Jakko’s 1:35 Sherman Crab Mk. I — seeing double?

[Steven000]

Very nice scratchbuilding Jakko :thumb2: , like how you made the wheel, looks good
Steven

[topgazza]

When i saw the sprues in the first pictures I couldn't believe how many parts there were. I can see why people do tanks if they like to keep busy. But this is an excellent thread and some superb modelling

[adt70hk]

Jakko

Apologies very behind on this. I've got to say the work you've done is top quality!!!

Well done.

Andrew

[Guest]

Very nice scratchbuilding Jakko :thumb2: , like how you made the wheel, looks good

Thanks. It was surprisingly easy — just seven bits of plastic, including the reinforcement behind the hub/spokes. Even without a lathe this would have been a fairly simple job just by filing the end of a plastic tube round and then sawing off a ring from it. What I’m trying to say is that it’s not as difficult to do this kind of thing as it may seem

When i saw the sprues in the first pictures I couldn't believe how many parts there were. I can see why people do tanks if they like to keep busy.

You have to keep in mind there that Asuka kits (based on the two different ones I’ve got, and they’re both Shermans ) aren’t completely typical of armoured vehicle kits in general, though. Buy a Tamiya kit of a similar vehicle and there will be far fewer parts — but also shortcuts, like moulding things integrally that Asuka provides as separate parts for better detail and/or to give you a choice of how it’s posed.

But still, yes, if you like putting lots of bits together, then a kit of a military vehicle is a far better choice than, say, an aeroplane.

But this is an excellent thread and some superb modelling

I've got to say the work you've done is top quality!!!

Thanks, guys, but it could be a lot better if done by a more accurate modeller than I am

[scottie3158]

Jakko,
Nice work keep it going.

[Jim R]

Hi Jakko
This just gets better and better. Scratch building the wheel is very skilled. The comments say it all - superb and very interesting.
Jim

[Neil Merryweather]

Just want to say that although I'm not commenting I am enjoying this thread enormously, Jakko. Very interesting to a non tankie
:thumb2:

[Road of Bones]

Hi Jakko- only just found this, and I have to say that your scratching is superb! My kind of build :thumb2: :thumb2: :thumb2:

[Guest]

Thanks all, though I still modestly maintain that it’s not up to the standards of most others I see on here doing similar things

[Guest]

And now it’s really done

[ATTACH]371241[/ATTACH]

Compared to the first version, it’s obvious how much lower the revised one is:

[ATTACH]371240[/ATTACH]

The wiring is 0.5 mm copper wire (from an old computer monitor, which is why it’s varnished red) inserted into holes I drilled. The handle on the wheel is just a rounded bit of sprue that I filed flat on the front.

And the whole thing in place in the turret:

[ATTACH]371243[/ATTACH][ATTACH]371242[/ATTACH]

[rtfoe]

You're the man of the hour Jakko...great scratch work. :thumb2: You've got to make the turret half detachable somehow...

Cheers,
Richard

[Guest]

Thanks Keeping the turret detachable would be impractical, though, as I’ve noticed that because of my additions, the upper half of the turret doesn’t sit quite right on the lower anymore without some pressure on it. I’m confident that this will solve itself when I glue them together, but without any pressure on the two halves, you can see light shining through a large horizontal gap at the bottom of the turret bustle In any case I’ve only built things that I expect to be visible through the open hatches (commander’s and driver’s), and with the turret top removable I would need to put much more stuff over on the loader’s side too.

[Jim R]

Hi Jakko
You're too modest. This research and scratching is truly exceptional.
Jim

[Guest]

Now also with gun elevating mechanism:

[ATTACH]371431[/ATTACH]

This is again mostly plastic rod, card, punched discs, and both sawn-off and stretched sprue, plus the wheel I had originally put onto the traverse mechanism, because it does resemble the elevating handwheel.

Maybe one or two small bits still need to be added, but on the whole, I’m finally pretty much done with the interior:

[ATTACH]371433[/ATTACH][ATTACH]371434[/ATTACH]

All three main turret parts:

[ATTACH]371430[/ATTACH]

And some views through the hatch:

[ATTACH]371432[/ATTACH][ATTACH]371435[/ATTACH]

On the wall below the commander’s hatch, I added the clips for the torch, plus some hooks and clips that hold the cable to the wall. The view towards the gunner’s controls show how cramped all of this is, which makes me think I still got some dimensions wrong, but it all looks convincing enough.

[Strenko J]

Well after missing this thread and now just having read through it ...this is some fantastic attention to detail that is well thought out and extremely methodical In construction .

Keep up the great work Jakko