I'm not a Sherman guy but... Jussek's M4A3(76) 'Soul Reaper'

[Jofaur86]

also here, can be more explicit

https://www.battletanksnederland.nl/php ... ?f=9&t=622

[Jofaur86]

I can be answered, un 'can quickly, because I see that the hatches Mato (metal) are smaller? what's going to be problematic to fill around? not possible to reuse the original ones?

[Jussek]

hi mate

thanks for your inputs, It is a similar approach to the one I had in mind. The main problem is the molded hinge, it was damaged, but maybe i'm able to make it work.

unfortunately I did not drill the shaft for the dowel from outside the upper hull before cutting the hatch, and now the holes do not line up too well

At the moment I am testing with a 0.3mm wire, very malleable, and a magnet to keep the hatch closed, it does not open completely, but I think it will be enough to access the main switch

if it doesn't work out well, there is always plan B, Mato hatch and putty!

under the hatch I have placed a plasticard reinforcement taken from an old credit card, here you can see it before being trimmed with the dremel tool



the hatch in place, as you can see, a part of the hinge is missing, I will have to use milliput to repair that hole



while the glue dries, I have been making the antisplash covers for the gears



best regards!

[Jofaur86]

indeed, less simple, not sure whether the milliput is strong enough? can you try to redo the missing part with 2/3 mm thick ABS, taken up from below and glued to express stability?

[Jussek]

hello sirs

indeed Jofaur, the milliput was not strong, I removed all the putty that I had put, and replaced it with another type, pattex, once set it remains like a rock

I left this space that can be seen in the photo on purpose, to be able to insert the hinge tab, which I have made with a 0.5mm thick aluminum strip



the 'hinge' with its flange



Once installed in its place and with the Pattex putty I have filled in the empty spaces, making sure that the hatch can be opened without problem





there is still some corner where to put pattex to finish filling all the empty space, once primed and painted I hope this rustic system is not too noticeable!

now for the tower.

The only thing I wanted to do was to reposition the MG led in its correct place, but simulating the barrel of the browning, without seeing the bulb of the led so horrendous that it comes as standard, and remove the led from the IR system, since it does not I want it for nothing ...

what a mess!!



for the MG I have used two concentric tubes, a piece of fiber optic cable, and hot melt glue to fix the whole ... and it works!





Up to here everything has gone more or less well. A few days ago I installed the elmod and tested it, although only with the lower hull, and I connected it to the elmod app to make some configurations, making sure that in the weapons. the recoil type was Standard

Well, yesterday I started doing tests with the tower, I have 'tried' to follow the instructions in the elmod manual, but there is something that escapes me, and I can't get the recoil or flash to work

I just opened a specific thread in the electronics subforum

viewtopic.php?f=78&t=32714


best regards!

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Bravo, Jussek, for hanging in there and finding a solution to the problem of fitting the hatches. I admire your perseverance and the results show success.

[Jussek]

heya guys

after solving the problems with the recoil, I started to prepare the tank for painting.

unfortunatelly, I was unable to remove the replacement track link mounts and the tools... too much hyperglue!
so I had to paint over it, this will bring me more work to paint the tools and track links without damaging the vehicle's paint

This is how the interior is distributed in the waterproof bathtub



to apply cast texture to the parts that need it, i was going to use white superfine milliput, but found it to be useless, and a new unopened package, hard as a rock...too many years in a box i guess... and since I'm impatient, instead of waiting for a new milliput to arrive, I decided to do some texture with cyanoacrylate and revell glues, call me foolish if you want



I applied it to the glacis, the tower and the armor plating above the hatches

I applied Vallejo Gray primer...



for the OD base color I did a mix with tamiya XF62+XF60, 3:1



the ligths with the same colors but in 2:1 proportion, and the shadows with XF62+XF60+XF1 6:2:1





Now I am in the filter phase, I have applied a layer of satin varnish and I have already applied two oil filters, next step apply markings with Rad's stencils, then washes, weathering, pin washes, paint the optics and tools and the replacement track links... I hope to have it finished in a week, on Sunday the 12th we have a 'calçotada' meeting at the Panzodrom!

As I imagine that no one, or almost no one, knows what a calçotada is, I leave you some photos... it is the fact of meeting outdoors and cooking in a fire a kind of spring onion, the calçot. It is a typical tradition of Catalonia, especially in the area where I live, and where the Panzodrom is.

nobles and commoners lose their shame and pride alike, as the way of eating them is dipped in a special sauce wich can drip... somewhat unorthodox





for sure, i will post tons of pics after the meeting!


best regards

[HERMAN BIX]

Spanish food ...............God I have to get to see your place first hand.

[Kaczor]

"I'm not a Sherman guy" - you are now! After my experience, I know that one Sherman is not enough

[Jussek]

Spanish food ...............God I have to get to see your place first hand.

if you want calçots then be in a hurry, these things only can be eaten in winter!

"I'm not a Sherman guy" - you are now! After my experience, I know that one Sherman is not enough

LOL! It has always seemed like a horrible vehicle to me, this version or the E8 are more acceptable to my taste

now the only thing missing is for 'someone' other than tamiya (I don't even take hooben into account) to come up with the version with HVSS suspension, DKLM is supposedly working on a 3d printable kit...