Gamera

 Jim: I've been tempted to leave off the stencils you can hardly see so many times. Somehow I always end up putting them on though.

Yes, and how many of us are also guilty of adding those parts inside a project that no one will ever see once the fuselage/hull/body is closed up, but we do it anyway? Guilty here!

Cliff and Jim: thanks Cliff, for the tip on the GB. As for the set up of the Lee/Grant it seems the powers that be at the time realized a 37mm main gun wasn't going to cut it against the Germans and opted for a 75mm. Since the engineers only had 60 days to work out the details they decided to work off the existing M2A1 as their "frame" That and no turret ring available to accommodate the bigger canon resulted in it being mounted in the sponson. Even though it was never meant as a permanent fix it did serve our forces well in N. Africa and until the Sherman came along it was really all we had.

mikeymize

Cliff and Jim: thanks Cliff, for the tip on the GB. As for the set up of the Lee/Grant it seems the powers that be at the time realized a 37mm main gun wasn't going to cut it against the Germans and opted for a 75mm. Since the engineers only had 60 days to work out the details they decided to work off the existing M2A1 as their "frame" That and no turret ring available to accommodate the bigger canon resulted in it being mounted in the sponson. Even though it was never meant as a permanent fix it did serve our forces well in N. Africa and until the Sherman came along it was really all we had.

Hey Mikey!

I learned some new facts today! Somehow, I always thought of the U.S. and WWII tanks as being Shermans, Shermans, and then more Shermans!

Finally looked up your tank and learned much more. I read how the US in 1939, had a grand total of some 400 tanks in their inventory and lagged behind in both design and production! Look forward to seeing your work!

I also learned other things as well today as I began to assemble the missiles for the Growler. The instructions say to paint both overall white and to paint bands of either bright blue or yellow. I quickly found out that white would be correct for the AGM-88 but the AIM-120's should be FS36375 with the seeker head being white. As far as the bands, bright blue would signify an inert load for either the warhead or the motor. Why would I send my Growler into battle with 'dummy' weapons? The correct bands would be yellow for a live warhead and brown, not yellow for an active motor! I'm glad I did a little research on this.

Jim

I knew the M3 was a jury-rigged design to get a 75mm into the field as quickly as possible but not all that much beyond that- thanks for the info!

I've seen footage of US Army field exercises just before the war with soldiers using brooms for rifles and civilian cars driving along with placards reading 'TANK' hung on them. Still astonishing to me that we went from that to supplying gear to all the Allied powers in a few years.  

Gamera

I've seen footage of US Army field exercises just before the war with soldiers using brooms for rifles and civilian cars driving along with placards reading 'TANK' hung on them. Still astonishing to me that we went from that to supplying gear to all the Allied powers in a few years.  

That sounds all to much like some very bad jokes about people of Polish heritage that circulated some years ago.

mikeymize

Hey Ken, I got a Tamiya M3 Lee Med. Tank along with other assorted modeling goodies. I've already started doing my research on this one as I really like the odd ball design of this tank. I'm examining Squadron's Lee/Grant walk around that was part of my goodie bag. The German half track is currently stalled as I'm waiting for some back ordered AM stuff. May put it on the back burner and start the Lee if my patience runs out. I'll post some views of the half track thus far in a few days.

Sounds like Santa was very good to you!  I am looking forward to seeing your pictures!

Ken

jimbot58

mikeymize

Hey Ken, I got a Tamiya M3 Lee Med. Tank along with other assorted modeling goodies. I've already started doing my research on this one as I really like the odd ball design of this tank. I'm examining Squadron's Lee/Grant walk around that was part of my goodie bag. The German half track is currently stalled as I'm waiting for some back ordered AM stuff. May put it on the back burner and start the Lee if my patience runs out. I'll post some views of the half track thus far in a few days.

The Lee? Seems I remember reading about oddball tanks. Didn't it have two turrets, or a side turret or something?

Yesterday was all about tedious! I worked on the jammer pods that hang under the Growler. Each one takes 10 decals and 4 photo-etch parts! Not to mention painting in the exhaust port in the back and an air inlet in the front. The PE set provides 4 different options for the metal grills that represent the xmitter area on the pods and only says"See your references!" I didn't really find a whole lot in the way of references concerning the ALQ-99 pod, so my references say, "pick whichever set you want!"

