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51 minutes ago, M3talpig said:

i did a little tutorial on my GB on how to make really tiny chain....... 

 

14 hours ago, M3talpig said:

Beautiful work John...... as if i would expect anything else:goodjob:

oo's a clever boy then? That's a bl**dy good idea. You're right. Once the paint/wash has gone over it, it'll look just like chain. Thanks for that Steve. I will attempt to pinch your idea. And thanks for the comments also.

 

John.

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19 hours ago, Dads203 said:

Lovely work John, something satisfying at kit bashing, looking at all the different parts working together :thumbsup:

Thanks Dan. You're right there. I'm never happier than when I'm combining more than one kit. It also leaves me with a lot of useful spares.

 

18 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

Great work on this one John!

 

Terry

Thanks for the comment Terry, it's much appreciated.

 

5 hours ago, Longbow said:

Looking good !!

It can't be easy cross kitting like that.

Thanks very much Lee. Cross kitting depends on the kits involved. In this case, both excellent Tamiya offerings, so everything (so far) has gone together fairly easy.

 

John.

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I really enjoy seeing the extra details that you and others on here add to there builds. Combining two kits can't be easy but your doing a great job so far 👍 Keep up the good work John very enjoyable to watch 🙂👍

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For goodness sake John, that was a perfectly good Tamiya kit and look what you've done to it!

 

Another treat to behold I'm sure, I hope playing with these isn't keeping you from you other 1/1 project though??

 

Atb

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14 hours ago, Andy J said:

I really enjoy seeing the extra details that you and others on here add to there builds. Combining two kits can't be easy but your doing a great job so far 👍 Keep up the good work John very enjoyable to watch 🙂👍

Thanks for your comments Andy. As I said to Lee, the fact that both kits are from Tamiya makes combining the two together a lot easier. As for the added details. Yes, I love doing that, but it does come at a cost. So far, everything added together, it has pushed the cost up to over £80 for this build. It would have been even more if I hadn't have had the left over parts from the M51 kit.

 

John.

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33 minutes ago, Bullbasket said:

Thanks for your comments Andy. As I said to Lee, the fact that both kits are from Tamiya makes combining the two together a lot easier. As for the added details. Yes, I love doing that, but it does come at a cost. So far, everything added together, it has pushed the cost up to over £80 for this build. It would have been even more if I hadn't have had the left over parts from the M51 kit.

 

John.

That's a fair chunk of cash John but you can't put a price on the fun that you're having and after all that's what it's all about 🙂👍

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1 hour ago, Andy J said:

You can't put a price on the fun that you're having and after all that's what it's all about 🙂👍

 

Hmmmm..... Not sure about that Bro.....

 

10 minutes of fun.... 9 months of stress and panic.... 18 years of OMG, It's Trying to Kill me..... A lifetime of"BE SAFE !!"

 

Freaking Expensive !!

 

:D

 

 

 

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16 hours ago, panzerlehr46 said:

Really great info and enjoying your Sherman builds.Do like IDF stuff.Watching with interest.

Richard

Thank you Richard. What more could anyone ask for, but a Sherman and one in IDF markings.

 

John.

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18 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

For goodness sake John, that was a perfectly good Tamiya kit and look what you've done to it!

 

Another treat to behold I'm sure, I hope playing with these isn't keeping you from you other 1/1 project though??

 

Atb

Thanks Darryl. No, perish the thought. I've been retiling the kitchen floor, and it's taken me two weeks to do it. Mainly because it's in use at the same time and me and "er indoors" kept getting in each others way. Also, I did all the work in the morning, and left it to dry in the afternoon, leaving time for me to get to the modelling room. And no work on the outside projects as at the moment, I'd either get blown off of my feet, or soaked to the skin {or both). I can't believe that it's only a few weeks ago, that I was moaning about the stonkingly high temperatures, and the lack of rain.

 

John.

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This is a great kit, with lots of good ideas, but, I wish that manufacturers would do something about the way that they mould the wheels. It’s obviously done in a two part mould, but often, the two parts are misaligned, meaning that you have a lot of rubbing down to do. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was a seam running round the middle, but misaligned halves are a PITA. Moan over.

And so, four hours later, all wheels rubbed down, and the HVSS units, idlers and drive sprockets all ready for a coat of primer, plus the lower hull.

Now it was time to make a start on the upper hull. First thing to try was the M51 engine deck on the A3 hull. Nice fit, but a couple of millimetres short, so the rear part of the deck was sliced off, and a longer piece from 20thoucard, glued in it’s place. Grab handles removed to be replaced with ones made from brass wire, and the smaller ones, from 5amp fuse wire.

cab36c4c-229f-438c-a943-bd55a3d203f7.JPG

 

d4972713-a812-48a8-bde2-e9701180ad6e.JPG

 

Easy 8 hulls had stops welded to the upper sides for the engine doors. These were not needed on this tank, so the mouldings were removed with a chisel blade and the holes filled. I also removed the moulding for the tie downs on the RHS., and filled most of the holes for the pioneer tools, as they were mostly in different positions.

