Sherman II mid October 1942

[Guest]

No, afraid the spongy stuff went in the bin

Really? I’ve used it on all the Asuka Shermans I built … No, wait, that was in the nightmare I had …

That part od the suspension is a pretty tight fit, so once all assembled I used the back of a scalpel blade to move the part down about 1mm and added a touch of liquid cement to hold it in place.

In some kits they provide shims:

[ATTACH]426879[/ATTACH]

But neglect to mention anywhere which ones you need, or how many. Off the top of my head, A is 0.5 mm, B is 1 mm and C is 1.5 mm, and that last one is too tall to fit anyway. B (or 2×A, of course) for a normal ride, A for a heavily loaded vehicle, I’d say.

As for the manufacturer of the tank I will go with you there, I have the Hunnicut book/bible but not the strength to lift it :smiling6:

I’ve got that and Son of Sherman, which provides the kind of detail like this — Hunnicutt is more generic

By the way, I don’t know how accurate you want to make this, but if you’ve got these air intakes (actually grouser compartment covers), then the idler wheel mounting should be fixed to the tank with rivets rather than bolts, as that was a feature unique to PSC-produced tanks as well.

do not be put off, most of the work is the preparation, as we all know preparation is a pain sometimes and once you get underway then you can get into a rythm.

I still think I’ll pass … this seems to be complexity for complexity’s sake. I mean, if they can mould a hole for the bolt, then surely they can mould the bolt in its place too?

[Jim R]

Hi Mike
A very interesting SBS on the tracks. The end result is good but the construction is certainly a test of one's patience.
Jim

[Isitme]

Really? I’ve used it on all the Asuka Shermans I built … No, wait, that was in the nightmare I had …


In some kits they provide shims:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n[/ATTACH]

But neglect to mention anywhere which ones you need, or how many. Off the top of my head, A is 0.5 mm, B is 1 mm and C is 1.5 mm, and that last one is too tall to fit anyway. B (or 2×A, of course) for a normal ride, A for a heavily loaded vehicle, I’d say.


I’ve got that and Son of Sherman, which provides the kind of detail like this — Hunnicutt is more generic :smiling3:

By the way, I don’t know how accurate you want to make this, but if you’ve got these air intakes (actually grouser compartment covers), then the idler wheel mounting should be fixed to the tank with rivets rather than bolts, as that was a feature unique to PSC-produced tanks as well.


I still think I’ll pass … this seems to be complexity for complexity’s sake. I mean, if they can mould a hole for the bolt, then surely they can mould the bolt in its place too?

I think I wil pass on the shim method, as the model will not be a moving model then cementing the parts will do. There is still movement on the suspension arms to allow for any ground contours.
Thanks for the information on the idler wheel mounting, but as it will not really be visible then it can be ignored, as this is just a shake and bake build for fun rather than full competition inspection.

[Guest]

The shims are there to fix the suspension, it makes the units quite rigid. In any case, as you’ve cemented yours together the point is moot anyway — I mentioned it mainly in case you ever end up building another. The rivets for the idler mount are visible (see here), but only someone (too) knowledgeable in Shermans will notice if you correct the parts

[Isitme]

Update
Still plodding away, have been playing at track building and very little hull building, but....

First bit of brass now in place on the air cleaners. Although not too clear in the photo I turned each of the wing nuts in different directions to get away from the flat etch look. Also I could not find the two tow brackets so had to look through another M4A1 kit to find them - they are located on the sprue with all the hull parts and are so insignificant they are easy to overlook. But it was an easy job to fabricate a couple more. And finally the holes drilled for the replacement door handle.

As I do not normally put crew figures in my vehicles I usually brush paint the inside matt black, only this time I nicked SWMBO's rattle can of matt black....
More later,
Mike.

[Isitme]

Update,
I was going to add the brass dust/track guards, but instead went for the kit offerings... I also added the drive sprockets and idler wheels as yet not glued untill after the tracks have been fitted. The grill behind the turrent was a bit on the large side so I cut some finer mesh and added that. The barrel was exchanged for an aluminium one and the co-ax was replaced with a brass offering, but it was cut down to the same size as that from the kit.



That is it for now, the turret has been cleaned up and re-textured and set aside to dry - all joints that require it will be cleaned up and then it will be onto adding the final details, before prime and paint - Desert Pink....

[Guest]

Update
Still plodding away, have been playing at track building and very little hull building, but....
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1154378[/ATTACH]
First bit of brass now in place on the air cleaners. Although not too clear in the photo I turned each of the wing nuts in different directions to get away from the flat etch look. Also I could not find the two tow brackets so had to look through another M4A1 kit to find them - they are located on the sprue with all the hull parts and are so insignificant they are easy to overlook. But it was an easy job to fabricate a couple more. And finally the holes drilled for the replacement door handle.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1154379[/ATTACH]
As I do not normally put crew figures in my vehicles I usually brush paint the inside matt black, only this time I nicked SWMBO's rattle can of matt black....
More later,
Mike.

SWIMBO has a can of Matt Black ! The mind boggles at such a thought.

[Isitme]

SWIMBO has a can of Matt Black ! The mind boggles at such a thought.
[ATTACH]427254[/ATTACH]

She got it to spray paint a flower pot, liked the design but not the colour ?????? My mind has not stopped boggling....

[Graeme C.]

Liking this build a lot Mike, the SBS on the tracks is good, but they do look fiddly.:thumb2:

[Mini Me]

What is it with you guys and the pointy toed shoes?? :tongue-out3: Have seen this posted several times and it has piqued my curiosity. Terrific progress on this one Mike and I do love a Sherman build....aren't enough of these available in different models in my scale, unless you want to spend outrageous amounts of money for them. Heiser's used to produce several in resin (ugh!) but he is all but out of business, so a huge dent in the market. Keep it coming Mate I'm really enjoying this. Rick H. :thumb2:

[Isitme]

What is it with you guys and the pointy toed shoes?? :tongue-out3: Have seen this posted several times and it has piqued my curiosity. Terrific progress on this one Mike and I do love a Sherman build....aren't enough of these available in different models in my scale, unless you want to spend outrageous amounts of money for them. Heiser's used to produce several in resin (ugh!) but he is all but out of business, so a huge dent in the market. Keep it coming Mate I'm really enjoying this. Rick H. :thumb2:

Cheers Rick.
Many thanks for the comment
Mike.

[Isitme]

Liking this build a lot Mike, the SBS on the tracks is good, but they do look fiddly.:thumb2:

Graeme.
Once you get into the rythm of assembly they are ok, but the thing is not to try and assemble the lot all in one go. Since the SBS I am nowup to 30+ links and just do a few when I feel like it.
Mike.

[Guest]

That’s my experience too, with individual links by a number of different manufacturers: find cleanup and assembly methods that work for you, do a bunch until you don’t feel like it anymore, then stop and pick up some later time. You’ll get the tracks finished eventually

[Isitme]

Update,
So been doing some sorting out of the stash, and going through those kits that you were so full of enthusiasm for, started to build them and then along came the next kit and off you were again being the adulterer you are. If kits were wives then the divorce courts would be open 24 hours a day....
All of the construction work is now complete apart from the tracks and they are progressing at their own pace....



And that is it, now for the primer and a 23 hour clean up of the bench..
More later,
Mike.

[Steve Jones]

Great work Mike. Really enjoyed watching this project coming together. Good luck with the wet stuff