I made a photo with the center pod (complete) on the bottom and the two outer pods with just the decals done on the left side for the other two. You really can't see the decals too well, because they are low-viz markings..... guess that's why they call them low-visibility!

Also found another picture for Ken during my search, of the EF-111A Raven, which carries the ALQ-99 in a canoe faring underneath the fuselage in the bomb bay. Another look at that open rear gear door: You can also see that there is a gap at the back of the rear gear bay door that was necessary because of clearance issues when the gear would extend and the door opens backwards. Kind oddball engineering: if it don't fit, cut it away! This could of been another one of Berny's criticisms of the 111's landing gear.

By the way, am I looking like a 'Vark head again?

Well sadly, I had to relegate the Crusader to the stash dept. as I don't want to start any new projects until I can call the Growler done. It's just amazing all the tedious little things that need to be done when you think you're in the home stretch!

Tedious work indeed Jim!  Especially for 1/72 scale!  But as usual, it looks great!   

Thank you for the Aardvark picture and more information about it.  Very interesting stuff!

Ken

jimbot58

Gamera

 Jim: I've been tempted to leave off the stencils you can hardly see so many times. Somehow I always end up putting them on though.

Yes, and how many of us are also guilty of adding those parts inside a project that no one will ever see once the fuselage/hull/body is closed up, but we do it anyway? Guilty here!

I am guilty as well.  Definitely added detail to the inside of the cockpit that will never be seen once it is installed.

Ken

mikeymize

Cliff and Jim: thanks Cliff, for the tip on the GB. As for the set up of the Lee/Grant it seems the powers that be at the time realized a 37mm main gun wasn't going to cut it against the Germans and opted for a 75mm. Since the engineers only had 60 days to work out the details they decided to work off the existing M2A1 as their "frame" That and no turret ring available to accommodate the bigger canon resulted in it being mounted in the sponson. Even though it was never meant as a permanent fix it did serve our forces well in N. Africa and until the Sherman came along it was really all we had.

Great information on the Lee/Grant Mike!  Thank you for that!

Ken

jimbot58

mikeymize

Cliff and Jim: thanks Cliff, for the tip on the GB. As for the set up of the Lee/Grant it seems the powers that be at the time realized a 37mm main gun wasn't going to cut it against the Germans and opted for a 75mm. Since the engineers only had 60 days to work out the details they decided to work off the existing M2A1 as their "frame" That and no turret ring available to accommodate the bigger canon resulted in it being mounted in the sponson. Even though it was never meant as a permanent fix it did serve our forces well in N. Africa and until the Sherman came along it was really all we had.

Hey Mikey!

I learned some new facts today! Somehow, I always thought of the U.S. and WWII tanks as being Shermans, Shermans, and then more Shermans!

Finally looked up your tank and learned much more. I read how the US in 1939, had a grand total of some 400 tanks in their inventory and lagged behind in both design and production! Look forward to seeing your work!

I also learned other things as well today as I began to assemble the missiles for the Growler. The instructions say to paint both overall white and to paint bands of either bright blue or yellow. I quickly found out that white would be correct for the AGM-88 but the AIM-120's should be FS36375 with the seeker head being white. As far as the bands, bright blue would signify an inert load for either the warhead or the motor. Why would I send my Growler into battle with 'dummy' weapons? The correct bands would be yellow for a live warhead and brown, not yellow for an active motor! I'm glad I did a little research on this.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Good information about the band colors on those missiles.  I knew they had significance to the state of the missile, but did not realize that they also showed the state of the motor!

Ken

Gamera

I knew the M3 was a jury-rigged design to get a 75mm into the field as quickly as possible but not all that much beyond that- thanks for the info!

I've seen footage of US Army field exercises just before the war with soldiers using brooms for rifles and civilian cars driving along with placards reading 'TANK' hung on them. Still astonishing to me that we went from that to supplying gear to all the Allied powers in a few years.  

Totally agree with you Cliff!  It was nothing short of amazing!

