Pig of the Week Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 That's lucky to have survived as well as it has if it's been used as a target..! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WYATT Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 I'll have dig through my photos as I have been going to the war and peace show for the last 24 years (unfortunately not last year and this year sadly) and been displaying my trucks the last 15 years lol, so I should have some of that sherman somewhere so I don't mind sharing a few. Jonathan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 (edited) The Best Laid Plans I think it's fair to say that I haven't done all that much over the past week or so with this build, gardening has very much got in the way now that spring has sprung at long last, and what progress I have made has been a two steps forward, and one step back kinda thing, or in other words, I've been sorting out some things that I'm not happy with (applique armour) and making yet more changes to the Tasca hull, the upper hull is really starting to hate me I think, It backs away and goes all defensive whenever I approach my modelling bench, lol But anyway, while looking at some reference pictures of the driver and gunner vision hoods on the hull, I noticed that something didn't seem quite right with the area around the hatches and the periscope covers, so it's out with the Minicraft tool again, but this time fitted with a very small rotary bur, and changes are made, yet again... The white arrows - these are pointing towards a raised bead or lip that runs around the outside of the hatch openings and the periscope covers which as far as I can tell shouldn't really be there, or should be a lot less pronounced, either way, It doesn't seem correct for a Grizzly hull, so there's two options really, grind/file/sand the bead/lip down or raise the area around it, I chose the second option, the first option would require the hatches to then be sunk deeper into the hatch openings, which I don't think is a good plan as it might cause problems with the hatch hinges. The red arrow - this simply shows the periscope covers which are sitting proud of the surface by quite a lot (doesn't show well in this picture) virtually their whole thickness is sitting proud, which is also not correct I don't think, they should be flush, or even a little recessed maybe, so these need to be removed, the plastic sunk lower, and then new ones fitted. (Note, the new plastic strip doesn't need to be accurate, as the hatches will be closed) Picture above, the hatch openings have been attacked with a rotary bur to remove the standard Tasca inner lip, which is then replaced with plastic strip that is set slightly lower ready for two new scratch built hatches (hopefully) and the periscope covers have been removed and the area around the bead/lip has been filled with Surfacer 500, which is used as a filler, applied in several layers, it makes a very good filler/shaper because it's easy to work and blend it with a knife and fine sandpaper. Picture above, then two new periscope covers are made from plastic strip, making sure to keep them flush(ish) and then the filler work is given some final blending in and the whole upper hull is given yet another full coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 just to tie everything back in, the applique armour lump on the left side was also toned down a little at this point as well. Picture above, the armoured cover on the engine deck (which is a cast part on the real thing) has also been given a stippled coat of Surfacer 1000 because well, why not, It has also been lowered quite a bit at the front so that it now clears the turret bustle properly, the applique armour on this side of the hull has also been toned down quite a bit, in an effort to take out the harsh edges. Picture above, simply shows the reworked applique armour which I'm now fairly happy with at long last, when viewed from an angle it is far more subtle which is how it should be I think, and we now have two hatch openings that are ready for some hatches, which is always handy, the air scoops also got some nice new etched brass mesh fixed to the front of them at some point during all this, but I didn't take a picture, you can just see one glinting in the background... (My smart phone can now bend time and space, resulting in wonky pots) I have used so much of this stuff that I think the build log should be sponsored by Mr you know who, the blinkin hulls had so many stippled coats it's probably out of scale now lol, but hopefully I won't be needing this stuff anymore, and there was supposed to be some turret stuff in this post as well, but it was getting too long, a little turret work next. Matt Edited April 14, 2021 by Cerberus 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M3talpig Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 1 hour ago, Cerberus said: the upper hull is really starting to hate me I think, It backs away and goes all defensive whenever I approach my modelling bench, lol I find if you throw a towel over it so it can't see you it makes it a little more compliant and certainly much less likely to bite........ means the mods you want to do might be a little more difficult ......you could also try the "getting it drunk " method but that might get expensive Great work as always 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 12 hours ago, Pig of the Week said: That's lucky to have survived as well as it has if it's been used as a target..! That's what I thought when he mentioned it in the video, It's a useful vid because he actually has a look underneath, at the bottom of the hull, so I was checking to see if I could see the mythical extra floor hatch that all Grizzlies are supposed to have, for the anti mine shackle gear (whatever that is) as mentioned by Shadock 8 hours ago, WYATT said: I have been going to the war and peace show for the last 24 years That's commitment I'm gonna put War and Peace on my list of things to do. 45 minutes ago, M3talpig said: I find if you throw a towel over it so it can't see you it makes it a little more compliant I pretend to go to my PC, and then turn round n grab it... 