Old MSgt

It's been almost a month since I did an update and in that time I've only been working on this turret. Now that it's close to having all the detail (i.e.: 'Knock Off') parts on it, I figured I'd show ya how it's coming.

I was informed the color ain't right because it's OD green, but it was 'too late in the ballgame' in the build to tear it all apart and repaint.

AND, with Richs' expert observation of the incorrect rear deck duly noted, to the correct configuration, I changed it to two piece. Like to keep Rich HAAPP-PPY!

I still have to finish the inside of the commanders' hatch and install some little detail parts (they may be tiny but take a LONG time to make from scratch) and then I'll finish the permanent wiring

After that I'll wear, weather, and highlight. I did a little 'wear' on the hatches and periscopes today.

Mike (POP QUIZ: Who does that loader look like?)

Crius

Wow. Just ... Wow.

Can't wait to see this beauty in the flesh. The loader looks just like Marty Keskimaki, but I doubt you know him.

maillemaker

Looking at stuff like this makes me want to build a 1:1 version of one of these things.

I'm not talking like scale functional, but driveable and accurate in appearance.

Steve

Old MSgt

I just looked at those previous pics and noticed that I'd almost taken 'doubles' (same pics) on a couple of'em AND I forgot to show ya those hatch keepers I made. The loader hatch didn't have'em on the sides and the hatches would have looked pretty bare without'em so I tried to make them.

I used scrap stock and Dremeled'em the parts out. On the third prototype I had one that looked like it'd work so I made another one. Used some brass rod, micro bolts, and ran small bare servo wire thru the hatch and put a handle on. Then cut a notch in the Miliput by the hinges, put




the keepers close to the pivot, and Miliput/JB Welded'em in.

With this kit I've had to make a LOT of tiny details and that takes up most of the build time. Sometimes I'd get frustrated but this tank ain't landed in the creek yet! (KNOCK ON WOOD!)

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

Man, this is sweet!

RichJohnson

Damn that is nice. I love the work. I like the color too, though its not the correct color as I said, but sadly, i like the color you used better, but im such an accuracy nut on my own models i cant be happy with a color I like, it has to be the "right" color. Yes, im to anal about it.
I like the post war torsion bar hinges on the rear engine grills. Most people dont do a post war upgrade like that.
great work p, great ccuracy and attention to detail. When you are done, you need to make a youtube video with a walk around and close up of all the working parts.

purgatory

Great work as usual. I really love the weld marks, what an amazing detail to me to see.

Old MSgt

WELL POOT THE BED! 'POST war' torsion bar hinges??!! These hinges looked interesting in one of my books so I made'em. I tried to find info on'em in all the Sherman books I have but none told about this style. Now that I've did IT I've really FELL BACK in that didn't I! (LOL)

When I tried to find paint that I liked for this tank I tried all the model 'OD' paints I have and didn't care for their tones. The Walmart 'OD' is too dark so I kept looking. One day my Sweetie needed some pine shavings and mini horsey foot varnish for our little equine freeloaders so we loaded up and went to Tractor Supply. ('Maw & Paw Go To Town')

While merrily pushing my shopping cart around I swung in the paint aisle to check out their 'OD' color. Bought one can (heavy 12oz for $4.99) and tried it. Liked this color so next time I bought four more cans and this is what I'm using. Remember, I'm on a pretty 'tight' buget here so (LUCKILY) I ran on to a color I like CHEAP.

Ya got to shake these cans up good (or sometimes the color comes out gloss) and it takes a long time (overnight) to dry and it's really FLAT.



Heck, with these BIG cans, so far I've only used 2 1/2 cans (out of the five I ended up with) to paint this big thing.

DANG!!! I cant git over those hinges... More post built info that I wish I'd'a known BEFORE I made another mess and then fell back in it.

(P.S.: I'm not really PO'ed about this. Big Whoop. I just LOVE to whine and moan cause it's a LOT of fun... it's an old military habit!)

Panther F

I like what's been done so far and the progress too Mike!

But don't beat yourself up on the details TOO much... like on color/shade of OD and or options either. I mean sure... let's get the right suspension, track type and or gun details right, but don't go too heavy on what is right or wrong.

I've seen guys take a tank and stick a longer gun in it and called it something else, or just because they changed a turret or tracks it's now transformed magically into another tank. These things are wrong but tiny details like the shade of Olive Drab I wouldn't worry too much over.

Everyone's color interpretation is different and their PC monitors also can fool us as well. I try to build my Shermans from different time periods or countries of service so they are all not having to be one shade of green.


My first color on my Sherman was that faded OD that Testors offers... 1911/FS-34087. I thought since my 1/6 Stuarts had it and the museum pieces were painted that way I was covered! My first battle date I was schooled on the correct shade of green used on different time periods. It's a HUGE learning curve but as long as the tank is green I think it's in good shape!


