Semper Fi War in the Pacific

I'll get a picture up today, Got busy before.

Bill , wow , yet another great answer . Thanks you for taking your tine for a definitive anwer . your models look great Bill !

Bill and rob , thanks guys for the help , really . i'll give the methods a try today and let you guys know what the results are .

Thanks again ...............cant believe the help all of you guys are for me

Carl,,,   a pleasure, always,      and thanks

Were the tools on tanks painted the same color as the tank itself to begin with?

ww2psycho

Were the tools on tanks painted the same color as the tank itself to begin with?

I would say that the new tools came painted o.d. already as a presservative . I remember seeing pioneer tools at surplus stores painted o.d. But the paint would wear off in some areas durring use . The choice to paint them o.d. or natural is yours . In this museum M4 they are both ways .

Thanks, I always thought that everything came in OD at first then got worn and replaced in the field with unpainted tools. Never was sure though.

Heres the Sherman so far. The top hull is not screwd on to the bottom yet to make it easier to put the tracks on. Im working on the tracks and tools right now.

Still need to do some touch ups from my fingers rubbing against the suspension trying to get to together.

WW2 - Thats looking great  Nice smooth coat of paint and very clean construction, well done.  She has quite a bit of detail and looks very sharp.  You could pass her for a 1/35 scale.

It seems that I have read somewhere That the early years of the war the tools were often the natural wood color.  After becoming a normal inventory and contracted for the armed forces for the vehicles it was then standard that the tools were painted OD.  Not sure of a date or if this is even true?  Just think I read that somewhere?    I usually paint with the wood color if for no other reason to have some contrast.  Have seen tools painted and unpainted on all year vehicles.  I think you could go either way with the tools.

Dont forget to paint your support rollers with your rubber color too.

BILL - Going to try your tissue technique.  Thanks for the insight  Yours look really good as dose the builds they are on.

Thanks for the words on the LVT.  Have made the other periscope assembly and they now look the same.  They also now have the actual periscope sticking out of the assemblies and am now going to try to make the domes to go over the top of them.  If unable to make them that will be alright because the domes were usually taken off, just want to see if they can be made.  Went out looking for more screws and was unsuccessful but have found a new store that specializes in trains.  They had many nice things in there and I will be a regular customer.  The owner was a very nice person and was looking up screws on-line and on ebay while I was shopping around.  He may have found some so returning back home have now been on ebay and am hopping that I win a large selection of screws and old watch parts.  May have some screws on the way soon.

I thought the rollers were metal? the instructions dont call out a certain color for it.

Well i've put my foot in my mouth here b4 so here goes .................. I agreed with Rob about them being rubber , until i saw these pics . These look like steel to me . Yes , i have been painting mine as being rubber .................oooops ! This one is a M4A1 . Heres the link

http://www.worldwar2aces.com/panzer-tank/sherman-tank/

Anybody got a sherman in their back yard for closer referrence ?????

OOooops is right   Thanks for the correction WW2 and Carl for the reference.  Here is one for the both of ya   Sorry for the miss information.  Just went through a stack of pics that I TOOK! and they all look like steel to me in my own photos.  Went through a few books, has to be some rubber somewhere, and they also look as if they are steel  Good thing I have only built 2 Sherman's so far.  They were of a special variant.   

So what I meant to say:

WW2 - Great progress on your Sherman so far and I especially like how you depicted the steel support rollers  Have known individuals that have done those incorrect before, NICE JOB

...................Rob , thats what i like about these G.B.'s , i always learn something . Actually a lot !

WW2,,,   your sherm is looking good. I have seen tools painted the vehicle color and as add-ons. Add-ons lend a bit more pizzazz,,    in my opinion that is.       I have always thought the return rollers were rubber too....  glad to have clarification.

Rob,,,  thanks and the tissue / tarp method I use has worked for me for quite the many years. . .  the most annoying thing is hanging the painted tissue up to dry.      I use the xacto clips to hold the tissue and slide the clips into tiny dowels to suspend the tissue...     this is the setup,, although the tissue is not painted.... I just set this up to illustrate how I do it.......

Hope this helps................

PANZERWAFFE

OOooops is right   Thanks for the correction WW2 and Carl for the reference.  Here is one for the both of ya   Sorry for the miss information.  Just went through a stack of pics that I TOOK! and they all look like steel to me in my own photos.  Went through a few books, has to be some rubber somewhere, and they also look as if they are steel  Good thing I have only built 2 Sherman's so far.  They were of a special variant.   

So what I meant to say:

WW2 - Great progress on your Sherman so far and I especially like how you depicted the steel support rollers  Have known individuals that have done those incorrect before, NICE JOB

 

 Thanks everyone!