Ken

Hey guys as you probably already know about me I love the history and stories behind the models I build and this one is no exception. I think most of us think of Shermans when we think U.S armor of WW2 and true enough they were a lot of them. I'm their production alone exceeded that of all the German tank types combined! It was certainly our "workhorse" of the war and a damn good one at that; after some teething issues in the beginning, fires, lack of sufficient crew protection etc. it went on to serve with great distinction and I rate the later models to be right up there with and in many cases better than its rivals. Anyway, enough of my love story for the Sherman this is a pic of the box art of my Lee. Haven't even unwrapped the cellophane and I'm already drooling. Hope I can do it justice….

Here's a few snaps of the half track used by the "bad guys" ,still have more to do but it's getting there.

Sorry about the misprints and grammatical errors of my previous post but I'm still under the influence of painkillers; usually it's just beer! Hope y'all got the gist of it.

Son Of Medicine Man

jimbot58

mikeymize

Cliff and Jim: thanks Cliff, for the tip on the GB. As for the set up of the Lee/Grant it seems the powers that be at the time realized a 37mm main gun wasn't going to cut it against the Germans and opted for a 75mm. Since the engineers only had 60 days to work out the details they decided to work off the existing M2A1 as their "frame" That and no turret ring available to accommodate the bigger canon resulted in it being mounted in the sponson. Even though it was never meant as a permanent fix it did serve our forces well in N. Africa and until the Sherman came along it was really all we had.

Hey Mikey!

I learned some new facts today! Somehow, I always thought of the U.S. and WWII tanks as being Shermans, Shermans, and then more Shermans!

Finally looked up your tank and learned much more. I read how the US in 1939, had a grand total of some 400 tanks in their inventory and lagged behind in both design and production! Look forward to seeing your work!

I also learned other things as well today as I began to assemble the missiles for the Growler. The instructions say to paint both overall white and to paint bands of either bright blue or yellow. I quickly found out that white would be correct for the AGM-88 but the AIM-120's should be FS36375 with the seeker head being white. As far as the bands, bright blue would signify an inert load for either the warhead or the motor. Why would I send my Growler into battle with 'dummy' weapons? The correct bands would be yellow for a live warhead and brown, not yellow for an active motor! I'm glad I did a little research on this.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Good information about the band colors on those missiles.  I knew they had significance to the state of the missile, but did not realize that they also showed the state of the motor!

Ken

Here is one of the references I found:

Missile Bands

Also one link led me back here, and at the bottom of the page, there is an answer posted by none other than "Berny13"! Seems like his spirit still is present at this forum!

Missile Markings

Jim

mikeymize

Hey guys as you probably already know about me I love the history and stories behind the models I build and this one is no exception. I think most of us think of Shermans when we think U.S armor of WW2 and true enough they were a lot of them. I'm their production alone exceeded that of all the German tank types combined! It was certainly our "workhorse" of the war and a damn good one at that; after some teething issues in the beginning, fires, lack of sufficient crew protection etc. it went on to serve with great distinction and I rate the later models to be right up there with and in many cases better than its rivals. Anyway, enough of my love story for the Sherman this is a pic of the box art of my Lee. Haven't even unwrapped the cellophane and I'm already drooling. Hope I can do it justice….

Here's a few snaps of the half track used by the "bad guys" ,still have more to do but it's getting there.

Hi Mike,

The half-track is looking great!  Nice camouflage work! 

So that is what the M3 Lee looks like.  Didn't the British have a version that looked very similar to that?  Seemed to me they were taller?

Ken

jimbot58

Son Of Medicine Man

jimbot58

mikeymize

Cliff and Jim: thanks Cliff, for the tip on the GB. As for the set up of the Lee/Grant it seems the powers that be at the time realized a 37mm main gun wasn't going to cut it against the Germans and opted for a 75mm. Since the engineers only had 60 days to work out the details they decided to work off the existing M2A1 as their "frame" That and no turret ring available to accommodate the bigger canon resulted in it being mounted in the sponson. Even though it was never meant as a permanent fix it did serve our forces well in N. Africa and until the Sherman came along it was really all we had.

Hey Mikey!

I learned some new facts today! Somehow, I always thought of the U.S. and WWII tanks as being Shermans, Shermans, and then more Shermans!

