few bad bits to be seen. Only a small blob on the barrel, so it seems of the firefly...
Otherwise: looking great to me.

Gareth,

Lose the infantry pattern helmets on your Firefly; RAC crews had their own design of rimless helmet (in fact the same shell as used by Paras and despatch riders). Whilst one of these might be in the position shown (for use by the driver) remember that it would have to be secured yet readily available if you see what I mean. As I'm sure you know there was no co-driver/bow machine gunner in the Firefly, the position given over to ammo storage of the larger 17pdr.

Some of your "cordage" on the hull rear looks a bit hairy.

Otherwise crack on.

Brian

As far as the rope is concerned...

Try model shipbuilding rope. They come in various sizes, and the don't fray, or get those pesky "hairs" that cotton and other threads tend to do.

Your work looks great!!

Well Gareth I think the netting etc is a big improvement & should look even better after painting. Agree about the hairy rope, some semi-dilute PVA might tame it - a better way is to hold it over a candle flame first (although just one nano-millimetre too close and whoosh) but hey it looks EXACTLY to scale!

Hi Brian,

I can lose the helmets, though I did find a couple of images that showed the infantry style helmet on the outside of a tank. Accept your point about the pair of them and the strapping.

You're bang on regarding hairy cordage, it's not really noticeable to the Mark I Eyeball, but really shows up on camera...will have a go at reducing it.

Thanks,

G

Hi Erwin,

Thanks for the kind words.

I've spotted a few more blemishes as well as the one on the barrel that you identified...some clean up required, !

Cheers, ,

G

Hi Joe,

Thanks for the tip regarding ship rigging cord, I've just ordered a couple of various thicknesses from Amazon.

Cheers, ,

G

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your kind words, it means a lot coming from someone of your calibre of modelling, your Operation Anthropoid build is truly amazing, !

I'll try the glue suggestion as me and fire, and plastic, don't work well together, !

Cheers, ,

G

Hi all,

A question if I may?...

The Sherman Firefly kit doesn't seem to have any towing cables. Looking online I've seen photos both with and without. Also, having looked at a number of kit builds, both online and in books, the absence of towing cables seems to be the norm.

Did the Sherman not carry a towing cable as standard?

Cheers, ,

G

AFAIK, the Sherman did not have default mounting bracket, leaving it to the discretion of the individual crew whether to mount one or not. If mounted, they were stretched from the front all along the upper hull to the rear.

Hi Erwin,

Thanks for the feedback, , your comments seem to tie-in with the images I've found of various Sherman Tanks.

If I can find some suitable 'allied' cable end loops i think I will add a cable as they add a little interest.

Thanks again for your views.

Cheers, ,

G

This one perchance?
http://www.eurekaxxl.com/towing-cables-35/er-3503-towing-cable-for-m4-sherman-tank

Hi Erwin,

Thank you for the links to the various sites, very useful pointers, !

Cheers, ,

G

Hi all,

Managed to get the Cromwell more-or-less to priming stage this week, .

I have also added the 'camouflage netting' and 'hessian strips' to the glacis plate. The 'hessian' is simply thin paper strips soaked in diluted white glue. However, the paper I have used has some printing on it and, when wetted, the ink streaks and doesn't show up well, . So, as with the Sherman Firefly, I give the strips and net a rough colour of 'drab' paint so as to be able to determine if I'm comfortable with the general appearance (see images below).







The colour used is immaterial as it will be covered in undercoat.

I have also mounted the towing hawser (is that the right word, ?) I've replaced the Tamiya 'string' with some wire taken from a picture hanging set. Not sure if it's the correct thickness, but I think it looks better, .

The Tamiya instructions seem to show it simply draped over the right hand side stowage bins, but I'd have thought it would simply fall off when the vehicle was in motion, .

Managed to find an image that appeared to show some simple brackets, presumably welded, affixed to the stowage bins, so I cobbled some simple 'Z' shaped brackets from some photoetch scrap material. Not sure this is correct, but it seems more practical than being simply flopped over the bins, .

I have also started to drape the 'camouflage netting' over the turret, sans paper paper strips, as well as some 'rope' to "hold" the net in place (see images below), .





Please feel free to comment as you see fit.

