It Begins! My M4A1 based Sherman Firefly Build.

[X82d Pathfinder]

Dave: My understanding was by the end of the year. I will make sure I post the title when it becomes available.

[X82d Pathfinder]

I need to catch up with post here again, however here is a little teaser. After completing the Tamiya .50 M2 Machine gun I noticed that most .50's prior to Sept of '44 had the ammo chest type can which held 50 round for the M2 Browning. I started from scratch and wound up cutting up another Tamiya M2 mount and made my own ammo chest. I have yet to prime the parts, but it does show the modified Tamiya ammo can to chest conversion and the ammo chest itself. The chest is somewhat simple construction. .030 sheet plastic, 3/8" retangular tube, 1/16" half round plastic, .030 plastic rod. I filed the inside of the retangular tubing because I have the turned brass .50 rounds from Impact and I intend to belt them and put them in the can fed up on the feed tray of the M2.


Here is what I have completed thus far. In the next couple days I'll get the detailed oil bath air cleaners up on here and the exhaust.

Anyway, if you have suggestions or critique fire away!

-Dan

[DRAGONWAGON]

WOW....amazing progress Dan, your hatches are spot on, I'm working on mine right now. I love the early style .50Cal ammo box!

John.

[X82d Pathfinder]

John:
I decided to do another first with the early can. There's just something interesting about them to me. Tamiya did a wonderful job on the 56014 .50 M2 kit, however the can, even after I filed it to a thickness needed to fit the .50 brass rounds would have made it too thin. Anyway, thanks for the compliments.

-Dan

[DRAGONWAGON]

Dan,

Do you have, by any chance, some detail shots from the inside of the commanders cuppola hatch? I want to make the lock, but I noticed there are several different versions....

TIA John.

[X82d Pathfinder]

John:

I think I have a good reference shot in my Hybrid book. If so I'll scan it tomorrow and post it for you.

-Dan

[DRAGONWAGON]

Thanks a bunch....

[971wright]

Hi Great build ,Just gone through all the posts ,first thing that strikes me is what have you used of the orginal kit,you have changed the MF unit to have recoil ,as far as I can see the only bits are the turret gearboxes and lower hull plus a few bits around the lights.Dosnt seem worth buying a full kit to use so few parts.

regards pete

P.S.all British Fireflys had 30cal M.G. on the turret not a 50 cal

[panzerschreck]

Hi there

Have just clocked your post, and the only thing that offends me is that I never got around to doing the same thing to my own Tamiya Sherman when I had one

All joking aside, a truely stunning piece of work sir

As for the "experts" I have a true story which I feel puts things into perspective somewhat:

A Son is given his Fathers old webbing set which he wore whilst serving in Vietnam, in which is also contained his Fathers combat knife of (personal) choice - a honking great bowie knife. Zip forwards a decade or so, and the Son turns up at a `Nam re-enactment wearing his Fathers old webbing set, replete with honking great bowie knife. Cue a gaggle of "experts" who instantly begin berating the Son for such a glaring historical fopar`, for as any expert worth his or her salt will tell you, the US army never issued honking great bowie knifes to its troops in the Vietnam theatre of operations...

[X82d Pathfinder]

Panzer:
Thank you so much for the compliments. This is my first build of this nature, even though I do a bit of everthing else.
I was an Infantry officer assigned to the 82d airborne. I carried a sykes fairbairn, despite the fact they weren't issue. So I am sure if someone winds up with my issue at some point they'd question it as well. The issue in VN varried by individuls and units. I can only hope you have pictures, however don't let the experts concern you. Remember, most didn't live it, they read about it. Necessity is the mother of invention and soldiers used what was at hand or picked up. Often it was just a matter of choice. Don't concern yourself with what people think they know when you know the individual that carried it. Pull out a picture and tell them bugger off.
-Dan