Finally looked up your tank and learned much more. I read how the US in 1939, had a grand total of some 400 tanks in their inventory and lagged behind in both design and production! Look forward to seeing your work!

I also learned other things as well today as I began to assemble the missiles for the Growler. The instructions say to paint both overall white and to paint bands of either bright blue or yellow. I quickly found out that white would be correct for the AGM-88 but the AIM-120's should be FS36375 with the seeker head being white. As far as the bands, bright blue would signify an inert load for either the warhead or the motor. Why would I send my Growler into battle with 'dummy' weapons? The correct bands would be yellow for a live warhead and brown, not yellow for an active motor! I'm glad I did a little research on this.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Good information about the band colors on those missiles.  I knew they had significance to the state of the missile, but did not realize that they also showed the state of the motor!

Ken

Here is one of the references I found:

Missile Bands

Also one link led me back here, and at the bottom of the page, there is an answer posted by none other than "Berny13"! Seems like his spirit still is present at this forum!

Missile Markings

Jim

Thank you for those links Jim!  I have bookmarked both of them!  Yes, it is nice to read Berny's comments.  He always gave the details that most other people would not know.

Ken

Mike: Looks good! I built that same halftrack kit years ago, think I still have parts in the spare parts box. If mine had looked half as good as yours I wouldn't have trashed it though!

Ken: Yeah we supplied a version to the Brits who named the modified version the 'Grant' (logical I guess!) It was actually a little shorter since they deleted the top mini-turret with the machine gun. The main turret was a little bigger with an enlarged rear area to hold a radio aka wireless set.

Following some advice on this forum I brush-painted some Future on the Blackhawk and it took 99.99% of the white krap from the matte coat away!!! Not sure how I'm going to flat coat her now but I'm just happy not to have to repaint the whole blasted thing.

mikeymize

Hey guys as you probably already know about me I love the history and stories behind the models I build and this one is no exception. I think most of us think of Shermans when we think U.S armor of WW2 and true enough they were a lot of them. I'm their production alone exceeded that of all the German tank types combined! It was certainly our "workhorse" of the war and a damn good one at that; after some teething issues in the beginning, fires, lack of sufficient crew protection etc. it went on to serve with great distinction and I rate the later models to be right up there with and in many cases better than its rivals. Anyway, enough of my love story for the Sherman this is a pic of the box art of my Lee. Haven't even unwrapped the cellophane and I'm already drooling. Hope I can do it justice….

Here's a few snaps of the half track used by the "bad guys" ,still have more to do but it's getting there.

Yes Cliff this is the same one from years ago but the molds held up pretty well and though there's not quite the attention to detail we've come to expect from firms like Tamiya it's more than enough for the average joe. And yes the Grant did have a modified turret area as the Americans mounted their radio equipment in the hull and the Brits had theirs in the turret. Other than that and different camo it was essentially the same tank.

Hey gang!

First of all, I hope you all have had a happy and safe New Year! I spent mine working on the Growler and listening to music. I tried watching some of *** Clark's New Years program, though it seems a little odd to call it that with Clark no longer around. I had to turn it off after hearing just too much Rap and a performance by Miley Cyrus singing slightly off key. Obviously not lip syncing in this case, but I don't really get into her music anyway. Must be my age.

I was looking for some references on the Growler and found some interesting pictures. First is the exact aircraft my Growler is modeled after, number and all! Might be interesting to display the finished model with a copy of this behind it or something!

I also thought this is a cool pic, though of a different squadron. Looks like my AGM's should be a light gray rather than white. Not sure of what FS shade that is, but it is off from the aircraft itself.

Last is this aircraft labeled as an E/A-18G. However, it must be one that is mocked up for the press before the actual aircraft rolls out perhaps?. I notice the wing tip missile rail where the Growler would have the AN/ALQ-218 wideband receivers mounted, and there would be no dogtooth on the leading edges, and should have farings added there. Could also be one of the 2 F/A-18E's that were converted by Boeing for testing and were designated as NEA-18G's. Interesting how familiar you become with your model subjects, isn't it? I think research and learning about your subject is a big part of scale modeling, is it not?

