Finally finished...1/35 Tasca Sherman VC Firefly

Modeling Subjects Armor
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Sooo…exactly thirty months and one week ago (that’s over 2 1/2 years for those of you keeping track at home), I posted pre-paint photos of my Tasca Sherman Firefly, and promised an update within a week.

I guess you could say it’s been a long week. [:P]

Between several modeling mishaps and an extraordinarily busy 2009, it’s taken quite a while to finish. Here’s a timeline so you can all get caught up:

July 2007: Botched the paint job, knocked off half the PE while trying to strip said botched paint job, spilled super glue all over the engine deck while trying to re-attach the damaged PE, and finally shelved the project in disgust.

February 2008: Fixed the PE, scraped off the glue, and painted it. Got it right this time.

March 2008: Got bored with the weathering process on a monotone paint job. Put it back on the shelf.

September 2008: Pulled it off the shelf to use in a diorama. Ended up scrapping the dio but finally finished the weathering.

November 2008: Painted the crew and added stowage. Pronounced the model more or less complete.

March 2009: Realized it was less complete after coming up empty at a show (goodbye, sagging tracks!)

June 2009: Fixed the tracks to be super-tight. In the process, got super glue all over my favorite pants, which made me angry enough to put it back on the shelf yet again. [:XX]

October 2009: Added more duckbills since nearly half had broken off in the process of tightening the tracks. Gave it a final dusting of pigments, and pronounced it complete.

November 2009: Forgot to post photos on the Finescale.com forum. [:(DD]

January 2010: Saw WIP photos of the model while sorting through my photobucket account. Decided it was about time for my FSM forum hiatus to be over, so here we are. [t$t]

Without further ado (like I could possibly say any more than I already have), I present my Sherman VC Firefly - Tank #18, HQ Sqn, New Zealand 20th Armored. I’ve built it as it would have appeared while the 20th was hunting down the few remaining German tanks in northern Italy, April 1945.

Figures are Ultracast (the gunner is the kit figure), stowage is Verlinden. Netting is surgical gauze with tissue paper strips. Tracks are AFV Club, barrel is Aber, and PE is Tasca and Eduard.

Airbrushed Tamiya acrylic, markings hand painted with dry transfer numbers/insignia. Weathering with oil washes, MIG powders, and a pencil on the metal parts of the track.

The 3 missing duckbills and taillight brush guard are not intentional - I accidentally broke them while handling the model, but didn’t notice until after the photos. Also, sorry for the poor photo quality - my good backdrops and lighting were in use elsewhere.

Enjoy! (and don’t tell me about any missing bolts or weld seams. I’m waaaay past doing any more of that [:P])

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Excellent work! I enjoyed reading the timeline regarding the build over 2.5 years. Ultracast figures are some of the best resin cast ones on the market. Good choice. The weathering of the tracks and running gear is perfect! Working construction has me notice these things, also the tow cable and extra details really stand out.

Poor photo’s? I would argue that.

Jason~

3

holy cow. excellent in every way possible. thanks for sharing such great inspirations.

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Why hello there MIA. Thats quite a little break you took there.Darn near sent out a search party! Good to hear your in good health. Heck-of nice shermie you’ve put together. Seems to be very nicely weathered for the area it was operating in.So how do you like this here new fangled forum we got going ?Well ok, back to building.[;)]

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Absolutely gorgeous work! A real showstopper! But I must add one critique- on the Firefly, the hull machine gunner postion was removed and that area used for ammo stowage. There should not be a crew member there.

6

Definitely worth the wait. Love the dusty weathering. The figures are also top-shelf.

Great having you back. Wondered where you went.

7

Wowzah! That there is a beauty! And your figures…the really sell the whole deal!

Brian

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Welcome back! Better late than never when it comes to posting pics! Nice work on the Tasca and sounds like it’s lucky to still be alive after the journey it’s been on. [:D] [Y]

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Tragic story~~~Beautiful Sherman

Did you make a resolution to be more Careful / Prompt ?

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THERE you are Hermes!! I was wondering what happened to you![^o)]. I definitely remember this Firefly you were working on and its great to see it done and posted here! Personally I think you did an awesome job regardless of any booboos you may have pointed out (I would never have noticed them!). I can relate with all the mishaps you suffered, especially the super glue ones!![blkeye] I’ve had my share of CA disasters! Hope to see you and your builds here more often! Thanks for sharing!

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'bout time there Hermes.

Looking good as usual.

and I thought I was slow…

G

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Really nice job on this one Hermes[Y] I would never know about the misshaps unless you had metioned it.

Thats one heck of a timeline for one build (at least for a 1/35 armor build[;)]) but never surrender right?

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Excellent Build & the figures look great [Y]. Well worth the wait.

Regards, Rick

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Hermes? As in Hermesminiatures? [:O][:O]

You’re back! And with a sweet build to boot! [H]

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Thanks for all the compliments guys, good to see y’all still remember me [H]

Unfortunately, my current builds are a Jagtiger w/ complete interior (including working lighting), and a diorama with 22 figures…so don’t be surprised if it’s another 2 1/2 years [:P]

Oh, and about the radio operator - by the time the 20th Armored received Fireflies, the only remaining German armor in the area was the remnants of a Tiger company (four tanks with no infantry support). The typical commonwealth arrangement would have each platoon with three 75mm Shermans and a single Firefly, but for the purpose of Tiger hunting, the 20th used them as a detached Squadron with the Firefly normally assigned to HQ Sqn as the command tank. While I couldn’t find out what (if any) changes were made to #18 as a command vehicle, I decided to use the radio operator figure anyway - if I was commanding five other Fireflies and had to keep in touch with division, I’d have wanted the extra radio equipment and dedicated operator…after all, you’ve got 385 rounds between the other 5 tanks, what’s another dozen?

So in other words, you’re right, but at least have a somewhat believable excuse (and the figure was too nice not to use) [;)]

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That looks awesome!

Great work there, that comander is very nicely done.

17

A long wait but a beautiful model…great work.

Rounds Complete!!

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I’d say she’s more than worth all the blood, sweat, toil, and tears. A show-stopper. I’ve been trying to find a happy medium between no weathering and the knocked all to hades and back style that works well for American, British, Commonwealth armour and you nailed it.

And my hats off to anyone that’s an expert with super-glue. I’ve been using the stuff for years and generally end up making a mess with it. I’ve mostly junked it in favour of Gator Grip which I find holds about as well and is a heck of a lot easier to use.

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Thanks! Glad you liked it [t$t]

If anyone’s interested, here’s a description of my weathering process -

I started with a darker green than I wanted, so several coats of light pigments wouldn’t make it look too faded. I used (primarily) 3 shades of MIG powders; Beach Sand, European Earth, and Gulf War Sand (the last being the most extensively used).

I applied the lower hull/running gear pigments over a fresh coat of isopropyl alcohol (which softens the paint slightly and helps the pigment stick in bigger clumps). The upper hull was given a dusting of Gulf War Sand, heavier around the tracks and towards the rear, and in recessed areas that would have seen significant foot traffic.

The tracks and running gear were the real challenge - I first painted the rubber parts with Vallejo dark gray and the metal parts with Testor Dark Anodonic Gray, then gave the metal parts a light rusting with a mixture of European Earth and Light rust. I highlighted the metal parts with a 6B art pencil, and a coat of Beach Sand to the tires and some overall Gulf War Sand completed the effect.

I also added another photo - of the driver and radioman - since I forgot it when writing the post.

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I remember this model way back when…

Fortitude, that’s it! Looks like the extended effort was worth it.