Shermania 2024

I would leave it off. When in doubt, do without.

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That turret has the small mantlet, it’s way too early for a spotlight.

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It’s a non-remanufactured tank, as it lacks even the basics of that like the extra armour plate on the hull side. A spotlight would be unlikely, I agree, but even on tanks that did have it, it could (and would) be removed from the roof and stowed inside to protect it from damage — meaning all you’d need to fit would be the round thingie with a hole in it, that it slots into.

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Any input on where the foundry marks should go on the turret? I’ve done some checking on the Sherman Minutia website but I can’t figure out where to put my markings. Any help is appreciated! :grin:

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Figure out what type of turret/hatches make up the turret you are modeling. See if what you model is seen on the turrets shown when picking one of the turret categories on Minutia.

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It depends on which foundry cast the turret, and is a rather complex subject. But if “close” is good enough, and you don’t have photos showing the real ones, then I’d probably put them on the turret roof, just to the left of the commander’s hatch, and a foundry mark on the rear face of the turret.

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Colon, you would also do well in applying a foundry marking(s) on the loader’s hatch as well, but only if your turret has a loaders hatch.

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I rather doubt it does. First of all, the instructions don’t show one, that’s kind of a big clue :wink: But also, this is a, what, late 1942, early 1943? production tank, judging by the details, and turrets with loader’s hatch only came in in late 1943.

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@vettejack @Jakko Thanks guys! I’ll do that.

There is no loader’s hatch on this turret, so that’s a bit less work. I will keep that in mind on my next Sherman. :grin:

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So I’ve got a few more questions about this Sherman;

  1. Is there an accurate representation of an 76mm barrel with the threads exposed?

  2. Would I be able to take the engine from RFM’s M4A3 HVSS interior kit and put that in Asuka’s M4A3 VVSS?

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So here’s my progress over the past two days; I’ve applied the cast texture and some of the details to the turret. I added the foundry markings today, then covered them with some diluted Tamiya Grey Putty to blend them with the rest of the turret. Don’t really think this last step is necessary, but it makes me feel better! :joy:
I also added the diluted putty to the recesses around the mantlet and commander’s hatches to fill them up a bit without eliminating the recesses. I drilled out the hatch hinges with a bit smaller than the hinge so that I could add some stretched sprue to show the hinges of the hatch itself connecting to the cupola.



I also added this detail on the MG mount based on up-close photos of the cupola:

My foundry marks represent a turret cast by the American Steel Foundries Cast Armor Plant.
Reference photo:
image

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Going by Scalemates, I get the impression there is just one, but it’s from a Russian company, so that probably makes it hard to get hold of in the West.

If you know someone who owns a lathe, you could take a barrel with a thread protector and turn much of that off. Or, without a lathe, you can saw off the thread protector and add a thinner piece from plastic or metal tube.

I don’t see why not. You may have to do a little work to make it fit, but isn’t that what being a modeller is about?:slight_smile:

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well now that i am back from my holiday in Spain i have managed to attach all of the chains to the rotating drum.

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Getting things done…




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My old ESCI is coming along nicely. A very nice kit despite being 45 years old.

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Those tracks… as stiff as Revell’s?
But the engine is a nice touch.

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I dont know if any one knows this but there is a major flaw with dragons M4A4 the lower hull is 3/8in too long which put the wear idler too far back

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I guess pretty much all Dragon kits from those days had major issues. Their Soviet tanks were “not all that accurate” either.

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Buy Asuka!

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They have an M50? Or an m4A4?

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