Brews Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I'll be following the advice provided in here Esci Sherman and adding some applique armour to the hull and turret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Which route will you follow Brews? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 I'm thinking of using plastic card and putty to make "cast-in-place" thickenings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 Actually, the hull is already done now. I still have the turret cheek armour to do, but I"ll do that when I get the turret together, I think. This was very easy to do. I just marked out the places on the hull with pencil, cut some 0.040" thick plastic card (I used some left over from a vac-form kit) to a strip 8mm wide. Rectangles were cut to match the lengths of the appliqué armour on the hull, glued on with Tamiya extra thin cement, filed down, and faired-in with Tamiya putty. Job done! I suppose I could have splashed out on some resin ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 Just realized, of course, that 40thou card = 72 scale mm in 1:72 I was thinking that 1mm = 1". Doh! I'll sand the bumps down later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 I remember now - it's 1.5" of armour, so 20thou card would be perfect. I started assembling the Italeri turret (fiddly rotor assembly) but I like the look of the Dragon rotor and mantlet, which I garnered from the spares box (ex M4A4). The rotor seems to me to have better shape, and the assembly sits better. Compare and contrast (gun barrel and mantlet stuck on with blu-tac only!): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Nice work Brews and at 1:72 Phew well done sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Good going so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 Thank you, lady and gentleman. I neglected to mention the pain of filling an ejector pin mark on the lower side of the gun barrel that must have been about 1mm deep, and sanding off the mould parting lines of the barrel. It might have been easier to stretch some sprue, which I once did for an Airfix Sherman (which has a too-thin barrel). The part of the Italeri mantlet that I do like is the thinness of the flanges either side of the barrel. I would replace them, except that I suspect that I may be making a mountain out of a molehill, and it would be better to leave well enough alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 This is how Italeri would have you assembling the nose: Now, I'm not saying that this is wrong, but it's upside-down to all other pictures that I've seen, except for the instructions in this kit, and the box art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 This is how I will make mine: not like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 The turret is starting to take shape now. It's been a bit of a struggle to get it the way that I wanted, but we're almost there. I cut a piece of aluminium tube to fit in the Dragon "jaws" that allow the gun to elevate and depress. The tube had to be filed down to fit. Back-stepping, I first tried using a piece of plastic rod, but that broke because I had to drill a hole in it to fit a piece of wire rod (possibly a broken guitar string, but I think not) that I drilled to fit inside the gun barrel. With the aluminium rod fitted and drilled, I passed the brass rod through it and superglued it in place. It's still a bit too sloppy for my liking, but it works. The pistol port is glued in. That was a great fit. No sarcasm there. Parts of this kit fit really, really well. Others don't. Not so that it's unbuildable, just that some parts need a bit of putty. Like the seam between the sponsons and the upper hull .. must have been over 1mm in places. Maybe that's because I installed the nose in "upside down", but I doubt it. On the Sherman Site there is a review of a turret and hull set for this model. The turret has the all-round vision cupola rather than the split hatch. As luck would have it, every Extratech/Eduard Sherman comes with both split hatches and all-round vision cupolas. I stole one from the Early M4. Progress pics: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 I've finished working on this for tonight. I'm just relaxing in bed now. It doesn't look much different to the above pics, except I drilled out the lifting rings on the hull (two at the front, two at the back), filed the filler under the sponsons, attached a gubbin to the turret (spotlight?) and cemented the commander's hatch on. I did start cleaning up the commander figure, because he does look quite nice, but as luck would have it, he needs to lose some weight, or act like a snake, to fit though the new hatch. That's why I closed up the hatch. The driver's and radio operator's hatches are on, too. There isn't much actual building left in this, now (unless I add some spare PE), but I do have the entire running gear on one side to assemble, and the drive sprocket and idler on the other. I'll add the Link and Length tracks after everything's been painted, to minimize touch-ups. Depending on how I feel after I've finished this, I might tackle one of my other Shermi - Dragon M4A4, Extratech Sherman I, Sherman Ic, M4A376(w) and Eduard Profipack M4A3(105). The Extratech Sherman I has a scheme for Gold Beach that I like - with a graticule marked around the turret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Good progress Brews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 Thanks, Mish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 (edited) Looking through the spares, I found Dragon Big Hatches and travel lock, so I replaced the corresponding Italeri items. Drop-in fit, more detailed - result!! Edited February 15, 2009 by Brews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Nice detail there Brews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 I've never built one of these before, so it's an experience for me. The spare track links carrier, complete with two racks of spare track links (also with room for the two spare road wheels) comprises a total of 14 pieces (16 if you include the 2 road wheels). That is made up of 4 pieces for the carrier, and 5 for each rack of links. Painful clean-up and tricky assembly. And just when I thought I was all done with filling in ejector pin marks, I find this! I guess I should make some fish-tail exhausts, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 All the hard work will be worth it in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebos Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Some careful work there, especially for 1/72. Should be good with a lick of paint on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Thanks, Stebos and Mish. I think it wil be ok in th eend. but I'm fast losing my enthusiasm for another Sherman build straight away. Maybe the LCVP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Brews.....I know just how you feel about Sherman overload.....Do you have the Revell 1/72 Cromwell in your stash? As you know I've knocked a few up recently and it is an absolutely wonderful little kit. Just a thought, all the best Sgt.S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz greenwood Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 (edited) The Revell Cromwell is a peach. I love it! And Brews you've done a lovely job on this M4A1. Edited February 16, 2009 by daz greenwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brews Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Thank you very much, Andy and Daz. Andy, I'm sorry, but I didn't know you were building Cromwells, did I? I can't remember seeing them. I'll have to look harder! Yes, I do have one in my stash, actually, it's on my bench - probably less than 25% started, and I was thinking of adding the hedgerow cutters to the Sherman, but I don't know of the historical accuracy of that little piece of garnishing. By the way, of the three options in the Italeri decal sheet, which one is most appropriate for Normandy? Do you know off-hand or will I have to ge the serial numbers? Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyL Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Hey, you're doing wonderfully with this build. Don't let Sherman overload stop your fine work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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