Thanks for the replies, interest, and general support, but please, let's not have any flame wars over this. After all, it's just a hobby and supposed to be for fun, not fighting over. Positive comments or otherwise, let's all just get along, please. Thanks

great sandbags ed!!! im almost scared to ask if they they are suppose to be smooth,dont shoot me mike, i am wondering if there was a type of used sandbag that is smooth.im a novice at modelling and like to use peoples build logs to try learn a few things about my hobbie.i feel so sad and sorry for retired yank.ed did ask to be kept on his toes.....last post from me.this thread made me feel ill,im deleting this site, there are friendly modelling sites out there.

Sorry you feel that way Aaron. That whole outburst above is pretty uncharacteristic of the site in general.
As far as your question is concerned, the bags are a bit on the smooth side, but then again I dont' think they should be too rough in this scale either. I suppose one could chalk it up to trying to keep things slightly understated when it comes to details like that.

hello all

this tread has come to my attention, as there appear to be a few personal attacks going on, It is generally on topic but also looks like it is driving new members away.

to be honest those who have been here a while should know better we have a quite open door policy and "Constructive advice" is always welcome but please, please take a moment to think before you type as printed words will not always put across what you mean.

and I can i offer some advice, when you comment on another's work pointing out what may be incorrect please try and point them in the direction of where your getting your information whether it be on line or in print at least that way you back up what you are saying with fact and second you give those of us with out the knowledge a chance to increase it.

So myself and other editors will be watching this thread and I will clean it up if need be, and I will lock it if it begins to drift again

Play Nice!!

Keith

Okay, after that big and unpleasant bump in the road, time to get things back on track and focus again on gluing stuff together and slapping on colors. I'll have new pics of the M4A3 up in a couple of days, barring any interruptions. For now, here's an update on the M3A1.
To make painting easier I'm going to assemble and paint the driver's compartment first before combining all the various subassemblies. To do this, I built the driver figure ahead of the rest of the figures I plan on using.



DML include a squashed down seat cushion to go with the driver, but they didn't do the same for the backrest, which made this guy's sit all wrong. I sanded down both the seat back and the driver's back until the fit looked right. The figure comes with boots and leggings, but by the time of the scene those were pretty rare, so I gave him a pair of more appropriate M-1943 combat boots from my supply of body parts. A little tinkering with the position of the arms and masking tape straps for the helmet and he was ready for painting.



The flesh tones and trousers were painted with Vallejo acrylics, the M-1941 jacket, belt, and boots were finished using Lifecolor paints, the helmet is Pollyscale OD, and the armored division patch and rank insignia are from Archer. Now that this guy's ready I can really get the M3A1 portion of this project into high gear once the M4A3's done.
Hope to have more updates soon.

Well, as promised, here is an update on the M4A3. The majority of construction, painting, and weathering is finished. Sorry the pics aren't great, cam issues strike again.





The mud is a homemade mix of various ground pastels, Mig Pigments, Doc O'Brien's weathering powders, plaster, and static grass mixed with Matte Medium. This was followed with various mixes of Mig dust and sand pigments. Finally, fresh mud was made by mixing gloss black paint into the mud mix and then giving those spots a blotchy coat of future for a little added gloss. The improvised armor plates on the turret were treated with various patina and rust colored weathering powders from Doc O'Brien's.
Next up is finishing assembly of the M3A1 and getting it painted. Hopefully more updates sooner rather than later.

This is really a great and involved effort. Things are really coming together and I like the concept. Keep up the good work.

looking forward to seeing more.

David.

That turret armor is awesome!

Back with another update. First of all, thanks as always for the comments. The M4A3 isn't quite ready to make another appearance before the camera, but in the meantime I finished the majority of construction on the M3A1.





I still need to add the photoetch mud flaps, and I left the suspension off to make painting and weathering easier. I also had to improvise the mounts for the luggage racks because in my rush of enthusiasm to finish this kit I didn't use the rear plate that included them. It was a pretty simple fix with a little bit of sheet plastic. Also visible is the painted and weathered driver's compartment with the driver figure from a few updates back.
I hope to have the M4A3 ready for pics in the next day or two. More updates and pics to come of that and anything else I happen to finish as soon as they're ready.

Everything looks outstanding! I like the masking tape chin straps on the helmet! Although now I realize I need to go back and add them to all the figures on my shelves! Looking forward to more updates. Thanks for sharing!

