Heng Long Sherman M4A1 (75)
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:26 am
Well, I hadn't expected to be back here for a while due to work commitments. My unfinished projects need some thinking through. But I had an itch I needed to scratch and figured a new Heng Long Sherman project could be done in small increments.
I’m not a fan of Fireflys – I prefer the aesthetics of the cast hull M4A1 combined with the round turret of the 75mm. So M4A1(75) it is. It's not a common project but a few have been made, like Frankie's example. The cast upper hull can be had in resin from Nick Aguilar, or I could modify a Mato version. A third option could be to find an old stock Mato M4A1(76) and change out the turret, however I preferred getting hold of the newer Heng Long 6.0 MFU.
My local hobby store are RC specialists and have started selling Heng Long tanks, and when I say local, they are 20 min walk from home. I decided to purchase from them despite the extra cost compared to an online seller. I was a little wary as to whether they knew exactly what the distributor was giving them. The picture they use on their website is of a Promotion version, but there was every chance the distributor was giving them old stock with an old MFU system. After a phone call to enquire, they indicated the running gear would be plastic, and it is modified so as not to fire BBs, but it is 6.0.
It arrived in quick fashion, and as you can see the box packaging adds to the confusion. Despite the label that says it fires BBs, there is a tiny sticker down the bottom that says its ‘not available’. Under the commander’s hatch is a blanking plate so there is no tube to load the BBs. Taking off the upper hull I see zinc gearboxes. Now, I’m happy with my purchase, but I can see that some people might insist that the naïve store supply the pictured goods at the advertised price.
To make the conversion, I purchase bits from Forgebear and Ozarmour – the main piece was the Mato upper hull. The Heng Long turret, turret ring and motor case slipped straight in. The Mato hull wiring was very messy compared to the latest iteration of the Heng Long Sherman, which shows how much they have progress since the days when people complained about the Glue Monkey.
Although the Mato upper hull will take some tidying up to get it to fit, its not going to be a big job. The hull sides line up and the length looks about right. Importantly, once I had plugged everything back in, it all works as before.
If anyone has any advice about Shermans, I’ll gladly take it.
I’m not a fan of Fireflys – I prefer the aesthetics of the cast hull M4A1 combined with the round turret of the 75mm. So M4A1(75) it is. It's not a common project but a few have been made, like Frankie's example. The cast upper hull can be had in resin from Nick Aguilar, or I could modify a Mato version. A third option could be to find an old stock Mato M4A1(76) and change out the turret, however I preferred getting hold of the newer Heng Long 6.0 MFU.
My local hobby store are RC specialists and have started selling Heng Long tanks, and when I say local, they are 20 min walk from home. I decided to purchase from them despite the extra cost compared to an online seller. I was a little wary as to whether they knew exactly what the distributor was giving them. The picture they use on their website is of a Promotion version, but there was every chance the distributor was giving them old stock with an old MFU system. After a phone call to enquire, they indicated the running gear would be plastic, and it is modified so as not to fire BBs, but it is 6.0.
It arrived in quick fashion, and as you can see the box packaging adds to the confusion. Despite the label that says it fires BBs, there is a tiny sticker down the bottom that says its ‘not available’. Under the commander’s hatch is a blanking plate so there is no tube to load the BBs. Taking off the upper hull I see zinc gearboxes. Now, I’m happy with my purchase, but I can see that some people might insist that the naïve store supply the pictured goods at the advertised price.
To make the conversion, I purchase bits from Forgebear and Ozarmour – the main piece was the Mato upper hull. The Heng Long turret, turret ring and motor case slipped straight in. The Mato hull wiring was very messy compared to the latest iteration of the Heng Long Sherman, which shows how much they have progress since the days when people complained about the Glue Monkey.
Although the Mato upper hull will take some tidying up to get it to fit, its not going to be a big job. The hull sides line up and the length looks about right. Importantly, once I had plugged everything back in, it all works as before.
If anyone has any advice about Shermans, I’ll gladly take it.