MarkofZollo

Right, just had a couple of weeks out of this build but thought I should put it up here too . I have basically just put all the major posts from the build on rctankregiment in one post so sorry if some stuff doesnt make sense and/or links pics dont work etc, the posts are numbered accordingly

1.
Well despite not having finished my Tiger and other models, I couldnt resist starting next project . Since seeing Band Of Brothers for the first time I have wanted to model one of the M4A1s seen at the end of Part 2: Days of days



In digging for info I found that the Shermans they used (same ones in other episodes) are actually Canadian Grizzlys, oh well.
As a present to myself for finishing final year of uni I got a Mato Sherman from Forgebear, in the post is Tamiya turret and sprue A, M34A1 mantle is on way from Nick Aguilar and rotor shield from Ethan at DAK. Im sure people know what the Sherman look like so will start with todays alterations to the rear



Just tidied it up with removing bits and filling holes, accurately "cough bol**cks" carved out the higher rear armour plate and fiddled here and there. I hope I can open the engine doors and have switches etc behind them, though I may have a smoke unit there? Also spent ages correcting the idler mounts, they were facing inward at the front making tracks look odd but sorted now.
Inspired by pics and others work, I will attempt to make a three piece tranny cover, and correct the front hatches and top of hull to the above tank, but thats it for now anyway.
Ta for looking, Dave

On a last note, does anyone know or have a pic of what is underneath the engine hatch (area cicled below) or how its supposed to look?



I removed the hatch to hinge it but dont know if I should cut a hole or leave it???? Thanks for any answer

2.
Thanks for comments guys. Pete I will bear that in mind, I may make the funnels once finished .
Rik yup they used same Shermans then too, I think they are also the Brit ones in Part 4: Replacements just repainted. I also found that Canadian Grizzlys were only used as training tanks and not actually in the war due to the abundance of other Sherman models available, many were then bought and repainted as American M4A1s and are on display today.
Anywho todays update, a lot of cutting, grinding and moulding and I have (nearly) finished one side of the hull front.



Quite pleased with the outcome as I havnt seen the small hatches done before in this scale on cast hull.



Not really obvious in these pics but the glacis in front of the hatch has been raised to a higher degree.
Hopefully will get other one done tomorrow cheers, Dave

3.
Ta for the link Fleshy, I knew I had seen a small hatch Welded hull Sherman somewhere but couldnt find it, great work!!
Right just finished todays slog and decided I would show more steps. So to start off I removed the tray thing under the co-drivers hatch, and took the hatch out. I then cut out the hull part of the hinge to move it accordingly;



Shaved the large hatches down to rough size of earlier small hatch present on this version, shown here with part of hinge to fit to hatch and hull section of hinge;



The co-driver/hull mgunner side is more complex due to the vent thing (what is it?) near the hatch that was further down and closer to front on the M4A1 75mm, cut and moulded the hull to create the ledge with a little heat;



I had made a cardboard template with the other hatch for the remaining space to be filled, cut out shape from 2mm plasticard and placed;



Whilst that dried I made up the new hull angle with some plasticard again, just roughly done, also made another hatch template to make an inner lip;



And after many hours of fingering the putty I have the correctly (ish) angled cast effect glacis plate;



Oh and before that I had filled the gaps behind the ledge for vent with plasticard, then filled and covered rest with Squadron Putty and made out the smooth ledge for the vent.
Last pic of opened hatches



All for today, thanks for looking, Dave

4.
Rik thanks for the pic and info, will prove usefull! I have quite a few pics of real Grizzlys I have been building up over the past few months when planning for build, but feel free to post if you wish, the more the merrier .
Todays lot was going to be cut short as I have visited my Ma in hospital so am using another pc, though still managed to plan ahead a little.
Firstly took some better pics of hull front in good light once smoothed down a bit, also raised the vent thing and ledge;







The planning I referred to was re the gearbox, I am cutting back to try to make accurate as possible three-piece tranny without effecting running, pic of opened if anyone wanted to see;



from looking at pics I cut the following;