Well, I better hit it, as I have been up over 24 hours now. I couldn't sleep last night as I seem to have just too on my mind, so I'm off to take a little blue pill and see if I can rest. Glad I don't work today.

Jim

P.S. You might notice the forum software blocked Mr. Clark's first name, so I guess I should have put "Richard". It's a shame a bit of computer code would think somebody's name is a naughty body part!

Jim

Gamera

Mike: Looks good! I built that same halftrack kit years ago, think I still have parts in the spare parts box. If mine had looked half as good as yours I wouldn't have trashed it though!

Ken: Yeah we supplied a version to the Brits who named the modified version the 'Grant' (logical I guess!) It was actually a little shorter since they deleted the top mini-turret with the machine gun. The main turret was a little bigger with an enlarged rear area to hold a radio aka wireless set.

Following some advice on this forum I brush-painted some Future on the Blackhawk and it took 99.99% of the white krap from the matte coat away!!! Not sure how I'm going to flat coat her now but I'm just happy not to have to repaint the whole blasted thing.

Hi Cliff,

Thanks for the information on the M3 Lee.  I always enjoy learning about the models we build.

And that is great news about your Blackhawk!  I can't wait to see it!

Ken

troublemaker66

mikeymize

Hey guys as you probably already know about me I love the history and stories behind the models I build and this one is no exception. I think most of us think of Shermans when we think U.S armor of WW2 and true enough they were a lot of them. I'm their production alone exceeded that of all the German tank types combined! It was certainly our "workhorse" of the war and a damn good one at that; after some teething issues in the beginning, fires, lack of sufficient crew protection etc. it went on to serve with great distinction and I rate the later models to be right up there with and in many cases better than its rivals. Anyway, enough of my love story for the Sherman this is a pic of the box art of my Lee. Haven't even unwrapped the cellophane and I'm already drooling. Hope I can do it justice….

Here's a few snaps of the half track used by the "bad guys" ,still have more to do but it's getting there.

I started an Academy M3 Lee....the kit with the super detailed interior. I look at it everyday, sitting on my temporary work bench...I swear I heard it saying "finish me" late last night......

Hi Len,

It is good to hear from you again!  How is your new house progressing?  Did they demolish your old one on schedule?

Ken

Jim: Those are great photos- looking forward to seeing the Growler all complete.

Len: Yeah, I hope they're at least making some progress on your situation. I hope 2014 treats you better than 2013.

Gamera

Jim: Those are great photos- looking forward to seeing the Growler all complete.

Len: Yeah, I hope they're at least making some progress on your situation. I hope 2014 treats you better than 2013.

jimbot58

Hey gang!

First of all, I hope you all have had a happy and safe New Year! I spent mine working on the Growler and listening to music. I tried watching some of *** Clark's New Years program, though it seems a little odd to call it that with Clark no longer around. I had to turn it off after hearing just too much Rap and a performance by Miley Cyrus singing slightly off key. Obviously not lip syncing in this case, but I don't really get into her music anyway. Must be my age.

I was looking for some references on the Growler and found some interesting pictures. First is the exact aircraft my Growler is modeled after, number and all! Might be interesting to display the finished model with a copy of this behind it or something!

I also thought this is a cool pic, though of a different squadron. Looks like my AGM's should be a light gray rather than white. Not sure of what FS shade that is, but it is off from the aircraft itself.

Last is this aircraft labeled as an E/A-18G. However, it must be one that is mocked up for the press before the actual aircraft rolls out perhaps?. I notice the wing tip missile rail where the Growler would have the AN/ALQ-218 wideband receivers mounted, and there would be no dogtooth on the leading edges, and should have farings added there. Could also be one of the 2 F/A-18E's that were converted by Boeing for testing and were designated as NEA-18G's. Interesting how familiar you become with your model subjects, isn't it? I think research and learning about your subject is a big part of scale modeling, is it not?

Well, I better hit it, as I have been up over 24 hours now. I couldn't sleep last night as I seem to have just too on my mind, so I'm off to take a little blue pill and see if I can rest. Glad I don't work today.

Jim

P.S. You might notice the forum software blocked Mr. Clark's first name, so I guess I should have put "Richard". It's a shame a bit of computer code would think somebody's name is a naughty body part!

