RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

hi,

Here the boxes for the grousers have been built and installed on the front glacis. However, probably 90% of the pictures of M7 in the field that i saw show spare tracks or the crew's personal items in there, so I prefer to show them with spare T-48 tracks. Use of grousers is likely more relevant for vehicles with the flatter T-51 tracks.
Making the rectangular slots for the boxes need a lot of care. Use of various plasticard sheet sizes, a cutting knife, a metal ruler, superglue and some files allow items like this to be built with good accuracy, cheaply and without too much complexity.
An M7 mid production horn has been built with the material that was available. You can see that the model is quite dusty with all the sanding that is required on such build. I good wash will be required before priming.
The Vandra kit provides the gun locking mechanism with convenient hinges to glue in the floor. However, I could not find any photographic evidence of hinges on this item. Reference show this item to be fully removable and when it needed to be put in place, the legs were inserted in slots on the floor of the fighting compartment right under the tail of the cradle. I have yet to build those slots in the floor. The kit part is accurate in shape and form but can be further enhanced for accuracy by making it thinner and reinforced as shown. There are very few available references on this item.
The M7 is fully loaded with Shapeways.com fiberglass containers and some of the ammo provided with the kit.
Regards, Louis

Incredible work indeed Louis

Very good work on your tank

I concur with Mr Flamethrower, a very well delivered and researched example of an often overlooked specialist weapon.
sure is a 'busy' build

Hi,

Thank you everyone for encouragements. I hope that my experience here can be of use to those who will build this kit. The build would have been easier if I had chosen to build an M7B1 and forget about a few items that I changed but I wanted the extra challenge. After many Shermans, Panthers, Tigers, PZ IV, PZ III, etc... I need new challenges. I should picture a line up of my tanks one of these days, I counted 49 in the house today...

This week, I will finish the construction of the M7. I am currently making and installing tie downs. As an open fighting vehicle, this model has many of them inside and out. But I need to be careful not to install those in future markings areas as they will be an issue for installing decals. There must be 50 of these tie downs to make with 0.5mm brass rods and pliers, and then install correctly. It's not my favorite modelling task.

It take some courage to take very close up pictures of a build in progress. Every little thing shows; issues, mistakes, scratches, imperfections and some good things also... What you can't see with the naked eye comes out screaming. Its part of the process to finish the model. Taking pictures and see what needs to be redone or improved. Need to redo a few things.

Here are tie down examples;
This is the locking mechanism I have build for the bins on the rear deck. Got to find some locks to put on them.
The models as it stands today;
Regards, Louis

lmcq11 wrote:This is the locking mechanism I have build for the bins on the rear deck. Got to find some locks to put on them.

http://modellbaugasse.de/epages/b94bee0 ... Categories
Heike's Modelbaugasse sells nice small 1:16 locks, packs of 5 if I remember correctly. Can't fin them on the site right now, maybe you should drop them an 'e-mail.

A spectacular result, Louis! Loaded up with equipment and fittings, it makes for an impressive sight. What did you have in mind with regards to painting and weathering?

Thank you all.

Raminator wrote:What did you have in mind with regards to painting and weathering

With my average painting skills, I won't risk anything fancy. It will be a Normandy 1944 vehicle, meaning pretty new in action and clean. It will be in basic olive drab overall, with light shading and with medium size white star US markings. There will be no mud or dust.

thanks, Louis

Hi,

Here is the instrument panel for the driver, dials are from 1/24 Airscale airplane decals. I had a vision where this part would be a lot better looking. I should have made it a bit wider too. And finishing it made me remember why I switched from airplanes to tanks decades ago, instrument panel and cockpits don't like me. Even with large and very good quality 1/24 scale decals and a magnifier, everything was going wrong and I could barely see and manipulate them. Anyway, this will have to do considering the vendor did not bother providing anything with his kit and that I had to scratch built the whole thing from nothing. I am sure two younger eyes with more patience can achieve better results.
Regards, Louis

Louis don't doubt yourself they look very nice
And your painting skills are exceptional IMHO