My 1/72 Sherman build...

Nine pieces?! On an assembly that small?!

WOW! You're a bigger modeler than me, LOL! I give ya credit for giving this a go!

What exactly is a "Profipack"? What do they give you as far as PE?

Doog,

It will take a while before my models look as good as yours.

I'm pretty sure "profipack" is Czech for "we'll throw in some nice PE so we can charge a bunch more." Take a look at this web page to see a kit preview with a nice shot of the PE fret (about halfway down the page).

So far, I'm liking this build. I usually build 1/72 scale aircraft, so the bogies are a lot like building landing gear, except that they are bigger and more solid.

I hope to get the rest of the pices of the bogies glued into subassemblies tonight so I can paint them. I usually use an airbrush, but I might simply get a can of spray enamel OD for this kit -- if I can get the right shade.

I'll post a few more photos soon.

Regards, 

It is small, that's for sure. The PE fret has fenders, the track spring thingies on top of the bogies, and a million handles, tool clamps, and 50 caliber gun accessories. See the link I posted above for a good photo of the PE.

Here are two more photos. The first one shows all the bogie parts taped down and spray painted. It took me nearly half an hour to carefully clip all these pieces off the sprue and tape them down. I still need to flip them over and paint the other side -- something I'll probably do tonight or tomorrow.

I've also attached the rear of the lower hull and the transmission cover to the main lower hull part. The second photo shows the surface detail of that part. It's pretty good.

Regards, 

Hi all,

The bogies are finished, at least for now. I have no idea yet how I'm going to weather them. Any suggestions?

As stated above, each bogie has nine pieces. They actually articulate (rock) in the middle between the road wheels. I'm going to leave them like that until I attach everything to the hull so I can make sure all 12 wheels touch the ground. Then I'll probably use a little white glue to lock them in that position.

Here are the photos:

WOW, man! How can you even see the PE?! That's tiny!

How to weather them? 

LIGHTLY! 

Or they'll look overdone!

In a scale this small, you won't notice dirt so much as more than a simle drybrushing. That's what I'd do....

the doog wrote:

WOW, man! How can you even see the PE?! That's tiny! How to weather them?  LIGHTLY!  Or they'll look overdone! In a scale this small, you won't notice dirt so much as more than a simle drybrushing. That's what I'd do....

Doog,

Thanks for the hint. Before I ask my next question, please remember that this is my first tank model : what color would you use for the dry brushing? Something just a little lighter in shade to bring out the raised areas?

Thanks,

Hi all,

Here are some more photos of my 1/72 Sherman.

The first two photos show the lower hull assembled before painting. The tape is there to give a plastic to plastic surface for gluing the bogies.

I'm continually amazed a the number of pieces this kit has. The drive sprockets were three pieces each, the idler wheels were two pieces each, and the hull itself was several pieces: front transmission cover, rear bulkhead, air filters, tow thingy, and a tiny PE handle on the rear hatch.

The last two photos show the hull after I painted it and attached the bogies.

Again, any advice on what color to use for dry-brushing is appreciated. I plan on doing a burnt umber wash to bring out the details on the hull and running gear.

Next up is the tracks.

Regards,

WOW, I'll bet this is actually a more challenging build by far than a 1/35 build?

Looks like you're doing it justice!

I strongly suggest doing a tan color for the Drybushing. OD always looks goood with a simulated coat of dust. I always do my drybrushing in a tan color.

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'm not sure how the grey or tan will look, so I may do a test. I'm leaning toward the grey, though.

How about the same thing on the tracks? From what I've read, the type of Sherman tracks I have were the chevron steel type. So I'm thinking of painting them black and then dry-brushing with a metalic color.  Any thoughts?

Regards, 

Hi all,

I haven't posted for a little while because I had a week or so of very busy evening meetings. I'm working on the link and length tracks. They're tiny, but so far not too dificult to work with. However, they're not going to look perfect when I'm done -- they'll look pretty good for my first try, however.

