hi everyone, my latest project..hobbyboss high speed tractor. skipping 2 more shermans waiting in line. construction phase went well though the instruction sheet have some vague details on the front bumper and flooring..i've made a major surgery to correct the mistake.

i sanded the lower portion C35 and C48 to fit on bumper(C24) and flooring..(lower hull)..

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-11

close-up of fitting...

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-11


made some adjustments on the front seats(A12)..actually cutted them in two..to accomodate the shifter..

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-11

missing one pulley..got some circular part from my spare box..i think its from an M113...

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-11

i've extended the 50 cal. MG mounting bracket to give more moving space for gunner...

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-11


with AFV Long Tom cannon...

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-11

more pictures...

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-11


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-11

comments and suggestions are welcome....

Hi Ed. Looks good .... any build issues? Im thinking of getting one of these, but will also buy AM tracks of some kind as well, as I dont like the kit tracks (or any other 1 piece lengths for that matter). The spring in the tracks make it look like they are floating off both the idler and the drive sprocket (see last photograph). Otherwise its quite an impressive model.

Looks good to me too but I think as Frank said a set of AFV club tracks would do it even better.

thanks everyone, the kit tracks look okey to me..but needs fixing. well for building issues..the instruction sheets need more detailings. as far as step 1 to 3 and 6 to 8..it's smooth sailing..step 4..be careful in glueing C24 to the lower hull. there should be an offset on level of the hull and the bumper to accommodate the cabin. i sanded the lower and upper sides of C24 to do well..step 5 was tricky..the seats A17and shifter B50 seems to be overlapping i did mine by cutting the seats to make room for the shifter. step 6 to 8 were ok..then step 9..i sanded the lower part of C35 and C48 (interior front panel assembly)..to make fitting easier. as shown on pictures 1 and 2. then step 10 to the last..ok. one thing though..the detail on the chain-block is not clear..where the chain should get in and which end is out or which end to put the service hook. one tip though..better get a smaller chain..the kit chain is too big and can not fit to the chain-block assembly. thanks again.

It's a super nice kit and you are off to a great start. This is a member of our club's finished piece.

Ed,

looks good so far. Have one in the stash I'll be starting soon. Have you run into any more issues?

well the tracks need fixing. i mught glue it on the spocket running gears. vague details on the chainbloc..i have to see one to check the details. anyway...more work in progress pictures....

i started painting and weathering the kit...

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22

interior...

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22

headlites assembly...

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22

the PE parts are fragile..i suggest to place them in the headlite in sockets before glueing the PE grille.

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22

rear headlite..

Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22

comments and suggestions are welcome...thanks for viewing.

hi and thanks everyone, hi llcoolray, nice HST..i think your's is a resin kit..very nice..i hope mine would be as beautiful as your kit..one question on the HST...how do the real panel doors fold? can i scratchbuilt a canvass door and roll them up hanging on the roofline? thanks again.

Nice

hi and thanks carl, more work in progress pictures...scratchbuilding the tarp. using aluminun foil-candy wrapper..


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-22

thanks again.

Thanks for the kind words on the kit but I didn't build it. It's a friend and fellow club members kit. It has some aftermarket items but it's the Hobby Boss kit, not resin.

Hi Ed
Nice overlall work so far that tarp is particulaly effective.

Hi Ed,

Nice work all round, looking excellent.

Al

hi guys, detail on the chain block and a stowaway..got a picture of a block from our shop. i've just noticed that they,re two different chains. the puller chain is smaller. come to think of it..i used to pull this when me and my brother worked for my dad. probably..we used smaller block then.


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-04-05


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-04-05

the stowaway...


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-25


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-25


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-25


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-30

i've decided to cover the rear cab of the tractor and let the front..driver and passenger side open.


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-30


Shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS i at 2008-03-30

well..it's not yet totally done..next thing to do will be track weathering and more details...
comments and suggestions are welcome..thanks for viewing.

It looks nice, I'm building the other M4 HST. For those who wonder, my suspension went together easily, but I've had a lot of small (and not so small) fit problems on the superstructure. You have to dry fit everything, then sand and file, and dryfit again. I actually think that it may have been easier to scratch build the seats than to use the ones in the kit. Now I just wish that someone would make a 90 mm to be towed by it (well, someone other than HobbyBoss!)

John

hi everyone, thanks john for the nice words and tips. more pictures..this time towing a 'Long Tom' howitzer.


Shot with Canon PowerShot A650 IS at 2008-04-29


Shot with Canon PowerShot A650 IS at 2008-04-29


Shot with Canon PowerShot A650 IS at 2008-04-29


Shot with Canon PowerShot A650 IS at 2008-04-29

fire away..comments and suggestions are welcome. thanks for viewing. cheers!

Looks great! I would weather the tracks and suspension a little more, but maybe that is your plan as well. The tarp looks excellent.

Thanks for sharing

thanks jesper..i'm planning to put more dirt on her side and on the canon too. i'm figuring out how to weather the tires on the howitzer without taking them off. as you can see the i've first made the long tom earlier than the tractor and taking off the tires might damage the kit. any time saver tip will surely be appreciated. thanks again.

hi again...what i want to show was..thread marks exposed (black) and dirt around it..just like in the picture.it can easily be done when not attached to main kit.

Shot with Canon PowerShot A650 IS at 2008-05-29

thanks for the tip in advance. very much appreciated.

Came out Darn good Ed.
Great job on that Canvas cover really looks the part.
As said a tad more darker on those tires.
Watch out for Dull coat on those tires.
I shot mine years ago but have heard that it will eat that rubber.

Great build of your M4 High Speed Tractor. Nicely done, like the way you've sequenced the photos. Looks great with the artillery piece! Thanks for sharing!

Cheers -

Tim