1/16 RC M4A3E8 Korean war - Restoring Tamiya M4 with Takom kit - build

[lmcq11]

Hi everyone,

After a few complicated builds and while i wait for the paint to dry on the Sho;t, its time to plan for something more easy. I mean something where i do not have to rebuild everything from scratch myself so this build will be using a mainstream kit.

It will be a M4A3E8 (76) W-HVSS Sherman of the Korean war, probably my 14th Sherman based model.

1/16 RC M4A3E8 Korean war - Restoring Tamiya M4 with Takom kit - build

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I have this used Tamiya M4 that i purchased on eBay maybe 3 years ago. The seller listed it with a picture of a model inside an opened bag where only the top of the chassis was showing. The auction was titled something like "Sherman restoration project" and he was asking for $100. I could see it was a Tamiya M4 but had no clue of the release version, condition or what was included in the bag. I offered $80 and he accepted. At that price, there was no real risks for me.

Upon opening the box, i was happily surprised. It's was a complete 1/16 Tamiya M4, missing a few small items on the chassis and turret. I did not really care, its the chassis that i wanted as i was planning for a Nick Aguilar conversion at the time, my third.

1/16 RC M4A3E8 Korean war - Restoring Tamiya M4 with Takom kit - build

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There are only two easily repairable broken suspension units.

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Under the hood, big surprise, it's not the expected empty hull with an old broken clutch gearbox, it is the latest 56014 full option release, with twin motor gearbox, MF-02 and T-05 boards, spreaker, rotation and elevation units. I do not really care about the electronics because i plan to convert to TK-7.1 but this is a high value model. For $80, i hit the jackpot.

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And there is that bag full of spare parts. I can see that the previous owner collected parts for a restoration project, but somehow decided to get rid of it.

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Now, for the restoration, i plan to use a maintream kit. I have these two M4A3E8 models on inventory to choose from. Its incredible how the price of these two kits can vary from one seller to another. I got really good price on both of them. I got the I Love kit (Trumpeter) version with upgrade set for only US $102 from German Ebay sellet MS-Plueth and the Takom-AHHQ Korean war version for only US $94 from Sunward Hobbies with free shipping... That's almost the price of a new 1/35 kit with shipping these days.

Let's investigate which one is the best option for the restoration, well, actually it's more like an upgrade.

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Starting with the upper hull, the Takom part is a perfect fit. Need to adjust the height and to create an all around base for it to sit on, but the dimensions are perfect. Mud guards molded separately and need to be glued and could become weak points if not done correctly.

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Same with the Trumpeter upper hull, perfect fit. This one comes with molded on front and side mud guards. As such, this one has a small advantage as its probably a bit stronger for RC purposes. It mimics the original Tamiya part but a lot more detailed.

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Takom on the left (darker gray parts) and Trumpeter on the right (light grey parts). They are obviously both Large Hatch upper hull. There is lIttle differences in the contruction and layout. Strangely, the hatches on the Takom kit are about 0.5mm to 1mm smaller than on the Trumpeter. Its noticeable. I do not know yet which is more accurate, but it does not impact the quality of the model. There are both superb.

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[tankme]

From what I can see there...the Takom kit looks more detailed, but it also looks like the Trumpeter part fits the lower a little bit better.

[lmcq11]

Upper hull markings on the Takom. I did not find this specific variation of the American Steel (Granite City, Illinois) plant G trademark on the "Son of Sherman" book. The hook on the G is a different style than shown in the book.

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Clear upper hull markings of the American Steel (Each Chigaco, Indiana) plant C trademark on the Trumpeter.

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Now, the turrets exterior. Trumpeter on the left, Nick Aguilar resin turret in the middle, and the Takom on the right. Looking at the loader's hatch, Trumpeter is a split hatch version while Takom is a Oval hatch version, a significant and interesting difference. I am showing the Nick Aguilar turret here for comparison because this is the turret that most guys have been using for past decade on such M4A3E8 build.

Both Trumpeter and Takom turrets look great with cast texture and markings. However, the fit of the two turret halves is better on the Takom kit. There are alignment issues on the Trumpeter turret that will create difficulty for some because of the possibility of damaging the cast finish at the joint, or having to live with an imperfect joint. The Trumpeter positioning pins are also useless, too large and creating more issues than help.