I'll post some photos soon.

Hi all,

I'm still bogged down with the tracks (if you'll pardon the pun). Here are a couple of photos. What's left on this side are the individual links to go around the drive sprocket.

.

. 

Note the numbers I marked in a sharpie so I could keep track (pun!) of which lengths go where. 

Frankly,  at this point I think the tracks and running gear will look good in tall grass, covered with mud.

Regards, 

Link and length Tracks are a pain in 1:72 so much so I almost prefer rubberband style tracks. Luckily Dragon's DS tracks are pretty good.

Once you get a coat of paint and some weathering on them, they should look fine.

Cheers

Mike

Hi all,

It's been a busy month since I last posted, but I managed to squeeze in a few more  nights worth of work on the tracks. Here are the latest photos:

.

I've done a little weathering on the tracks by painting some metalic on the raised areas. It doesn't come through in the photos too well, but it is a subtle effect. I'm going to get the other track done and move on to the upper hull.

After everything is together and the decals are on, I'm going to go back and do a sludge wash to add some shadows to the recessed areas of the bogies.

Regards,

-Drew 

I think it's looking good so far.  Can't wait to get where I can post a few pics of my current build(s).

Michael

Thanks, Michael.

The tracks were bedeviling me, so I'm glad I've gotten this far. The next time I build this kit, I'm going to use the tracks as a jig for building the bogies and drive sprockets.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Huxy wrote:

looking awsome!! keep up the good work! how much was the kit?

It was a little over $20 at my local hobby shop. I got it more than a year ago. I think I've seen this kit for $5 or so less. However, I got it with a gift card, so it was free!

Regards, 

Hi all,

It's been a little while, but I've made more progress on my Sherman. I finished the tracks and am now working on the upper hull. Here's a photo of the completed tracks:

Doog's tip in his Hetzer article  on link and length tracks was a big help. The tip is to put individual links together, and then "paint" them with liquid cement so they can more easily go around curves (after sitting for a little while to let the plastic soften). I tried it, and it worked!

At Matt Usher said in a recent editorial, tanks can often be confused with tool boxes! I'm putting stuff on the upper hull and bending some PE -- my first time doing that particular task. So far, it's working pretty well. I'll post more photos soon.

Regards,

Thanks, Brandon. The kit is pretty neat, and the level of detail amazes me. I'm not really doing it justice, but I'm having fun and learning a lot.

Here are two more photos. I've started on the upper hull. I did the following:

• added four PE grab handles to the PE engine grate;
• replaced the stubby hull machine gun barrel with part of a syringe needle; and
• folded the box-like thingy (technical term!) that will be behind the turret and then glued it in place.

That box-like thingy is really tiny and has two parts!

Regards,

Hi all, this is just a quick update. I've been fighting strep throat and also helping take care of my ill son, so modeling time has been scarece for the past couple of weeks.

Still, I've gotten some work done on the model. I've put the headlights on, and folded more PE. The brush guards on the hatches have gone on pretty nicely. More pictures coming soon.

Regards, 

Hi all,

Here's the latest progress photo. The penny helps provide a scale reference. This PE is tiny, but my Etchmate helps a lot!

Regards, 

Hi all,

It's been a while, but I have been working on the tank. :) I've nearly got the upper hull finished and ready for painting. I need to do just one more thing with the rear exhaust vent and then I'll paint the hull. After that, I need to add the rear track racks and the folding platform that goes on the rear.

I'll post some photos tonight.

Regards,

That's looking good so far, Lufbery.  You've got my admiration and condolences for working PE grab handles in 1/72!  If you ever get a chance, grab one of the old 1/72 ESCI/Italeri M4's, they're a treat to build. 

I'd second the Doog's recommendation on a tan wash over OD.

Hi all. Finally, here are some more photos:

There's still a lot of work to be done, but I'm pleased with the results so far.

Regards,

-Drew