Tamiya bits came in post today (to parents house so only just seen) so will be able to size stuff up when Im home on Monday eve. Then will cut back other gearbox, cover new shape and start tranny armour!
Cheers for looking, Dave

5.
Well not much to show today, matched right gearbox to other, cut a section of the hull so I can put the cover on;



Sized up Tamiya bits and cut and fit turret, I have seen a few ways to do this but I decided to cut the entire circle section from Mato turret, filed down to fit the inner of the Tam turret. Also cut the drop down bit from the Tam and stuck the Mato bottom on with CA, works perfectly;



Nick Aguilars M34A1 mantle came today, I would recommend his stuff to anyone, highest quality parts I have seen and for the price even more pleasing!!
I spent about half hour looking for bubbajoe's bogie mod remembering it being mentioned, found it but just need to get some rod tomorrow and get on with that.
Will have more then........

6.
Well another rubbish day lol! Managed to blag a 2mm rod from a friend in a lab at uni, started bubbajoe's bogie mod but made a few errors. If anyone wanted to know further details here;
http://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/forum...p=38661#p38661
Got two done at it looks and works great!
Decided to do some fiddling with turret and got the split hatch placed in commanders position, made a template around and fitted with a kind of hook thing so it can still rotate;



A bit more perfecting here and there too, thought Id show a taster to keep you guys interested
(still 76mm barrel btw)



Thanks

7.
I did a couple more bogies today ( ), I was thinking about making some bits of the bogies smaller as most is oversized, will evaluate what to do when I get nearer the end. Also resized the front hatches as per grim_marmazet's findings.
First part of transmission stuff I decided to get rid of the final drive cover as its in the way;



Then was thinking of what to use to keep the cover in the right place, and had a look at a bottle top, perfect fit!



Above bottle tops is the top section of the bolted trans cover which has been removed and altered to fit new one.
Bottle top is cut and fitted like this;



With some clamp bits added behind the lip of hull it stays in place;



Cover will be screwed into bottom of hull like the Mato one. Still more work to do on front, need to get cover into right place etc but hope to have that done by tomorrow eve not sure how I will make the protuding bolted sections, any ideas?
All for now cheers, Dave

8.
Thought I would explain a little more about what I did for the transmission cover, basically just got a large plasticard section and stuck the bolted bit of the old cover to top. I cut a half inch strip on either side that went up to about 20mm from the top and placed in position. Today I drilled holes in the hull to attach the cover;



More holes in the bits sticking up on gearboxes to attach top of cover so it stays in place without upper hull;



Then shaped cover and added cardboard in the gaps around final drive (hopefully paint will provide sufficient protection otherwise will have to make out of styrene)
Several different ways to make the bolted bits that connect the sections on real thing, I decided to make 2mm wide strips from 1mm plasticard and placed on top of each other, I think three is enough....



A bit of filing here and there, then spent ages cutting up tooth pics to length of 1mm on right and 2mm (ish) on left of connecting bits and attaching;



It gets annoying when they stick to everything but what you want roblem:
Very pleased with the look!! Only got one bogie done today, and I was sure that I had done two per day for the last couple days but there are two left to do...
Anywho hope you guys like Saving Private Ryan is on now in HD, fantastic film, hope this tank will be a sort of memorial for the guys who used them!

9.
Hope to get at least bogies finished today. Not sure what to use to texturise hull as have seen a few methods. Either get this;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001W03PZ...SIN=B001W03PZO
which has this effect;



this;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001P0EU...SIN=B0001P0EUK
which has this effect (after sanding and painting);



or thinned Squadron putty which has this effect (again after sanding and painting);



(first two pics by streetsquid on rcu, third by volvospeed2010 on rctw)
The last two are pretty similar I think so seing as the joint compound is quite cheap per gram compared to Sqaudron putty I may chose that, thoughts anyone?

