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Airfix 1/76 M3 Grant tank - Finished


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Oh, go on then. One to keep @JOCKNEY company, from one who also suffers from cold sweats if he can’t find the propeller on the sprue. Anyone who wants a proper Grant tank is strongly advised to head off to Mr. Matrix’s build.

 

What can I say? Airfix kit, been around since the 1970s at least. New red box-ing, bought from Modelzone a while ago, with a really dull “all sand” scheme. I will be pinching a more interesting scheme from the web.

 

Bits:

278-BB31-F-BF32-4-CAC-B35-D-B002793-E440

 

Box:

C6908-D7-A-979-C-42-EE-B93-F-62-CCF78840

 

Now, where’s that tin of sand paint??

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Well I have had fun. To celebrate bending some brass wire to the right shape elsewhere on the forum I pitched in here:

F29-B378-D-3779-4-AA5-92-EE-204-C20-B720
 

Lots of trimming but no real gaps. Brush painting hides a lot!

 

I think the chassis sides are slightly closer together at the top, especially on the (driver’s) RHS, which caused the side plate next to the gun to lean outwards a bit until I applied a bit of brute strength to the still-soft joints to get it all right angles and vertical again:

8-A89-A944-19-D4-4-B76-8598-10-E42476-FC

 

Come on Airfix. That turret moulding is a disgrace! This isn’t even a classic:

5-DFD2-EE3-56-D1-4-AA4-990-C-0-E144-EA42

 

Still having fun though...!

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Bit of paint:

D443-EF49-6-D9-A-4-C22-84-BC-BEEEDA9-BA8
 

Hu 94, which looks like it’s being arbitrarily dropped from the acrylic range, along with Hu79, another of my staples...

 

No point in painting the turret yet because that’s going to be 99% Milliput soon.

 

Right, so now this build is well under way, time to do some research! I wonder what obvious faults there are in the kit that I’ve missed? Time to start googling while the paint dries.

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7 hours ago, davecov said:

Put down the Milliput

Er, too late:

4-D15-A36-D-0-B6-E-4213-B74-B-F2152552-F

 

The turret is actually very undersized so I’m going to smother the Lee turret with a skirt in Milliput and get the file out. I will also strengthen the sprocket and idler bearings with Milliput. Also the storage boxes at the back were aligned with the decking on the Grant, rather than with the ground.The plastic on this kit is very soft so it was easy to cut them off.

 

This feels more like a proper build now...

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11 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Hu 94, which looks like it’s being arbitrarily dropped from the acrylic range, along with Hu79, another of my staples...

 

Is that a pot of notorious 'Made in China' Humbrol, Adrian?  In desperation, I ended up throwing all mine away!

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5 hours ago, CliffB said:

notorious

They are variable - I throw away about one in twenty on opening I guess, mainly for grittiness or inability to brush smoothly with my usual tricks. But if they are start OK, they stay OK. I gave up on the enamels altogether several years ago, after they reformulated, and I have to say that once I got used to the change, I haven't looked back. I do use some Revell and Vallejo colours, and Halford's primer and metallic rattle cans, but my Humbrol habit is too deep to kick. Using water instead of white spirit also meant that I am now allowed to model upstairs!

 

Regards,

Adrian

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9 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Couldn’t sleep so got up and did some filing:

 

The turret is quite a bit bigger!

I never realised just how small the original Airfix turret was. Now where did I put MY Milliput?

 

Dave

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1 hour ago, davecov said:

I never realised just how small the original Airfix turret was. Now where did I put MY Milliput?

 

Dave

That turret is tiny! Good to see another Airfix classic getting the Adrian treatment, I think its one of the few Airfix 1/76 kits I didn't build as a kid.

 

Colin

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3 hours ago, davecov said:

I never realised just how small the original Airfix turret was.

 

2 hours ago, Colin @ Freightdog Models said:

That turret is tiny!

Somewhere in the middle of that white lump is the whole Lee turret. It is a very complex shape! I think it will look OK once I've added the commander's hatch and other details to it.

 

There is a masterwork on the M3 Grant here, and all that is only a prologue to talking about the Sherman, where they really go to town! The plans I used are here.

 

I think I might add some side skirts if I can find a nice skirted scheme so that there's less track to deal with...

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Looking good, Adrian. 👍

 

There is nothing wrong with using 45-year old techniques on a 51-year old tooling but you don't need to use cellulose dope and talcum powder for sealing the turret!

 

Dave

Edited by davecov
Wrong number edited.
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Back at the bench this morning. The last comparison pic between kit Grant turret and the better-sized one made from the Lee turret:

7-FE765-C1-00-ED-4028-B5-FE-A4324-E693-C
Also to the left, the two modified storage boxes. The one on the right side of the tank was noticeably lower than the other so I will have to cut one down before I stick them back on. Below the turrets, I’ve whittled out just the gun mounting and aiming window from the kit front plate, and above the turrets, I’m sure I can’t see a difference between parts 47 and 42! I suspect one wasn’t meant to have the compensating cylinder below the barrel, but it looks like someone forgot.

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