Early m4a1

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Son of a gun-ner
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

Exhibitedbrute wrote:Teaching none. I’m asking for some. I will stick some photos up of where I have got to at some point. Not much more than that though I’m waiting for parts
This section is for sharing what tips and tricks YOU have.
It says so under Tips and Tricks
I'll move it to general questions.
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Exhibitedbrute
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Exhibitedbrute »

So after some parts finally got delivered yesterday and after a painstaking 4 hours I have turned two of the standard HL bogie in to this.

Also made a little progress on the turret
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Estnische
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Estnische »

Those bogies look good.

Did your commander's hatch come like that or did you fill the opening?

Did you change the barrel?
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Exhibitedbrute »

Estnische wrote:Those bogies look good.

Did your commander's hatch come like that or did you fill the opening?

Did you change the barrel?
There is a proper 75mm turret available on eBay from Russia. Mine is a firefly turret from forgebear so the loader hatch has been filled in. Filler paint will take care of the outline when I can get some. But it does mean I will have to build the mantle for it like on the a2 above that my dad built for me
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Son of a gun-ner
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

Yes, those bogies do look good :thumbup:

May I ask where you got those conversions from Mr Exhibitedbrute?
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Exhibitedbrute »

Son of a gun-ner wrote:Yes, those bogies do look good :thumbup:

May I ask where you got those conversions from Mr Exhibitedbrute?
Indeed you can mr gunner. I was going to print them my self but I then discovered that warren huddsen has them on shapeways. Though I find them expensive the plastic they print with is far tougher than any I have so all in all I’m in pressed.

When I do the other side I will post some more detailed photos so you can see the alterations needed if that helps

He also does the early wheels which I will buy rather than have my dad print. Again because the plastic they use is so much tougher
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Exhibitedbrute »

That is if I change the wheels because although many photos of the El Alamein a1 has the spoked wheels but one of the earliest a1 examples the tank museum have are pressed spoked wheels so I can only assume they used both. Factory dependant
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Son of a gun-ner
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

Thanks for the info.

As for museum pieces, you can't always go on them for historic accuracy, when they restore some vehicles, they sometimes use whatever they can get.
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Exhibitedbrute »

According to some articles I have found the one they have at bovington is alleged to be one of 2 prototypes. It is claimed to still be in original condition apart from a lick of paint. It does seem to have a few prototype fittings such as it machine guns in the bow but the wheels are not what we expect to see on early a1s. That being said there are some a2s that where also used in the desert that seem to have the early spoked or pressed spoked. Some go as far as having both but I put that down to front line repairs
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Son of a gun-ner
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Re: Early m4a1

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

Well, you must be talking about Sherman Michael, that was the second one off of the production line. And the 75mm barrel it has today isn't the original one, the original barrel was the very short 75 with the counterweight. Like I said, you can't rely on museum pieces, the original photos of Michael taken during the war show some differences.

I do wonder why the barrel was changed, the tank never left England or saw battle.
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