Greetings! After some problems I encountered during my Tamiya M1A2 Abrams build, I decided to set it aside for later. I picked up a 1/35 Tamiya M4 Sherman early at my LHS for 18 bucks, and decided to have a go at it. Haven’t built an armor subject in a long time, and am enjoying this one so far. It’s mostly OOB, with a couple of scratchbuilt add-ons. I fabricated some engine intake gaurds from brass screen, added a spacer to close up the area at the back of the hull, and drilled out the headlights for some replacement MV lenses. Other than that, it’s box stock.
I masked off the areas where the bogies attach, and gave the suspensions parts a coat of OD. It’s Tamiya XF-62 out of the bottle, and it looks very dark to me. I read the post about cutting it with XF-60 to lighten it up, but I have to get a bottle of the Dark Yellow from the LHS to try it. I have also painted the turret inside gloss white, and am waiting for it to dry before adding some weathering effects. Thanks for taking a look, and if you see anything I have botched, please feel free to say so! I have admired your work for a long time, and wanted to give some armor a try. [tup]
Also, if anyone can point me to a source for some tow cable ends suitable for a Sherman tank, I would greatly appreciate it! [:D]
I have nothing at all bad to say. Especially nothing that could be construed as a jinx or curse so this build willbe a flawless masterpiece of Frankistic genious! I command it! [:-^][8-] May the Corsair and 109 deities smile apon your Sherman and all it’s armor! [tup]
Good for you for stepping back. I built this kit. One of the best engineered that I put together. Like you, I found it a joy to build. Lots of goodies too.
jagdpanther302- Thanks friend! Sure are great kits, aren’t they? [:D]
Guy- Hmmm… No joy on the DB605. I wanted to build something different with a radial this time, so figured a Sherman fit the bill nicely. No worries, i have winged things on the bench too LOL.
Aaron- Thank you, when are you gonna lift the curse from the Abrams, so I can get back to it? [|(]
Tigerman- Thank you, I am enjoying this one immensely. [^]
yeah Day ~ Great old kit , have fun & keep us posted - I got a great deal on some cables for M4 that even included a bunch of .30 barrels for pretty cheap. They have these at Modelpoint, The Barrel Store, & I think I got mine at Mission Models but don’t quite remember…
Hand made in Poland (1st thing I ever bought from them, thought i’d try and get em one more sale) - they are really nice parts - you could spend more, but why?
Eureka XXL Model Acccesories ER-3503 Set for Sherman Towing cable & perforated barrels for M2 .33" MG 1:35 scale http://www.eurekaxxl.com/
Looks like your off to a good start, Daywalker. I just picked up the exact same kit(except in 1/48), so I guess I’ll be following your WIP for tips.[;)]
Indy- Thanks for the help! I did some digging around looking for those tow cables, but was coming up dry. SOmeone saw my plight and offered me a set they had, thanks Aaron! [:D]
Michael- I would be very interested to hear what you think of that little Sherman! I have thought about picking that one up to go with my 1/48 M4A3, but have not yet acquired it. [tup]
Spent some time on my Sherman this weekend, and it’s now starting to look like a tank. [:D] I dinged up the road wheels, shot the inner suspension parts OD (in case I couldn’t get to them later on) , finished the gun, added some bits to the hull. Also started adding the fender skirts to the starboard side.
I have read the post here about OD, and also the linked articles. I had no idea there was so much to OD! Still trying to decide what to do for mine at this point. I added some Tamiya XF-60 dark yellow to my XF-62 OD, and it looks a bit on the bright side. It would appear that I have the new formula? Should I mix this with some other color besides the dark yellow, or use it as is? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for looking in! [tup]
Most of the bits to be added before painting are now on, and she’ll be ready for paint in a couple of days. I have a few little boo-boos to touch up yet. The front fenders didn’t fit well, and during the course of the day the right one drooped a bit before the glue set. Looking head-on, it is angled a bit down to the outsid. I couldn’t separate it without destroying it, so I posed the left one the same way. Perhaps the flimsy sheet-metal fenders were cockeyed on this tank? Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
As you allready know I am in no way an expert on OD.
Personally I think your OD looks fine.
I am probably going to use XF62 unbroken for my first layer then add a second lightened 1/3-2/3 XF60/XF62 layer for a lighter shade.
I am also considering using XF51 Khaki Drab for a fading effect.
Utoshita- I agree and am thinking of going with the XF-62 straight for the base color. I like your idea of using the Khaki drab for the fading, I am going to experiment with that one.
Michael- Just the kit-supplied rubber bands for this one! [:D]
I would say that the built is progressing very well indeed. I finished one of these a couple of months back or I think late last year. It was a good Tamiya kit considering that it has been here for quite a while. I also agree about lightening the XF-62 with XF-60 or in my case Khaki works for me. It is my experience that when it is lightened up with white the resulting coat appears cloudy or hazy to me. About the tow cable ends maybe you have in your spares box. Send more photos as you go along. I would love to see it.
Thank you for the help guys! Glad to have the colors sorted out. [tup]
Roy- Thank you for that photo, I see what you mean about the welds. I shall dig out the epoxy putty tonight and fill that gap in. I also notice that Tamiya does not have you add the travel lock, though there is one in the kit. Wonder why?
I thought of two more questions, there is a small block in the center of the glacis above the travel lock in the photo, is that a bracket for the tow cable?
Also, Tamiya would have you just glue the bags and packs onto the sides of the turret. How would those have been attached in real life? From the photos I have seen, there looks to be a long grab rail on the sides of the turret on some tanks. Were these added on in the field?
Daywalker- Nice progress on your Sherman. The small block is a latch to secure the travel lock when it’s not in use. The color looks good, I’m also in the ball park camp.
