Revell Sherman M4A3 & t34 help needed

[billybookcase]

I have bought the above, the instructions say to paint the wheels anthracite and olive grey, but nothing about the mechanics around the wheels and tracks.

Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

BB

[Jeenyus]

Found this pic, and although it is from a nasty angle, and is a museum piece, you can kind of see the running gear...

Click on it for a larger pic.

I would go for the same colour as the cammo, and plenty of mud!!

[Paul RH]

Definately....same colour as the hull and slap loads of mud over the tracks...if not mud then dust effect.

[ChrisITA]

I have to say (and with apologies to Paul) I really don't like the idea that modelling armour is all about 'slapping mud all over it'. It kind of reduces everything armour modellers do to finish and weather their models

The tyres should be black rubber, but tyres rarely look black in real life, so I usually go for a dark-ish grey then give them a couple of filters/ washes with black to add depth

For tracks I use a dark grey/ brown on the end connectors and the same as the tyres for the pads as these were rubber, unless you have all steel tracks. If your tracks have rivets as well as the chevron on the surface of the pad they are all steel, so paint them as you would the end connectors

The wheels themselves, and the bogeys, should be Olive Drab (not olive grey) along with the rest of the tank.

As for dirt and weathering, I personally favour a series of techniques which when used together add a thinner patina of dirt to the surfaces that would realistically get dirty, with more where it would get caught (recesses, undersides of the sponsons etc) Its far too long to go into here though I'm afraid but what I'm tring to say is the caked in mud effect has its place, but not automatically on every model

As for the T34, you have a lot of options. Most model kist seem to have the rubber rims, so same as above for the tyres. The standard colour for Russian tanks was 4BO Green. A google search of T34s should put you in the right ballpark. Whitewashes for winter are also very popular

The tracks were all steel, so as above. If you wish you can add some light rust, but not too much. I see a lot of models were the tracks are pretty much completely rusted. Unless the tank never intends to go anywhere again this is unrealistic as tracks are moving parts and all that rust would sieze them up. A little rust in the recesses where it would not rub off is more relaistic

On the chevrons of the Sherman Track, the raised surfaces of the T34 track and the where the wheels rub on the track would all be a brighter steel where the constant wear brings out the metal (like railway tracks). This is also true of the surfaces of the sprocket (also called the final drive wheel sometimes) that touch the track and for steel roadwheels and steel (non-tyred) idlers

Chris

[Paul RH]

Np problem I agree fully. If I was to build a AFV for a surface with no mud etc then I would concentrate a bit more on weathering etc but for a quick solution..a bit of dirt

[billybookcase]

Thank you lads, very helpful.

As I am new to tanks, I was thinking of putting it in a diorama involving "slapping a bit of mud on" to try and disguise my first attempts at weathering.

I will probably do a WIP when I have decided on the layout.

I tried to source some "Olive drab'' but I am sticking with Olive grey at the moment, because the vagaries of colour reproduction on screen probably wouldn't show the correct colour anyway.

For my purposes of a first build it will be close enough I think.

BB