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The Dirty Sherman M4A3E8


Keeff

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Well, it's the second of 2023 finished ..... the over-weathered 'Dirty Sherman'! 

 

A couple of bits ...

Aerials - cut the plastic ones off the base, drilled and fitted a length of silver wire for more realism

Tow cable - scratch made from silver wire with the eyes bound to the main cable with separate wire 

 

My 'Notes to self' ...

1. Test fit everything, then file, shave, test fit again (and again and again) before shoehorning it in or on! 

2. Don't try to be smart and try adding shell damage this soon ... master the basics first! 

3. Spend time learning subtle weathering first 

4. Go easy on those muddy pigments .... tanks get muddy, but seriously!  🙄  (He writes after ordering another load of mud stuff!  😳

 

So here it is .... please be gentle! 😬

 

52644300662_e19ecaaa02_h.jpgSherman front by Ran Domstuff, on Flickr

 

52645248195_4b573b4ded_h.jpgSherman front by Ran Domstuff, on Flickr

 

52644808986_035986e84d_h.jpgSherman 1 by Ran Domstuff, on Flickr

 

 

 

52645281393_b954dd8aad_h.jpg[/url]Sherman side 1 by Ran Domstuff, on Flickr

 

52645281768_1ab4bf4537_h.jpgSherman side 2 by Ran Domstuff, on Flickr

 

52644809096_c4af0d32e8_h.jpgSherman rear by Ran Domstuff, on Flickr

 

Sherman 1 by Ran Domstuff, on Flickr

 

52644300862_e4d8ffefcb_h.jpgSherman top by Ran Domstuff, on Flickr

 

Thank you for looking ..

 

Keith  😁

Edited by Keeff
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  • Keeff changed the title to The Dirty Sherman M4A3E8

Hi Keith,

Good reflections at the beginning of the blog, very basic but important things to do a good job. As you say, very dirty...it could actually be, life is kaleidoscopic...lol. Although somewhat more subtle, it works very well, and I like the used aspect. What I would change are the antennas, which are not adequate. The old stretched plastic trick works really well, and it's super-cheap...lol. In case you don't know, I'll tell you, take a straight piece of the leftover sprues on each side, and place it over a small flame, at a distance of 1cm or 2cm, as soon as you notice that it softens, slowly pull it out removing it from the heat... you get a fine, straight plastic thread... it takes practice so it doesn't burn or split, but it's an effective trick. For the rest, everything is there, with more practice, you will be able to polish the technique and find your style/balance.

Cheers and TC

Francis.👍

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Well done Keith. You took a few risks, tried a few techniques and learned a lot from that tank. I like the mud and the filth, the chipping and general wear and tear. The battle damage, as mentioned in your WIP, is too heavy, but has been done and painted well. A few tweaks and it is a very useful technique to take onto future builds. Most importantly it sounded like you had fun making it. Nice one and onto your next build.👏👍

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You know what…  fair play!! I’d rather make an interesting model and take a dive than be safe and MOR. The cables you did yourself look good and you know what for next time. Battle damage can be over done, that I know myself for sure but at the same time it is really enjoyable. 

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You're weathering isn't s bad as you think. Take away the excessive mud, and the rest of it is quite good. What I would lose though are the two aerials. If you want something which fits the bill perfectly, get a packet (or two) of Accurate Armour's carbon fibre aerials. Even if you knock them, they will spring back up, nice and straight. And you don't even need to paint them. The other item is your tow rope. You've done a good job on it, but it's too short. When stowed, it should stretch all the way from the front glacis plate, back to roughly where the left hand rear light brush guard is. There was sometimes a clamping point there.

I think that you've answered your own question regarding the battle damage.

All that aside, you've done a good job on it.

 

John.

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@FrancisGL, @Stef N., @Muchmirth, @Bertie McBoatface and @Bullbasket

 

Thank you for looking, your advice and comments, they are all appreciated.  As I've written, lots learned and there are definitely things I'll be doing differently if I was to build another Sherman, which is definite based on the one I purchased last year  😊

 

Anyways, I have a 1/24th Hurricane that's going to get finished first so I have a clear bench! 

 

Keith  😁

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I can only echo what has been said above. It's well built, well painted and weathered and as far as I am concerned, it's your model, your story and I won't ever argue against that.

Enjoying yourself and learning anything has got to be THE major factor in selecting a hobby. Looking forward to your next efforts.

Regards

Pete

 

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Great job.   Really had a go and experimented with that ... The aerials though is the let down, but an easy fix as outlined.  I like the battle damage especially on the sides.  The bow hit might have been at the extreme range of an 88 possibly...

 

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21 hours ago, Hairtrigger said:

Great job.   Really had a go and experimented with that ... The aerials though is the let down, but an easy fix as outlined.  I like the battle damage especially on the sides.  The bow hit might have been at the extreme range of an 88 possibly...

 

Thank you for the comment ..... lots of learning to take from it .... including those aerials!  🤣

 

And thank you @bissyboat, comments appreciated!  👍

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I love it!  I'm still learning the subtleties of weathering and especially battle damage, but you look like you're ahead of me on that particular curve.  It looks like it's seen some hard use, but many of them did in Europe and Italy.  As long as you learned something from this one, that means your next model will be that much better.

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28 minutes ago, ringo said:

When i saw your Sherman i instantly loved it...  Ok, maybe weathering is a bit over the top but man, what a build!  Love it a lot!  

 

Thank you for your comment, it's appreciated.  👍

 

Keith  😁

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