One thing missing were the armoured pieces running down the sides of the armoured intake covers. In the M51 kit, they are moulded onto the hull, so new ones were made from pieces of card. I then glued some lengths of Slater’s 10thou rod along the joins to represent weld beads.

The 105mm gun support came from the M51 kit, but I had to reduce the height of the brackets where it fixes onto the rear of the hull.

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The four indentations on the bottom of the rear hull plate were filled with pieces of card and filler. They were for the exhaust deflector, carried by late A3’s.

First tool fitted. This is the track tensioner, and I drilled out the middle and inserted a piece of tubing, drilled at the top to take the retaining pin, which I made from copper wire. It's supposed to have a chain on it, but I don’t have anything that thin, so the wire will have to suffice.

c116934e-fda8-4d4a-9070-31008518a44d.JPG

 

I'm leaving the folding stowage shelf off until later as I know that I would only knock it off whilst handling.

For some strange reason, Tamiya decided to make the size of the turret ring larger for the Easy 8, than the M51. Seeing as they both used basically the same turret, I can’t see the reasoning behind it. So rather than have the M51 turret, rattling around on top of the hull, like a pea in a matchbox, I decided to reduce the size of the ring. It was simple enough. I cut a strip of 40thou card and curled it so that it would fit into the opening. I had to do it again with a strip of 10thou card, before I got the right size, and now the turret fits nice and snug.

4d472f46-0337-4bdb-9246-39690902e599.JPG

 

So, as Porky Pig used to say "TH-th-th-that's all folks". Thanks for looking.

 

John.

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2 minutes ago, Andy J said:

Great attention to detail John like many others on here you make it all look so easy 🙂👍

Thanks Andy. Easy.....well.....not really, but I plod along at a slow pace. Whereas Lee is like a greyhound, I'm more your 16 year Labrador.:dog:

 

John.

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4 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

Thanks Andy. Easy.....well.....not really, but I plod along at a slow pace. Whereas Lee is like a greyhound, I'm more your 16 year Labrador.:dog:

 

John.

Don't put yourself down John, sure its nothing a trip to the grooming parlour couldn't put right.... 

Just brace yourself if someone brandishes a thermometer!

 

 

Anyhow.... moving on, really nice work on the Sherman, coming together nicely. 

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6 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

Thanks Andy. Easy.....well.....not really, but I plod along at a slow pace. Whereas Lee is like a greyhound, I'm more your 16 year Labrador.:dog:

Could be worms John ...i'd get it checked out if i were you :D Great progress on this , as usual your attention to detail will make for a beautiful final product.

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15 hours ago, Dads203 said:

Shaping up really well John, lovely work on the rear decks, all blended in very well :thumbsup:

Many thanks Dan. Yes, there's just one word for that.....Tamiya.

 

John.

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17 hours ago, flashlight said:

Catching up with your build today, I must say that your detailing work is just fantastic!

 

Stay safe

Many thanks Nick. I appreciate it.

 

John.

17 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

Don't put yourself down John, sure its nothing a trip to the grooming parlour couldn't put right.... 

Just brace yourself if someone brandishes a thermometer!

 

 

Anyhow.... moving on, really nice work on the Sherman, coming together nicely. 

Thanks for the comment Darryl. If I see a thermometer, it'll be backs against the wall.

 

John.

15 hours ago, M3talpig said:

Could be worms John ...i'd get it checked out if i were you :D Great progress on this , as usual your attention to detail will make for a beautiful final product.

Thanks Steve. I don't think that worms are so much of a problem, it's when I try nd lift my leg to scratch behind my ear.

 

John.

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22 hours ago, Hamden said:

 

More very nice attention to detail John looking forward to the next instalment in your own time

 

      Stay safe      Roger

 

22 hours ago, Longbow said:

Sherman’s are so much fun !!

 

Looking great so far, and some wonderful detail !!

Thanks Roger and Lee. I appreciate your comments. Yes, it's proceeding at a slow, but steady pace, in between other jobs.

 

John.

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Looks good from here too John. That turret ring re-sizing seems to have worked well and the modified engine deck is coming along. I need to get started on another 1/35 AFV, but I'm in the process of finishing two 1/72 AFV's at the moment. A Scimitar and a Light Tank Mk VI. No WIP on those, but they should be ready for RFI soon.

 

Terry

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