Sherman Firefly VC Kits Coming Soon!
03-22-2016, 07:34 AM
#1
Sherman Firefly VC Kits Coming Soon!
Well since the cat is out of the bag in a few places...
Ever since I got into the 1/16 R/C hobby in 2011 I have waited for someone to produce a nice, reasonably priced, 1/16 Sherman Firefly VC kit to battle all those pesky Tigers on our battlefields.... And I waited... and I waited... and I got tired of waiting...
DGS Military Hobby and Vandramodels are pleased to announce that we will be releasing a 1/16 Sherman Firefly VC resin kit within the next few months. DGS Military Hobby will be the exclusive distributor for the U.K. North America and pretty much everywhere else outside of Europe and Russia. I will have a shipper in the U.K so those customers don't have to pay stupid freight rates from North America.
The kit will consist of:
A complete new small hatch upper M4A4 style to fit a HengLong M4A3 105 kit. Of course with a little work it can probably fit a Tamiya or Taigen as well...
Complete new Firefly turret featuring a split hatch commanders cupola that can be made functional where the IR apple can be mounted. The re-designed square loaders hatch which can also be made functional to locate a power switch if desired. You also get a 17pdr aluminum/resin barrel mounted in the proper 6 bolt gun mantlet. This turret is also set up to utilize the HengLong elevation mechanism and will also set up for our own servo recoil system for an additional cost.
We are also considering assorted deck accessories like crew bags, tarps, extra mounted track for the front glacis, crates, boxes, camo nets, and even real sand bags for that authentic Sherman look!
Assorted waterslide decals for British, Canadian, Polish Firefly VC
The first run DGS Military Hobby will have 50 kits and we will be offering pre-sales in the next month or so. We estimate the complete kit will retail between $140.00 and $175.00 USD depending on options, plus shipping.
If you are interested in getting in line, you can PM me and let me know you are interested and when pre-sale begins you will be contacted to see if you would like to commit. Those who do express an interest will also be sent via regular e-mail, pictures and updates as we move closer to casting time.
Please be patient with me. I work full time and am just starting to wind this up as a side line so if it takes a few days for me to get back to you my apologies but it may take that long!
You can have a look at some of my work and some other items I dabble with at:
http://dgsselkirk.wix.com/dgsmilitaryhobby
Any questions at all let me know and thanks for your interest...
Regards
Dean
Ever since I got into the 1/16 R/C hobby in 2011 I have waited for someone to produce a nice, reasonably priced, 1/16 Sherman Firefly VC kit to battle all those pesky Tigers on our battlefields.... And I waited... and I waited... and I got tired of waiting...
DGS Military Hobby and Vandramodels are pleased to announce that we will be releasing a 1/16 Sherman Firefly VC resin kit within the next few months. DGS Military Hobby will be the exclusive distributor for the U.K. North America and pretty much everywhere else outside of Europe and Russia. I will have a shipper in the U.K so those customers don't have to pay stupid freight rates from North America.
The kit will consist of:
A complete new small hatch upper M4A4 style to fit a HengLong M4A3 105 kit. Of course with a little work it can probably fit a Tamiya or Taigen as well...
Complete new Firefly turret featuring a split hatch commanders cupola that can be made functional where the IR apple can be mounted. The re-designed square loaders hatch which can also be made functional to locate a power switch if desired. You also get a 17pdr aluminum/resin barrel mounted in the proper 6 bolt gun mantlet. This turret is also set up to utilize the HengLong elevation mechanism and will also set up for our own servo recoil system for an additional cost.
We are also considering assorted deck accessories like crew bags, tarps, extra mounted track for the front glacis, crates, boxes, camo nets, and even real sand bags for that authentic Sherman look!
Assorted waterslide decals for British, Canadian, Polish Firefly VC
The first run DGS Military Hobby will have 50 kits and we will be offering pre-sales in the next month or so. We estimate the complete kit will retail between $140.00 and $175.00 USD depending on options, plus shipping.
If you are interested in getting in line, you can PM me and let me know you are interested and when pre-sale begins you will be contacted to see if you would like to commit. Those who do express an interest will also be sent via regular e-mail, pictures and updates as we move closer to casting time.
Please be patient with me. I work full time and am just starting to wind this up as a side line so if it takes a few days for me to get back to you my apologies but it may take that long!
You can have a look at some of my work and some other items I dabble with at:
http://dgsselkirk.wix.com/dgsmilitaryhobby
Any questions at all let me know and thanks for your interest...
