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Armor/AFV: Allied - WWII
Armor and ground forces of the Allied forces during World War II.
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Tasca M32B1 Sherman TRV
Joel_W
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Posted: Friday, December 14, 2012 - 09:37 AM UTC
When I saw Tasca's new 1/'35 M32B1 TRV Sherman, it gave me the perfect reason to build my 1st Tasca kit. I've heard and read only great things about Tasca kits, and now I'm going to find out just how good these kits really are.

The instruction sequence starts off with the bogies, which are their own little kits. Assembled correctly, and not even using the foam pads, just the single A plastic pads, the wheels and axle sub assemblies are adjustable to conform to various heights for a diorama or vignette.

Here's the parts for one bogie. Both wheels and axles have already been assemblied. each wheel has a separate back so you don't have a hollow wheel. The kit does offer either the solid or spoke wheels. I decided on the solid wheel as that's what my limited references have.



Here's what the front and back looks like.



While the part fit was perfect on all the bogies, I just didn't get the tops of the casting aligned correctly, so each one needed some putty work and sanding.



Here's all 6 bogies, both Idler wheels, and drive sprockets.



Next up was the assembly of the lower hull, which is comprised of 8 individual pieces that match up perfectly. The fit was so precise that I didn't even need any tape to hold things square till the glue setup. Just some great engineering.




The Hull glued up.





One item that I I decided to leave off all the wheels are the 12 rivets per side. I tried to cut a few off of the sprue where they're molded, and it was an exercise in frustration. I don't have very good eyesight, and even with an Optivisor, they're just too small for me to see and handle. Why the engineers at Tasca didn't just mold them on the wheels, is beyond me.

Next update will be the continuation of the lower hull assembly.

Joel
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Posted: Friday, December 14, 2012 - 09:52 AM UTC
The rivets would be an undercut, which is really difficult to mold, which is why nobody's done it with injection molding that I'm aware of.

Looking good Joel. I'm a huge fan of Tasca's Sherman line, have built 3, and I've got 2 more sitting in the stash.
Joel_W
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Posted: Friday, December 14, 2012 - 10:04 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The rivets would be an undercut, which is really difficult to mold, which is why nobody's done it with injection molding that I'm aware of.

Looking good Joel. I'm a huge fan of Tasca's Sherman line, have built 3, and I've got 2 more sitting in the stash.


Jesse, Thanks for the kind words. Already looking to purchase another Tasca Sherman. Will try the rivets again, but with these tired old eyes, it's a iffy deal at best.
Joel
Joel_W
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Posted: Friday, December 14, 2012 - 11:19 AM UTC
The kit comes with two different air cleaners, square,and round. All my reference photos don't show the air cleaners. Are they interchangeable, or is the square units the original issued cleaners that were used on the units with the solid wheels?

Thanks,
Joel
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Posted: Friday, December 14, 2012 - 02:15 PM UTC
It seems to me that the square ones are more common. But maybe someone else has more information.
HONEYCUT
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Posted: Friday, December 14, 2012 - 06:02 PM UTC
Hey Joel looking good pal.
I would run with the later square air cleaners, based on archive photos I have seen. The earlier rounded style may be there only as extras from the Tasca early M4A1 sprue perhaps?
Look forward to more progress. Cheers
Brad
Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2012 - 05:24 AM UTC
Jesse & Bradley, thanks for your input. Tasca lists the square cleaners as opt A and the round ones as opt. B. Will go with the
square one for the reasons both of you suggested.
Joel
Joel_W
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Posted: Friday, December 21, 2012 - 10:58 AM UTC
Here's my 2nd update on the M32B1 Sherman TRV. I finally finished the lower hull with it's various sub assemblies.

Here's the rear panel area consisting of both square air cleaners, and the engine compartment doors. I decided to have the doors slightly open to add a little more interest.



I spent some time on the Transmission cover, which needed some cleanup and a little putty work so that the tow plates look as they were cast as a single piece, and then wielded to the cover.



The Draw Bar sub assembly seemed to be over engineered. I photographed it over the instructions, so you could see how many parts comprise it. The final results certainly made it worth the extra effort.



Next up was the tow cable assembly, with the drum. I decided to have the drum work rather then gluing it in place as suggested. this way I could work the cable backwards to the drum, then wind the excess cable on. At that point I'll glue it in a stationary position. The platform was a little too narrow to touch both sides of the hull, so I used some .020 sheet on each side to get a perfect fit. I'm sure that this issue was due to how I assembled the lower hull.