🤣 Matt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig of the Week Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 Not surprised it hates you, with such a relentless and uncompromising approach..:) Looking stunning as a result however.. 👍 War and Peace shows used to be great, I went to loads of them in the 90s / 2000s, most of my clothing at the time was gleaned from the "quid each" type rummage piles, in fact I'm still wearing one of the shirts as we speak ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 Tales of the Future The Grizzly turret, which has been conspicuous by its absence for a very long time, has now decided to join the party and have some fun, and this has also been given the Mr Surfacer stippled paint job treatment, mainly so that I can see how well the cast in applique armour cheek blends with the rest of the turret, I think it's very hard to tell whether blending work is ok until a coat of paint (primer) is applied to the surface, as you seem to need a uniform colour/surface to see where the problems are, which is the main reason why everything keeps getting painted to be honest. Picture above, the cast in applique armour cheek seems ok to me, It blends in well and looks cast in to me, a feature of the turret casting so to speak, so I'll take that, plus it's far too late in the build to start messing around with it, I've had enough drama with the applique armour on the hull, so I really don't need anymore. The three lifting rings have had casting seams added to them using masking tape and a thin painted layer of Mr Surfacer, plus some careful sanding afterwards, the lifting rings on these cast turrets are added as a sort of plug to the casting mould (I think) and very often have a seam line around them, which sometimes blends in well, and sometimes doesn't, leaving a line/seam around the lifting ring. Picture above, the mounting lugs for the turret bin have been added to the turret bustle, these are welded on lugs I think, but not sure on this, because some Grizzly turrets seem to have them, and some don't, which seems kinda strange to me because all the Grizzles were fitted with turret bins (as far as I know) either the early square bin with the curved bed roll bracket, or the later simplified angled bin, maybe the mounting lugs on some Grizzlies have been removed in an effort to hide it's Grizzly heritage? Make it appear as a US built M4A1? Picture above, the turret applique armour cheek looks ok to me now that the turret is sitting down in the turret ring, and sitting behind the hull splash guard that's cast into the hull, and the plastic strip in the mantlet opening is simply preparation for future things... Picture above, It's always nice to have a turret, when your building a tank... with a turret, and folks with a keen eye for detail will have noticed that there's very little actually fitted to the hull and turret, I tend to consider that a minor detail, or a hallmark of my laziness, we at least have a starting point now, though I think that I'm going to struggle to make some of the things that I now need to make... How its taken me so long to get to this point is beyond me, let's call it laziness and leave it at that... Matt 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vytautas Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Superior work, it would be great to learn quality from you, but I know that I will not be able to do it anyway ... Very nice to watch your work. If I had to pay money for watching your work, I probably would pay. It seems to me that there would be many such spectators (look, I think this is a good business plan, and for me, as the author of the plan, you should make a big discount... ) Vytautas 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dads203 Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 That is looking rather superb Matt, looks the dogs mate, the workmanship is first rate 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Adding the turret makes a big difference. It really is coming together now. You mentioned above about whether the Grizzly had an escape hatch in the hull floor, I can confirm the the Bovington Tank Museum example which has deployed to Austria has an escape hatch in the hull floor as that is how the vehicle was accessed as the turret ring and driver/bow gunner hatches were concreted in from when it was a gate guard. Stay safe Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted April 16, 2021 Author Share Posted April 16, 2021 (edited) On 15/04/2021 at 16:32, vytautas said: look, I think this is a good business plan, and for me, as the author of the plan, you should make a big discount... You can always get in for free Vytautas, simply because you have the best profile picture, the way it keeps blinking and going cross eyed freaks me out but it's very good On 15/04/2021 at 18:26, Dads203 said: That is looking rather superb Matt, looks the dogs mate, the workmanship is first rate I told my Grizzly that you said she looks the dogs spherical danglers, she said - "Tell him, thank you very much, that's very kind." On 15/04/2021 at 18:32, Hamden said: You mentioned above about whether the Grizzly had an escape hatch in the hull floor, I can confirm the the Bovington Tank Museum example which has deployed to Austria has an escape hatch in the hull floor Yep, they had an escape hatch and a little anti mine shackle gear hatch (which the US built M4A1's didn't have) I always tended to refer to it as the 'mythical hatch' simply because when I started this build many years ago I