Hello, all! Sorry to have not posted in so long, but with family, work, and other interests taking up my free time, I've strayed away from armor models. My wife was in an indulgent mood, and I was able to talk her in to letting me spend some money at the Squadron Mail Order site. I bought Dragon's German Cavalry Gen2 set, the 3-in-1 PzKfw IV, and the Sherman-E8. I figured I'd start with what would be the eaiest subject first.

I've read the review for the model posted on this site, and thought it would be a great way to dive back into my favorite hobby. I guess you could call this an on-line diary of the build.

I've pretty much followed the steps in the order called out on the instruction sheet. So, step 1 begins with all of the suspension. I pre-painted all of the hard to reach spots, like between the road wheels, the suspension arms, and so on.

I highly recommend paying close attention to the instructions, as the placement of some parts are questionable.

The road wheels and sping bars on the suspension arms are glued together, as well as the parts for the volute springs. I'm going to let the glue on these set overnight, to insure the bonds are as strong as possible.

I'm not sure of the order to put the suspenion units together. I'm thinking that if I glue the suspension arms first, I'll have problems getting the volute springs and shock absorbers to fit. The other way around, will the springs cause problems with the arm hinge plate from holding the arms in place while the glue dries? something to ponder...

I've started on the hull while I'm waiting. The instructions call for you to remove the grouser storage covers from the hull rear. This must be done carefully, in order that none of the weld detail is removed.

That's about it for today. If anyone else has worked on this model, any suggestions would be helpful.

'Til tomorrow!

Make sure you remove the oval plates on the rear corners of the engine deck rear. They're leftovers from DML's M4A2 kit and shouldn't be present on the M4A3E8.

Gday miniholic
I have the kit still under wraps, but any extra info/problems encountered etc. will be most welcomed... I look forward to reading your experiences
Cheers
Brad

Hi Miniholic,

I'm working on the same kit and must be at about the same stage you are. That's some suspension system, huh.

In addition to what the other guys have said, I hope you have checked out Pat McGrath's build article on this site. Good info there.

Things I have noticed:

The tow pintle is shown upside down in the instructions.
The interior portions of the periscopes are not too detailed. May not matter to you.
The vision cupola has neat clear parts but the "windows" are not shaped right. I'm using the cupola from Formations.
If you're not using the added armor plates, don't bother cutting parts off the glacis. The instructions don't specify this and to most it will be obvious, but I was very close to cutting them off.
Pics I have universally show the fancy drive sprocket, while many renderings show the plain one. Probably either one is possible but the fancy must be more likely.
I notice that many sections of track have assembled themselves in the bag. That is Magic.

Overall, it's a great kit. Keep us informed as you go.

Regards, John

Im nearly finished my E8. I remember doing the suspension units. I needed at least four sets of hands!!! Dont know how I managed with just the 2.

I also found that instead of the 24 tyres I only had 23. Dragon care were actually very good. I contacted them by email and they sent me the complete running gear sprues with all the tyres. Definitely no complaints there.

I steered away from just doing the 4th Armd Div tanks too. Ive tried to depict a 6th Armd Div tank as i had already added the extra armour so it was more accurate to do it belonging to Pattons Army.

You may need a little sanding/milliput where the 2 halves of the turret join. Mine wasn't great but that may be down to my relative inexperience compared with some of the masters on here.

Once I'd got past the running gear I found it a joy to build.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing your photos.

My E8 is shown on a similar forum post like your. Feedback on my M4A3E8 please, I think it is called.

Feel free to take a look and let me know what you think.

Des

Here I am, end of the second day. Not as much accomplished as I thought there would be. But I plead domestic duties, etc, for my lack of progress. I also picked up my first pair of bifocals today , and need to get used to them.

The bogies are completed and base coated. I found that the springs, while a good feature, did not work out as advertised. The metal springs kept slipping over the volute springs, binding up the operating suspension. This was no big loss to me, as I really don't need the parts to function, as long as it all looks right.

Cheek your references as to the placement of the volute springs and the reservoir on the shocks. As far as I can tell, the volute springs should all be aligned with the 'cup' to the rear, and the spring to the front. And the reservoir are all on the right side of the bogey as you face them. Anyone know how to align these parts?

The transmission cover and rear hull plate with all details are in place. I'll base coat the lower hull before adding the bogies. I'm also going to weather the lower hull as much as possible before the upper hull and treads are installed.

I'm using Testor's #1911 Olive Drab spray paint for the base coating. My main reference is Military Miniatures in Review's 'ModelersGuide to the Sherman', by Ampersand publishing. I cannot recommend this book enough. There are many valuable drawings and pictures that are useful for building any of the basic Sherman models.

Thanks to all who have provided input so far. I appreciate any tips you can share. I'm going to trot off and look for that build article, now.

See y'all tomorrow!