That's a nice looking build. I really like the effects you got on the spare track links. The dirt is really nice and I like the oil marks on the rear right side. Nice job all round.

I only have one negative comment and that's the rust on the working tracks. But I know that a personal issue and an issue of realism over the artistic look.

Bish,

Thanks for the comments!  As for the working tracks, I did not intend for any rust to appear on them.  I applied a number of pigment and wash layers, focusing on dirt and mud colors.  I wanted some rust to appear on the spare tracks and on some scuffed surfaces of the tank, but I wanted to the working track to be covered strictly with the dirty stuff.

Perhaps I should go back and analyze the tracks more closely, and wash over any spots that look rusty.

It might well be dirt rather than rust. Its mainly the guide horns on the track. I know some people do go for rust on the tracks. Looking at the rest of the vehicle, its an extremely realistic look without lots of heavy chipping. We have had a debate on the issue recently.

I would not go back and do it if its going to be a pain, sometimes I think if we try and correct things it can do more harm than good, but if you can get some wear on the track horns, I think it would make an excellent build as close to perfect as you can get.

Bish,

Yeah, the wear on the guide horns would be an easy fix.  I added a small amount of bare metal wear to them, but it's nigh invisible in these pictures.  I'll look at improving that.

I know what you mean about going back and fixing things.  Sometimes we can get carried away "fixing" something, to the point that we break it.

Paint wear on OD paint is always a challenge.  Since it didn't chip the way that German paint did, it has to look more like it has been worn down rather than chipped off.  And before it wears down to the metal, it burnishes to a darker shade.  I tried to simulate more "wear" than "bare", with a little bit of bare metal and rust, where I thought I could get away with it.

Excellent looking build, and nice effects and colour throughout. 

Some constructive comments;

- the rope tie down on the rear looks a bit large for the scale

- rear most fuel streak on starboard side needs to be continued topside (pic 3. & 7.)

- can add some metal wear on the raised edge of the road wheels, as these would rub on the guide horns

- weld beads would lend some character, particularly on the larger joints and the added plate armour

- rust - well tough call as I had the same problems with earth powders looking too red in finished photos.    The spare tracks too, we don't know if they were cobbled off a derelict tank, which could explain why they are so dirtied/rusted.

- add some  antennas:  the central one was taller, size varied (4' ,8' , or 12' lengths depending on the require reception range).  The one located in the corner would be about 2 feet.

regards,

Jack

She looks pretty darn good to me!

I just assumed the reddish-brown areas on the tracks was caked-in mud and dirt.

Nicely done and detailed, extras really dress it up nice

Nice work YariCav!  If I may add a few suggestions

1) Spare tracks -- rust/dirt.  The Sherman tracks you've mounted as spare armor have their main pads made of rubber.  They look "rusty" to me.  I'm not sure if it's the lighting or patina of your pics.  Shermans used many sorts of tracks -- some all steel, some mostly rubber (like your T48s), some a mix.

2) Tamiya (and some old DML) infamously do a bad job on the pistol port at the left rear corner of the turret.  The lip around the port is integral to the turret wall -- Tamiya's kit part should be blended in: toadmanstankpictures.com/sherman_v_m4a4_48.jpg

3) You've painted the return rollers a dark color -- know that they were all metal.  Only the HVSS return rollers had rubber tires.  FYI

Hope these help.

Thanks for the additional suggestions!

Oil / Fuel stains: Roger, that'll be an easy fix to remedy.  I'll plop some more stains up top where the fuel is already running down the side.

Ropes: Rather than redo the ropes, I'll likely just leave those as-is, and assume the guy tying down the gear had herculean strength.

Antennas: This always seems to be something I put off and sometimes never get around to.  But that's another quick one I can knock out.

T48 Tracks: Roy, I hadn't looked into the exact track type until you mentioned it.  Clearly from pictures, I can now see that the bulk of the track is rubber, with only the pins on the side being metal.  I can make this more clear on the spare track armor.  For the running track, I think they look alright, since they'd be covered in dirt and mud anyway.

Pistol port: This may be something I have to omit.  I can see myself butchering the paint scheme trying to fix that up.  If I think I can do a clean job of it, I may attempt it.  Would some putty and skillful sanding do the trick, or does the current pistol port need to be cut down in depth?  I checked the picture you linked Roy, and it doesn't seem to protrude as much as the pistol port on the model.

.50 cal Machine Gun: I thought about putting an M2 up there, but couldn't find any pictures of Fireflies with .50s.  All the pictures and references I found showed them with .30cal MGs.

yari, for tie down rope on future builds, you might want to try 0.5mm rigging thread, used for model ships. I spent ages looking for decent rope for my Pz III dio early this year. I finally found some of this thread and got some 0.25 and 0.5mm. I compared them in the hand of a 35th figure with some real rope I have in my hand and the 0.5 looked ideal.

Bish,

Thanks for the tip.  I'll check if my local hobby shop has the ship rope.  For this model, I just went to the clearance section of Hobby Lobby and found their cheapest "good enough" looking thread.  Unfortunately, it was rainbow-striped in color, and required numerous submersions in browns and tans before it resembled actual rope.  

Good idea about taking a scale figure with me to check the size in-hand.  I'll have to do the sizing on the down-low though, before someone calls the police on me for being a potential deviant, playing with toys in the thread section.

LOL, ye, you be careful. During my searches, most of what I found was in the US, it took me ages to find a UK source. But failing your LHS having anything sutable, this US site has some nice looking rope.

www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com/miniature-rope.php

The .45 or .63mm should be ideal. I would have got mine from here if I hadn't needed it in a hurry. You can see here how it looks once in place.

cs.finescale.com/.../161122.aspx

YariCav - yes, you did right to leave off the MG on the commander's hatch.   Most had them exchanged for a .30 cal if needed to rake the forest for possible enemy, otherwise AA was left to the allied air forces and other specialist vehicles.   Canadian vehicles seem to have retained the .50 cal during the initial landings, but eventually would be removed.

Bish - nice link for those rope, very handy.

regards,

Jack

Looks like mud to me....

  I didn't mean the model either.

   I like those tiger (added armor) trophies hanging

     from the front....... you can "RUST" them good.

      Everything else has been said.

       In 1/48 scale, a one inch diameter rope would be .020 of an inch.

        Divide the real thing by 48 to get that.

disaster, good point on the rope, I was forgetting this was 48th not 35th. So ye, smaller than the ones I suggested.

Hey man, that tank looks awesome.

I see on picture #3 that, towards the rear, there are oil or gas that looks like overflowed down the side. Can you tell me how you did that and what you used?

Hi Romponiefele,

For the fuel stains, I layered a couple applications of diluted dark enamel washes.  Mix up some black and a little bit of brown, and dilute it with thinner, then paint it on however you want it.  I weathered over the first layer, then applied another layer roughly in the same area as the first.  You can just barely see the older, more faded layer under the fresh layer.

There are ready-made washes that can accomplish this look, like MIG Productions Dark Wash.

Hope this helps.