10.
Right I will be getting some joint compound later to try out, will be away for next 36 hours so next update Monday maybe?
Anywho thought I would do a guide of the slightly simplified version of bubbajoexx's bogie mod, the more copies there are of it the less likely it will be lost or forgotten. All recognition goes to him, links to his guide are in one of the older posts in this thread. Also I had to use my phone camera 'cos my girlfriend is away and had the cheek to take her camera with her!
Firstly locate the two screws securing the bogie to the tank;



Once undone remove the bar held by the screws;



bogie can just pulled off tank now, remove the two screws here;



and remove the three screws on the back of the bogie;



prize apart and this is what you see;



remove the screw for the spring and remove that too;



then carefully seperate the two halves of the wheel clamps;



the rods above can stick and its easy to damage/break the arms. Now I used a rotary tool with cutting disk to do these bits as its quicker, but a craft knife will suffice, the middle section needs to go so cut this on both ends;



try to cut the following staying flush to inner cylindar, this means the wheel arms wont meet and foul in use;



then remove this shaft for lower screw;



and file down the other side of it. Now I managed to get some 2.4mm brass covered steel rod from a fellow moddeler friend at Uni, but you can use any size rod really, so I drilled these shafts out with a 2.5mm drill bit;



and same with the bogie sides;



for the outer side I add a small bit of 1mm styrene sheet and stick in;



without I found that the rods were able to work loose.
The rod I have mentioned, I cut two 30mm and two 20mm lengths;



Place a 30mm rod in the new shaft, and rebuild around wheel;



this lines up following for drilling;



now that adhesive is dry drill the outer bogie side;



find the spring and try to bend each side out to around 80 degrees apart and put a 90 degree bend at either end;



the further you bend here the stronger the spring action on the wheels, but if you go too far they can ping off.
Now replace spring, place one side of new shaft in the bogie side and hook the spring on to the upper shaft;



replace other bogie side, reassemble, and it should work like this;



If there is any fouling or you cant push down this far, just go back to the bar cutting/seperating stage and file either side down a little.
Thanks for the interest Dave

11.
Will start this update with yesterday and todays minimal progress As said above I found some pics of the engine vent so got that done;



hinged for use, hinges are made from the ali sheet I mentioned here: http://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/forum...hp?f=38&t=7391 and staples as the rod. Mesh underneath is just ali reinforcement mesh for vehicle bodywork repair (89p), also applied to rear vent at top of pic.
I also filled in the loaders hatch, not present on early turrets, and a few other holes, also removed rear vent;



From more research pic generation (print screen of slowed down Band of Brothers) I noticed these tanks have low bustle turrets, I contemplated doing that mod but I dont like the look. I have been trying to hinge the pistol port too and nearly done.

Moving on to cast texture, I applied the joint compound to T23 turret rear for practice, it stinks and is horrible to work with, still not close to dry after eight or nine hours. For these reasons I wont use it, it is on right of pic around curve of turret;



So I ventured into town today and had a look at the product in Poundland, compared it to similar better known brand stuff in Wilkinsons and other hardware/tool shops and found it to be pretty identical, it looks like this;



so I guess any filler may have same effect. I mixed with water to consistency of yoghurt (got some to check, yum ) as I had done with the joint compound (though turps was only thing it would thin with) and applied with a sponge using the stipple method, after maybe an hour was dry and I sanded with 120 grit (all I had) to the effect on left of turret pic above. I know it doesnt look as good as streetsquid got it to but I think I did it too thick and I need to put more on and get finer grit sand paper. I will try again later in week (away tomorrow) so will let you guys know, but I am pretty confident it will work as well as streetsquid got it to.
Thanks for interest, Dave

12.
Ok so applied some this morn to one side, sanded with 120 grit (all I have ) and applied some more a bit thicker, then sanded again and the result is as follows;



I am happy with that, though fewer ditches and a bit more eneven surface will look better. I will get some finer grit sand paper tomorrow and may put the odd bit of un thinned filler on the surface to give that eneven look. Will report back once done, for now I have covered the turret and I think I have the key to consistency.
Cheers

13.
Right been running around the electronics for a few days and not getting far, but have jumped the first hurdle today which is the last bit (pics and vid).
Cut out the battery bay the other day, then glued the cover in place as bottom;



will fill and smooth edges. Battery is central to tank to keep it balanced but not sure where to put other stuff lol.
I have fitted recessed fittings for turret bottom to turret using the shafts cut from bogies