Thanks for all the GREAT pictures! I'd love to see this close-up!




Jeff

Old MSgt

Oh, I'm not 'worried' about the color. I haven't actually 'worried' seriously about anything for years. This is just an rc tank that I'm having fun building and'll give me something to run. As long as it looks like the tanks in G.I. Combat and Sgt. Rock, the public who sees it (not US tank enthusiasts!) will only know it's a 'tank'... ("...or it might be a space ship.")

Building my tanks gives me something to work on. It's gotten too expensive to build antique Harleys from scratch (after EVERYBODY got interested in'em). Same thing with M1 Garand rifles. Once things become 'popular' then the prices go WILD.

Thanks for the words of encouragement on the details but it's the mechanical stuff I really need to work the bugs out of.

Mike (P.S.: nobody came up with who the loader is. It's Bruce Willis.)

Big N00b

Best ever!!

Always my #1 and #2 comics, nothing beats Joe K's art.

Old MSgt

Yeah! I had a BIG stack of G.I. Combat (Haunted Tank), Sgt. Rock, and a bunch others. That's the only comics I read back then in the late '60s and early '70s, military comics. I went to basic training in 1975 and a few months later, when I came home on leave, I found my parents had thrown'em all out!

Now I've 'refound' some of the old issues that were my favorites. (Remember the one when Sgt Rock and Easy go up against those three Tiger 1s in the desert?)

Mike

Big N00b

I was getting out of the Navy then and my mom had done the same thing - the billion or so comics I had got "dumped".

I vaguely remember that one. The one I always picture is the one where they stuck the new guy on guard duty for their ammo dump in the desert and Rock was telling him not to leave his post.

Every time they came back to get resupplied, he had left to fight off a German squad, a tiger tank and finally some Stuka and several Germans.

Rock came back and all that stuff was a burning pile of wreckage around the dump and the new guy was sitting behind his machine gun saying he stayed put...lol!! Impressionable kids.

Terry

Panther F

Wow, I remember the Haunted Tank! I had some of them too... and here I thought I was the only one screwed as a kid.

My super-hero comic books, baseball cards AND NFL collectors book I saved up and completed, NASA and Air Force related toys. Then, my cool azz train set... the kind with the snap-together diorama sections complete with landscaping, rock tunnels N roads box set that I set up all my tank models on it and ran the train through at the same time. All thrown out. You can't replace THOSE Major League cards... unless you're rich.

And I wasn't out of the house as long as you guys were, off serving our country or anything important like that. I told her I'd be back in a few weeks to get them.

She's lucky to still be breathing. LOL




Jeff

Old MSgt

They threw'em away then but now, decades later, I have ran on to a few of'em again. This is the Tiger one.

Dang near touching 60 years old, still enjoying comics and playing with tanks! Gotta stay 'young' at heart!

Mike



(AND tomorrow, February 1, is my 'anniversary. Twenty years ago, on Feb 1, 1996, was my first day of retirement from the military. Seems like only yesterday...)

Panther F

Congratulations then Mike! And THANK YOU for your service too bud!

Yeah... I am 56 years old and really, medically I should have died several times, several years ago but these toys are what keeps me, what you say... "Gotta stay 'young' at heart!"




Jeff

Big N00b

Stay young in the mind by building tanks . Reminded me of all the Revell kits I built growing up, that's why I am back at the "bigger boy" toys now lol!!

I remember that one Rock now - a 25 center and I had forgotten Russ Heath (I'll be 65 this year so it's ok lol!! ) and Jeff, always liked the Jeb Stuart Stuart tank stories too!

When I found out that same stuff was gone (comics, cards, etc.,) I think I just said, "oh."...not till years later and the "collector prices" showed up that I groan about it...all you can do is laugh though, you know mom's always knew best!

Sorry to have hijacked the thread so back to your Sherman...great work BTW!

Terry

Old MSgt

Here's some more pics of what little things I got done these past couple of weeks. It's COLD outside so it's pretty cool in the garage but I try to do SOMETHING every day at least.

As I mentioned before, I NEED to get off my lazy as... behind and get the simple wiring done. But detailing is more FUN. The barrel latch WAS needed because the latch would flop back and forth while I was driving it around and everybody would laugh so I made it.

And I made the side mounts on the glacis for the rear view mirrors. Figured I should show what those little things on the hull is for so I made the drivers side post too. It's just for static show because it ain't going to be on there when the tank's moving cause it'd be ripped off quick. (I'm going to shoot another coat of OD to fill in the mirror cracks)

The commanders' hatch came pretty bare. The turret comes with hatches but they're the 'standard' (no other detail parts included) version. So I had to make all the tiny details on the inside. There was no indication of the bearing race around the rim so I tried to make it look like bearings were there.

SO, now I'll probably start on the rear hull lights, track holders, and cargo rack. THEN weather/wear everything. I'll post pics when I get the rear details done. (probably about September at MY speed...)

