Forgotten M4A4 Discovered !!!
09-07-2016, 03:23 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Forgotten M4A4 Discovered !!!
No mystery here ---- it wasn't a real one found submerged in a swamp somewhere, or buried under a desert sand dune. It was one I totally forgot about because it was the first conversion I ever built --- about 25 years ago. I found it in the corner of the top shelf in my hobby room. It had a layer of dust on it thick enough to plow and plant corn. It's the first production release of the Tamiya Sherman with the 105mm howitzer. I know it was their production model #1 and I think it may be close to serial #1. Back then it was the only game in town and I wanted one that was different from the same Sherman all of the other guys had. At that time I had better eyesight, steadier fingers and more patience than I have today. This Sherman M4A4 would be the correct version for a Crab mine clearing flail tank, but I think I would rather leave it alone rather than maybe mess it up with a flail rig add on. Finding this critter and remembering how I built it caused me (allowed me) to have a wonderful trip down memory lane about those good old days -------
I have decided to try and build a way I thought of to make the chain drum spin, I'm going to use my Mato cast hull M4A1(76)W as a test bed to see if my Mickey Mouse rig will function. One way or another it will satisfy my curiosity, and probably give everyone a good laugh. Hey --- every village needs an idiot.
I'll post those photos later ----
The rubber tires in the road wheels are made from the rubber washers that you find on your garden hose end that screws on to the faucet.
rex
I have decided to try and build a way I thought of to make the chain drum spin, I'm going to use my Mato cast hull M4A1(76)W as a test bed to see if my Mickey Mouse rig will function. One way or another it will satisfy my curiosity, and probably give everyone a good laugh. Hey --- every village needs an idiot.
I'll post those photos later ----The rubber tires in the road wheels are made from the rubber washers that you find on your garden hose end that screws on to the faucet.
rex
09-08-2016, 06:31 AM
#3
Thread Starter
I love it man! So its rc? ~~~~~~
This conversion was r/c when I got it but I apparently used the r/c stuff to run something else. I really can't afford to r/c everything I build since everything ends up on a shelf to collect dust. The early Tamiya Shermans had a tranny that had clutches that engaged the motors and ran the tank. It also had a 3 position step switch that was moved by a servo. Thank goodness they developed the MF electronics.
How many of the tamiya 1/16 do you have? ~~~~~~
I just did a count and was surprised to find out I have 17 Tamiya Shermans of various types/descriptions. Most of them have been converted into something else that used the Sherman lower half. I could build 3 more from all of the spare parts I have. I still like to build things no one else has. That's getting hard to do these days. I'll make a list and post it if you want, with some photos.
rex
This conversion was r/c when I got it but I apparently used the r/c stuff to run something else. I really can't afford to r/c everything I build since everything ends up on a shelf to collect dust. The early Tamiya Shermans had a tranny that had clutches that engaged the motors and ran the tank. It also had a 3 position step switch that was moved by a servo. Thank goodness they developed the MF electronics.
How many of the tamiya 1/16 do you have? ~~~~~~
I just did a count and was surprised to find out I have 17 Tamiya Shermans of various types/descriptions. Most of them have been converted into something else that used the Sherman lower half. I could build 3 more from all of the spare parts I have. I still like to build things no one else has. That's getting hard to do these days. I'll make a list and post it if you want, with some photos.
rex
09-08-2016, 07:42 AM
#4
I don't know Rex, keep it static and redo the intro by pulling it out of a puddle or something with your M26. That would be a cool "recovery" vid. Nice find by the way, just like I do for our kids, hide some of thier toys they haven't played with in a while. Pull them back out and their like new toys again!!
09-08-2016, 08:58 AM
#6
That is pretty cool man, what a lot of work. Those bogies blow me away because I know at that time you had to completely scratch them. The track makes me laugh, it looks like you conjoined the two metal pads into a make shift older style track. Good work for the day.
i have an ez8 that someone built on one of those back then, the t23 was built around the stock turret. I look at it more as a piece of folk art than an rc model and keep it in a display case since its so nice looking.
i know what you mean about all the models, i have 11 right now in various stages including the halftrack and the m32 project. One sherman is sold still awaiting pickup, oh and I have a panzer3 lurking in the darkness of my garage too.
Great model!
i have an ez8 that someone built on one of those back then, the t23 was built around the stock turret. I look at it more as a piece of folk art than an rc model and keep it in a display case since its so nice looking.
i know what you mean about all the models, i have 11 right now in various stages including the halftrack and the m32 project. One sherman is sold still awaiting pickup, oh and I have a panzer3 lurking in the darkness of my garage too.
Great model!
09-08-2016, 02:12 PM
#7
Join Date: Jul 2016
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I dont have a single one lol, although i have a deal where i will earn about 30% of the scholarship money i get for the first year of college so ill get a little bit of money. Maybe i can squeeze in a tank or two, or just keep working on my m1917...
09-08-2016, 02:20 PM
#8
Thread Starter
[QUOTE=RichJohnson;12255526]That is pretty cool man, what a lot of work. Those bogies blow me away because I know at that time you had to completely scratch them. The track makes me laugh, it looks like you conjoined the two metal pads into a make shift older style track.
Yeah --- I did butt the track halves together and then I cut the center track guide in half to make the outside guide horns. That took forever and a day of cutting, grinding, flattening, reshaping and assembling as a continuous track loop. I must have been suffering from some kind of brain damage when I thought of doing that. Or maybe it was the Gin and Tonic.
rex
Yeah --- I did butt the track halves together and then I cut the center track guide in half to make the outside guide horns. That took forever and a day of cutting, grinding, flattening, reshaping and assembling as a continuous track loop. I must have been suffering from some kind of brain damage when I thought of doing that. Or maybe it was the Gin and Tonic.
rex
09-11-2016, 02:45 PM
#9
Once you do get the chance to build a Tamiya kit, it is hard to go back to everything else. The only thing that comes close are full scratch builds and total custom builds.
