Project: V6.0 Airsoft and IR Firefly Turret

[EAO]

43rdRR,

I knew that there were many variations in the Sherman lineup, but never knew that there were so many minor variations in the hull!
That sure makes getting it "just right" a challenge. I'd say you're up for it and doing just fine. Carry on!

Cheers,
Eric.

[43rdRecceReg]

Yes, Eric- it really can be quite bewildering.
If we were presented with a chronological series of modifications, and variations, from one manufacturer in alinera fornat, it would be easier to understand the development history (and I really don't pretend to). However, several companies were involved, and changes were not always applied uniformly across the board. Hence the 'recognition features' needed not only of model types; but also of manufacturer variations and revisions, seen on the laudable Shadock site.
http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/index.html

I'm just aiming for something that looks about right, and that possesse elements that have a provenance in Sherman history.

[43rdRecceReg]

Just a few extra pics showing the difference between the angle of HL's M4A3 rear plate, and that of a Tamiya M4 105 and IDF hull. The slope for the firefly should be more like that of the Tamiya, but even less angled.
So....I made an extra rear plate, and created a standoff bar for it, which should help to create the correct-ish slope, and also bond the plate to the rear of the hull. It will then require filling with bits of shaped styrene and Milliput. I didn't want to detach, and then reattach the rear plate, with angled fillets at the side (as per the glacis plate).





Now I have a Tamiya hull, with nowhere to go....

[Ad Lav]

Lots of work done here!

I may have missed why, but could you explain why you didn’t mod the Tamiya hull which had the correct engine deck?

[43rdRecceReg]

Lots of work done here!

I may have missed why, but could you explain why you didn’t mod the Tamiya hull which had the correct engine deck?

It's not absolutely correct, Adam, as it's the one for the IDF M4, which doesn't quite have the same profile as the one for the M4 105mm model. Yes, the engine deck's similar- but not the pattern I actually wanted.
The real reason, though, is that I'd already begun work on the HL hull, when the AAF Museum told me the 105 hull wasn't in stock. So...I just carried on with the HL M4A3, figuring the Tamiya shell wouldn't be obtainable- despite having ordered it. I used Woz's Shapeways engine deck instead.
Then..the Tamiya hull appeared weeks later
To use a modern idiom it's complicated'.
I guess, I shall just have to use the Tamiya hull for another project. Interestingly, it's made of a far superior plastic to the HL one- which appears to be somewhat fibrous.

Edit: put another way, Adam, the IDF upper hull has the wrong rear plate, and the engine deck is of a slightly different pattern to the M4 (105) Tamiya. What more, the glacis angle is also 47deg, like the M4A3, and I needed 57- which I now have on the HL hull. More glaringly, the diameter of the aperture for the Turret is far greater on the Tamiya, than the HL. All in all, then too much work.
A bit of a waste, considering shipping. The problem is, Tamiya parts are really becoming rather scarce.

[john1970]

The Tamiya upper you have there is from the newer 105 Sherman the super Sherman upper is moulded in a sand colour that's the only difference I can tell between the 2 is the colour of the plastic they are moulded in. The horseshoe cut out 1 you refer to earlier in the thread is from the 1st Tamiya Sherman's 56001 and 56005 hard to get hold of.

[43rdRecceReg]

The Tamiya upper you have there is from the newer 105 Sherman the super Sherman upper is moulded in a sand colour that's the only difference I can tell between the 2 is the colour of the plastic they are moulded in. The horseshoe cut out 1 you refer to earlier in the thread is from the 1st Tamiya Sherman's 56001 and 56005 hard to get hold of.

As I discovered, John.
Still, I'm making reasonable progress with the HL hull. The hardest parts are now behind me. I won't be doing this again in a hurry, however.
The front is progressing well. Next, I have to fill and blend in the new back end. That's going to be the equivalent of the 'Brazilian butt lift'...

[igi911]

Wow great job. I like this garage

[43rdRecceReg]

Wow great job. I like this garage

Thanks, but it's more like a 'Plastic Surgery theatre', with a soundtrack consisting of suppressed laughter, or howls of frustration!

[43rdRecceReg]

This is the 'Brazilian butt-lift' part of the hull- a new rear plate, hopefully with a slope-angle more like that found on the M4 Ic (welded variant). I've checked it with the 1:48 scale Tamiya 1c- and it looks about right.
Here you can see the base filler coat of standard Milliput. Once the profile is about right, I'll put on a coat of the Superfine-white Milliput to level all the surfaces off.
Did I say this is all a bit of a pain? It's a case of no pain, no gain....I guess. I trust some pleasure will eventually come from this pain.
Why on Earth didn't Tamiya make an upscaled 1/16 version of the M4 Ic Firefly!? . I'm sure it would have sold well enough to justify the investment.