Um, Im wondering, in which way did you think I depected the steel support rollers? Honsetly I've done to this thing is prime in flat black and paint OD over everything. The wheels were done by painting the Army Helo Drab then using silly putty to mask that part then painted the OD in the middle. There should be a picture of what Im talking about in the StuG GB, I did it the same for that one.

WW2 I was making fun of myself because I had done my support rollers as if they were rubber.  You are making yours as if they were made of steel and have painted them appropriately the same color as the rest of the vehicle.  I do thank you for correcting my mistake and I am now happy to know better so that my future builds will be correct.

Ah ok, Thanks, and youre welcome. It never made sense to me for them to be rubber, seems like they would fall apart too easily with the tracks running over them constantly.

WW2 -

BILL - Thanks for the illustration / direction of the tissue tarp procedure   Will defiantly be giving it a try

ww2psycho

Ah ok, Thanks, and youre welcome. It never made sense to me for them to be rubber, seems like they would fall apart too easily with the tracks running over them constantly.

Well , true , but then the road wheels have rubber tires . And There's the entire weight of the tank on the road wheels where as the track upper rollers only support the weight of the tracks ....................................

Hey guys , watch this video and look at the track return roller . Sure looks like rubber to me . I'm confused . Was there rubber on these things or not .............................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GZX42HybN0

Ok , now i had nmy mind made up for sure , its steel , further research brought me to this video . Listen to the pry bar when the guy pries the return roller loose ..............clank clank ,,,,,,,,not the sound of rubber .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GZX42HybN0

OK, now I'm confused.  Carl that last video was the same as you posted before.  It looks like rubber in the video.  Have went back through my pics here but do not have a good close up of the rollers on the Shermans so dont know.  Looking at pics and some books, there are different types of rollers on the shermans, wonder if some are rubber and some are steel?  I know on most other tanks even heavy tanks the rollers have rubber on them.  I know this for sure on modern tanks, have worked around them.  Have worked around WWII tanks also and I could be wrong but it seems to me that I remember rubber rollers?  I'm not a tanker though????

This is not a Sherman but the rollers here clearly show the rubber

WW2 - The rubber was used both on the wheels and rollers on a lot of vehicles because the steel on steel would eat each other up.  The rubber of course would break down but it could be changed out and repaired.

Maybe "G" will know the answer? 

Well my tank is going with steel rollers either way, already glued them on to the tank

G - Thanks for the answer

WW2 - Sweet, sounds good.

Attached the upper side plates onto the LVT.  Was not the best fit onto the upper hull top nor is the upper a good fit onto the lower hull.  Looks like Squadron putty will need to be called in to the rescue.  In these pics the side plate is glued but the top is only dry fit to the lower hull.

Loose dry fit

Here on the bow is a nice gap that will need to be filled.  Much of this will be covered with the additional armor plate that will be put on.

This is the side of the cab where the two plates meet.  Will require small amount of putty but will be covered with an added weld bead luckily right where the seam is.

The worst of the gaps are located in the cargo area.  The front bulkhead of the cargo bay will require some extensive fill and sanding.

Along both sides you can see the gaps both on the aft top sections where the side plate joins and in the middle recessed area.

Bill- THANK YOU for the toots how to make those rolls.  Wondering if they will work for tarps too?  I may have missed something so I need to read back when I am feeling 100% better.

Carl- Wish I can answer your questions about the track... I am not there yet.  Still learning about those small things...

Pyscho- We need to work on your name!  Great process on your Sherman!   Please do not hesitate to post more pictures... they get us all excited up!

Rob- Your LVT is looking great!  Alot of scratch building I see.  For the gaps, a thin rod of styrene may be easier and less messy than putty?   I am being serious here... I drool every time I look at your LVT tracks.  The best out there...

Andy, you may be right with using rod to fill.  May do that with some of the larger gaps   Thanks and happy you like the tracks.  It's OK to drool because the LVT does not mind the water

deafpanzer

Pyscho- We need to work on your name!  Great process on your Sherman!   Please do not hesitate to post more pictures... they get us all excited up!

Whats with my name?

It makes me wonder if you are really a psycho or joking.  Only kidding... I like to call everybody by name. Carl, Rob, Bill... Oh I don't think I will ever know Agent G's real name or he will flash us with the pen thing to erase our memory.  

Rob i couldnt seem to get the correct video to post ....................i checked this one below and its the corresct one that shows a close up of the return rollers. I painted mine as rubber and glued them in place but i'm going back and redoing them in o.d.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WB96j4erSw

I like the corrections and details you putting into your LVT .