AridTalons Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Hello all! First post on ARC and just opened the box up and took a peek inside. Kit has some nice detail that I hope (but probably won't) to pick up on my crap camera phone. I've actually waited almost 2 years to do this particular kit due to shortages so its really cool that I picked it up and am about to get started. Will start working on the Sherman early tomorrow and I'll get back to posting after some progress is made. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 (edited) Nice . I love those Dragon Sherman's. They can be a bit tricky and you have to fiddle here and there. But without a doubt one of the best Sherman kits out there (second to TASCA in my opinion). I just picked up the Dragon Sherman Firefly Hybrid and she's a beauty too. Good luck on your build and please keep us posted. Regards, Don. Welcome to posting here on ARC too btw. Edited March 13, 2015 by Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AridTalons Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks Don! Usually when I buy Armor, I buy Dragon. They almost always have excellent kits. Bit pricey but they're worth it! It took me about 4 hours to get this far. Carefully cutting, sanding, and scraping plastic to perfection takes time :D Right now I'm on stage three of the kit. Its working with the lower hull and there are a ton of little parts I have to assemble and glue. Will probably take all day tomorrow between glue drying and just general breaks from the project, if I even complete stage three. So far, no hassles but I'm a bit annoyed with branding on the parts. It seems that Dragon has molded serial numbers onto some of the lower hull in plain sight which is terribly annoying as I can't sand it off without removing textures. Oh well I guess. Anyways here's the pics... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Great start! I always find the turret assembly and the part where the front lower hull meets the front upper hull to be the big challenges. Aside from that Dragon has a beauty of a kit. One of my favorites. I look forward to following your build. Good luck and well done so far. Regards, Don. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 IIRC those serial numbers are the correct part numbers for the 1:1 piece and suppose the be there. Some folks replace/add more with archer fine transfer cast numbers/symbols depending on the level of detail they are looking for. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 If these ( ^^^in your picture above^^^ ) are the serial numbers you referred to in your last message then leave them on unless you want to change your tanks identity. As "Tank" mentioned they should be there as they refer to such things as the type of steal used in the casting, foundry, date built, part and/or casting number/design, etc etc. Check this out: http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/casting_markings/casting_markings.html Hope this helps. Regards, Don. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AridTalons Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 After a couple of hours I completed the lower hull. I wasn't able to glue every single piece to the model being as some of the pieces were just way too small, even for tweezers. Besides that, all went well and am now beginning to assemble the upper hull. I opted to glue the VVSS system after painting. It should be much easier to paint the bogies individually and glue them unto the lower hull afterwards. The upper hull should be a lot of fun to build seeing as its so well detailed and the amount of parts that are needed such as the turret and .50 cal. Ton of photo-etched parts for the upper hull so that should make things interesting as well. Usually I don't dabble too much with photo-etched parts as they frustrate me but we'll see how it goes. Until next time... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 This might help some. http://paulbudzik.com/armor/index.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 This is one of my favorite kits. My only gripe is with the decal sheet, where Dragon seems to have forgotten the unit and vehicle codes that pretty much all US Army Shermans had painted on the front and rear hull. Looking forward to your updates! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AridTalons Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 Been a couple days but finally finished the majority of the upper hull and turret. I have to admit, some of the parts were too small and fragile for me and my patience so not everything is applied unfortunately. But for the most part the Sherman is done to spec. I've done German and Russian armor from Dragon without a problem and found that the Sherman is actually a difficult tank to craft seeing as it has so many small pieces that the aforementioned do not. Its nice to build some American armor though and I did enjoy the challenge of the Sherman. I'm still working on the .50 cal, small parts. And the coaxial .30 cal still needs to be applied. Thanks Tank. Your link will help with the photo-etched fenders and I appreciate all the input from others as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 For some of the smaller more tedious pieces (lift rings, handles, front/rear lights, light guards, etc) I find clipping them from the sprue and applying them to the model before cleaning them up helps. Basically cement them without cleaning them up, let the glue dry, then clean the small/tiny pieces up afterwards. I find it makes it easier and the carpet monster won't consume them. Nice job so far . She's certainly looking the part of a Sherman. Regards, Don. