I have a question specifically for the M4A1’s VVS and the Roller Assembly - Key A.
This diagram seems to allude to a rubber covering over the roller. Is this the case? Or was it all steel??
Images I’ve found online seem to NOT show a rubber coating, but an all-steel roller.
I appreciate the information.
Mike
The roller itself is a cylindrical metal drum. The smaller circle is the end bearing cap. No rubber wrapper.
Thanks Michael. Appreciate the confirmation.
Mike
I think the confusion may be because the illustration seems to show a tyre around the return roller, but what it actually depicts is a curved or angled area between the side and the “running” surface.
Almost ready to assemble the assemblies.
Need some “metal” paint on the rollers, idlers, and sprockets (dry brushing).
I’m also thinking about making 3 or 4 “toon” Calliope rockets.
Mike
Reynier,
I don’t know if I could scratch something like that, which of course is absolutely perfect, and have more than one look alike. I’ll probably have to go with something reasonably simple, stubby with an overly large diameter. Styrene & brass tubing and PE fins I imagine.
Mike
Update on my BARV, for those not reading the thread about it:
Watching both threads. It is building up very nicely. Some great detailing as well.
Thanks 
This was my progress made at AMPS a couple of weeks ago. I got the gun tube sanded smooth, and backdated it to the early configuration without the muzzle cap thread protector. I also started adding many of the small fittings to the turret and hull.
That muzzle break is just…I don’t know…crazy looking! 
Unique for sure.
Mike
I wanted a M51, just for that.
I think there’s room for everything in plastic modelling. My son wasn’t interested in building tank kits until he fell in love with the toon tanks, now he builds regular kits like I do. Recently we both like to build 1/56 scale kits too, which are considered table top gaming pieces. But some of these new 1/56 scale tanks have better detail and are more accurate than many of the Sherman kits I grew up building in the late 1970s. So in our family we enjoy a bit of everything, highly detailed specific historically researched accurate tanks, Toon tanks and everything in between.
The Tamiya M51 has the more accurate MB, the Academy guys went a little nuts with the extra large MB back when it was designed.
I just got this in the mail a couple days ago. It’s the only 1/56th Sherman I know about that has T66 track.
Plus it comes with the decals to build “Flatfootfloogie” with a bit of scratch building.
Hang on - are you saying Toon tanks are a gateway drug? 
Yes, in our house that’s the way it went down. He still loves to build the Toon tanks, but he might’ve never gotten into plastic modeling tanks if it wasn’t for those. All he wanted to build back in the day was Star War stuff. Now he’s into WW2 tanks just like me. Also the Girlz Und Panzer show was a big reason he fell in love with WW2 tanks. I honestly could give a rip how it played out, I’m just over the moon that we have something like this to share on occasion. He’s the reason I’ve branched out of just doing 1/35th and gotten into 1/48 and 1/56th tanks too…