Regards
Dean
03-22-2016, 12:41 PM
#4
Hi edoubleaz,
It will use the standard HL M4A3 lower so sorry no, we will not be addressing the longer lower hull. The upper will only be made to fit it proper. In the 1 to 1 scale the lower hull was lengthened 11 inches. Translated to 1/16 that works out to be just over 1/2 an inch so certainly not noticeable on an IR battlefield really. And if we made it to fit a lengthened lower hull the amount of work to change the HL lower would be immense. Virtually EVERYTHING would technically have to move not to mention a complete re-do of the rear end to be balls accurate. Honestly my hats off to the guys on this forum and others who do those completely detailed and balls accurate conversions but our purpose is more to put a Tiger/Panther hunter on the field...
Hope you understand.
TXS
Dean
It will use the standard HL M4A3 lower so sorry no, we will not be addressing the longer lower hull. The upper will only be made to fit it proper. In the 1 to 1 scale the lower hull was lengthened 11 inches. Translated to 1/16 that works out to be just over 1/2 an inch so certainly not noticeable on an IR battlefield really. And if we made it to fit a lengthened lower hull the amount of work to change the HL lower would be immense. Virtually EVERYTHING would technically have to move not to mention a complete re-do of the rear end to be balls accurate. Honestly my hats off to the guys on this forum and others who do those completely detailed and balls accurate conversions but our purpose is more to put a Tiger/Panther hunter on the field...
Hope you understand.
TXS
Dean
03-22-2016, 05:35 PM
#5
Hello Dean
sounds great. Don't know how far along you are but have you considered Mk Ic. Firefly(not hybrid version). No worries a bout hull length and rear deck already exists in 1/16 on Tamiya Sherman. Also it had a cast transmission which is available on most rc Sherman's from heng long and taigen.
looking forward to further progress
cheers
Dave
sounds great. Don't know how far along you are but have you considered Mk Ic. Firefly(not hybrid version). No worries a bout hull length and rear deck already exists in 1/16 on Tamiya Sherman. Also it had a cast transmission which is available on most rc Sherman's from heng long and taigen.
looking forward to further progress
cheers
Dave
03-23-2016, 07:19 AM
#6
Hi Dave,
One at a time buddy! $$$ We wanted to start with the absolute most common one to give the maximum amount of variety for markings etc... Forgive my ignorance but I thought all Tamiya's kits come with HVSS? I have never seen an IC with with that...
One at a time buddy! $$$ We wanted to start with the absolute most common one to give the maximum amount of variety for markings etc... Forgive my ignorance but I thought all Tamiya's kits come with HVSS? I have never seen an IC with with that...
03-23-2016, 07:40 AM
#7
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I think he is talking about the top deck not the suspension,
What kind of casting technique are you using?
If you can do it for that price my hats off to you.
You should do up the small hatch hull as a separate piece and make it available outside of the firefly package. I already have the molds to do the turret, mantlet and hatches, so that doesn't interest me but the hull would have a bigger market appeal as it was widely used on other tanks beside the FF. As much as I personally like the FF, it is the small hatch hull that is really needed in this market.
Either way, the components should have some demand. Like you I got tired of waiting so I did my own slush casting of the turrets, but never could produce them at a rate that would make them commercially viable.
Good luck with everything.
What kind of casting technique are you using?
If you can do it for that price my hats off to you.
You should do up the small hatch hull as a separate piece and make it available outside of the firefly package. I already have the molds to do the turret, mantlet and hatches, so that doesn't interest me but the hull would have a bigger market appeal as it was widely used on other tanks beside the FF. As much as I personally like the FF, it is the small hatch hull that is really needed in this market.
Either way, the components should have some demand. Like you I got tired of waiting so I did my own slush casting of the turrets, but never could produce them at a rate that would make them commercially viable.
Good luck with everything.
03-23-2016, 08:59 AM
#9
Ahh... sorry Save! :-) Thought you were talking about Tamiya as the whole thing... A little birdie has told me you might get your wish on the IC very soon but not from me... :-)
Yes Dan, I have considered doing that, just selling the small hatch. It's not in the immediate plans but let me get through the first shot and see where we are...
Yes Dan, I have considered doing that, just selling the small hatch. It's not in the immediate plans but let me get through the first shot and see where we are...
03-29-2016, 07:40 AM
#11
I think they are defunct from what I remember...
So one thing I forgot to mention in my opening message was that people who go on the pre-sale list and go through with a purchase will receive a special bonus discount. We are getting close to casting now and once we are that far we will begin pre-sales...
And thanks to all the guys who have stepped forward so far!
So one thing I forgot to mention in my opening message was that people who go on the pre-sale list and go through with a purchase will receive a special bonus discount. We are getting close to casting now and once we are that far we will begin pre-sales...
And thanks to all the guys who have stepped forward so far!
