It Begins! My M4A1 based Sherman Firefly Build.

X82d Pathfinder · Post by **X82d Pathfinder** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:14 am

Sass- Thank you. It's finally getting close! Eastern- He makes a good product, however it requires a bit of fitting. The biggest issue was the turret rotation. Take your time and fit it well before painting!

-Dan

X82d Pathfinder · Post by **X82d Pathfinder** » Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:52 pm

I am finishing up the small details and noted that the hatches were void of detail on the latch side. I needed a lever with a knob, a handle and a pad. I wound up using a spare hatch handle, an old style straight pin and a piece of plastic rod for the handle and I used a .015 plastic base and miliput to make the pad. Here is the completed product.

-Dan

buckeye36 · Post by **buckeye36** » Tue Nov 27, 2012 7:15 am

Great work, incredible attention to detail!

X82d Pathfinder · Post by **X82d Pathfinder** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:16 pm

Thank you again. I resolved the elevation issues and I can now paint the turret. The end is near! lol

X82d Pathfinder · Post by **X82d Pathfinder** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:24 am

Well, after my hiatus I will be posting the completion of this build. For those that were following, I apologize for the delay.

sassgrunt · Post by **sassgrunt** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 3:58 am

And it's about time, too - the withdrawl symptoms have been severe!

Seriously, Dan, I am looking forward very much to seeing the completion of your build. It will certainly be the benchmark for other builds; partly because you've done such a great job, and partly because you have shown all the details in photographs as you've gone along.

X82d Pathfinder · Post by **X82d Pathfinder** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 5:35 am

Sass- I have had family in and out since the end of December. It's been a busy first three months. I should be able to get back to some me time, at least for a few months. My step daughter is getting married in October, so I am sure by September we'll be back to that grind and going back and forth to NY is going to be pure joy.( not) lol

X82d Pathfinder · Post by **X82d Pathfinder** » Thu May 02, 2013 9:03 am

Well, I didn't take all the pictures I should have, but here are the electronics less the custom made speaker enclosure. It's complete, just not mounted for this group of pictures. As you can see, a smoker can be installed in a Tamiya Sherman, but not without a lot of work. The custom made exhaust pipes are shown to good effect here, as is the modified Heng Long smoke unit. ( Thanks, Norm) You can see the LiPo battery, the Novac battery cut off circuit is mounted below the receiver. The LED glows blue and flashes when the battery is getting close to cut off. I didn't want it to show on the exterior, so it rest inside. I will be posting the exterior as I finish mounting the final bits of equipment and the final phases of weathering.

X82d Pathfinder · Post by **X82d Pathfinder** » Thu May 02, 2013 9:08 am

There seemed to be a bit of controversy regarding the use of the Browning M2 .50 on Fireflies. After a bit more research the issue seemed to stem from over and under growth in Normandy, and the inability to store the weapon on the back of the turret like their U.S. counterparts, which caused entanglement and often being discarded in the field.
I built an M1919, the ammo can holder, pintle and mount. I also used the turned brass .30 rounds and belt linked them being some felt it more appropriate for a Firefly.

X82d Pathfinder · Post by **X82d Pathfinder** » Thu May 09, 2013 1:16 am

Well, I keep telling everyone I'm almost done. Well, I AM! Here are the pictures of a year's worth of work.. Off and on of course. Feel free to comment. I don't mind critique either. Enjoy! There will be about three pages of photos.

-Dan