Project: V6.0 Airsoft and IR Firefly Turret

[Ad Lav]

Sorry Roy, not meaning to rock the boat! It just look massive compared to the British designed one. I don’t think a Schumo one will be much smaller?

[Ad Lav]

Looking at Ludwigs site, the Comet gun travel lock has better dimensions?

https://www.ludwigs-hobby-seite.de/Comet.html

[43rdRecceReg]

Sorry Roy, not meaning to rock the boat! It just look massive compared to the British designed one. I don’t think a Schumo one will be much smaller?

The Schumo one is meant for the M4, whereas the Mato one was intended for the M4A3. The Schumo item is at least the correct shape.
Don't worry about the stylistic 'nudge', Adam- I'd already begun to be irked by the size of the lock.

One lesson I've learned, however, is that it seems to be cheaper to buy from German sources through Ebay, than directly.
£30-40 to deliver minuscule items from Germany is less welcome than one of their Doodlebugs...

The Shapeway air filters fit quite well, on a positive note. This is what they look like after the first coat of SCC 15 Olive Drab:

[Jimster]

Those Shapeway filters look great. I like Shapeways.

[Rad_Schuhart]

Hey, not rivet counting here but those air filters are upside down!

[43rdRecceReg]

Hey, not rivet counting here but those air filters are upside down!

Not according to this, and other pics I've seen, Rad. In any event, they're staying as they are! There are surprisingly few pics of the rear end of the M4 1c, and the few I have seen have the cylindrical type of filter fitted. If it emerges that there's an actual instruction from contemporary manuals indicating that this type of filter should be fitted the other up, I'll just say they were fitted by a distracted mechanic at the time. There's also a problem fitting them in the right place because of the position of the wiring for the LEDS, which sits outside of the hull. I had to create a protective channel for it to pass safely into the hull, using a slice of styrene tubing.

As I said at the outset, Rad, this is an approximation of the M4 Ic. - not a potential museum piece. Hope lockdown's going well for you there over in Austria!

[Rad_Schuhart]

Worry not, you all know I change everything at my will and I don't care how the real thing was at all. What it counts is if I like it. So if you like the air filters like you fitted, then let it be!
That pic you posted is not very clear but if in google images you tip "Sherman air filters" you will see loads of shermans with it upside down For giving just one link, here: http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minu ... doors.html
The round part is always heading down. I am not sure with your M4 1c. All shermans looks the same to me, but don't tell anybody, LOL!

Lockdown here... Horrible, man. It took me looong time to find another job, it was impossible, everything was closed

But better not to think about it or I will start crying, lol.

[43rdRecceReg]

But- considering the Rad's unerring eye for detail, he might be happier with this arrangement.


The slots you see below the engine doors are for the M4A3 tow-hook, by the way. I've seen one pic of a model with the spring-leaf suspension fitted (Britsh type, fitted to Cromwell, Comet and Churchill). As I've now 'lost' the HL-supplied hook ('lost'=left in a 'logical' storage box, along with other related parts. But, I now have around 20 such
unrelated storage boxes . I may have to fabricate the leaf-type tow hook/pintle. Finding room for it is another matter.

...and the Tamiya illustration, above, also hints at the revised position.

[43rdRecceReg]

Living and learning; yes, well that's one of the benefits of modelmaking. The trick is to avoid as many (potentially costly) mistakes as possible. Usually, I'm fairly good at that;
but the rear gun lock addition has proved again that it's better to look, before leaping. Adam was right about the Schumo travel lock; it's still too big, and not the right design for the engine deck. the only crumb of comfort is that it's well made- but won't be used on this model.

Luckily, I still have the resin lock that came with Deans' well-researched M4A$ Firefly kit.
Using the Tamiya M4 1c diagrams, I made a metal frame for the lock, and fitted pins through it to allow movement. I also used the pics of the M4 for extra detailing (welds etc.,..)


Then the Tamiya diagram helped determine the optimal position, and angle, for the lock...


After the epoxy has set, a bit of tidying up and spraying, this accessory should, at last, look in scale.
Fresh coffee time...
The Hiroshima-like shadow reveals just how enormous the other gun lock was...

[Jimster]

“Hiroshima-like shadow”.
That is a perfect description of how that looks.