761st Tank Battalion M4A3 in the Ardennes

[MrChef]

There is a very easy mod for the Hull MG,
When you get it push the barrel through a small childs bead butt the bead against the hull but do NOT get glue on it,
Box the bead in with scrap sprue which you do glue to the hull to keep the bead/mg in place but free to move.
A 5 minute job that adds a good look to your Tank.

I was gonna do the box in thing but felt it wouldn't be sturdy enough so I just glued this time thinking of what to do next time. The Taigen Tiger MG fits perfectly in the bead.

[Mithras]

If it is of any help, I have used an enamel spray can for US WWII Olive Drab, FA 340867: Model Master 1911 (spray can).
As you likely know well, the “correct” OD is a matter of seemingly endless discussion among modelers. Steven Zaloga evaluated lots of OD variants, and this one came out pretty well.

Thank you very kindly for the suggestion!

[Mithras]

There is a very easy mod for the Hull MG,
When you get it push the barrel through a small childs bead butt the bead against the hull but do NOT get glue on it,
Box the bead in with scrap sprue which you do glue to the hull to keep the bead/mg in place but free to move.
A 5 minute job that adds a good look to your Tank.

Another excellent suggestion, thank you. I was looking at a metal replacement barrel as well. Probably wouldn't move that way, but it'll look very nice.

[Mithras]

Just a brief update. Not much of substance to say.

Stencils and commander have arrived from Rad. Quick, safely, no issues to speak of. I will get to them later.

The lack of a hull machine gun is annoying me more than it should. I've been able to find no after market replacements. The problem is that Toucan wired the thing for light, but didn't include the barrel, which means I'd have to take the entire assembly apart and replace it with another one. I may simply have to skip the barrel entirely, assume it's been dismounted for whatever reason, or cobble together a replacement from plastic tubing or another, similarly shaped piece from my bits box, which is easier said than done.

[ColemanCollector]

Shoot the eBay seller a message explaining that there was no machine gun supplied. The Toucan sellers are very good at sourcing parts and should be supplying you with one.
Or try Matomart, is this what you need?
https://www.matomart.com/prodview.php?p=3779

Mike.

[Mithras]

Very, very brief update to assure everybody that I'm alive, and that Hellfighter is still in progress. At the moment, I've not been able to do much: we've been swamped with rain, and I've got no place to paint. Whilst I'm anxious to get the thing built, painted, and running again, the wife is prepping for a big trial, and so our pups are a little overrwrought. Probably best I spend slightly more time closer to them, I guess.

However, I do have several upgrades on order: stowage, metal engine grille, metal pistol port, a much improved AAMG for the turret, brass expended shells for engine deck scatter, and a couple of other little things to make her look a little more like I'd like her to look. A friend strongly recommended a certain base color from Tamiya, and so I'll be using that, too, and have it in hand. Sadly, the Vallejo base coat I wanted wasn't in stock, and the Model Masters shade has been discontinued (allegedly). On the other hand, I have all of the paint I need, and as soon as I can get some dry days, I can probably begin work on at least -some- of the stuff that needs to be painted (obviously, can't do some of it until the aftermarket parts are installed.)

I've also confirmed that no, I did not receive the HMG: nothing in the packaging and this was not a case of my not recognizing some piece on the plastic sprue as a proper MG. A member here has offered me one, so I may well take them up on it.

Wife, meanwhile, is very much enjoying her Challenger. I took some shots, but I'd like to get a head on shot of the tank, too. Happy to share, if there's interest, though it is, ultimately, just a challenger.

I did receive my Churchill from the Ebay based vendor, and I've got mixed feelings about it. I'll post those elsewhere. Wife feels bad that that one will also need some work, so she's suggested I look for "another runner." And I mean, if she's offering another tank, I'll not absolutely say 'No.' Will see what I can find. Sturmtigers and King Tigers on the brain, lately, but a Stug could be a lot of fun (and I could make it a Hungarian tank, which would please my inner Magyar to no end.) We'll see.

I'm quite excited to get more work done. In the meanwhile, I've been reading "Death Traps," which is a book anyone with an interest in the subject might very well enjoy. First hand account by an officer in a maintenance battalion attached to the 3rd Armored Division. He doesn't spare the reader with his opinion of the Sherman as a fighting machine.

[Meter rat]

Very, very brief update to assure everybody that I'm alive

Wife, meanwhile, is very much enjoying her Challenger. I took some shots, but I'd like to get a head on shot of the tank, too. Happy to share, if there's interest, though it is, ultimately, just a challenger.

I did receive my Churchill from the Ebay based vendor, and I've got mixed feelings about it. I'll post those elsewhere. Wife feels bad that that one will also need some work, so she's suggested I look for "another runner."

Glad you are well.

I very much want pictures of your wife’s Challenger, and how she develops it. To paraphrase the the old Citroen 2CV sticker. A Challenger is not just a tank. It’s a way of life.

Sorry your Churchill is not as expected. I’m sure with your skills it will turn into a fine mode.

[Tiger6]

I'm quite excited to get more work done. In the meanwhile, I've been reading "Death Traps," which is a book anyone with an interest in the subject might very well enjoy. First hand account by an officer in a maintenance battalion attached to the 3rd Armored Division. He doesn't spare the reader with his opinion of the Sherman as a fighting machine.

Be extremely cautious about anything you read in that book, the publisher added in a bunch of embellishments and outright concoctions to make it sell better...

[ColemanCollector]

I'm quite excited to get more work done. In the meanwhile, I've been reading "Death Traps," which is a book anyone with an interest in the subject might very well enjoy. First hand account by an officer in a maintenance battalion attached to the 3rd Armored Division. He doesn't spare the reader with his opinion of the Sherman as a fighting machine.

Be extremely cautious about anything you read in that book, the publisher added in a bunch of embellishments and outright concoctions to make it sell better...

Most definitely what Tiger6 says!

[MrChef]

Be extremely cautious about anything you read in that book, the publisher added in a bunch of embellishments and outright concoctions to make it sell better...

Most definitely what Tiger6 says!

Not to mention the Panzer Aces books...