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I don't use clipper except for sprue gates. UMM-USA micro saws is how I remove parts. It's a must for small parts like Dragon, Bronco and others for removal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AridTalons Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) Just a quick update. I finished the assembly of the Sherman. All went well except for one very important part, the rear sprocket. I followed the instructions to a tee and the sprocket is unable to cooperate with the lower hull. It simply just won't fit on there so I cut out another set of sprockets and tried with those, no luck either. I did however find a solution. I simply overglued the lower hull piece and turned it into mush and simply slapped the sprocket into place. We'll see how well this works after installing the VVSS system after painting. :whistle:/> Once everything dries I'll begin laying down some paint. The Troublesome Sprocket Assembly Edited March 23, 2015 by AridTalons Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 From what I see it appears the idler is flush with the hull. This will cause track issues as the boggies are offset from the hull. The inside teeth around the idler will probably need to be cut off to fit. It is hard to tell but it appears the idler is backwards. For the next one I would recommend enlarging the idler hole or sanding the post. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AridTalons Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) I found the problem after staring at the instruction sheet. I needed to attach C6 and C11 still. The sheet is a bit confusing as it states V18 to C17 when its supposed to be V18 to C11 via C6 and C11. Never noticed lol Edited March 23, 2015 by AridTalons Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Dragon was (and can still be at times) notorious for having confusing...or not the clearest instructions (some of their earliest stuff was mind boggling at times). Good references are key if you are not familiar with your subject and thanks to the internet there are tons out there (especially for the Sherman variants). This is what you are building and the area that gave you trouble: A different shot here: http://data3.primeportal.net/tanks/robert_de_craecker/m4a4_sherman_vc_17pdr/images/m4a4_sherman_vc_17pdr_05_of_14.jpg Not sure if you can repair what you have already done, but the idler and sprocket... http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/suspension/sherman_sprocket5.JPG ...are key to having the tracks mount properly and give them the separation they (treads) need from the lower hull. Good luck and keep us posted. Regards, Don. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AridTalons Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Thanks everyone for your tips! I completely overlooked the instructions. I most likely took a break and came back to it and continued with the confused route highlighted in red. They made the instructions a bit confusing. I finally noticed the correct route after posting on the forums and looking at the assembled side on the instructions. I switched the idler with a different set as the one I chose is modeled better. The new idler is slightly more narrow but it looks much better. The standard idler doesn't have any holes and is just a solid chunk of plastic. Who wants that on their model? I went ahead and primed everything except the tracks. Forgot the tracks and realized after I cleaned up, of coarse. Anyways, here's the Sherman primed and pretty... I'll let her cure for 24 hours before slapping on the Olive Drab My Badger Renegade Velocity's maiden model Point me towards Jerry :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 If you continue to study the Sherman, you will learn that simple changes like the idler types refer to certain plants built certain machines. You can study for free at http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/index.html As for the model, it's not to bad construction wise. We all have areas to work on. The biggest thing missing that jumps out to me is the rear turret lifting rings, part B6. There is one on each side. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 If you continue to study the Sherman, you will learn that simple changes like the idler types refer to certain plants built certain machines. You can study for free at http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/index.html ... That's an amazing site! Started exploring it from the photo above. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 That's an amazing site! Started exploring it from the photo above. Yes indeed. That photo link I posted above is just a scratch on the surface. I have used and continue to use the site for most of my Sherman builds. No need to spend mega $ on references . AridTalons keep up the steady pace. Your Sherman is coming along nicely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Yes indeed. That photo link I posted above is just a scratch on the surface. I have used and continue to use the site for most of my Sherman builds. No need to spend mega $ on references :thumbsup:/>. AridTalons keep up the steady pace. Your Sherman is coming along nicely. :cheers:/> While I don't disagree, for folks that like/need a paper copy reference, Son of Sherman Vol 1 is the way to go. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 While I don't disagree, for folks that like/need a paper copy reference, Son of Sherman Vol 1 is the way to go. Stansell's and Laughlin's book is very good don't get me wrong but NOT cheap in any way and probably far too in depth for the once or twice casual Sherman modeler or someone with a passing/fleeting interest in Shermans. Its a nice addition to the "Shermanophiles" references indeed. But there are some nice references out there that suit the model builder that are much cheaper (for paper) and free (online or even library) if its just to add a Sherman or two to the cabinet. Money saved is more money for models :lol: . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AridTalons Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 Build is complete and posted in the Display Case Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.