M4A3-E8 Sherman "Mothers Finest"
Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Joined: February 05, 2003
KitMaker: 1,041 posts
Armorama: 501 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - 08:54 PM UTC
Hi Gang,
After a long period of silence, here's some pics of my latest project.
This kit was a gift from my mother, who gave it to me approx. one month before she lost her hard battle against cancer, June last year.
This is the Dragon kit, with Friul tracks, some leftover PE and painted with Gunze colors.
Figures are from Dragon (slightly modified) and Alpine.
Pics were taken by a fellow KMK club member, Marcel Jussen; Thanx Marcel!!
Although some little things still to do on this model, I'll call it done...
Shoot!!
Grtz, John.
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: March 01, 2002
KitMaker: 6,043 posts
Armorama: 4,347 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - 10:45 PM UTC
Looks good but I am not a Sherman builder.
I think they like the thing to look like this right here.
Nice job on yours.
Dublin, Ireland
Joined: November 27, 2004
KitMaker: 6,048 posts
Armorama: 4,619 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - 11:02 PM UTC
Nice work John, Glad you're posting again. Good paintwork and nicely done subtle weathering. Are the friul tracks metal? What are they like to work with?
Any photos of the stowage on the rear deck?
The only thing that looks strange to me is the gap between the bolted on armor on the transmission cover and the welded on armor on the glacis plate- I don't think the gap should be there.
Pat
work to become not to acquire
Grumpyoldman
ConsigliereFlorida, United States
Joined: October 17, 2003
KitMaker: 15,338 posts
Armorama: 7,297 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - 11:10 PM UTC
Sorry to hear about your mom John.
You did a really nice job on the kit.
Hopefully you'll keep it in a safe place as a wonderful "keepsake".
Character is what you do when no one is looking.
Few things are harder to put up with than a good example.- Mark Twain
Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world.--Thomas Carlyle
Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Joined: February 05, 2003
KitMaker: 1,041 posts
Armorama: 501 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - 11:15 PM UTC
@ Pat,
The Friuls are indeed white metal, and they work and fit like a gem!! There are even casting numbers on each track.
Regarding the bolted-on plate, according the picture I used for this model, there wás a gap between the two plates. I think they did it this way, so they didn't have to remove the lowest plate when servicing the transmission....But this is just my thought....
Grtz, John.
Aarhus, Denmark
Joined: July 18, 2003
KitMaker: 3,377 posts
Armorama: 1,088 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - 11:33 PM UTC
Hi John, welcome back!
Sad to hear about your loss, but good work on the sherman!
Cheers/Jan
It´s happy days for modellers...
#247
Nordjylland, Denmark
Joined: January 03, 2008
KitMaker: 1,102 posts
Armorama: 1,018 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 03, 2008 - 12:01 AM UTC
Hi John
Looks good!! Especially the commander....I can almost feel the cold in my own hands!
Very well done!
Best regards
Jacob
"I never apologize - Sorry, that's just the way I am" Homer Simpson
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Joined: January 14, 2006
KitMaker: 432 posts
Armorama: 402 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 03, 2008 - 01:28 AM UTC
Great looking kit you have there. I like the weathering on the tracks/wheels. I hope mine turn out that good.
I have the fruil tracks too and I found them a pain to drill out every last link. Got through a couple of drill bits and damaged lots of links in the process.
Des
The Horse, The Saddle, The Man
Virginia, United States
Joined: February 05, 2002
KitMaker: 6,149 posts
Armorama: 4,573 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 03, 2008 - 02:04 AM UTC
John-- good to see you back. Accept our condolences over the loss of your Mom. Good job on the tank.
DJ
DJ Judge
COL (R), USA
"Tanker Boots do not a Tanker Make."
South Carolina, United States
Joined: March 29, 2008
KitMaker: 21 posts
Armorama: 17 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 03, 2008 - 02:34 AM UTC
I'm sorry for your loss John...
Wow! Very VERY good weathering John. There's usually some difficulty in making a Sherman really interesting but this has definitely caught my eye.
Charlie
England - North, United Kingdom
Joined: February 20, 2007
KitMaker: 1,453 posts
Armorama: 1,319 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 03, 2008 - 03:32 AM UTC
Condolences, John. Very sorry to hear of your bereavement.
That's a very nice "tribute build" though (great crew figures too) - thanks for sharing it with us.
- Steve
I don't need you - sixty feet of bridge I can pick up almost anywhere.
North Carolina, United States
Joined: June 26, 2007
KitMaker: 2,116 posts
Armorama: 1,080 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 03, 2008 - 04:04 AM UTC
My Sincere condolences.. Super Job on both figures and Sherman. Very COOL !
Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Joined: February 05, 2003
KitMaker: 1,041 posts
Armorama: 501 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 03, 2008 - 06:53 AM UTC
Thanks a lot for the kind words, guys,
It means a lot to me, that I'm not forgotten after quite a period of silence.
I enjoyed this built a lot, and I've threw in a lot of new techniques, which were tought to me by fellow modellers at the KMK Scale-Word modelling club in Belgium....
Thanx a lot guys!!
John.
Virginia, United States
Joined: September 22, 2004
KitMaker: 108 posts
Armorama: 102 posts
Posted: Friday, April 04, 2008 - 12:16 PM UTC
Beautiful Sherman, John! You did a terrific job. Please accept my condolences, as well, for your loss. Hang in there and keep building. Best regards, Dave
Dave O'Hara
Sherman Geek,
Airborne Freak,
General all 'round armor/figure builder.