I test fitted the upper hull to the lower hull, and the fit was perfect. Only a little filler will be needed where the transmission cover mates to the upper hull.





I did have issues with the assembly of the tow hook motor assembly, so that the resulting putty work was needed to correct my screw ups. I also needed to putty it to the transmission cover to help simulate it being wielded. I also found several photos that has a rear plate on the assembly, so a piece of sheet plastic took care of that issue.



Next up is the upper hull assembly.

Everyone have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday weekend.

Joel
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Posted: Friday, December 21, 2012 - 05:23 PM UTC
May I suggest closing the rear engine access doors? The reason is that while they may look more interesting,they defy physics. There was no spring mechanism in the hinges. If the vertical locking plate was unbolted, the doors would swing out due to their immense weight --nothing would keep them as you have them depicted. Hope this helps.
Removed by original poster on 12/22/12 - 17:31:16 (GMT).
Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, December 22, 2012 - 05:33 AM UTC

Quoted Text

May I suggest closing the rear engine access doors? The reason is that while they may look more interesting,they defy physics. There was no spring mechanism in the hinges. If the vertical locking plate was unbolted, the doors would swing out due to their immense weight --nothing would keep them as you have them depicted. Hope this helps.


Roy, thanks for the advice. I would think that the door hinges would become caked in dirt and grime, making them more difficult to open/close after the tank was out in the field for a period of time. That's why I depicted them just slightly open.
Joel
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Posted: Saturday, December 22, 2012 - 06:43 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I've heard and read only great things about Tasca kits, and now I'm going to find out just how good these kits really are...
The instruction sequence starts off with the bogies, which are their own little kits...


Tasca does indeed make nice Shermans. I've got the newest Legend M4A3E8 Detailing Set for the Tasca kit, so now it looks like I'll have to go buy the kit for it.

Great work so far, but due to the injection molding process, even Tasca kits have their limitations. The real main bogey units are neither right nor left handed, they are all the same. The return roller units and track skids are added afterward. So, you're left with four holes on the front face of each unit that can't be molded in. (At least not without more expensive slide molds.) It's much easier to just drill them out. If you really want to go whole hog, you can add four bolt heads inside each return roller unit, but that's a little harder to see. The missing holes though - that's a detail you can readily see and may want to add.
The go in the puttied area on the front of the bogey as in your photo here. Just a thought.

TMikeCurry
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Posted: Saturday, December 22, 2012 - 07:31 AM UTC
Great work here. I'll be lurking and watching how this one comes out.
Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, December 22, 2012 - 07:42 AM UTC
Robert, thanks for that info. As a neophyte to the world of armor, I'm constantly learning with each build I post. I just recently became aware of those 4 holes per bogie. I have the build reviews from the AMP site, The Perth Military Modeling site, plus the box review from Armorama, and none mentioned those holes, so I just skipped them. Since I've already glued on the bogies, I'll try to figure out how to add them without screwing up the bogies.

Joel
Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, December 22, 2012 - 07:44 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Great work here. I'll be lurking and watching how this one comes out.


T.Mike, thanks. Hope I don't disappoint you.

Joel
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Posted: Saturday, December 22, 2012 - 11:12 AM UTC
Well, for a neophyte, if you just recently found out about the holes, you're one up on all of those guys who wrote the reviews, aren't you?

Those bogies may come off with a liberal application of liquid cement. If not, you could simulate them with tiny circles of black paint.
The good thing is you'll know about it next time.
AlanL
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Posted: Saturday, December 22, 2012 - 09:47 PM UTC
Hi Joel,

Nice progress, looking good so far. You could add an engine, then leaving the doors open would have a purpose or depict one of the crew starting to open them.

Cheers

Al
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, December 23, 2012 - 04:49 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Well, for a neophyte, if you just recently found out about the holes, you're one up on all of those guys who wrote the reviews, aren't you?

Those bogies may come off with a liberal application of liquid cement. If not, you could simulate them with tiny circles of black paint.
The good thing is you'll know about it next time.


Robert, I thought about that very idea, but decided that the odds were I'd screw up the bogies with all that glue. I managed to drill the 4 holes in the two front bogies, and just the outside two holes in the other two bogies on each side. I do like your idea of using small black circles for the missing holes. Yet I wonder just how visible those holes will be once the tracks are installed, and the weathering process is complete.

