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Armor/AFV: Allied - WWII
Armor and ground forces of the Allied forces during World War II.
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Sherman Firefly radio masts/antennas?
bill_c
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Posted: Monday, January 21, 2013 - 10:29 AM UTC
Am finishing up a BEAUTIFUL Tasca Sherman Firefly Vc (kit #35-009), and I would definitely never build a Sherman by any other manufacturer. The detailing is superb (though the instructions are a bit of a challenge).

One confusing area is the radio mast(s): the kit has included one "inverted ice cream cone" UK-style mast for the right rear turret, but there also appears to be a (factory installe?) US-style radio antenna base on the left rear turret. I have tried looking at period photos, but they are inconclusive. Did these tanks have more than one radio array?
SdAufKla
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Posted: Monday, January 21, 2013 - 12:49 PM UTC
Bill,

The No. 19 radio set used two different aerials.

The inverted cone shaped base (actually the brush guard) is the antenna base No. 9. It should have a short, 24" antenna (could be doubled to 48"). This antenna is noticeably thin and depending on photo quality, is sometimes quite hard to see.

The other base is a short conical rubber base, the antenna base No. 8. It should have an antenna that's an increment of 4' sections, usually 8' total, but it could be only 4' or even as much as 16' (if the tank was stationary).

The No. 8 base was usually installed in the cast armored ring on the left rear of the Sherman turret. The No. 9 base was usually installed in the center-right turret rear on an square bolted-on plate.

HTH,
tankmodeler
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Posted: Monday, January 21, 2013 - 01:04 PM UTC
Yes, the Commonwealth No. 19 set had an A & B antenna. "A" was longer range and used the inverted cone mount and came in 4' lengths 8' & 12' being common. "B" was short range and had, I think a 4' common length. It used a mount that looked similar to, but wasn't the same as, the US mount.

Paul
18Bravo
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Posted: Monday, January 21, 2013 - 02:04 PM UTC
Anyone know of a company who might do several of the No. 9 base on one PE sheet? I need several, and my eyesight is no longer good enough to make them.
ALBOWIE
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Posted: Monday, January 21, 2013 - 09:16 PM UTC
Bob, I believe Lionmarc offered sets of built up No 9 with base but only in single packaging. I have not managed to find any of late but they may still be out there. Pleanty of other manufacturs such as RB offer them but to be built up from PE and turned brass. THe RB ones are cheap and I remember getting ten for under $20 off Ebay.
Cheers
Al
pseudorealityx
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Posted: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 01:12 AM UTC
If you don't want to deal with PE, Tasca's plastic version is pretty darn thin for plastic. They sell the entire sprue that the base comes with for less than $7.

http://www.tasca-modellismo.com/seihin/parts/35009-f.jpg

Base near bottom left.

Orange Hobby has a PE set with 2 bases. It's item # G3501346A
bill_c
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Posted: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 02:47 AM UTC
Thanks, Mike, that's EXACTLY what I'm looking for.

So 4' to scale would be 1 12/32" right?
tankmodeler
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Posted: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 06:26 AM UTC
48" in 1/35 = 1.3714" = 1 11.88/32nds so, yes, close as dammit to 1 12/32.
bill_c
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Posted: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 06:42 AM UTC
Thanks, Paul.

I may just order another Tasca Sherman, they're so damn much fun to build, and look great. No real need for PE, either, as the kits have some of their own, and lots of styrene "fiddly bits."
pseudorealityx
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Posted: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 07:03 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks, Paul.

I may just order another Tasca Sherman, they're so damn much fun to build, and look great. No real need for PE, either, as the kits have some of their own, and lots of styrene "fiddly bits."


My single biggest annoyance on Tasca kits is there the welded hull kits come with PE headlight guards, while the cast hull kits come with plastic headlight guards, and while better than any other plastic headlight guards, the PE ones just look better.
bill_c
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Posted: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 08:10 AM UTC

Quoted Text

My single biggest annoyance on Tasca kits is there the welded hull kits come with PE headlight guards, while the cast hull kits come with plastic headlight guards, and while better than any other plastic headlight guards, the PE ones just look better.

Hmmm, my Firefly has both. But the Tasca kits are all a bit of mix & match, so maybe the styrene guards are from another kit. The instructions are certainly a mishmash of styles and kits.

The ones in the kit are superb, bent into perfect shape and went on with just a few dots of CA glue.

The more I talk about the Tasca Shermans, the more I want to buy another!
tankmodeler
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Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 - 08:11 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The more I talk about the Tasca Shermans, the more I want to buy another!

Like Lays chips, you can't build just one!
bill_c
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Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 - 08:43 AM UTC
It's really unusual when a company so nails a vehicle. I'm reminded of Dragon's M1A1 AIM and M1A2 SEP kits, for example. The detailing on the Tasca's is superb, and the only areas where one might want some AM goodies would be a turned barrel and perhaps AM tracks.

I would also recommend Formations' ride height spacers for the suspension. Tasca uses a flexible plastic padding to allow the bogies to move up & down vertically, as well as slide along an axis, but it's a PITA to use it. The Formations' set is really six resin spacers that substitute for the flexible fabric. Less mobility, but you would have to have a really rugged diorama to need that sort of springiness.
pseudorealityx
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Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 - 11:16 AM UTC

Quoted Text

It's really unusual when a company so nails a vehicle. I'm reminded of Dragon's M1A1 AIM and M1A2 SEP kits, for example. The detailing on the Tasca's is superb, and the only areas where one might want some AM goodies would be a turned barrel and perhaps AM tracks.

I would also recommend Formations' ride height spacers for the suspension. Tasca uses a flexible plastic padding to allow the bogies to move up & down vertically, as well as slide along an axis, but it's a PITA to use it. The Formations' set is really six resin spacers that substitute for the flexible fabric. Less mobility, but you would have to have a really rugged diorama to need that sort of springiness.


The newer Tasca kits now include a plastic spacer you can use instead of the foam, likely because of opinions like yours.
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