#165
Massachusetts, United States
Joined: November 09, 2006
KitMaker: 33 posts
Armorama: 27 posts
Posted: Friday, April 04, 2008 - 12:34 PM UTC
John, very sorry about your Mother, my deepest sympathy. My name is Ronny, i'm somewhat new here. One word sums up your Sherman ---EXCELLENT!!
Best regards Ronny
Kansas, United States
Joined: January 24, 2002
KitMaker: 2,748 posts
Armorama: 1,797 posts
Posted: Friday, April 04, 2008 - 03:03 PM UTC
Quoted Text
@ Pat,
The Friuls are indeed white metal, and they work and fit like a gem!! There are even casting numbers on each track.
Regarding the bolted-on plate, according the picture I used for this model, there wás a gap between the two plates. I think they did it this way, so they didn't have to remove the lowest plate when servicing the transmission....But this is just my thought....
Grtz, John.
John is absolutely right -- they did it to be able to remove the final drive.
The "no-gap" final drive armor was actually in two parts. The top armor plate bolted on over the FD's bolt strip to allow its removal to give access to the bolt strip. Another piece was bolted or welded directly below it on the final drive itself. Dragon's kit gives this to you as one piece, but it should really be two. Easy fix with a razor saw and some detailing.
And John: Very sorry about your Mom. Nice to see you bounce back with a fine model.
Bob K
Owner, Kansas City FullMetalJacket -- two-time Armorama FFL Champions! 2005 and 2006
God Bless the Troops
Sero Sed Serio
Texas, United States
Joined: March 07, 2008
KitMaker: 189 posts
Armorama: 188 posts
Posted: Friday, April 04, 2008 - 03:06 PM UTC
Woo, great work! Using a Chinese word, we call it “ding"!
Actually I have this DML 6183, I will upload it later, but I think my work suffers a big problem in its track.
Ohio, United States
Joined: December 22, 2005
KitMaker: 24 posts
Armorama: 11 posts
Posted: Friday, April 04, 2008 - 03:57 PM UTC
hi john,
WOW!!! i could only hope mine comes out half as good.
great job! what method did you use for weathering?
thanx for posting!
Ron
Dublin, Ireland
Joined: November 27, 2004
KitMaker: 6,048 posts
Armorama: 4,619 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 05, 2008 - 06:52 AM UTC
Quoted Text
John is absolutely right -- they did it to be able to remove the final drive.
The "no-gap" final drive armor was actually in two parts. The top armor plate bolted on over the FD's bolt strip to allow its removal to give access to the bolt strip. Another piece was bolted or welded directly below it on the final drive itself. Dragon's kit gives this to you as one piece, but it should really be two. Easy fix with a razor saw and some detailing.
I know why the piece was bolted on Bob I've just never seen a photo with that gap showing
I actually have a feature
here on the Thunderbolt VII kit showing the correct way to alter the one piece armor Dml supply.
John, again great model.
Pat
work to become not to acquire
Kansas, United States
Joined: January 24, 2002
KitMaker: 2,748 posts
Armorama: 1,797 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 05, 2008 - 03:40 PM UTC
Right on, Pat. But truth is they did it both ways -- field mods are not very consistent, even within the same unit..
Bob K
Owner, Kansas City FullMetalJacket -- two-time Armorama FFL Champions! 2005 and 2006
God Bless the Troops
Sero Sed Serio
Luzon, Philippines
Joined: May 15, 2004
KitMaker: 1,086 posts
Armorama: 783 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 05, 2008 - 04:35 PM UTC
my condolences..sad to hear about your mom john.
nice job on the kit...specially the weathering on the wheels and tracks..nice to see more photos of your sherman. thanks for sharing.
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: March 01, 2002
KitMaker: 6,043 posts
Armorama: 4,347 posts
Posted: Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 01:59 AM UTC
Sorry for not catching that your Mom had passed my condolences.
I do have a question what color did you paint those tracks?
Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Joined: February 05, 2003
KitMaker: 1,041 posts
Armorama: 501 posts
Posted: Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 02:28 AM UTC
Hi Jeff,
the tracks received a base coat of a 50-50 mixture of Tamiya nato black XF-69 and Red brown XF-64. Then the wheel mark was done by a graphite-pencil.
After that the tracks and running gear were covered with Europe Dust pigments by MIG productions.
HTH, John.
Michigan, United States
Joined: December 31, 2005
KitMaker: 57 posts
Armorama: 55 posts
Posted: Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 04:09 AM UTC
Hi John. Nice looking build. Great paint job. My condolences for the loss of your mother. I also lost my mom to cancer 17 years ago. I still miss her. Keep up the good work and take care. Regards, Bob
Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Joined: February 05, 2003
KitMaker: 1,041 posts
Armorama: 501 posts
Posted: Monday, April 14, 2008 - 12:57 AM UTC
Good news!!
yesterday, I participated in a modelling contest in Leopoldsburg, Belgium, and won a gold medal in the advanced class with this vehicle!!
..and even better: It was also considered "the best US vehicle WWII era" and with this title I won an original engraved 75mm Sherman shell of 1942!!
I'm over the moon!!
Grtz, John.