Mike

TheBennyB

Barrel rifling is too cool! Really some great work on this. I

Panther F

I love the mirrors! I need to put them on one of my Shermans... one day.


Nice work Mike!




Jeff

RichJohnson

Wow!

MAUS45

Looks great Mike. Your scratch building work is really nice.

Jarhead2005

So I just now came across this in my endeavor to build a 1/6 Sherman RC. Your tank looks fantastic! I would appreciate any tips and help that you are willing to pass on to me.
I am still on the planning stages. I like to do less of research and learn all I can before making the first purchase.
I plan on using a draind kit, then buying most of the internal parts from field of armor.
I plan on taking the stock bogies tho and converting them to operational ones, as another guy I've met done this and says it's not very difficult, albeit time consuming. One thing I'm gonna do that he didn't is use casting resin to make the bogie wheels solid.
I found solid resin tracks for it (with duck bills) from East coast armory that I plan on using as well.
Couple of questions however, how did you design and construct the idler wheel so that it was adjustable?
Do you know if those resin tracks will work with Loic's aluminum sprockets? I have a feeling I may have to do some modification to either the tracks or the sprockets or both to get them to function.
I look forward to any and all help!

Old MSgt

Hello Jarhead2005! WOW! THIS is SURPRISING that you've brought forward an old post from two years ago! Now you've made my OLD mind have to THINK!

Your Best Bet is to look at the FOA forum where I told about this build in a lot more detail. And the new Sherman builders on there are a LOT more advanced than I was at the time because I ordered the FOA Sherman rc kit right when they came out with it, SO there were numerous problems to overcome then. Loic and I conferred a LOT to make things WORK. And FOA has refined many of the subjects that 'didn't work too good' since then.

Yes, the roadwheels that came with the FOA kit were filled with resin, flush with the open side (so they could hold the weight). The rear idler wheels had had there inside 'rims' cut out and filled with resin also and were each on a swingarm to pivot to the rear for tension. The inside of the hull had a metal liner to handle the torque of the drive and weight of the batteries/motors, etc

The SPROCKETS that came with the kit had a aluminum middle drum with the four steel sprockets to bolt on BUT they were too NARROW so as they turned to engage the track outer horns they wanted to ride UP on them. If you look at a Sherman track on the sprocket, the sprocket teeth are WIDE enough to engage and PULL. It's the track horns being guided by the roadwheels/idler that keep the track centered so the sprocket teeth has to have a slight side to side leeway to engage the horns. That why the horn bases are so WIDE where the teeth meet. AND this wasn't ONLY an FOA problem I found out! After I sold this FOA Sherman back to Loic I came on to an Armortek Sherman and built it. SAME PROBLEM!!! The tracks, AGAIN, liked to try to 'ride UP' on the teeth as they engaged because the hubs (thus sprockets) were too close together. The teeth wanted to SQUEEZE the horns.

SO, a few weeks ago (after I got 'PEED OFF' enough!) I put the Armortek Sherman up on blocks, pulled the tracks/sprockets, removed the inside steel sprockets and put .0335 (.135mm) washers between the hubs & sprockets to widen'em. And this Sherman has had NO PROBLEMS with the sprocket pinching the horns and trying to ride up since!

And I don't know about those 'resin' track links... there's a LOT of TORQUE/PULL/SIDEWAYS pressures that'll happen on a 1/6 tank. Maybe just driving it straight they may hold up... but in grass, dirt, sand? Even if you try to keep the tank as light as possible... but with drive motors, batteries, etc., 1/6 will weigh a 'few' POUNDS.

As I mentioned, look at the Sherman forum on FOA! I had FUN building the FOA Sherman but it was a JOB overcoming problems. I look forward to watching how it goes!!! Mike

Jarhead2005

The forum on foa is closed. I click on the link and I get an error 404 code. Hence why I've been stumbling around.
Loic said in a newsletter that after his current batch of dragon kits is sold, he's not doing a kit anymore, just parts. And it'll be a few months still before I can start buying stuff. So I expect to have to piece meal my build.
He doesn't sell just the idler wheel setup either, so I'm gonna have to engineer my own. That's why I was asking questions about it, to try to figure out what I'm gonna have to do.
The resin tracks have steel pins that connect each track link, and it's not that Loic's tanks aren't nice, they are! But for a price point of $400 vs $1100, I'm trying to figure out ways to keep the cost down. I figure I can start with the cheaper resin, and if they fail, then maybe they'll last long enough, no more than I'll prolly end up running it, that I can afford Loic's. Plus the resin ones have duck bills that I do like.
Other than the tank body and the tracks, I intend on getting all the other components from him. My wife says I'll start getting these parts for Christmas, so it'll be sometime after the first of the year when I can begin building. I just like doing my homework.
I believe I saw in a post you are in Kentucky? So am I.