[D-Day] M32 ARV

[Ecam]

Roughed in will do some finish work when the hatch arrives. But I sure think this looks pretty good. And since the engine replaced one of my lead boxes, the engine has been filled with lead. And the whole interior still lifts out.

[HERMAN BIX]

That has to be one of the best Cherry on tops Ive ever seen

[Ecam]

He is a Pal and a walking compendium of Tank Engineering.

Mike has been called many things/names (some of the nastier ones come from his siblings) but a compendium (had to look it up)...

In all fairness, I am proud to call him my brother (but will still call him names when the opportunities present themselves).

[MonsieurTox]

Great integration of the FOV engine compartment. It looks really great.
All the other FOV parts will be a nice addition even if your scratched parts were already top notch !

[Ecam]

I'm going back and forth on the interior parts. The FOV has ammo storage on the sponson shelves. I think that I am correct that M4A3 wet, the ammo was all in the floor. I've not actually laid eyes on a FOV hull, but I am assuming it is an early dry storage M4A3. Besides the the lower hull pieces, Mike gave me a FOV low bustle turret years ago. It now rest on my M4 hybrid and was the pattern for a mold that I used to make the rotor shields for all my 75mm conversions (including the hybrid). The turret basket is too large for the HL hull, so I'll stay with the one I built because I still want to be able to convert it back to RC. I made a second floor for the battery and electronics that will drop in.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

I just figured out what FOV means. Um, unh, although they don't bring nearly the price of the 1/16 FOV Tiger, those 1/16 FOV Shermans are really expensive, no? Did you find a junker? I must have bought mine fifteen years ago, NIB, and I was at the price then.

[Ecam]

I've mentioned Forces of Valor (FOV) before, but good point. No I've been watching for one for years, big brother Mike (who is considerably older) has been doing this much longer. All my FOV stuff has come from him. I did see a FOV Jeep and Kubel years ago at Walmart on clearance for $20/ea, but the wife said no (Grinch). Should have snuck back...

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Hmm... Are you referring to the FOV in 1/16 or in 1/18 I have a number of FOV in 1/18 on nice rolling shelves my friends build for me years ago. I was looking for the 1/18 FOV tanks about 20 years ago at a LHS (local hobby shop, although no hobby shop is so "L" to me) when I bumped into a cardboard box of a Taigen Tiger I. Curtains!

[Ecam]

1/18 or 16th great question. The Sherman must have been 16th because the parts I've used are direct matches for my HL stuff. The Jeep and Kubel, don't remember and it was at least 15 years ago.

[sassgrunt]

Yes, the FoV M4A3 Sherman is 1/16 scale. Back when they were more plentiful, you could get one for between $200 and $400. Not now, of course - they go for stupid money nowadays. At the time, they were the only small hatch Sherman available; but soon after they were released, we started seeing resin castings based on the upper hull. I've hacked up there or four of them, with parts going to myself and others. Alpha made a Girls & Panzer one (from the British school), and I've used two for a Royal Marine M4A3 Sherman named "Fox" that accompanied their Cromwells and an M32B2 tank recovery vehicle. They had metal track, but an easily-worn out plastic drive sprocket. The only replacement metal sprocket I ever found that would mesh with the track was from the T-81 track for the Pershing, (although it had to be narrowed somewhat to fit the more-narrow track). I wish I would have squirreled away at the time, as well.