I’ll start with a confession - I’ve never built a WWII armor kit, and I have rarely built armor of any kind. Planes and cars for me, usually. So, why did I buy a Sherman? Temporary insanity, I guess. It all started when I I found a resin T23 turret on sale at the Squadron open house, the Tamiya M4A3 kit was just down the aisle, and as long as I had those, why not throw in an Eduard PE set? Voila. Armor madness.
It promises to be an interesting project, and a loooooong one, despite the fact that there is no canopy to mask and it’s basically all one color. Anyway, here are my questions:
Is there an aftermarket muzzle brake for the 76mm gun? The resin barrel is OK, but I’d like to try turning a new barrel on my lathe. A better muzzle brake for the gun would be nice, though I could use the old one.
Where can I get the outside dimensions of the 76 mm gun?
How “workable” are the vinyl tracks? What is the best way to paint them? I read the comments on the other thread about vinyl vs individual links; now I think I will just forge ahead and use the kit tracks.
Feel free to offer any other remarks. Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions.
Jordi Rubio makes an aluminum barrel that comes with a white metal muzzle brake. It is #TG-32 or TG-42, going from memory here. This gun comes with the thread cap and the muzzle brake so you can use the muzzle brake and still have a complete gun for use on another kit.
The vinyl tracks are rather good and do not really need replacing. I tend to paint them an earth brown tone, towards the rust side but not as stark as rust colored paint. Give them a dark wash and highlight them with some dry brushing and you should be OK.
Thanks for the info. It’s going to be one heck of a project.
Another question. Has anyone used a PE bender? The Eduard PE set looks like it is going to take a lot of precise bending, and I have been tempted to get one of the new bending guides like Etch Mate. They are kind of pricey, so I’d like some advice before I put down the $$$.
Finally, can I solder PE with a micro torch or soldering iron? I have always used CA, but some of the PE needs to be attached to other PE after bending, and soldering would seem to be a good method.
Yes, you can solder pe to other pe. In fact, some recommend it. I wouldn’t attempt it with a torch as it might melt the pe, but I’ve never used one. I don’t know how hot they get. My problem has been that even a small iron seems awful big compared to those parts. Le us know what you decide and how it works out.
I’ve got one of the 2" size Hold & Folds. It’s much less expensive than any of the other commercial options. I really like it. I usually hold it close to my face or under my magnifier and I couldn’t do that with the bigger ones. However, I also have an EtchMate for longer pieces. To be honest, I got it for Christmas and haven’t used it yet. I have been on a PE hiatus since early December. That’s about to change and I can’t wait to use it. If you’re planning on doing a lot of PE work, I’d get either the EtchMate or one of the bigger Hold & Folds. Otherwise, I’d start out with the smaller one or just use flat nose pliers and a #11 blade. But, my bends have been much more precise and faster with the little bender than they ever were with pliers!
As I get older and my eyes get worse, it gets harder and harder to searching for the PE that flys away while I am trying to bend it with pliers. I really liked the looks of a tool that holds the tiny PE while I bend it. I can always lose it later, when I go to install it.
I tweezerpult parts all the dang time! Someone recommended putting a white sheet on the floor under your work area. One time, I went so far as to lay out white paper towels under my area. Believe it or not (Mr Ripley), it actually helped a lot. When I do launch one, after checking out the desk and giving a cursorily look around, I get out my shop vac, hold a nylon stocking over the end of the hose and vacuum the floor. I’ve been amazed how many parts I’ve found!
Everyone has you pretty much covered already. Just to make one point, the majority of 76mm Shermans in W.W.II did not use a muzzle break. Some did, most didn’t.