Sherman M4(105)

[DRAGONWAGON]

Today the drivers- and radio-operators hatch (Nick Aguilar items) arrived, thanks Dan for pointing me in his direction. So some surgery is coming up this weekend. BTW the periscope holders are a very nice asset to the hatches.....Kudos!

Grtz, John (pictures will follow)

[X82d Pathfinder]

John:
Did you tell Nick I sent you? Ha! He knows I have been disecting his offerings since I started playing with this build. I even put the casting numbers inside the hatch. If you need pictures of this I will be glad to scan a couple from my book and PM them to you. I also made the vision blocks for mine. You got the parts incredibly fast. How long ago did you order them? I gather you're going to use the silk button thread method to cut your hatches from the armor?

-Dan

[panzerschreck]

Looking at the quality of your work my friend, have you considered that you may also be here to teach...

[DRAGONWAGON]

@ Dan,

Hatches are already out, and NOT with the silk button thread method (Huh, dunno what that is....me ignorant fool) but with the old fashioned jig-saw method; one tiny hole drilled (0.7mm) and follow the contours of the hatch. Hey grammar school finally pays off!! LOL.

@ Panzerschreck,

Thanks for the kind words, I put some of my 1:35 experience in this project....But you'll have to wait untill I hit the electronics, you guys probably gonna laugh your heads off.....

Grtz, John.

[X82d Pathfinder]

John:
You could probably have used the Tamiya hatches with the silk thread method. You drill a hole about .030, pass the thread through it and saw.If you're trying to cut surface detail off I use a No. 11 blade to give the thread a place to start. You can usually salvage the part you remove for re use and the cut is the thickness of the thread. You MUST use button thread, and the cotton/silk variety works best. I used this method to cut the persicope covers off the turret and the hatch as well as removal of the final drive covers from the Mato hull. I, like you am an avid plastic kit builder. I do just about any kind of model, I paint figures, RC aircraft, N scale trains and RC cars. I recently even learned how to fly small scale Helos, in the house. The 12 ft ceilings give me enough room to operate if I'm careful. lol ( Not that the spouse is happy about it.) I used to volunteer for an aviation museum and when the surgeon made a mistake during my second back surgery I became diabetic, which cost me my pilot's license and multi rating. I have to do something to keep my hands busy or I'd lose my mind.
As for teachers, there are many masters here, and those like you and I that have mastered building higly detailed static model kits seem to be able to apply our trade to things of this nature well, like you and I have. It's great to have a large consensus to go to for questions here. Many have fought their way through projects and learning from their build we can avoid costly mistakes or improve on their design.

[DRAGONWAGON]

.....As promised: the pics of the churgical operation:





And a pic of the turret's periscope, just for the fun of it...



I'll keep your advise in mind Dan, highly appreciated, as always!! John.

[Alex van loon]

Nice build.
love the details

Gr Lex

[X82d Pathfinder]

John:
Who makes the open periscopes?

[X82d Pathfinder]

John:
Who makes the open periscopes?

[DRAGONWAGON]

Dan:

I had it via Wight (see the Masterclass) he had made them by a friend who casted them in resin....I was lucky he had one usable lying around.

John.