761st Tank Battalion M4A3 in the Ardennes

[Herr Dr. Professor]

"E6000... what's it's story/benefit over a good CA for his application?" E6000 is really strong, partly because it is slow setting and drying, as the tube explains. Unlike CA glues, its bond works in all directions: CA glues are uni-directional. That is, CA glues are generally extremely strong against pulling forces, but against lateral forces it's a weakling. E.g.: you can CA glue a 6 mm BB on a piece of plastic or metal and not be able to pull it straight up. But just sweep sideways at the BB and it looks like it was launched by HengLong or Taigen. I also like E6000 because I only need to steady it for a few minutes, and then it's gooey enough to hold the part in place while the "set" and then the final drying continue.

The regular Tuesday Make Modeling Mediocre Again gang says that it can be carved, sanded, and painted. I agree, although I have not tried the sanding, and any painting has been just small bits oozed a touch out of small parts in need of extra support. Here's the kicker: you can undo it by pulling parts away carefully. I can vouch for this on a farm toy I repaired. I am told that there is a new version coming that is not "undoable," but the current one is great. I have used it on RC AFVs, static AFVs, O Gauge trains, and farm toy repairs for about six years. I have used it for household repairs, too.

[Mithras]

My first try would be to repair the metal with E6000 glue.

I took your suggestion with the shoe goo glue for mounting my hull MG. Stuff worked a charm. I saw this E6000 stuff on my last visit to Hobby Lobby. What's it's story/benefit over a good CA for his application?

Well, in costume and prop construction at least, E600 is used because the bond is stronger and because certain materials do not bond well with ordinary CA. I'm not sure of its benefit here viz CA here, obviously, but I'd be interested to know, as well.

[Mithras]

Thanks for the update Mithras I love pics.

But now I have an insatiable desire for Wings...

I mean, I'm sorry to have tempted you. Perhaps next time I'll use ads from something completely unpalatable to apply reverse psychology. "The Cilantro Hut' certainly should do the trick;)

[ColemanCollector]

[/quote]

I mean, I'm sorry to have tempted you. Perhaps next time I'll use ads from something completely unpalatable to apply reverse psychology. "The Cilantro Hut' certainly should do the trick;)
[/quote]

The great debate.

[HERMAN BIX]

OOOooohhh I love wings
Every time I went to Enid Oklahoma I busted my ass to get to a "Wings-To-Go" for garlic butter wings and ate them until I was semi conscious

Ahem, the Sherman project is coming along too mate, any progress is good progress

[Mithras]

Yesterday I began work on the crew model and stowage, continued the weathering process on remaininng wheels and cogs, and did the minimum assembly required for the .50. Went together easily, and the handle transport from the Heng Long donor seems to have held.

Got help from the wife/partner/fellow nerd in masking off the sensitive bits, anc coated the upper hull and turret: essentially the areas that will be painted/winter camouflaged.

The next steo will likely be stencils. I’ve been growing my opinion that the color of my “upgraded” Sherman is a very good one as the basis for the ersatz winter camouflage used by US tanks in the Ardennes - certainly that used by the 761st. I may yet again change my mind, but that’s my current opinion.

As I’ll be going out of town starting today for about fourteen days, I reckon I’ll have plenty of time to consider it.

Given the state of the Churchill I received - competently built but made from fragile PLA, I am on the lookout for a replacement. There’s no way this thing will survive in the field, at least in its current state. Eyeing options. The HL StuG IIII and the Merkava both hold a certain appeal at the moment, but that varies by the day: based upon reports and reviews, some things wax and wane in interest. I have eyed some ot the M60a on the market as well but my goal with a standers would likely involve conversion with a “Starship” turret and I don’t think I’m quite at that level of skill yet.

At any rate, things to think about.

[tankme]

Given the state of the Churchill I received - competently built but made from fragile PLA, I am on the lookout for a replacement. There’s no way this thing will survive in the field, at least in its current state. Eyeing options. The HL StuG IIII and the Merkava both hold a certain appeal at the moment, but that varies by the day: based upon reports and reviews, some things wax and wane in interest. I have eyed some ot the M60a on the market as well but my goal with a standers would likely involve conversion with a “Starship” turret and I don’t think I’m quite at that level of skill yet.

At any rate, things to think about.

I did the A2 conversion on my TongDE and it's mostly just the turret unless you buy the extra detail kit. Most of the extra detail kit is just replacement parts for stuff that's already on the tank. It is servo powered for the elevation and recoil so as far as that goes, you need a board that supports servos.

