Hey, all! Just thought I'd clue everyone in that I have sent Jim some pictures of my M36 model for the gallery. Don't know exactly when they will be up, but I invite you to view them and make comment, criticism, sly innuendo, snide remarks, vicious slurs, etc. as you feel necessary.

Here's what you will see, other than my lame photography:
M36 Jackson tank destroyer, my first armor model in 20 years. Basic kit was the Italeri M36B1 which had been lying around for a couple of decades. Using Cookie Sewell's old FSM article I scratchbuilt the upper hull and corrected the turret height and turret basket. (Yes..you are correct: My first project involved major scratch-building...I hear your whispers, "obviously he's insane!") I used the suspension as-is, although it is the late VVSS and not really correct. Inside the turret I cobbled up a gunner's sight, and installed a gunner, loader, and commander. All are the old Tamiya tank crew, and are my first figures in 20 years. The log armor racks are my own fabrication. I have seen similar things done to Shermans, and I wanted to play with techiques. The frame is made of Evergreen shapes and the wire is Tulle, or bridal veil. The logs are Noble Fir, from last year's Christmas tree. The sandbags on the glacis are epoxy putty, tectured with a damp cotton rag. This conceals the fact that the hull angles aren't perfect and I didn't have an easy means of fabricating the applique armor bosses that belong there. The tarp rail on the turret is made from styrene rod, and the tarp itself is facial tissue soaked in diluted white glue. Again, just playing with the technique. Oh, and the loader is in an entirely inappropriate place--I had the turret all built before I got Hunnicutt's book and decided not to tear it all up. The fuel filler caps are epoxy putty, molded from master of an Academy Achilles. Made a sytrene form, slopped in Mold Builder latex, and pressed in the master part to make the mold. The stowage bin on the rear deck is made from Evergreen shapes, and the stowage is almost all Verlinden--one jerrycan came from the original kit. You may ask why didn't I use one of the new M10 kits...Well, in case I wasn't happy with what I was doing I didn't want to waste one. Now I am awaiting the promised Academy M36 to build, so I can have them side by side and show just how far off this one really is! Anyway, enjoy the pictures,and I await your commentary.

Greg

Bring in the wild horses......just love to see the pics Greg. Jim will probably be fighting just another deadline preparing the pics to be posted.

Greg,
Thanks for your patience. They are up now in the new album I just set up for new additions.

New Armor Additions

Good job Danny . Keep them coming
jeff

Very good M-36 , Greg. Hope my scratchbuilding job will be as good as yours someday.
Are you planning to do your Academy Achilles to show here too?

Cheers,
Peter

Very nice job Greg! I like the addition of the mesh on the hull sides.
I can't wait to get started on mine.

How about some 6 hours later......and Jim still thanking him for his patience.....

I just love you guys.

Jeff, you put the "Good Job" words with my name attached to it. I just like to point out that the credits have go to GREG here !! I just wish I could allready share some results of my modeling skills.

I've been around for a month now. Put in and answered a lot of posts and did pretty much research work but.........still haven't showed if my modeling is any good.....

Some day I'll send the results of my modeling skills to Jim...and then it's up to you guys to shoot at it.

Thanks to Jim for putting these up, and to all the rest for the kind comments. The project took several months, and the upper hull....well, enough styrene was cut to make at least two of them but getting the dimensions right after sanding them was a bear. And like i said in my first post, there are lots of things incorrect about it, but it looks good a ta distance. Kinda like the paint on a car restored 20 years ago. The mesh...go to the fabric outlet store, fellas. I got mine there while we were looking at drapery fabric. They had several different weaves, and I got the remnant bolt of this one for about $2. I have two square YARDS of the stuff now, enough to drape every Sherman variant ever built with it if I so choose!

Panzerman asked about the Achilles. Yes, but don't look for it soon. I've puttered with a few bits on the hull, but not really started on the kit. The big hangup here is main ammo stowage in the sponsons. The kit is just plain wrong, and I am in for a major scratchbuilding effort to make it right. And I am not yet satisfied with my references to start cutting styrene and lead foil.

Next off the line will be DML's M4A4, now being decaled and starting the weathering. This is a much less ambitious effort, with closed hatches and no figures. I've made a few mods: Suspension form a DML Firefly Vc (horizontal roller arms), track from Accurate Armour. The link tracks drive me nuts, and the resin lengths work pretty well if you hijack your wife's hair dryer to heat and bend them with. Make a note here; it is possible to cause spousal consternation when she finds tanks on the counter in the master bathroom...

Greg

Very nice work Greg. Makes me realize I need to get busy. :-)

Thanks, Ron! You mentioned "get busy"...I am working to finish up my M4A4 but then things will dry up for a while. Summertime is car season, so I spend less time at the model bench. I also have two Fireflies hanging fire awaiting Mark Hayward's book on the tank to arrive from England. Ordered it in March, and it is certainly on the slow boat. Both of those vehicles (Vc and Ic) also need early-style suspensions, and I am waiting to hear from Modelcrafts in New Zealand on that--they are ordering a truckload of Academy sprues and hope to have them available sometime next month. I just picked up a DML Firefly Ic Hybrid kit, but I don't want to start on that before the book arrives and in any event I want to lay hands on one of those Armoured Brigade resin high-bustle turrets for it. So between other actiivities and waiting for the mail, my projects will go dormant for a while. I suppose I COULD buy the Tamiya M4A3 #35122 as a donor and start working on that TTW M4A3E2 Jumbo project with the 76mm gun....
Greg

Looks PDG! Thanks for sharing. Always like those American TD's.

Yeah, BC, they have always been favorites of mine. I think I'll have to eventually build one of each of the full-tracked versions, and make that two M36's since I'll have to build Academy's kit.

They are a real interesting breed, and you can't talk to somebody about them without giving a class lecture on the subject. I mean, it's a tank right? Sure looks like one, they say... And then explaining their existence. Technically, its pretty straightforward--the old armor/gun/mobility triangle and how much of each does your technological capability allow you to build. Beyond that it gets really funky with conflicting doctrines and political turf wars within the Army heirarchy. An evolutionary dead end for AFVs, really, but a pointer in the direction of a true MBT. And I'll state for the record that I am a sucker for a REALLY BIG gun tube on anything tank-like. It's a guy thing....
Greg

i sent Jim some ref. photos from the allied side.
to go in afv referance