Have cut a bit out of the turret ring;



And then the piece de resistance (forgive missing accents) for this update, the BB gun modded to recoil, here is how it looks;





and a short video of a few cycles;
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMjJv09uG3c[/youtube]
The idea was not mine sadly, I first saw it at the following and have to give credit to blimp (third post from bottom);
http://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/forum...hp?f=33&t=6821

Trying to keep it short, I fitted extended shaft to final gear in gun, made cams to fit to the end (I calculated from a vid of 75mm firing recoil is around 7mm at scale). A sort of cradle running down each side from the pipe section which fits behind the rotor shield, with a square on each side which runs in the cradle. Added a spring to return gun to forward position and CAd the jump switch behind the left side of cradle. If anyone wants more info just ask away........
Cheers, hope to have elevation done tomorrow

14.
Last few days have been a bit slow, I have been chopping down the elevation unit to work in the cramped turret and got it down to just 42mm tall, a perfect fit!
Following is a quick vid to show turret electrics working, elevation is a tad noisy though!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpFMDntnfMM[/youtube]
It looks a fair bit different too, I managed to fit the motor within the big cogs rear section (appologies for the mess!);







The rod that sticks out simply runs in a channel on the side of the gun, enough room added for the recoil too. The idea again came from blimp, so I have to give him credit and say cheers for the good ideas mate!!
The following is my pretty poor attempt at altering to the low bustle, a rough cut around the edge of the bustle,



trim the bottom where it meets the ring and restick;



I still need to fill the gaps and join it all into the right look. I do prefer the look of the high bustle but seeing as all Grizzlys and probably a majority of M4A1s had low bustle turrets.
Here is how the tank looks before adding the detail bits, texturing and painting;



I have also turned the front half of the barrel to try to replicate its increase in thickness, not sure what I can use to get the thickness up to mantle??
Any one have any ideas how to remove the track recoil short of electronics swap?

15.
Following on from last post, today I cut the aerial and mount thing off the bustle, filed down a fair bit and cut a large section out (forgot to take a pic of this lol) then made a styrene top and CAd on;


Did some filling with......filler, about this angle for low bustle I reckon ;



Cut out the engine bay door and moulded hinges;



2mm plasticard doors and roughly replicated hinges using ali sheet and rod;





I plan to make a 'stand' with all switches and charging port behind this if the speaker permits
Rest of electronics may have to wait as soldering iron will barely melt butter now

16.
Pistol port today, cut out from the surround and shaved a little;



Made a hinge and attached, its a tad loose but will do;



Cut a hole roughly where the port is;



CAd on and filled the gaps;



Attached the aerial by drilling hole through base, then stuck the base to the bustle, filled and sorted that and the mount thing. I hope to be painting tomorrow or friday but a lot of detail needs to be added........

17.
Thanks guys . So have been doing some detailing yesterday and today, first to show is the engine deck hatch.
I just cut it out and trimmed the moulded hinge;



then made a new hatch from styrene as the origional became a bit smaller with the cutting , made my rough hinges again from ali sheet and rod and re-attached the handles;



Most time has probably been spent on periscopes and covers, all home made a bit rough but ok and the other bits on turret too (there are other bits on A sprue but not sure where they go?);



stuck the clear plasticard in a couple of 'em before I remembered they have to be painted so will have to remember to cover lol
Did hull front too, horn cover was a tad tricky as the Grizzly one is different, should all look ok once painted;



Hope to do texture tomorrow morning, If im lucky it may be ready to prime in afternoon but then will have to be packed away for a couple days as Im moving into parents house next week for a few months between houses and whilst they are away , tankfest Sunday and then need to move stuff!! Cheers for posetive comments!!! Dave

18.
Right, sorry I have been off the build for a few weeks , took a long time to move all the stuff me and my girlfriend had accumulated in the flat. Moving into an already cluttered house (parents) proved difficult and took a while too lol.
Anhywho been itching to get back the whole time, did a bit of research too at Bovington during the parachute display at tankfest , the pics follow;

Canadian Ram Kangaroo troop transport


Canadian Ram 2


M4A4 (Sherman V) crab turret


As you can see the cast effect shows some large and little ditches, some smooth bits and some very rough. The top two appear a bit rougher but are from the same factory and period of the war that the Grizzly was. My attempts to replicate are perhaps a little big ditch wise but I quite like it, although a final verdict will only appear once painted etc;



All the upper hull is covered at least to where I know it goes, though unsure about behind turret around the fuel cap things?