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The Nick Aguilar turret is not smaller, it is an illusion because it is a bit further away. However, it's reload side hatch is much undersized compared to the others, and the cast markings are too big. Compared to the thick and heavy Aguilar resin turret, the new lighter plastic turrets should offer a simpler RC operation.

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Comparing the Trumpeter with Nick Aguilar. The Aguilar turret has a clear advantage of not having the turret split in top and lower halves, allowing for a better rendition of the main soldered joint, but it makes accessing the electronics more difficult.

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Cast markings on the Takom turret. Trademark of the American Steel Foundries Granite City (Illinois) Works can be found in the Son of Sherman book.

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Cast markings on the Trumpeter turret. Another G variation i did not find.

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The Trumpeter kit i have is the initial release version with the upgrade detail set. This is really great and it come packaged in its own little cute box. Care must be used when ordering the I Love Kit (Trumpeter) tank because the version without the upgrade detail set is usually not cheaper. There is a lot of price variations across sellers.

The Trumpeter kit has a metal barrel for the 76mm gun and for the bow machine gun (similar to Aber). However, the 76mm barrel is solid, not hollow, so it will be difficult but doable to drill through 7 inches of solid aluminum to add gun flash.
There are 4 photo-etched frets for headlight guards, M2 ammo box, M2 details, tool clamps, etc.
It has metal connector pins for the track links (Takom is all plastic).
Comes with a resin commander figure (Takom has a standing plastic infantry soldier on this Korean war version, useless for RC purposes).
Rubber tires for road wheels (all plastic on Takom)
Hollow 3D printed center pins for tracks
Rubber canvas cover (plastic on Takom)

These are high value additions and a big plus for the Trumpeter kit. However, a lot of it would not be used on a Tamiya conversion. The rubber canvas is thick and would likely not work for gun elevation, need real canvas on this build.

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The Trumpeter instructions are clear and precise, assembly looks simple but anyone assembling the tracks will remember it.

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[lmcq11]

The Takom/AAHQ kit release comes with relatively few upgrades. There is a similar and solid aluminum gun barrel, a small PE grill for the hull ventilator and metal tow cables, that's it. The lack of PE clamps for the tools will be problematic. It has all plastic road wheels... If i was building a static kit, the lack of rubber tires on the Takom wheels compared to Trumpeter would probably make me build the Trumpeter kit instead, just to avoid painting the rubber on all these wheels. But it is a non issue here.

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Takom instructions are less clear than the Trumpeter. There must be a contest for the Sherman as to who can create instructions with the least writing possible... Just look on the right page where the builder has to make a decision for the mantlet type to use. The box cover says the model has options for WW2 or Korean War versions, but there is not a single word about it in the instructions. They could have written WW2 version... Korean war version... No, nothing, same throughout the instructions, which could lead to building mistakes. Andy should look into this.

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And what is "! (1.2.3)" supposed to mean ? A code for the Korean war maybe... There is no legend or any written information anywhere in the instructions.

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The rear deck on the Trumpeter kit has hinges for the grills, the Takom does not, indicating that the Trumpeter upper hull is an earlier M4A3E8 version than Takom. Its consistent.

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Trumpeter grills on the left, Takom on the right. The Takom grills are superior but will be more fragile.

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Made of two laters where the lower one does not has to be used, the Takom upper layer grill has individually molded opened blades. Being right on top of the speaker, this is a great advantage for sound distribution.

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The two mantlet version of the Takom kit on the left, the single Trumpeter mantlet on the right. The Takom mantlet is 2mm wider and it's noticeable. How could two mainstream kit makers in 2023 end up with a 2mm difference in width for the mantlet in 1/16 scale... In full size, that's a 32mm difference. Someone in the reference department had a problem with his ruler that day, or there are variants in Sherman mantlet size no one has talked about.

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Very little difference between the two Takom mantlet... Some mount for the canvas.

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Small difference in the transmission cover, a bit smaller than the Tamiya part. Both have issues fitting the Tamiya chassis because of the edges of the gearbox but the Takom one would be a bit easier because it has no molded on hull structure on the sides. Not sure it is worth the trouble to replace the Tamiya part. More investigation will be required.

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Both kits come with well made periscope guards, looking great. Those who have experienced the Classy Hobby periscope guards on the M5 Stuart will understand.

