IDF M51 Degem Alef. Tamiya and other bits. 1/35th.

[Bullbasket]

If you've been following my M109 build, you'll know that it has been halted temporarily. So in the meantime I need a new project, and it will come as no surprise that the one that I have chosen to build is the very first version of the Israeli M51, the Degem Alef or Batch 1.Without going into how the M51 came about, I'll just cover the work needed on the Tamiya M51, which is a Degem Beth, or Batch 2. Expediency, ie; the need to get these tanks into service quickly, meant that they would have to be fitted with the Continental R-975 radial engine. These were proving to be a problem in the M50s due to frequent break downs.

So the alterations to the Tamiya kit will be, new engine deck, new lower rear hull plate, complete with air filters and exhaust deflector. Rebuilt muzzle brake and two new aerial bases. No spare road wheels carried, and no jerry can holders along the hull sides. One jerry can holder on the rear upper hull LHS and an infantry telephone box on the RHS. And lastly (unless someone comes up with any additional alterations), these tanks don't appear to be fitted with the exhaust for the auxiliary generator on the LHS.

OK, how's this for service. I ordered Tamiya's M51 from Super Hobby, here in France on Sunday for 47 euros plus 6 euros P&P, and it has turned up today. Very happy with that. So today, I've ordered an M1 Sherman from them for approximately the same price, and it should be here next week. Basically, I want it for the exhaust deflector. I know, it's an expensive way to get one, but so was ordering one from Shapeways. This way I get a whole kit as well.

So, I will be making a start on it very soon, and I'll be back once I do.

 

John.

[ColonelKrypton]

42 minutes ago, Bullbasket said:

So today, I've ordered an M1 Sherman from them for approximately the same price, and it should be here next week. Basically, I want it for the exhaust deflector. I know, it's an expensive way to get one, but so was ordering one from Shapeways. This way I get a whole kit as well.

 

Something I have done many times to get "parts". And something I will likely do again ( and again ... ). I am sure it is a common trait amongst builders o AFV's.

 

I am looking forward to seeing how this build develops.

 

cheers, Graham

 

[Hamden]

 

Another @Bullbasket Sherman build what's not to like?

I'll take a seat if I may and watch and learn as I always do with your builds John

 

   Stay safe         Roger

[Bullbasket]

20 hours ago, ColonelKrypton said:

 

Something I have done many times to get "parts". And something I will likely do again ( and again ... ). I am sure it is a common trait amongst builders o AFV's.

 

I am looking forward to seeing how this build develops.

 

cheers, Graham

 

Yes, me too. That's why I have about a dozen Sherman kits with bits missing!!.

7 hours ago, Hamden said:

 

Another @Bullbasket Sherman build what's not to like?

I'll take a seat if I may and watch and learn as I always do with your builds John

 

   Stay safe         Roger

Hi Roger. You're very welcome, as always.

 

John.

[edjbartos]

Looking forward to seeing you start this one John, should be good...

 

Ed

[Maddoxx77]

Started reading and immediatly pressed the follow button.... this will be interesting!

Beer in hand tagging along 👍😉

[Bullbasket]

On 03/03/2023 at 16:43, edjbartos said:

Looking forward to seeing you start this one John, should be good...

 

Ed

 

16 hours ago, Maddoxx77 said:

Started reading and immediatly pressed the follow button.... this will be interesting!

Beer in hand tagging along 👍😉

Glad to have you both along.

So, off and running. The first job that I tackled was to assemble the lower hull. Tamiya seems to have moved away from one piece hulls, in favour of multipart ones. They did it with the Easy 8 kit as well, and I have to say that I like it. Of course, being Tamiya, the parts fit like a glove, and you end up with a hull with 90 degree sides.

 

I added the two frame extensions at the rear, but thinned them down by about 50%, as they were way too thick for this model. I also altered the shape of the ends to a more rounded appearance.

 

Turning to the upper hull, I drilled the indicated holes for the stowage bins and spare track holders down the sides and the ones on the rear upper hull for the jerrycan holder and infantry telephone, but left the rest as they are not needed. Sponson fillers were added before carrying out the first bits of butchery. On each side, front and back, there are four small fillets which are meant for the jerrycan holders to sit on. As the Alef model didn't carry them, they were removed with a chisel blade.

 

Something else which needed to be eliminated were the two small indentations on the LHS, towards the rear where the two spare wheels would have been carried, again, not present on the Alef.

 

Alef's didn't have the rear hull plate extension, as I don't believe that they had the additional engine cooling found on subsequent models. So this was removed with a razor saw and cleaned up.

 

The engine deck was unchanged from when these were M1 Super Shermans, so the additional armour plates on the kit that surrounded the air intakes were also removed with a razor saw.

 

I'll post all of this work in my next update. Thanks for looking.

 

John.

[edjbartos]

Looking good John, looking forward to your update..

 

Ed

[Terry1954]

Another great Sherman project John. Looking forward to this one.

 

Terry

[Bullbasket]

12 hours ago, edjbartos said:

Looking good John, looking forward to your update..

 

Ed

 

11 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

Another great Sherman project John. Looking forward to this one.

 

Terry

Thanks to both of you. I'm starting to enjoy building again.

 

John.

[Hamden]

 

Off to great start with this one John, awaiting the next update now

 

      Stay safe            Roger

[Bullbasket]

6 hours ago, Hamden said:

 

Off to great start with this one John, awaiting the next update now

 

      Stay safe            Roger

Thanks Roger. You'll get a better idea of where I am when you read below.