Other stuff I have done over last few days include electrical stuff finally now I have a soldering iron that works!!

First to show is a switch to turn the lights on and off;



The red line on left is the connection that had to be severed, leaving a common negative with front and back lights but now a seperate one for the MG so it can still be used with the switch either way. The red circle is roughly where I cut the yellow wire (common neg for lights) to wire it to switch, Neg from MG is soldered to yellow that goes back to board. Switch had to be under drivers side 'cos its the only place (I could) due to wiring.

My current layout of elecs, not moved hugely but doesnt touch bottom of main gun now;



And behind and under speaker is the rear engine door with access to volume potentiometre (circled), pull-outable charging jack and power switch;



Now the power switch is odd 'cos when I did this on my Tiger I just added charge wire as extra leg on switch, but here I have had to put this switch on the batt leaving original switch tucked under main board and kept on. The off position of old switch I think acts as a drain to activate 'cold start' so I may have to rethink later, or just always be warm

Now a final point for the build update, fiddling with electrical stuff and power tools etc can be very dangerous, so make sure you wear appropriate attire;





On another note near where I live in Devon, there is a monument to Exercise Tiger and the lives lost in the practise for Overlord, Im sure if you guys have read the book 'The Forgotten Dead' by Ken Small you will know. The monument is an M4A1 'DD' tank, with my recent knowledge building on this build I thought back to that tank and was a tad confused, so I got a pick of it the other day;



You may notice or know this has a 75mm turret (high bustle, M34A1 mantle and split hatch) but the late wide hatches and I guess wet stowage too then. I havnt seen evidence of another one of these so this is odd to me but shows they do exist, and it being a DD means they invested money in it so probably was intended to be used in the war and maybe others were. I have added this because I am a bit perfectionist with larger details sometimes, and (please dont take offence anyone) when I see unmodified Mato Shermans with Tamiya turrets on I think 'well thats not feasable' but in fact it is. If all this is known fact I have missed or overlooked then comment, just new to me!!
Anyway should be working solid on this 'til end of month so more regular updates should appear

YHR

Very extensive rebuild. THnaks for sharing

M1A2 Commander

Excellent job and great attention to detail. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing.<o></o>

<o></o>

Gene

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

Loving this build! Great attention to detail

edoubleaz

My Feedback: (1)

Two thumbs up from across the pond. Glad I could help you out with the rotor shield!

karel47

fantastic work man, very well detailed scratch one

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

MarkofZollo:

That round vent-like thing on the hull gunner's side... its the Antenna mount plate! Shermies had a similar plate on the turret aft of the loader's hatch. Seems both the Sherman and Ram/Griz intended that position to be used for the RTO, but the antenna mount there got in the way of the gun. Hence it was moved to the turret, and the main radios got stuffed in the bustle.

Its surprising the assorted trivia ya pick up when ya hang about on a Sherman modelers group for a while... (and end up as a Mod to boot!)


