Bill...I was heartbroken when it happened...but your right...I think I am a better builder now after having to repair something.

Cats are evil and the bane of modelers everywhere...but you've triumphed in the end and honed your repair skills in the bargain.

Thanks Tread.  Lots of reading how to use pigments and watching lots of Youtube to help. Tanks are not my thing but I enjoyed it so much I went and bought another 1/72 Sherman to give it another go.

No need to be gentle, Hercmech.... ;-) your ability can stand on it's own  !! Very fine looking Build

sweeeet

tread

Thanks Fellas.

Vonryan...good luck on your build. I really enjoyed building that little tank. Really broke up the Air Craft obsession I have. LOL

sweet build Hercmech. i have a 1/72 Sherman and no idea where to start till now. :)

Clay

Nice build, I remember building the Esci kit about 30 years ago (when I could still see things that small lol).  I still have it somewhere, waiting repairs, left the engine out, as you said it's not seen when finished.  

While waiting for my Stuka build to dry, I managed to fix the broken Sherman back to it's former self.  Good exercise in repairs.

Update on this build...I am glad that I got pictures as last night the newest spy cat found this build and decided it would be a fun play thing. She broke the mantlet and barrel off, as well as the road wheels and tracks from one side and the track from another. And she managed to twist the turret enough to get it off the body????

This is the 5th one she has found in the last few days. The last one was the CH-47A I just finished.

Rob Gronovius

Hercmech:

Manstein's revenge:

Good job---Dragon makes a fine 72nd scale Sherman as well...built one about 4 years ago and was amazed at the detail---it even came with PE...

 

Thanks Manny! I appreciate that you took the time to look and comment.

PE for a 1/72 scale sherman??? I think I lost a brain cell or two even thinking about adding that to this small of a critter.

Got pictures of your build? It's my thread and I wouldn't think you are hijacking...so..Put 'em in here...

 

Your build is excellent. I hope you enjoyed it. PE for Braille scale kits have been around for quite a while. I want to say since the late 80s to early 90s. In fact, I believe that Eduard's first dozen or so 1/72 scale armor PE sets were made for the Esci (now Italeri) kits, including your Sherman. The Eduard etch set for the Esci T-62 I have has 1992 on it. It was the second set of that line (#22002).

Check out the 1/72 scale VAB I was building for the tanks with wheels GB. the tool rack alone consisted of multiple PE parts and you even make a shovel with small bits of stretched sprue and 3 tiny PE parts.

Thanks Rob...your opinion means a lot.

You guys amaze me with the PE stuff. It gives me nightmares even on 1/48 AC much less a tiny tank.

Hercmech

Manstein's revenge:

Good job---Dragon makes a fine 72nd scale Sherman as well...built one about 4 years ago and was amazed at the detail---it even came with PE...

 

Thanks Manny! I appreciate that you took the time to look and comment.

PE for a 1/72 scale sherman??? I think I lost a brain cell or two even thinking about adding that to this small of a critter.

Got pictures of your build? It's my thread and I wouldn't think you are hijacking...so..Put 'em in here...

Your build is excellent. I hope you enjoyed it. PE for Braille scale kits have been around for quite a while. I want to say since the late 80s to early 90s. In fact, I believe that Eduard's first dozen or so 1/72 scale armor PE sets were made for the Esci (now Italeri) kits, including your Sherman. The Eduard etch set for the Esci T-62 I have has 1992 on it. It was the second set of that line (#22002).

Check out the 1/72 scale VAB I was building for the tanks with wheels GB. the tool rack alone consisted of multiple PE parts and you even make a shovel with small bits of stretched sprue and 3 tiny PE parts.

Manstein's revenge

Hercmech:

Manstein's revenge:

Good job---Dragon makes a fine 72nd scale Sherman as well...built one about 4 years ago and was amazed at the detail---it even came with PE...

 

Thanks Manny! I appreciate that you took the time to look and comment.

PE for a 1/72 scale sherman??? I think I lost a brain cell or two even thinking about adding that to this small of a critter.

Got pictures of your build? It's my thread and I wouldn't think you are hijacking...so..Put 'em in here...

 

Unfortunately no...I built the tank as part of a mini-dio Dragon put out as a set on the D-day landings...it came with a strene beach-head, small landing craft and some soldiers...I built it (and the dio) for my girlfriend's daughter over two days for her history project...never saw it again but she got an "A+" and the school confiscated it to be put on permanent display in the school's library...

That is a shame...but better to be out for the young 'uns to see it than to have it here anyway.

Hercmech

Manstein's revenge:

Good job---Dragon makes a fine 72nd scale Sherman as well...built one about 4 years ago and was amazed at the detail---it even came with PE...

 

Thanks Manny! I appreciate that you took the time to look and comment.

PE for a 1/72 scale sherman??? I think I lost a brain cell or two even thinking about adding that to this small of a critter.

Got pictures of your build? It's my thread and I wouldn't think you are hijacking...so..Put 'em in here...

Manstein's revenge

Good job---Dragon makes a fine 72nd scale Sherman as well...built one about 4 years ago and was amazed at the detail---it even came with PE...

