On my 1/16 Sherman…..I am struggling with holding the springs in while putting together the suspension……I have run out of curse words……is there any reason why I need to install them if I am not going to play with it…..once the suspension is together…..you cannot see that they are not there.
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You can try super gluing one side, let try before assembling the bogie. If not using the spring, I would recommend having a rod or something to prevent to much movement.
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I tried superglue already…..too much tension from the springs…..pushes the swing rods(?) away….cannot attach the back main piece …I have assembled 3 so far without gluing…..they seem ok without the springs.
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At least on the Tasca, they had felt or plastic instead of springs that has had a little impact on the bogie stance. Especially on uneven terrain base.
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I suppose that in 1/16 they used springs like in the real thing…..but they seem to long…..I guess I could cut them…… but once again I’m not going to be playing with the suspension it’ll be flat.
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Alternate is to assemble without springs at all. Assemble all the built up but loose fitting suspension bogies to the hull to set the belly height on a loaded vehicle and using a length of track each side set it with blocks underneath and glue the assemblies solid. this will also stop the tendency for the front and back wheels to lift because of the pressure from the track. Another idea is a thin shim of metal (beercan) CA,d into the top of the housing above the spring that extends out giving the springs a wider seat may stop it pinging out but it may just create more flying schrapnel instead.
Keith
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I wouldn’t use the springs myself if I were building this kit, I know that.
Looking at the instructions on Scalemates, it looks like the levers (parts Q1) fit on an axle that’s moulded to the inside of the bracket (parts Q15/Q16/Q17/Q18). If this is indeed the case, then the springs won’t do anything at all anyway because the suspension will only be able to rock (one wheel going down as the other goes up) rather than both wheels being able to go up at the same time. If so, just assemble everything per the instructions, except for leaving out the metal springs.
It could be I’m wrong, because the drawings aren’t very clear, though. If the axles on the spring seat (Q14) actually move in slots on the inside of the bracket, then you do need the springs. However, if you assemble a bogie without the springs and without glue, you should be able to work out how thick a spacer you need to add above the plastic springs (Q21) to make everything sit at the correct height.
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I did the following on my HVSS 1/116 scale Sherman and plan to do the same for the VVSS.
Figure out the ground clearance the model needs to have, build a jig to hold the hull at that height, assemble suspension without the springs, fix bogies on hull, glue every moving part into position.
Having those awful spring meas that your track might not fit properly as well or end up loose.
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Thank you. The suspension is not that loose…..I think I may be able to get away without the springs…..they are actually metal…..not plastic…..and are like handling slinky’s.
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Any idea of what the ground clearance should be on a Sherman in 1/16th?
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Ground Clearance for M4A1 (76)W should be around 17 inches (42.5cm) so in 1/16th scale it should be 1.0625 inches or 2.656 cm.
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I can teach you new ones in Hebrew and Arabic along with combos in those and English that would bring tears of joy to an old school DI
Good luck with those springs they definitely look like a major cause of ftardism..
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So I know the edges of the road wheels should be shiny metal, and the return rollers, the top and sides of the idler wheel……between the teeth of the sprocket…….is the inside of the sprocket bare metal? And what about the skid plates on top of the suspension housing?
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The track guide teeth rub against the inside surfaces of the sprocket, but the teeth are curved inward a little so they would probably only rub the paint off towards the sprocket teeth.
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In 1/35, I pretty much don’t bother anymore because by the time I’m done weathering, the effect is almost gone. With 1/16 however, I think it would hold up. I would use a medium gray where you want the wear and then rub some graphite on it. I think you will get the look you want.
On the sprockets, you only need the upper half of the tooth (I’ll see if I can’t find a good pic). I would do the idler wheels and the face you have done with the roadwheels and leave the return rollers alone.
Jeff
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I was thinking of silver paint…..then rubbing a pencil over it and rubbing it in?
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Silver is pretty bright, it will look better if you tone it down. If you don’t have a darker metallic paint, you can mix black into the silver.
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A tip I got from Steve Zaloga - NEVER use silver paint on an armor model. It will ruin it and make it look toy - like. At the most, use a graphite pencil for bright steel.
What is another good choice for a polished metal color? I have aluminum and dark aluminum? Gun metal and iron are too dark I think.
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