NEW RELEASE FOR M4 SHERMANS

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ALPHA
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NEW RELEASE FOR M4 SHERMANS

Post by ALPHA »

Available since the 20th of January 2016
Mato has released IR and BB "FIREFLY barrels

Image

IR

Image

BB

Both machined out of Aluminum...only difference between the two is the Machining at the base of the barrel

IR barrels have been available from other manufacturers...but this is the first BB version that I have seen...which might suggest Mato will be coming out with a Firefly in the future...but that is just speculation ;)
Check your local Mato Dealer for availability...in the UK..that would be Forgebear :thumbup:

Caviat Emptor Gents :wave:

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43rdRecceReg
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Re: NEW RELEASE FOR M4 SHERMANS

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

Interesting piece of speculation, Herr General. :think: ...but, supposing Mato are not coming out with a tank to fit the barrel... then what? I notice that rctank.de are selling the barrels too..but no whiff of anything to fit them in.
Are we expecting the ultimate in camouflaged Sherman's: The Invisible Firefly...where only the barrel is seen hovering above the garden, or personal tank range? Still, it might make a snazzy cigarette holder for the tank crazy smokers amongst us :haha: (Not I..) I might buy one just for the hell of it....after all, it is the only bit of British WW2 tank currently available in the 1/16 market..sadly :( ...for some reason it reminds me of the dictator's nose in Woody Allen's
'Sleeper', where they're hoping to clone a body from the nose, to fit the nose.. :haha:
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Sleeper barrel and nose....png
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tomhugill
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Re: NEW RELEASE FOR M4 SHERMANS

Post by tomhugill »

43rdRecceReg wrote:Interesting piece of speculation, Herr General. :think: ...but, supposing Mato are not coming out with a tank to fit the barrel... then what? I notice that rctank.de are selling the barrels too..but no whiff of anything to fit them in.
Are we expecting the ultimate in camouflaged Sherman's: The Invisible Firefly...where only the barrel is seen hovering above the garden, or personal tank range? Still, it might make a snazzy cigarette holder for the tank crazy smokers amongst us :haha: (Not I..) I might buy one just for the hell of it....after all, it is the only bit of British WW2 tank currently available in the 1/16 market..sadly :( ...for some reason it reminds me of the dictator's nose in Woody Allen's
'Sleeper', where they're hoping to clone a body from the nose, to fit the nose.. :haha:
Mato tend to release parts like this before tanks are released. No it's not a cast iron cert but they have been expending things on the Sherman side so it's not out of the question.
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Re: NEW RELEASE FOR M4 SHERMANS

Post by ALPHA »

43rdRecceReg wrote:Interesting piece of speculation, Herr General. :think: ...but, supposing Mato are not coming out with a tank to fit the barrel... then what? I notice that rctank.de are selling the barrels too..but no whiff of anything to fit them in.
Are we expecting the ultimate in camouflaged Sherman's: The Invisible Firefly...where only the barrel is seen hovering above the garden, or personal tank range? Still, it might make a snazzy cigarette holder for the tank crazy smokers amongst us :haha: (Not I..) I might buy one just for the hell of it....after all, it is the only bit of British WW2 tank currently available in the 1/16 market..sadly :( ...for some reason it reminds me of the dictator's nose in Woody Allen's
'Sleeper', where they're hoping to clone a body from the nose, to fit the nose.. :haha:
My Speculation comes from how all the metal Sherman models are now meeting with heavy criticisms ....Add into that the fact that the Firefly barrel was never available in BB form....The IR version has been on the Market for years...first put out by Tamiya...who never followed through ...they just made the barrel...which didn't really fit any of the models they had in production

Perhaps it's more a case of wishful thinking than a pure prediction 43...But Mato does have to "beef" up their line ...a Plastic..whether it be the short version or the British stretch model...would be a refreshing addition for the RC tank Community ...both for the modellers and Mato...as I'm sure the sales would be brisk ;)

The current Mato Barrels will fit into the Heng Longs...Taigens ...and the Matos...so this is also something different...Having them already operable with current components does leave a feeling of optimism that something larger is still to come :D

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43rdRecceReg
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Re: NEW RELEASE FOR M4 SHERMANS

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

I sincerely hope that your speculation- based as it is on a greater knowledge of the antics of Mato, Heng Long etc., than my own brief acquaintance- proves to be correct. :thumbup: I'd be queue- jumping to get my hands on a Firefly..plastic or otherwise. As I said, I'd rather not have to resort to the Frankenstein form of Sherman..a sawn in half one (Pick 'n' Mix)..that it's been necessary for others to indulge in, to magic up a Firefly. That said, of course, for many of us, it's precisely that challenge that gives the greatest reward. :think: ..The problem is, that the necessary bits are really scarce. But hey, the Barrel is a great start :D
Last edited by 43rdRecceReg on Sun Feb 28, 2016 12:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: NEW RELEASE FOR M4 SHERMANS

Post by ALPHA »

43rdRecceReg wrote:I sincerely hope that your speculation- based as it is on a greater knowledge of the antics of Mato, Heng Long etc., than my own brief acquaintance- proves to be correct. :thumbup: I'd be queue- jumping to get my hands on a Firefly..plastic or otherwise. As I said, I'd rather not have to resort to the Frankenstein form of Sherman..a sawn in half one (Pick 'n' Mic)..that it's been necessary for others to indulge in, to magic up a Firefly. That said, of course, for many of us, it's precisely that challenge that gives the greatest reward. :think: ..The problem is, that the necessary bits are really scarce. But hey, the Barrel is a great start :D
Tell you what 43....I would speculate that "If" the Firefly does hit the production line in one form or another...It will be right after I finish building mine :lolno:

Always Happens that way for some reason :'( ............ ;)


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Re: NEW RELEASE FOR M4 SHERMANS

Post by Rebel 1 »

Hi Everyone,
I'm with Alpha on this one. A Firefly would be a great addition to the RC Tanking scene. There is a resin conversion set being sold on Evil-Bay from a seller in Canada. The set consists of the turret, upper hull, three piece type transmission cover and a resin gun barrel. This set probably would fit any lower hull and I would use the Mato Aluminum gun barrel in place of the resin barrel from this kit. The set costs $175 dollars and here's a link to check it out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-16-Sherman-Fi ... SwH71XPP6Y
Just give me something to shoot at!!! ;D
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43rdRecceReg
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Re: NEW RELEASE FOR M4 SHERMANS

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

Rebel 1 wrote:Hi Everyone,
I'm with Alpha on this one. A Firefly would be a great addition to the RC Tanking scene. There is a resin conversion set being sold on Evil-Bay from a seller in Canada. The set consists of the turret, upper hull, three piece type transmission cover and a resin gun barrel. This set probably would fit any lower hull and I would use the Mato Aluminum gun barrel in place of the resin barrel from this kit. The set costs $175 dollars and here's a link to check it out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-16-Sherman-Fi ... SwH71XPP6Y
Sadly, Major-General Alpha, who would no doubt applaud your support, is no longer able to avail us of his wit and wisdom on this esteemed website. However, 'Dgsselkirk', another respected member, is none other than the seller (and entrepreneur) in Canada you refer to.Without his efforts, and those of a few others, the British armoured effort in WW2 would have been airbrushed out of existence. You might also check out Chris Ludwig's website:
http://ludwigs-hobby-seite.de.. He is also a significant contributor here and, with his Cromwell and now Centurion kits, is (perhaps ironically for a german!) attempting to redress this bizarre anomaly. :thumbdown:
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
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