Thanks Manny! I appreciate that you took the time to look and comment.

PE for a 1/72 scale sherman??? I think I lost a brain cell or two even thinking about adding that to this small of a critter.

Got pictures of your build? It's my thread and I wouldn't think you are hijacking...so..Put 'em in here...

Good job---Dragon makes a fine 72nd scale Sherman as well...built one about 4 years ago and was amazed at the detail---it even came with PE...

Gamera

Herc,

Really nice model, paint and weathering look great! If I may nitpick she looks to me like you've got a few 'floater' road wheels that aren't touching the treads. Or maybe it's just the angle of the photos. Just pointing it out because a couple of judges at shows killed me over doing that sort of thing.

Thanks Mr Turtle!

The roadwheels have all sorts of problems...all induced by me and my excitment to put on the tracks. Being as they were the "rubberband" type they were really tight and I did not let the glue set long enough before I put them on and they really tweaked those wheel assy.

The kit does come with the other type of tracks and I will give them a go on the next build.

Thanks again for commenting and helping me be a better builder.

As a side note...all the issues (paint/pigments/etc)  that the pictures glaringly show really are not too prominant on the kit cause of the small scale.

Herc,

Really nice model, paint and weathering look great! If I may nitpick she looks to me like you've got a few 'floater' road wheels that aren't touching the treads. Or maybe it's just the angle of the photos. Just pointing it out because a couple of judges at shows killed me over doing that sort of thing.

deafpanzer

Nice work!!!  I am afraid I am too old to build a braille scale.  Wait a minute I am only 42 years old... thanks for sharing your work here! 

 

Thank you for the comments...yes it was hard on the eyes but it was pretty dang fun.

Nice work!!!  I am afraid I am too old to build a braille scale.  Wait a minute I am only 42 years old... thanks for sharing your work here! 

SuppressionFire

Excellent results!

Hope to see more 1/72 scale tanks being tackled.

Thanks for looking and taking the time to comment.

I have another of the kits so you will see at least one more from me. I think I will be doing it in the green/tan scheme

Excellent results!

Hope to see more 1/72 scale tanks being tackled.

Thanks!!! I will pick up some fixer. It will just break my heart to buy more model stuff...not

Hercmech,

Ooh! Yeah, you WILL front acrylics with rubbing alcohol--I learned that the hard way.

I would get some of that pigment fixer, because it makes your pigments permanent.The "Thinner for Washes" also affixes them, but they can still be manipulated with some more thinner if you want to. The Fixer actually kinda glazes them into place, and they become permanent and unalterable.

You can also seal them in to a degree with regular mineral spirits; it will act like the "Thinner"; i.e., the pigments would still be manipulable with more thinner. Just remember, you don't want to seal them with a spray, like Dullcoat, because that tends to make them fade into near invisibility.

Thanks for the tip on the alcohol. I almost always use an acrylic finish...that would explain why I did notice on the bottom a bit of frosting. I used oderless mineral spirits on the rest of it. Would you say it is worth buying some of the pigment fixer or just keep using the mineral spirits?

Hercmech,

I meant to mention that the white background really perked up your photos! It really looks superb!

I would agree with you too, that the double-shot of alcohol and spirits probably zapped your pigments. And hey, be careful with rubbing alcohol; that stuff is a lot more powerful to some pigmented mediums than you might think, and can actually "frost" unprotected acrylic paint jobs. You should dilute it a bit with water if you ever use it for washes or the like. Wouldn't want a catastrophic event to happen!

the doog

That's about as fine a braille-scale Sherman as you can ask for, Hercmech! The paint and weathering are spot-on! The tracks and the rear hull are really nicely done.

If you sealed your model with any kind of sealer--Dullcoate, perhaps?--pigments will disappear. It's a reaction to the sealant. You should seal your model first--if you like to use sealers--and THEN add pigments and fix them in place using regular mineral spirits, by capillary action. They will darken slightly but stay on more reliably than if you don't use anything.

Thank You Doog! Means a lot..

I didn't add a coat after I did the pigments. I sealed the model, then added the pigments then added alcohol to set them...didn't seem to do a good job so I added mineral spirits. I guess between the two it was too much.

Thanks again for the tip on the white background...that really helped.

Bill: Thank you for stopping in for a look and for the comments!

Nice work on the braille-scale Shermie!

That's about as fine a braille-scale Sherman as you can ask for, Hercmech! The paint and weathering are spot-on! The tracks and the rear hull are really nicely done.

If you sealed your model with any kind of sealer--Dullcoate, perhaps?--pigments will disappear. It's a reaction to the sealant. You should seal your model first--if you like to use sealers--and THEN add pigments and fix them in place using regular mineral spirits, by capillary action. They will darken slightly but stay on more reliably than if you don't use anything.

Here is the completed model. Over all I really enjoyed the build except the tracks.  Also the pigment looked great and then it just disappeared. I don't know what went wrong with them. 

This was the first kit that I really used filters, pigments, and my dremel.  

And this one is for scale: