I am building the M4A1 (76) for my AGE 2 entry. Been really cool so far, but i've got lots to do yet.
I sanded the barrel to correct the manufacturing error in the kit, and decided to save the hull texturing for the next project.
I saw this pattern on another tank and decided to try it. i just did it last night, so tonight i'll be cleaning that up. comments appreciated as usual

Removing the stepped barrel band on the Italeri M4A1(76) is not something known to a lot of newbies. And you're thinking of texturing the cast hull? Kudos on doing your homework.

Can't wait to see what other advanced techniques you got up your sleeve. Let's see some weathering on that Shermie and get those tracks on!!!

Well well well..what have we here....A brand spakin new Shermie for me to look at. Great work so far. I agree with Alan not too many people know about the stepped barrel and even fewer attempt to remove it good job. I cant wait to see it all dirtied up and nice and dusty. Keep up the great work and keep them Shermans rollin....I like it.
Cheers,
Bryan

Well, the old eyes couldn't see too well, so I lightened the photo a little so I could see it better......
Looking pretty good to me, so far.

Looks like it's going to be a tough competition folks......
I certainly hope all the youngin' are enjoying themselves,
and the returners and newbies too!

Great Job. This is looking to be a really great build so far. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this one..Is there a dio on the horizon?...Keep up the great work...your definately on your way to being a great model builder.
Mary

Very well done. I like that you are doing something not often seen on a Sherman. Did you hand paint it or airbrush?

Jeff

Just carry that mud/dust from the lower hull up onto the bottom of the upper to blend that cammo a bit and you'll have a neat shermie there. Clean build and you got rid of that barrel step!

i dont have an airbrush so i improvised with aluminum foil, double stick tape, and a can of spray paint.
i figured if i messed it up i would just start over

my tank was base and final coated with OD spray.

first off, i already had the bogeys on, so i used a few strips of foil to cover up the track area. it worked really great, and i was very proud of that idea because the foil curved around and remained secure without having to use any tape.

next i just tore another strip of foil, trying to curve the tear just a bit to make the stripe look interesting. I then test fit it over the tank to see if i liked it. Once i had my stripe in place, i took a few pieces of double stick tape and stuck it on the bottom of the foil at the edges to keep the paint from running under. (just tap it down gently, no need to press hard to make it stick.) i continued with this method, alternating the OD and foil stripes, securing with tape, until it was covered. some parts are a little difficult to work around, but the foil is forgiving and moulds quite nicely.

i had flat black spray and held it 8 inches or so above the tank. i chose to hold the tank by the foil covered tracks as i sprayed so i would have better control of the paint direction. using short bursts, i applied the paint until i was satisfied with the coverage.

i let it set for a while and then peeled off the foil. there was no residue from the tape (whew) , but there were a few little spots where paint didnt go, or like that black blotch there in the pic where too much leaked under. nothing major and i was able to touch those up with a small brush.



thanks for the comments on my build. i will make the changes and then post an updated pic!

More pics please.

Hey GI_B. Looks good no Great. I like how your weathing and rust came out on lower hull section. Can't wait to se it finnished. Do you plan to use it in a dio or a simple bace. The foil seems like a neat trick, i use Glad Press-n-Seal for my camo patterns on my aircraft. Give it a try sometime. Keep up the good work

hey, mother! thanks a lot! the tank will be stand alone. I'm entering it in the AGE 2 campaign and the rules state OOB and no dioramas.

i like that tip about the glad press n seal! i will have to give that a shot at some point!

another wrok in progress picture of my sherman. i fixed some of the stripes, glued down the tracks, added a decal and swirled a bit of mud over it so the crew wont be an easy target! more weathering to come of course, but i think next step i'll do is paint the tools.

Lookin good GI! That's a great tip on using aluminum foil. I've been trying to come up with something for covering various parts when painting and foil sounds like the way to go. Thanks. Good luck in the competition too.

updated pic after overall weathering. i see some wash settling in the gear that needs to be fixed. i might have overdone it. what do you guys think? too much dirt? i know i need to work on my dry brush technique. my brush gets gunky after a bit and i think i end up putting too much paint on the surface. i like at the bottom of the hull the way that it looks as if mud was coming up. maybe i should use 2 shades of paint to give it depth? i dont like the fact that i can see through the decal "al capone". i might have to paint around the letters and then add more dirt to the surface . i havent painted any tools yet because i don't have the recommended gunmetal color.

The dirt looks fine Babycakes, like splashes of mud that have dried on the surface. I don't know what you can do about the decal film at this stage withour wrecking that great paint job.
For the tools, I would paint the metal parts olive drab, the wooden parts in a lighter shade of OD; and just scuff the edges of the metal parts with a metalic steel colour - they were painted in real life, not left natural metal and wood as the instructions alway yell you!
Overall a very nice Shermie!

perhaps we should have a new forum - SHERMORAMA!

That weathering looks good, and wouldn't need anything added. But if you want, you can add a little bit of lighter drybrushing on the hullsides or some darker brown on the suspension and bottom hull to give some depth. Also try adding some static grass and/or sand, powder etc to the paint to create a texture.. This should be applied sparingly, around the edges of the mudguards. It also looks good on the lower hull.


For the decal, have you tried to cover it with some matt varnish, I use Humbroll Matt Cote, which works great. No sign of carrier film after that.

I think it's nice as it is, and is a worthy entry already.

Cheers
Henk

thanks dave!! i was worried there for a bit i had gone just a bit too far. as for the tools, i'll just paint them those colours as you suggested.
henk- wow! that looks really good! i might just try adding the dark and light drybrushes in the areas you suggested. since the campaign rules state the build should be OOB, i'll have to save the sand/grass idea for the next one. i just bought another on ebay - this time an M5A1 light tank.

i was able to take a knife and cut that filmy section of the decal away. luckily, paint job still looks ok.

my plan is to finish up the small details and then spray with dullcote before i go to bed. i'll update with more pics tomorrow night.

i'm sitting here smiling, thinking about finishing up the tank (after i do dumb housework and cook dinner). i'm just so excited and pleased about my first tank this is just too cool

more work in progress pics.
i need to add a smidge of rust on the canisters in the back here and i realize now that i have to fix the gun bracket on the top, as i've glued it in backwards.

Looking good! I like how you took off the barrel band and blotted out the stars.

Shaping up really nice Baby Cakes....
Now don't laugh.... I like the name on the tank...
as a kid growing up in North Bergen, my neighbors name was Al Capone....... :-) :-) :-) :-)

Too bad you are limited to OOTB for the AGE2 campaign. It just feels like you were willing to go that extra mile to get it right with hull texturing and grass in the wheels. Oh well, next build will not be OOTB!!