WhiteWolf

- tempted to try to make a Ram 'Roo... just because it was another of those Canuck Firsts - 1CACR all the way boys!~

DirtyBird69

whew...you definitely got the skills-to-pay-the-bills!.......GREAT WORK!  [8D]

MarkofZollo

Thanks for nice comments guys , and thanks for your help Ethan!! Was hoping to post this yesterday but took longer than anticipated ,
Thought I may aswell try to do things properly so after 971wright pointed me in the right direction I bought some 12BA nuts and bolts off Evilbay. I just melted the hole through raised sections with an angled bit of 1.2mm brass rod, first tried to use lighter but wasnt hot enough so just touched a soldering iron to the rod which worked great. Then wound the nuts and bolts on after cutting to correct length, this took ages!!! So I still had 5 left to do by time I went out last night........ finished this morn and hey presto;



Also removed one tow hook holder from each side of back 'cos there are double the number on this hull than should be, then CAd to front, aswell as made the raised bit in front of bolts at top by laying 1mm wire and covering up to with filler. For a while I have been meaning to grind down the 'cheeks' of the hull to give smoother curve of earlier hulls;



Typical I left it to after having textured the hull, oh well
Been working on other bits of hull, including exhaust pipes for the possibility of a smoke generator, just drilled out ones I lukily got in a load of 'spares' from Rocketman;



Then cut out shape in paper (wanted to be thin) for the other side thats missing for this models pipe;



Trying to mount this atm but run out of time for today.
Cheers, Dave

MarkofZollo

Had a couple slow days, managed to get rear finished today though, this is how it looks;



about what I wanted really . I like how it looks through engine deck hatch too;



When I get the smoke generator if I do just gotta attach the pipes to brass tube either side and sorted
My week is planned out now , so I know I have said it more than once but I really may be painting it this weekend!!!!
Cheers guys, Dave

PS ta for info WhiteWolf McBride, fleshy pointed it out, seems such a strange design

Flyn Chris

Looking fantasic!

dr_arkeville

Wow. Great job.

MarkofZollo

Thanks for the nice comments , spent yesterday and today making all the mounts and strap bars for tools, roughly outlined where they are on the BOB tanks though two things I have made up placement;



Made all the tools how they should be, wooden bits and sharpened edges rather than moulded mounts, trying out some new wood stain on the shovel too;



Also started work on the mudguards and possible side skirt;



but unsure if it will work with my inability to cut a straight line of aluminium sheet
Cheers for looking

thebronze

Great job....

MarkofZollo

Again things taking longer than anticipated , painted and stained the tools yesterday;



Need a bit more drybrushing on metal bits I think. Finished off the front mudguards and started on the skirts;



The skirts stick out a little further than they should but will do, the curve down isnt sharp enough either but best I can do lol especially having to do it in sections rather than one bit



Finished all above today, also started final turret work including co-ax MG;



Annoying that pic turned out blurry but Il get another later on to show it 'cos I am quite chuffed with it, simple things eh. This MG bulb is wired up and ready, just have to finish other turret work before I just plug it in the socket in back of MG and done ;



I hope to have time to spend on tank tomorrow as I will be doing a lot of work on car but then will be painting start of next week!
Cheers, Dave

MarkofZollo

Right painting time is getting close, I can feel it!! Spent some of yesterday doing odd bits, lights were on the list;



basicaly just cut the Tamiya rear light down and ground out the upper bit, with light on;



I made and fitted this........thing which appears to be on all Grizzlys in BOB;



and re-attached this......other thing as it was broken off a while ago lol ;



Man im good with detailed Shermanology
Today started with the front lights;



just a 6mm circle of clear plasticard filed a little to get lenses dirty, lines scored across and a touch of yellow paint on the led;



I still have to sort the gun travel hook and do a little sanding then maybe painting primer this eve or tomorrow morn

whiteknight1066

Wow, I'm really impressed by this build.  Nice job!

MarkofZollo

Right Il try and keep this one short as Im looking after my nephews atm using a rubbish laptop.....
I asked a favour of the mould genious nickmow, to make the head of the gunner from the 21st c tank crew as I cant find it for under about £20!
Anyway the head came this morn and I started the conversion, firstly using this guy I got with some spares from Rocketman (cheers!);



I removed the head and neck, plus all the other stuff on his outfit (the moulded head is clear here) and put his neck on the new head;



Hot glued on some spare arms;



then cut arms and torso to about the right bit;



Spent ages painting him, face is acrylics and rest is enamels, its no work of art like fynsdad could do but I tried my best;



Also spent some time moddeling the mound bits around the hatches to a better shape (had been meaning to do for a while) and added a working Tamiya gun travel hook;



though ran out of time making the upper bits work.