Joel
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, December 23, 2012 - 04:52 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Joel,

Nice progress, looking good so far. You could add an engine, then leaving the doors open would have a purpose or depict one of the crew starting to open them.

Cheers

Al


Al, I thought about that, but to do a proper engine compartment would require a lot of additional work just to the compartment before I could install a engine. This build has more then enough challenges with that boom, it's sub assemblies, and all that cabling.

Joel
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Posted: Sunday, December 23, 2012 - 10:11 AM UTC
A quick fix for the engine doors, wrap very thin wire around the handles. I will look like the latch is bronken and the crew used baling wire.

I used my share to get vehicles back to be fixed in my days. A M151A2 with a gas can on the hood to replace a defective fuel pump. Punced a hole near the bottomand fed rubber hose in and to carb.

My wrecker was written up for looking too nasty, oil stains, rust stains, scuff marks on the paint. No mechanical problems, just looks!
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, December 23, 2012 - 01:40 PM UTC

Quoted Text

A quick fix for the engine doors, wrap very thin wire around the handles. I will look like the latch is bronken and the crew used baling wire.

I used my share to get vehicles back to be fixed in my days. A M151A2 with a gas can on the hood to replace a defective fuel pump. Punced a hole near the bottomand fed rubber hose in and to carb.

My wrecker was written up for looking too nasty, oil stains, rust stains, scuff marks on the paint. No mechanical problems, just looks!


Jim,
Thanks for the idea. I would never have thought of it. Just curious, was I right about thinking that from just normal wear and tear, and then dirt, mud, etc, that the doors just didn't swing on their hinges like they did when brand new?
Joel
Joel_W
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Posted: Monday, December 31, 2012 - 10:05 AM UTC
Well, it's time for another update as I've finished the basic upper hull assembly.

As Robert suggested, I drilled out the front side of the bogies with 4 mounting bolt holes for the rear roller assemblies, as they're neither right nor left main bogie sections. So with a good deal of effort since the bogies were already glued to the lower hull, I managed to drill out each of the bogies. Not perfect, but looks good enough.



Here's a few pictures of the completed hull assembly. The paint is Tamiya gray lacquer primer to check putty and glue work, as the front fenders were a real challenge to get lined up correctly. Again, I'm sure it was my error that caused these issues.





the wench drum deck assembly. I'm still struggling with the lighting to show the weathering effects better. The rear wall hasn't been weathered as yet.



the completed front end.



And the rear end minus the exhaust screen.



Well that's it for now.

Everyone have a happy, healthy, and safe New Years. Cya all in 2013.
Joel





Joel_W
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Posted: Monday, January 07, 2013 - 11:04 AM UTC
Time for another update.

The last sub assembly for the upper hull is the rather large Draw Bar. While the parts fit was pretty good, it still needed sanding and putty work to blend everything together. There were also a few pin marks that needed to be addressed. As usual with Tasca's model philosophy the Draw Bar opens and closes, as well as the end cable brackets being able to swivel.





Once finished it was installed on the upper hull.



Next up I started on the turret assembly walls, which are comprised of four sections. the fit is perfect, but there are quite a few pin marks on the inside of each one that needed to puttied and sanded.



Here's the turret assembled minus the binocular case and fire extinguisher which still are in needed of painting. I added some heavier wield seams made from plastic tubing that are more like my reference photos.





I painted the interior of the turret in with a mixture of Tamiya OD and dark yellow.





Then I test fitted the turret to the hull with the top plate (temp fit)to see how every thing looks.





Then I painted the lower hull and bogies with my Tamiya OD mixture, that is more brownish then what the rest of the base paint will be to help with the dirt, mud, earth look.



Well that's it for now.

Joel




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Posted: Monday, January 07, 2013 - 01:44 PM UTC
Very nice Joel. Hey how well can you see inside the front area where the transmission would be? I am debating waiting for an interior for this one... let me know if you would please kind sir.
Joel_W
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Posted: Tuesday, January 08, 2013 - 02:20 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Very nice Joel. Hey how well can you see inside the front area where the transmission would be? I am debating waiting for an interior for this one... let me know if you would please kind sir.


James, Thanks for the kinds words. As far seeing into front area, you really have to try and look past the cable platform, which isn't easy, but you can see a little of it if you really try too. You can also leave open the two front hatches. If I had the front interior, I would have installed it. Just remember to paint that area white rather then the OD of the rest of the interior. What I wouldn't bother with is the engine compartment.
Joel
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