Still need to putty the top before adding the skids.
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Mission complete!
My M51 Sherman is finished. I´m happy with the tank, not so much with the figures. I´m not a very good figure painter and it is even more difficult when the figures are of a not so good quality…
As stated before, I understand why there are not so many built examples of this model. It has a «million» pieces, it is over engineered and the instructions are a mess. However, I really enjoyed the build, participating in the group build, and all the good advices I got while building. And I have to admit I enjoy «torturing» myself with such kits 
Here are the final pictures
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Great scene Erik, and I am with you on the figures, I hate doing them as they always look terrible (to me anyway) but, It is nice to add them on some builds as they give a nice sense of scale and add a little life sometimes… and your figures look great to be honest … they give the scene a nice lift for realism.
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Looks very good, the figures give it a nice extra bit.
Hope you don’t mind a little remark: you didn’t add any straps to keep the yerrycans in their holders?
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Excellent M-51. In general the paint and the subject are super difficult so well done! 
Some of the stowage look glossy in the photos.
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I forgot 
Since you noticed it I will try to add them 
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Probably my crappy light. The model is dead flat except the goggles which got a drop of clear gloss on the lenses.
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Further progress of my work, after a pause.
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Well done. Myself I’d have chosen more dust around the running gear, but that is a personal choice.
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I would second that. More dust everywhere.
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Boy work’n that tank radio in the Firefly must have been a bear!
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Yepp, to me it is fine as it is. I hate using hours painting and then just cover everything in dust.
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Great build Erik. I know what you’re saying about figures. I’m trying to do more myself, but my improvement in figure painting just seems to lag behind the progress I have made in finishing armour. Yours are better than you probably feel about them and look good though.
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Radio box wasn’t much of a problem, yet making frontal armor (see my first post on which i replied) was quite a challenge.
Thanks for looking
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I was referring to having to deal with the REAL radio tucked so far back in that bustle. I have worked with WWII US tank radios and they are difficult enough when sitting on the work bench.
US tank radio installed in 1/35 scale Firefly:
This was a retrofit to the Sherman turret. An added-on armored box to allow the radio to move back thus clearing the greater recoil of the larger gun.
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Ah, remember that British tankies were carefully selected for their long bendy arms! 
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Speaking of a 1/35 Sherman Firefly…which does the Shermania 2024 crowd prefer…Asuka or RFM?? I have both…one to build and the other to relegate to the vendors’ table.
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I think both kits are great. I’ve never built an Asuka/Tasca kit, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about them.
I have this kit, and I’m looking forward to build it.
Tasca/Asuka has probably the largest offering of Sherman variants of any kit maker, IMO.
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Both! Cannot build enough Shermans. Are they different variant?
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The Asuka is an IC while the RFM is a VC. At the moment, there is not enough of a variant difference for me to build both. Better engineering/finesse/accuracy/ease of build is what I’m looking for and asking about.
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