detail.

Wayne.

Thanks a lot Wayne. I think that the next build will be 1/35th............I can see it better!

 

John.

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Anyone reading this will probably have gathered that I am not over impressed with Hobbyboss’s approach to their Sherman kits. The pistol port is just one reason why. The door is too small for the opening and it allows you to see straight through into the turret. To overcome this, I glued a piece of card on the inside. I then glued another piece into the opening to pack it out, to bring the door forward. Then some pieces were glued around the bottom and Milliput applied. Once hardened, it was rubbed down and the door glued in place. I added some casting marks each side of the turret from the Archer Fine Decals sheet.

The extra, forward casting, where the second aerial was carried, isn’t a feature of the turret that I used, but it is on the tank that I was going to depict. To replicate this, I shaved off a slither of thick round sprue, and glued this in place, on the front, left side. It was then blended in with Milliput. 

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Time for another niggle about the fit of this kit. Both the loader’s hatch and the commander’s are poor fits. The commander’s didn’t take too much effort, but the loader’s did. I had to sand it’s shape a little, but the biggest problem is that the ridge running around the inside of the hatch opening that the cover sits on, fades to nothing on one side and prevents the hatch from sitting flush. Again, much sanding sorted the problem. I changed the moulded on grab handles on both hatches for ones bent from nickel silver wire. The springs on the loader’s hatch were replaced with ones made from thin copper wire, wound around thin rod. I also rebuilt most of the hinge as this was also stopping the hatch cover from sitting flush.

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One thing that did go nice and easy was the main gun. A drop of super glue and it slid into the hole in the mantlet with no trouble at all.

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I've just about finished the build now, and there are more photos to upload, but I won't bore you all and overload the thread, so I'll update it tomorrow.

Thanks for looking.

 

John.

 

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Final bits and pieces added to the turret include the bracket and cable for the forward aerial. This was just a piece of scrap etched brass, bent to shape. Also in this photo are the lamp and the periscope brush guard. 90% of the etched brass used in this build came form the Hauler set for the M4A3E8.

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Two more pieces of etch are the commander’s gun site, and the folding support for the .50 cal MG. My God, was that last piece fiddly. The spring parts are about the thickness of a hair.

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And last but not least, I detailed the MG mount by the commander’s hatch with a small circle of card and a locking pin, made from bent wire. A lot of the time, the MG was carried on the rear mount, wrapped in a cover. To do this, I assembled the gun and it’s ammo box from the kit, and then covered it in blue paper towel, soaked in PVA glue.

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That's the last of the turret. Just a few jobs to do on the front of the hull and then it's finished.

 

John.

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12 hours ago, M3talpig said:

I have just realised this is 48th ....jeez you must have eyes like a fighter pilot John......i struggle with 35th.....really excellent work.

Many thanks. Yeah, if the fighter pilot looks like Mr. Magoo! I'm definitely going to give my eyes a rest with the next build and get back to 1/35th.

 

John.

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15 hours ago, Dads203 said:

That’s some great work on the turret John, the attention to detail Is second to none mate :thumbsup:

Thanks Dan. Some of the detail is very delicate, so I hope that I don't knock it off when it comes to the painting and weathering stage.

 

John.

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There were a few jobs that I had to return to at the front of the model. First was to add the bow MG which arrived in the post last week from RB Models. While I was adding some casting numbers to the turret, I added the foundry mark for General Steel Castings Corporation on the glacis plate, between the base for the gun crutch.

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I removed the kit supplied brush guard for the horn, and replaced it with one from the Hauler set, as it had a better appearance.

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And finally, I had an attempt to replicate the later type of gun crutch that @M3talpigpointed out to me. To say that I’m not happy with the result is a bit of an understatement, but it was the best that I could do. It’s parts like this that are making me think about a 3d printer…..maybe!

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And the completed model, minus the running gear.

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It'll join a queue for the paintshop, and then have to wait for the decals to arrive. I only ordered them back in May!!

 

John.

 

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John that really does look a million dollars....almost a shame to paint it ....and for what it's worth the gun cradle looks fine and as you know good painting and weathering will do wonders for it.... Have you got a particular vehicle in mind for the markings and paint.

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10 hours ago, M3talpig said:

John that really does look a million dollars....almost a shame to paint it ....and for what it's worth the gun cradle looks fine and as you know good painting and weathering will do wonders for it.... Have you got a particular vehicle in mind for the markings and paint.

Thanks a lot. Much appreciated. Yes, I do have a vehicle in mind. Fortunately, if I don't receive my custom made decals, the markings on this particular tank should be fairly easy to replicate (he said hopefully).

 

John.

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Thanks a lot Glynn. I really appreciate your comments. Yes, I do have a soft spot for the Sherman. I think that I have something like 20 finished models in the two scales (1/35th & 1/48th), and there are a load more in the stash.

 

John.

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1 hour ago, Terry1954 said:

This really is coming along splendidly John. All that extra detail (and in 1/48, not 1/35) really sets it apart.

 

Terry

'Morning Terry, and thanks for the comments. I'm hoping to get some primer on it (and the Tiran) in the next couple of days. Providing of course, that I don't find a load more jobs to do outside.

 

John.

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