The pictures kinda show what this is all about. Fitting up a junked mato turret I got for a few bucks off evilbay onto a HL Sherman.
The turret doesn't fit perfect, it moves side to side and front to back a tad, causing rotation to slip off the gear occasionally or just bind, so I glued a strip of styrene sheet around the inside of the barbet ring on the tank hull. This was just enough to take up the slack and make the turret align dead center in the barbet.
I added a loaders hatch I got from Woz shapeways account and a periscope cover from Nick.
I cut out the airsoft gun and installed a scale Nick barrel. Then fit up servos for elevation and recoil. Then used body putty for the casting texture, I got a little heavy with it on this tank, just kind of experimenting with it. Its too course, but looks cool so whatever. I will go back to a finer texture from now on. Then I cut out the bottom of the turret plate because I glued the halves together. I made a rear support for the bottom plate with bondo inside and screwed it all together, that way its easily accessible for servicing. I hate fab jobs that cant be serviced when needed. I also ground off the stock pistol hatch and installed a HL one and blended it in.
I used Tamiya OD as Steve Turchet suggests is accurate WWII OD, I think its a tad too green, but it looks good so I will just weather it with some black and darken it over.
I put a barc4 and bendini sound in it. Pulled out the smokers to make a speaker box.
Im now chiseling off the molded on stuff and putting real grab irons on the model and then the periscope guards.
All in all, I tried to do this cheap and fast, and yet I didn't do much of either goal. I just keep getting distracted from my bigger projects like the M3 and the Jumbo. Oh well, It might be sold, if not, I don't care.