A new year, so time for a new update. Things were delayed a bit by all the usual holiday craziness, but I can finally say that, besides adding a couple of figures and the hatch machine guns, the M4A3 is finished.





I didn't use the flash for the pics of the sides of the tank because it washed out the graffiti on the wooden armor panels. All things considered, this Tasca kit lived up to the hype. Yes, there were a few minor tweaks, but overall it was a joy to build and I'd highly recommend any Shermanoholic who hasn't built one to get one ASAP.
Now I can turn my attention back to the M3A1 and get it painted, as well as start laying the foundation for the base. As always, I'll have more updates once I've gotten something done.

Hi,
Excellent work here, I like it.

milvehfan

Hi Ed
I can imagine this will be a spectacular and a huge diorama. Looking forward to more progress.
Cheer

blackwater

The painting and weathering on the Sherman looks great, you wouldn't happen to be the War Machine from the gunpla community would you?

Ready or not, I'm back with another update. First of all, thanks for the comments. As for your question JC, while I have dabbled in Gunpla, I've never been very active in that particular modelling community, so I guess there's someone in that group with equally good taste in user names.
As far as the build is concerned, I painted the M3A1 and got a little jump on the weathering process.





Like the M4A3, the bumper codes are made up and only serve to give the impression of their presence once weathering is finished. I gave the undersides of the halftrack a thin, cloudy coat of flat earth to serve as a base for subsequent weathering, and I've also carried out a round of dot filtering. I kept the wheels and running gear separate for ease of painting and weathering.
I don't have any pics of it yet, but I also started assembling the base, which at 24" by 20" is the biggest I've ever used. Add in my planned use of two levels on the base and it could be my tallest as well.
Hopefully I'll make some decent progress in the days ahead and have another update ready shortly.

Submitted for your approval, the latest update on the build. I've finished most of the work on the M3A1.




As evidenced by the pics, I took care of detail painting, weathering, and completed most of the construction by attaching the running gear and wheels. Just to make things a tiny bit interesting I positioned the wheels turned slightly to the right. Next up for this kit is adding storage, the support for the exhaust, and final weathering. I also hope to have some pics of my progress on the base ready in the very near future.
More updates soon.

impressive....

i'll follow this one


greetz Tha Pit

I'm back with the latest on the build. I've finished adding most of the stowage to the M3A1.





I might do a little more weathering here and there, as well as a few smaller items of personal gear to the interior of the track, but besides adding a pair of machine guns and a gunner this one is pretty much finished.
I know I've said in each of the last two updates that I'd have pics of the base soon, and I mean it when I say I'll have them for the next update. Hopefully it won't be too long before I have more to show you here.

After days of delays caused by shovelling snow, I'm back with another update. At last, after days of teasing, I have pics of the base still early in the process. First front:

Then back:

Next is a close-up of the staircase:

Finally, here are a couple of pictures with the models in place for a mock-up of the final scene. The paperboard buildings were made for a different diorama and don't necessarily reflect the shape of the buildings for the final scene.


As evidenced by the pencil scibblings, I played around a little with the placement of the lower buildings until I found an arrangement I liked. The right foreground building will be mostly piles of rubble with only small wall remnants so as to avoid blocking the view of the M4A3.
Next up is placing lots and lots of cork paving stones, building up curb stones and the sidewalk on the other side of the street, cleaning up a few details with the stairs, and plastering the retaining wall.
Hopefully it won't be too long before I have another update ready.

It took longer than anticipated, but the latest update on my build is finally ready. I finished laying the cobblestones for the road, the paving tiles for the sidewalk, and scribing the cobblestones for the lower level.


This pic gives a little idea of the different contours and elevations along the street.

This is a closer view of the stairs.

Finally, I added some overlays to one of the pics to give a better idea of what's ahead.

Right now I plan on having buildings A and B relatively intact with only some bullet damage. The red line is the fence, and the yellow circle is the rain barrell. Building C is going to be almost completely destroyed with only short wall remnants still standing. Building D is going to be heavily damaged from the same explosion that blasted building C, as well as from the Panther crashed into it.
Next up is laying down some colors for the base. I also managed to get a decent amount of work done on some of the figures, so I'll include pics of them with the next update if I remember. Hopefully it won't be so long before the next update is ready.

you're going strong I see!

keep up the great work, always something I can learn from watching

greetz

It's going well I see. should look great when it gets finished.

paul