Anyway as usual stuff takes longer than norm so havnt started painting the tank yet..........
will be starting tomorrow morn. Cheers guys

Panther G

This is definitely one of the nicer conversions i have seen yet.Although i think the rough cast surface is just a tiny bit too rough it still looks outstanding. Having worked in a mill/ foundry I can say for sure castings that rough would not have been accepted as the densities and thicknesses would be suspect to failure due to sand holes and fracture cracking. Dont get me wrong. Large castings can be pretty rough but only too a certain degree. I would just smooth them down ever so slightly be fore painting. I think it will bring out the fine detail work you are doing much better, the very rough finish will distract people from some of that great detail work.

MarkofZollo

Thanks Panther G, I will and have sanded the hull a bit more, I wanted it to look a bit more obvious for pics but also my research shows the Canadian casts were rougher than norm anyway.
Anywho, only just got following done, then busy with friends and family 'til late this eve, catching plane tomorrow noon so no painting 'til back
Anyway carried on with driver today, drilled holes/groves in his back and attached rods, cut some styrene as needed;



Missed taking pic of the cradle I then made but here it is attached to tank;



This gives me the following three positions for driver, first head under hatch for closed hatch or just protection;



eyes at hull line so better view of what lays ahead but still some protection;



and head out and fully exposed but best view;



The rods on his back just travel up and down the 'ladder' and a nudge to tilt him forward set him in each notch to fix him there
Finished gun travel hook, In previous pics you can see it closed, here it is open;



Thought also I would post 'before' pictures regarding painting, the next update will prob be in a couple weeks when I am back but should be primed at the very least.





Cheers guys for following, the nice comments etc, cant wait to get back and on with the build!!!!!

YHR

I havent seen the pop up driver before. I installed one on a spring so he would jump out like a jack in the box, but this set up will allow you to hook up a servo

MarkofZollo

Ta have thought about that for future maybe.....
Anyway one quick update before I leave, been applying the occasional coat whilst packing;







Hope you guys enjoy, see you in a couple weeks
Dave

Rebellion13

After following this build, I have decided to throw all my tanks in the garbage and take up knitting. This is very impressive to say the least. Oh and by the way I have not been able to get on here that often, my son turns 1yr next month and he is a handful lol . Anyway hello to all.


Cheers,
Wade

MarkofZollo

Ah finally Im back and carrying on! thanks for comment Rebellion, I like your avatar pic!!
Spent a fair while yesterday unsticking several bits, was a bit silly to have painted it then left it for two weeks.
A couple revisions im in the process of doing, and adding a few bits I forgot in the rush :/
the following shows the lift hooks for the rotor shield present on all BOB Grizzlys (toward bottom right) and the Mato M2 .50 cal mount which has been narrowed to take the better HL Pershing gun and lowered to about the right height;



Im looking at movong the drive sprockets in a bit as the gap is a tad large, also applique armour.

MarkofZollo

Todays update was supposed to be mondays.....damn turret rotation took hours to fix, was a bit sloppy so I took up the slack (2mm+ using 2x.75mm styrene) then turret refused to turn. When it did get turning it would stick at set points and not budge.......not fun .
Anyway a few trials and I ended up using following method for the front hatch spring things;



I started by making a little 'c' from a staple and sticking it, then got a peice of this wire;



and wound round a 2mm drill bit;



creating this;



Then turned down a bit at either end, made a 'u' from a staple again and glued on to hull with spring in place;



Now the tricky bit for me (impatient roblem: ), you HAVE to wait for the glue to set before trying to hook other end of spring on the 'c'



Simples eh. Spent a while deciding whether to put on applique armour, probably most Sherms in Normandy would have had it but I kinda didnt want to cover up half the cast texture I spent so long doing. In the end decided;





Weld effect on applique was best I could do but may be redone later. Up to 3 ish I was grinding down the drive shafts, they leave too big a gap (5mm) but now down to about 2.5-3mm, looks better . Currently waiting for first coat of OD to dry bout time!
Cheers