Jim

Hi Jim,

Happy New Year to you as well!

Yes, very sad that someone's name is mistakenly censored!  Big Brother is watching!

And yes I agree with you about there being way too much Rap music on the show.

Very cool that you found a picture of your exact model!  That is neat.

I looked around for pictures of the Growler with the AGMs and quite a few of them showed the AGMs as bright white.  I think there is something about that particular picture you have that is showing them as grey.

I also agree with you about the research part of building our models that I find so very interesting.  I enjoy it as much as building the model itself.

Ken

troublemaker66

Gamera

Jim: Those are great photos- looking forward to seeing the Growler all complete.

Len: Yeah, I hope they're at least making some progress on your situation. I hope 2014 treats you better than 2013.

Hey guys! We have some progress....old house is in the landfill, the lot is almost graded and ready for pilings. All my permit applications are in at the MUA and we are waiting for their release. Once we have them, the pilings go in and the house gets ordered into production at the factory. If everything goes well we may have the house delivered around Feb 10th. Probably won`t have the C.O. until the end of March-mid April. Lots of red tape...if there wasn`t any, we`d be home by now...lol.

That is great news Len!  You can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Ken

Len: That's great to hear- at least they're moving forward!

Len: I'm glad to hear things are moving for you as well. I can't imagine what it must be like to be in that situation.

Ken: It is strange that the "D" word was blocked. I could have typed D_i_c_k Clark. It's not like his name was the "p" word or the "c" word!

Well, my sleepless night took it's toll on me: I ended up sleeping to well past noon today, plus I was just "out of sorts" for pretty much the rest of the day! And I ended up sleeping again in the afternoon! So much for anything I had planned to get done today. I don't know if my little blue pill had anything to do with it, after all it is an over the counter sleep aid.

I did sit with the Growler for a while, and Ken, you were correct about the AGM-88. I found hundreds of photos showing it to be white, and maybe half a dozen examples in gray. So white it is! I did find references for the AIM-120's being painted gray in either 2001 or 2007. Don't remember which, but that's not important. Gray with white seeker head it is!

I also painted wheels today and started the AGM's. I only did the front for now, because i don't know of a good way to hold onto it while painting a gloss white:

Jim

jimbot58

Len: I'm glad to hear things are moving for you as well. I can't imagine what it must be like to be in that situation.

Ken: It is strange that the "D" word was blocked. I could have typed D_i_c_k Clark. It's not like his name was the "p" word or the "c" word!

Well, my sleepless night took it's toll on me: I ended up sleeping to well past noon today, plus I was just "out of sorts" for pretty much the rest of the day! And I ended up sleeping again in the afternoon! So much for anything I had planned to get done today. I don't know if my little blue pill had anything to do with it, after all it is an over the counter sleep aid.

I did sit with the Growler for a while, and Ken, you were correct about the AGM-88. I found hundreds of photos showing it to be white, and maybe half a dozen examples in gray. So white it is! I did find references for the AIM-120's being painted gray in either 2001 or 2007. Don't remember which, but that's not important. Gray with white seeker head it is!

I also painted wheels today and started the AGM's. I only did the front for now, because i don't know of a good way to hold onto it while painting a gloss white:

Jim

Hi Jim,

Those wheels turned out great!      As far as painting those AGMs, the only way I know of is to use tape folded so that you have two sided sticky side out.  Then tape the one side down on the table so that you have the other side sticky side up.  Then place the AGMs on the tape.  You will have to paint one side at a time this way letting it dry before you can paint the other.

The only other thing would be to drill a hole on the motor end and then "impale" the rockets on small pins.  Then you can use your alligator clip to hold onto the pin.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Well I am totally done with Winter!  It is currently -8 degrees outside!  I spent yesterday evening clearing 5 inches of snow out of my driveway and sidewalks and then did the same at my Mom's house.

We are supposed to get more snow this Saturday night into Sunday.  Then Sunday night it is supposed to get down to -12 degrees followed by a high on Monday of only -9 degrees.  Then Monday night it is supposed to get down to -17 degrees followed by a high on Tuesday of -3 degrees.  Tuesday night it is supposed to get down to -9 degrees.  Way too freaking cold!!

Ken