Cheers, ,

G

A good start. Is the white rope permanent? I looks as if it ties the turret to the hull. Personally, for the sake of difference, I would have chosen the interwoven type of netting. But then again, within the same unit, and not on the front, the chance is slim that this would have happened...

Hi Erwin,

Thanks for the feedback, it's always good to get them from you, , it helps keep me on the straight-and-narrow, . Really enjoying your 'On Thin Ice' build by-the-way, .

I agree with you that interwoven netting would look better, , but I'm not prepared to pay the, imho, silly prices they charge for small patches of the material on the sites where I have found it.

I keep trying to find a suitable material where I can purchase reasonable amounts for a reasonable price. The material I am using at the moment, the best I've managed to find so far, cost me about £5 for a 2m x 2m sheet. The stuff they sell as 1/35th scale net is about the same price for a 185mm x 85mm patch...maybe I'm a skinflint, but there's no contest in my book, .

If anyone knows of a more realistic material that is readily available, and not silly prices, please let me know, it would be appreciated, .

The Cromwell turret has 4 large 'lifting' eyes, 1 in each corner, which I thought might be utilised to help retain the turret netting. Whether this would be a factual scenario I have no idea, but it sort of felt logical, so I added the string, .

As to netting on the front of the glacis plate I found, without needing to search very much, plenty of examples of other model builds showing this, but more importantly 'actual' photos (see images below).







As you can see, the amount of netting can vary significantly.

I have also found various images of aftermarket accessories that replicate the above (1 example shown below).



Seriously though, my 'camouflage netting' is an area I would like to improve on, so if anyone does know of a more realistic material please share the information with 'us'.

Cheers, ,

G

Happy to help you. I love the progress you are making and the way you are thinking.

Thanks. Progress is not too fast at the moment, as my family (specially the missus) asks for their well deserved attention too. Plus, I'm doing some research. As you know by now, I'm adept on tiny details and want things to be right. Like now: I'm looking for the right diameter of the Schwarzlose cooling jacket, so I can have a correct looking mantlet.

I agree on the exorbitant pricing on "special modelling products" some manufacturers place. On my station I used a lot of things like stirring sticks or ice popsicle sticks. Cheap as dirt.

I think I would try to figure out the dimensions of the squares on the real thing and try to get something in scale as close as possible. There are several types of wound gauze available, so there is a fair chance that there is something close enough.

Hi Erwin,

Thanks for the kind words, !

I think I did notice your attention to detail, lol!

As for everyday stuff, I am finding it amazing as to what can be utilised, so nowt wrong with trying to be frugal, .

Reading various articles on netting, it seems that many folk used to swear by the 'woven' medical gauze method. However, it seems that it's no longer manufactured and that the 'non-woven' type isn't any good.

Certainly, the 'non-woven' type I used on my previous Conqueror build wasn't very good at all due to the 'pattern'.

Hopefully some kind person(s) might offer their opinions, .

Cheers, ,

G

When carefully searching, some Woven wound gauze seems still to be available. Can't tell how large the squares are though.

https://desertcart.co.uk/products/45291174-medline-prm-21408-cz-caring-woven-non-sterile-4-x-4-gauze-sponges-8-ply-pack-of-200

I swear by Kling bandage, it also goes by Kerlix. If you get the name brand stuff you avoid the fuzzies, it's made to be conformal to the anatomy so it's also easy to position even in layers. I got started using it when I was the supply guy in the Bn. Aid Station, we were throwing away a bunch of expired Kling which I salvaged for cammie net.

Hi John,

Thanks for the heads-up on the Kerlix product, i'll have a look for it on one of the sites.

Cheers, ,

G

Hi Erwin,

Thanks for the link, hopefully others will find John's recommendation useful.

Cheers, ,

G

Hi all,

Progress is a tad slow at the moment as I'm in the process of refurbishing an old pond...it's fun though, like modelling on a large scale, .

However, I have just finished undercoating the Cromwell (see images below).

















If you notice any water droplets on the model it's raindrops, picked up as I brought the model in from the painting area...I'm not trusted to paint indoors...least not with the airbrush, .

Both the Sherman Firefly and the Cromwell have now been primed, so now I can start with the proper painting, .

Cheers, .

G