 

Can I just point out, that all of the work that I indicated, was in fact going to be done, and hadn't actually been done, which was rather fortuitous. Why? Because I had a light bulb moment when I suddenly wondered if I had a spare upper hull from an M1 Sherman kit, and lo and behold........I did. I tried mating it with the M51 lower hull, and it fits almost perfectly. Checking amongst all of my Sherman bits and pieces, I found that I only had one sponson filler ??? But nil desparandum, as the ones in the M51 kit fit. You can always rely on Tamiya....well mostly. So I'll try and make another one, but if not successful, I'll use the ones in the M51 kit.

So basically, what all of this means is that the surgery that needed doing to the M51 upper hull, is now null and void, and it can be stored away, ready to be used on an M51 Degen Gimel (third batch).

Therefore, please ignore 90% of the previous waffle, and I will be back with an update soon. Thanks for watching, and your patience.

 

John.

[FrancisGL]

Hi John,

Not everything is lost, you already have an excellent study for the next Sherman you plan to build.

Cheers and TC

Francis.👍

 

[Bullbasket]

On 05/03/2023 at 17:58, FrancisGL said:

Hi John,

Not everything is lost, you already have an excellent study for the next Sherman you plan to build.

Cheers and TC

Francis.👍

 

No you're right Francis. Realised that I should use the M1 hull just in time before I started to cut plastic. It's moving along nicely now.

 

John.

[Bullbasket]

So now I'm cooking with gas! And the first job was to ever so carefully remove the frame extensions which I'd glued on earlier, and replace them with the ones from the M1 kit. They're different shapes, and the M1 extension is more appropriate. I used the sponson fillers from the M51 kit as they fit better. I just needed to pare a little plastic off of the extensions, and the upper hull sat on the lower hull like they were made for each other.

 

 

I was originally going to use a rear hull plate from a Dragon kit, but since I'd changed over to using the M1 upper hull, it made sense to use the plate from that kit. Once I'd made sure that it fitted between the frame extensions, it was removed and detailed. The moulded grab handle on the doors was sliced off and replaced with brass wire, and then the doors were installed. Chains and locking pins were added from 5amp fuse wire and etched chain from an Eduard set. The air cleaners were assembled and the holes to accept the kit's oversized clamps were filled with stretched sprue, and then detailed with etched brass clamps from the same Eduard set.

 

The tow bracket as supplied is basic, just a U shaped bracket with a hole to take the tow hook. Looking at photos in the Sabingamartin books, there is some kind of (what looks like to me) a latch on the LHS. Maybe it's a release mechanism for the tow hook. I replicated this as best as I could with a couple of small bits of card with a piece of stretched sprue in between. Once it was in place, stretched sprue was glued around the edges to represent the weld beads.

And finally for now, the rear hull plate fixed in place.

 

Thanks for looking and if my damned (right) hand doesn't give me too much aggro. I'll be back with an update during the week.

 

John.

[Keeff]

Interesting project John. 

'Frankenstein' came to mind looking at the mix of parts, but it sounds like you have a plan!  

 

I'll pull up a chair and follow along in between my Sherman build.

 

Keith 😁 

[Hamden]

 

Nice progress John you're certainly showing this one who's boss!

Hope your hand gets better soon

 

     Stay safe          Roger

[PlaStix]

Hi John. Hope you are well. You know what they say........"second time's a charm!". Looks like a good start!

Kind regards,

Stix

[Bullbasket]

19 hours ago, Keeff said:

'Frankenstein' came to mind looking at the mix of parts,

That's basically the way that I build, and why I have so many boxes of kits with bits missing. Glad to have you watching.

 

John.

[Bullbasket]

9 hours ago, Hamden said:

Nice progress John you're certainly showing this one who's boss!

Hope your hand gets better soon

Thanks Roger. I think that my hand is going to take some time. The hospital has told me that as well as arthritis, I also have something called condrocalsinosis, which is causing the problems at the moment. Hopefully, it won't get any worse.🤞

 

John.

[Bullbasket]

6 hours ago, PlaStix said:

Hi John. Hope you are well. You know what they say........"second time's a charm!". Looks like a good start!

Kind regards,

Stix

Thanks Stix. I'm glad that I started again as it's working out better this way.

 

John.

[FrancisGL]

Hi John,

Wow!, that super-detailed work with the back, surprising the size of the chains.

Cheers and TC

Francis.👍

[Bullbasket]

On 14/03/2023 at 10:10, FrancisGL said:

Hi John,

Wow!, that super-detailed work with the back, surprising the size of the chains.

Cheers and TC

Francis.👍

Thanks Francis. Those etched chains were the smallest that I could find. I was going to use real chains but they were over scale.

 

John.

[edjbartos]

That's coming along nicely John, the upper hull really does sit very nicely onto the lower hull. You are putting on some really nice detail on this, keep it up, It's looking great...

 

Ed

[Bullbasket]

35 minutes ago, edjbartos said:

That's coming along nicely John, the upper hull really does sit very nicely onto the lower hull. You are putting on some really nice detail on this, keep it up, It's looking great...

 

Ed

Thanks Ed. Yes, the way that the upper hull fits onto the lower makes me think that they just modified the M51 hull for the M1.

 

John.