It Begins! My M4A1 based Sherman Firefly Build.

[Son of a gun-ner]

Hey, I'll have you know I now have half a Tamiya Sherman

Sadly the wrong half

Thank you Mr Front, I'm sure there's lots of interesting stories to be heard

[X82d Pathfinder]

Eastern, as you may recall I am the third generation who served with the 82nd Airborne. My grandfather, father and I. My grandfather made four combat jumps during WWII. My father served in the interim years in the mid 50's through the early 60's. I caught everything in the 80's. Grenada, Honduras and Panama.
My family has served since 1776. Batheszar Meese served from 27 Apr 1776 to 13 Dec 1781. He even carried the flag up Bunker Hill with George Washington.
I served from 82-90. I resigned my commission and entered the Academy. I was recalled and sat in a hanger in Germany for almost three weeks during the initial invasion into Iraq. ( The first one)

[43rdRecceReg]

Eastern, as you may recall I am the third generation who served with the 82nd Airborne. My grandfather, father and I. My grandfather made four combat jumps during WWII. My father served in the interim years in the mid 50's through the early 60's. I caught everything in the 80's. Grenada, Honduras and Panama.
My family has served since 1776. Batheszar Meese served from 27 Apr 1776 to 13 Dec 1781. He even carried the flag up Bunker Hill with George Washington.
I served from 82-90. I resigned my commission and entered the Academy. I was recalled and sat in a hanger in German for almost three weeks during the initial invasion into Iraq. ( The first one)

As a Highlander, there's probably not a been a time in the last thousand years, when my ancestors weren't involved in some sort of War (with the English, and against the English ); clan skirmishing, Revolutionary Wars, and European mercenary warfare. Many Poles, in fact, can trace their ancestry back to mercenary Highlanders who fought with them in European wars in the 17th Century- Russians too, as many as 250,000, in fact...
http://www.andhranews.net/Intl/2007/Oct ... -17541.asp
My Grandfather towed the guns, in the Artillery, in the first War, before becoming one of the PBI. His three brothers were also in the Infantry. Two killed, the third had a leg blown off. I had an uncle in the RAF in WW2 (based at Dishforth), and an Uncle in the (43rd) Wessex Division with my Dad. 43rdRecce Reg (with Dad and Uncle) took part in Operation Market Garden at the Spearhead of the British forces trying to relieve the Red Berets in Arnhem. A Bridge too far...
Dan- welcome back, by the way, (and what a superlative Sherman thread )..you may find this Market-Garden order of battle an interesting. My Dad's unit is there, if you scroll down.
http://www.ww2marketgarden.com/marketga ... attle.html
Here's a memorial in Holland to some of my Dad's comrades killed in that campaign. Lucky for me his name's not there too.

43rd Recce Memorial-Holland

[X82d Pathfinder]

It looks as if my grandfather and yours saw some of the same action. He made the four jumps. Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, Holland all with the 82nd. The 82nd doesn't get the credit it deserves, primarily due to Steven Ambros' book" Band of brothers". By the time Normandy took place the 82nd's strength was so low from combat losses with the exception of a few battalions who were cobbled together for essential missions that they sat Normandy out awaiting replacements. The 101st didn't see action until Normandy.
He was assigned to the 504th PIR during Market Garden which the Paras both British, Polish and Americans took a beating during the failed operation.
I went to Nimegan in 1994 while assigned to the 504th PIR. The older people were incredibly appreciative because of what was sacrificed by the Americans and British Airborne elements during that operation.
Mongomery's monumental F-up was very costly to the Red Devils and the American Airborne Divisions. The picture I have of this armor was taken on 17 Sept 44.

[43rdRecceReg]

It looks as if my grandfather and yours saw some of the same action. He made the four jumps. Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, Holland all with the 82nd. The 82nd doesn't get the credit it deserves, primarily due to Steven Ambros' book" Band of brothers". By the time Normandy took place the 82nd's strength was so low from combat losses with the exception of a few battalions who were cobbled together for essential missions that they sat Normandy out awaiting replacements. The 101st didn't see action until Normandy.
He was assigned to the 504th PIR during Market Garden which the Paras both British, Polish and Americans took a beating during the failed operation.
I went to Nimegan in 2009 while assigned to the 504th PIR. The older people were incredibly appreciative because of what was sacrificed by the Americans and British Airborne elements during that operation.
Mongomery's monumental F-up was very costly to the Red Devils and the American Airborne Divisions. The picture I have of this armor was taken on 17 Sept 44.

It was my Dad, Dan, not my Grandfather- but yes, they were in the same theatre of operations. They might even have seen one another, albeit in passing.
I've been to Arnhem, and the Reichswald Forest (near Kleve) where my Father's unit encountered 'stiff resistance'. Typical British understatement. Actually, it was a really brutal encounter. A Canadian unit in the same thrust suffered heavy casualties, in particular. The Germans were hellbent on stopping them getting across the Rhine.
I took my kids to the Somme years ago (Thiepval and Beaumont Hamel), Verdun, and Arras to give them some idea of the scale of WW1, and (from the seemingly endless collection of graveyards)..the number of casualties it occasioned (including two of my Grandfather's brothers). I think everyone who is able, should make a pilgrimage there- to witness the folly of man, but also the poignancy of those fields of headstones.
Again, I took them to WW2 battlefields, but to those in particular where my Father and Uncle had been involved (Caen, Arnhem, Reichswald, and Bremen).
Lest we forget, eh?
Loved the Sherman build, by the way, and was duly impressed by the level of detail you lovingly imbued your model with
I have the box set of 'Band of Brothers', and often play it. Dropping into a conflict via string, and silk, can only win my admiration. I've flown light aircraft, but never felt the urge to jump out of one (with a 'chute..of course ).

[X82d Pathfinder]

I don't know what limey came up with jumping from a dirigible, but I hated it! There's just something that doesn't feel right about dropping through a wicker basket. The Brits only had to make one jump with us, they made us do all five via that rickety thing to earn our Brit wings.
I wasn't kind to my body when I was young, so I no longer exit aircraft. I changed ends and am an Airline pilot.
I appreciate the kind compliments. I had seen so many Firefly-ish builds I elected to go another route. Perhaps a bit too much detail for something of this nature, but I was happy with the outcome.

[tommlfoy]

I completed the latch and close lever and interior pads on the loader's hatch. I have decided to open a couple of the periscopes, so I am working on finding clear plastic to complete them. The thickest I have been able to find is .060, so I wound up cutting up a 3.5 disc box that is obsolete to make the periscopes.

Please can you tell me what the diameters of the loafers hatch and how did you get the mechanism to work please


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[X82d Pathfinder]

The hatch dimension was made by enlarging 1/35 scale line drawing prints. The hatch was made from different thicknesses of Plastistruct strene stock and shaping them. I used railroad model brass wire stock to make the hinges on the hatch pivot.

[tommlfoy]

The hatch dimension was made by enlarging 1/35 scale line drawing prints. The hatch was made from different thicknesses of Plastistruct strene stock and shaping them. I used railroad model brass wire stock to make the hinges on the hatch pivot.

thank you


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[X82d Pathfinder]

I did this several years ago so remembering details blow by blow is difficult at this stage.