It makes me want to buy another Takom kit just for the parts. All these WW2 standard US tank parts cost a fortune on the market, when they can be found, and are usually of lower quality metal molding or 3D printing.

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[lmcq11]

The Takom kit comes with a complete gun breech that can elevate and recoil, with detailed coax machine gun and mount, and a seat. The M1919 Browning is superbly moulded. I will investigate options to use the breech as a recoil unit by attaching a servo to it, somewhere it does not show much. Would be nice to see the gun breech recoil from the loader's hatch. The Trumpeter kit has no interior details.

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After analysis of each kit pros and cons, i selected the Takom kit as a better option for this conversion build. The Trumpeter kit has specific advantages that makes me want to keep the kit complete for a static build. The Takom roadwheels and its tracks are weaker but i do not need them on this conversion and are a non issue. The Takom does not have the Trumpeter PE frets but i am planning to use more resistant Mato metal headlights and guards, the thin PE headlight guards would be weak for RC operations.

.
This is it for the planning phase. The build will start when i am finished with the Sho't Meteor.

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Regards, Louis

[lmcq11]

From what I can see there...the Takom kit looks more detailed, but it also looks like the Trumpeter part fits the lower a little bit better.

Agree. Height adjustments on the transmission cover top base is required for both kit upper hull to sit correctly and flat on the Tamiya chassis, same situation at the rear. The Tamiya locking mechanism on the sides can be reused, which will help.

[Kaczor]

Another fantastic build to follow. With the release of these kits, we gained the cheapest set of quite well-made components to make E8. PS. Trumpeter (I Love Kit) releases three versions: early, late and "Korean". I hope that the announced versions of the M4A1 will be released in the new year.

[Mithras]

Fantastic stuff!

[Ad Lav]

Very similar to my current build but I ended up using Tamiya hull and a Tamiya/AHHQ turret.

The AHHQ turret does not fit the Nick Aguilar cast hull which gave me issues.

Look forward to the build and end result.

[lmcq11]

Hi everyone

Starting the build.


The broken suspension bogies were repaired, and all of them were disassembled, cleaned up, reinstalled and tested for smooth running. All the Tamiya suspension oil containers were removed.

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The Takom oil containers are much more detailed than the old Tamiya ones.

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And installed.

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All the Tamiya electronics were removed and discarded. I just got my Heng Long TK-7.1 which will offer a lot more functionality that the old Tamiya electronics, takes less space and so much simpler to setup and use. At one point, you just got to discard old electronics, even if Tamiya made it.

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Gearbox cleaned up, greased and tested. All good.

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In preparation to installing the Takom upper hull on the Tamiya chassis and ensure it is positioned at the proper height, the side mud guards were installed which will allow me to compare it exactly with the Tamiya upper hull. This is a step that is not required with the Trumpeter (I Love Kit) model which has the mud guards molded with the upper hull. Takom should have done the same because it is a definitive weak point. It is also difficult to make the thin mud guard absolutely horizontal and flat. The joints are narrow and weak without any reinforcement.

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Gluing the side mud guards was a most dissagreeable modelling experience. The guards would just not position themselves correctly, until i found the issue that i had not noticed before, the Takom upper hull has a 1mm inward curve on both sides. Try to put a thin strait flat part perpendicular to a thick curved one... glue not holding and getting on fingers, part sliding everywhere, not staying put, it got ugly real fast. If you look carefully, you can notice the inward curve. If i had noticed the upper hull inward curve prior to trying to glue the mud guards, i would have tried to find a way to correct the upper hull first, somehow.

It's a bad start with the Takom kit but i finally managed to put these bitches on. At one point, it almost made me throw away the Takom kit and pick the Trumpeter kit instead for the conversion. AHHQ/Takom should look into this as it probably creates a lot of issues for modellers with less experience than me.

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The upper hull locking mechanism on the Tamiya chassis helps keep the Takom upper hull strait and aligned when in position. But i will not put a locking strip on the upper hull that would require pulling the upper hull on each sides to slide it in or out, it would likely tear the mud guards apart at one point. The upper hull stays on the chassis by itself now through self squeezing against the chassis...

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Stops were added at the back to position the upper hull at the proper height first, which will allow me to concentrate on the front of the chassis, which is a lot more complex.

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Continuing on following post