Thanks very much Ron. Lets hope so.
The figures are actually complete and one is already attached. When my camera died, I sort of left this project to one side. Need to get the second guy attached, and learn how to take some decent pics with the new camera!! Watch this space..!!!

Looks great. You really did a fine job on this kit. I like the way you worked through the minor problems in the kit such a s the weld and straps. This is what modelling is all about.

Thanks again Carl, for your kind comments. Much appreciated.

Managed to get some decent photos ... but I´ll be taking more later to send into the site. Starting to get the hang of the camera at last. One thing I noticed ... and anybody building this kit should take note ....
I added the idler wheel after painting, meaning superglueing 2 painted pieces together. This has become a little loose and the tension caused by the tracks is slightly changing the angle. Id recommend cementing this in place as the axle piece is only ~2mm long, else drilling a hole in each piece and adding some wire to strengthen this fixture.

Fantastic, I've been following along and I have to say it looks great.

Just to add 1 thing, only as a suggestion because it might be too late, on Tarawa the Japanese used the barrels as part of their emplacements, filling them with concrete. Not to say that there were not some with the lids, just a suggestion maybe add a little putty to the top of the barrell to look like concrete. That number sure sticks out, I don't even know if thats the bottom and supposed to be like that.

Anyway great dio, learned a lot from your build notes.
Congrats,
Bob

Looks good, Frank. I hope mine comes out as well when I finally get around to building it!

Discovered this blog only yesterday. Man this diorama looks so great.
Thanks for sharing these techniques with us Frank! It's really inspiring!

Paul

Great build and walkthrough. Thank you for the name plate link! I have been searching for a good method! I also have a Tarawa Sherman on my shelf... it's stuck behind several others sadly. Anywho, congrats on a great build!

Great build and fantastic diorama! You can really be proud of this one.

Thanks for your time and effort in sharing all this with us!

Thanks very much for your kind comments guys. Much appreciated.

Thanks for the tip for the concrete in the barrells, Bob C. Maybe a bit late for this one, but I have a sneeking suspicion they´re will be more pacific scenes later. . Ive never really had an interest in the Pacific theatre until I got this kit, so I bought a few reference books ... mostly relating to Tarawa and marines in the pacific, but it has sparked a new found interest! The logs I made here, are mostly buried, as I wasn´t sure, but its something Id like to take to another level, as they turned out OK, IMO.
Bob K; Unfortunately, I can take no credit for having knowledge of shermans ... its basically OOB. Im sure you´ll have no problems in that field!
Michael; Same here ... Ive never had a name plate before, but I found that link literally minutes before posting it here. Really easy and very effective. Costs nothing either... as I made it work !
Paul & Jesper .... Cheers guys.

To close up this blog ... some more overall shots. Thanks to all of you who have helped with information, offered tips or comments or posted with with supportive and kind comments throughout the build.
All of which is appreciated very much. Cheers.











In hindsight, the only thing Id change is the kit tracks. These are floating a bit, and I dont want to start playing with it now. Details are nice but 1 piece tracks are a personnal peeve, and these haven´t done anything to change that.

Great job, Frank! The figures, tank, and scenery fit so well together. I think I'll be buying some MIG powders soon.

What airbrush do you use? I assume that it is a double action, judging from the fine spraying patterns you were able to get.

You designed the nameplate very well, too. Great choice of fonts, etc.

Thanks very much for your kind comments Samuel. Much appreciated.

The pigments are both Mig and sanded down pastels (Rembrandt). They have slightly different properties that I need to experiment more with, but they do work well together as well.
I use a Harder and Steenbeck "Evolution" airbrush. Excellent brush and probably is more common this side of the pond than in the States. Its a gravity feed,which I prefer and doesnt get in the way as much as a bottom suction cup. I use the 2mm needle and 2ml cup for everything. I also have an extra option, for controlling paint flow.
See here. This is a US site, but the price is a lot higher than what this generally costs in Europe!

Have you seen the link to a site, earlier in this thread, describing how these are made. I´ll definately be using this method again, as its so easy and does look good IMO also.
nameplates by Pete Herrera

The camo on the helmet covers looks spot on, good job.

am i getting old or are the tracks supposed to have some slack in them?

they seem abit tight. not alot of slack mind you, but perhaps some. then again, i'm hundreds of miles away from my reference books, as i am on vacation. probably the margaritas typing anyway. so don't take it too much to heart Frank. truly a good report on the entire build. lots of pics and updates.

so Frank, is this tank stopped or frozen in time like a frame grab from a movie while it's moving?

nice dio base structure...better looking than just a flat plaque. weathering is top rate. is there any battle damage to the tank? i didn't notice any.

this will be a great addition to the shelf collection.

nice build fglack

kglack three cheers to you cousin frank...(the beers are ok, but, we need to have little margarita's added to the list of icons. maybe StaphJim could be notified and make an addition.)