[Mithras]

Given the state of the Churchill I received - competently built but made from fragile PLA, I am on the lookout for a replacement. There’s no way this thing will survive in the field, at least in its current state. Eyeing options. The HL StuG IIII and the Merkava both hold a certain appeal at the moment, but that varies by the day: based upon reports and reviews, some things wax and wane in interest. I have eyed some ot the M60a on the market as well but my goal with a standers would likely involve conversion with a “Starship” turret and I don’t think I’m quite at that level of skill yet.

At any rate, things to think about.

I did the A2 conversion on my TongDE and it's mostly just the turret unless you buy the extra detail kit. Most of the extra detail kit is just replacement parts for stuff that's already on the tank. It is servo powered for the elevation and recoil so as far as that goes, you need a board that supports servos.

Ahh. Very good to know! Thank you kindly.

[Mithras]

Progress at last.

The last two days were spent essentially beginning the painting process. I began with stenciling, and a bit of hand writing. What you see in these images is the result. The smears of white don't bother me overmuch; whilst I've cleaned up the worst offenders, these will simply disappear when the coat of white wash/snow camouflage goes over, but it's important for me to get the basic markings down before I begin the process of camouflage. Practice in the 761st seems to have been to paint around these markings and leave a slight green border, so that's essentially the plan.

Most of the markings are fairly standard. They are inspired entirely by historical examples from the Black Panthers. For example, a few surviving images show the names of each crew member hand painted near his position, along with a nickname. Some are quite elaborate, others not so much. For the friends and family members I used to represent the crew, I used their actual nicknames where possible. Everybody's name is accurate, though. The stars are another interesting bit: the most famous example, "Julia" (crewed by 'Cool Studs Incorporated No.4'), has no large Allied stars to speak of in any of its photos, which may be a matter of reducing visibility as much as was possible. In all cases, the markings and stars seem to have been done in white: including the nicknames and any pinup/mascot art.

Stencils were done by Rad here, and I think they work a treat. They look like actual painted stencils and not decals, and as a result I'm quite happy with them. My method was imperfect, but so was the actual process, and I think they actually look pretty realistic without overcorrecting for them. The only stencils I did not use were those that Rad made for each crew member's name. I couldn't get them to look the way I wanted them, and noted that they were typically freehanded, so I thought i'd take that liberty. They are excellent stencils, none the less.

I also began the process of painting the white on the underside of each hatch: deliberately a bit messy, and with some panel lining to add to this.

The next step will be to add the pistol port: you can see discoloration from glue where I test mounted it a little too closely. But again, that will be cleaned up when all is said and done. This will be followed by the camouflage coat, followed by stowage. Haven't decided yet whether I'll attach the tools or spare track links (assuming I choose to use those links) before or after camouflage: have seen them both ways.


Here are some photos.

[Mithras]

Winter coat on the tank today, followed by panel lining. Waiting for it to dry properly. We've had an unseasonable amount of moisture and outright rain in California (as some might know from US news making it much more disastrous than it actually is), and while things are drying, they are taking much longer than I'd like. Should have some photos of what we've got so far, soon. After that, next step will be to re-install the pistol port, reassemble the tank, and begin adding stowage. I'm still debating whether other portions of the track assembly will be painted, and if so, that'll likely mean more painting before reassembly, though of course I'll document here. The whitewash is really turning out well, so far, and I'm satisfied with the way it matches references. (Boudicca seems to dig it.) Lots of experience painting Finnish and East German winter camouflage has taught me a few tricks, though it'll probably pale in comparison to what's been done by others here.

Stowage is moving along, albeit slowly. The main section for the engine deck/fuel rack is covered by a large white canvas tarp, and so I've been moving slowly to keep it clean. The rest is in progress, too. Not sure how much I'll attach. I'd like to get it assembled and then move from there. Metal tools will at minimum almost certainly be attached. As per recommendations here, I'm doing them in the same base color as the tank, though I don't think I'll be winter camouflaging them. We can assume they're being used often enough that a bit of whitewash, even if it i was applied, is going to last about fifteen seconds.

Sergeant Brotherton is coming along well. Happy with the color of his coat. Dropped him today and his head fell off... But it was a very clean break and will reattach quite easily. Which is a sign of how well Herr Schuart printed and the quality of the resin. No shattering like glass here.

-M.