couldn't find a single picture of it, and I tend to not believe anything (tank related) until I've seen a picture, so it gets referred to, in a sarcastic way, as the mythical hatch (This is from Sherman Shadock (I'll pray they don't mind) For discussion purposes only) This is a picture of the anti mine shackle gear hatch, which I could never find a picture of when I needed it most, this is taken from Shadock and their Grizzly page, the very handy picture on the right gives a very good clue as to its exact location on the bottom of the hull, we can see bogie mounting bolts, and FDA mounting bolts, and we know it's gunners side, so when I add it to my hull, I should be able to put it in the right place, hopefully... Thanks for the kind words everyone. Matt Edited April 16, 2021 by Cerberus 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 Beautiful work Matt, amazing skills your showing through your work, really excellent... Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vytautas Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 (edited) 14 hours ago, Cerberus said: You can always get in for free Vytautas, simply because you have the best profile picture, the way it keeps blinking and going cross eyed freaks me out but it's very good Hi Matt, here's your profile picture blinking too: Here so I wouldn’t feel lonely blinking Vytautas Edited April 17, 2021 by vytautas 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted April 18, 2021 Author Share Posted April 18, 2021 @edjbartos Thank you very much Ed, that's very kind words, I'm looking forward to more of your T34/85 On 17/04/2021 at 11:56, vytautas said: Here so I wouldn’t feel lonely blinking You are an absolute genius Vytautas, that is so good, I now have a doggie pic that randomly blinks! That is so cool 😎 Thank you very much, you're a star Matt 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vytautas Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Matt, your blinking is a pleasure to me Vytautas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig of the Week Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 ..I was caught out by it on the Tiger 1 thread !... it's Terrifying...aarrghhh ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted April 20, 2021 Author Share Posted April 20, 2021 On 18/04/2021 at 20:11, Pig of the Week said: I was caught out by it on the Tiger 1 thread !... it's Terrifying...aarrghhh ! It's probably a good job I didn't pick a doggie picture with three heads... @vytautas In honour of your great kindness Vytautas, I gave my Grizzly two nice new spooky eyes I'm working on hatches, and I have a feeling progress is going to be slow, I've somehow managed to loose my little screw thread mounting arbor that I use to spin teeny tiny bits of round plastic, to shape them, so I'm gonna have to stick things to plastic rod and do it that way, should be fun, as teeny tiny bits of plastic fly off in all directions, never to be found again... lol Matt 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vytautas Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, Cerberus said: @vytautas In honour of your great kindness Vytautas, I gave my Grizzly two nice new spooky eyes Matt, It seems to me, Grizzly is very grateful to you. Cool, finally he has eyes! And what about the ears? Vytautas Edited April 21, 2021 by vytautas 1 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig of the Week Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 This will turn into a cartoon series, be warned !! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 10 hours ago, vytautas said: And what about the ears? After the hatches, I'll be doing a gun travel lock, so that can be a nose...lol, I will try and make a cartoon animal face from all the little plastic hatch parts, I should be able to do the ears... Picture in the next update (hopefully) You have just gone from being a genius to a legend btw 7 hours ago, Pig of the Week said: This will turn into a cartoon series, be warned !! Disney have just been on the phone, punting an animated film idea, called...Tanks!! (their imagination is astounding) Terry the Tiger, Colin the Cromwell, Freddie the Firefly... Polly the Panther, she's high maintenance, and a bit of a drama queen apparently, they suggested Tom Hanks for the voice of Mr Grizzly... I just put the phone down... Matt 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig of the Week Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 You draw the line at Tom Hanks, very wise.. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig of the Week Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Werner Voss tried it with aeroplanes of course.... but the idea was shot down in flames..! Geddit ?... Oh well please yerselves.. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M3talpig Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 21 hours ago, Pig of the Week said: Werner Voss tried it with aeroplanes of course.... but the idea was shot down in flames..! Geddit ?... Oh well please yerselves.. You witty bstard 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig of the Week Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 2 hours ago, M3talpig said: You witty bstard Well, thank you dear boy....! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted April 26, 2021 Author Share Posted April 26, 2021 On 21/04/2021 at 17:36, Pig of the Week said: Werner Voss tried it with aeroplanes of course.... but the idea was shot down in flames..! Geddit ?... Oh well please yerselves.. Well, if you're gonna lower the tone with pictures of wingy things... We might as well have... I seem to remember someone was building a loco, with cardboard tubes, clad in metal, Vytautas could stick a face on the front for you Matt 2 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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