Andy's Hobby HQs 1/16th M4A3 76W HVSS Sherman is up for Pre-Order!

JeepsGunsTanks · November 23, 2023

The Achilles came.

Looking through the instructions, Andy really made some cool little improvements. If you look at the periscope setup, they are now two parts, sandwiched, so they will rotate without being loose. They also included an option to put an empty periscope holder in place, showing how they looked without the actual periscope part installed. I'll have to check and see if these parts work on the older Andy's Sherman.

I'm really looking forward to starting them, but I have to get the M103 done, since it s for a friend. It's coming along very well as well, 75% done.

JeepsGunsTanks · January 15

Just a little update on the Shermans. The two painted ones are ready for the tracks, I need to go in and paint a few things before the tracks go on. I had a lot of housework to do and have been spending time on the late war E8 and the 1/35 M103A2. The Sherman'slower hull is getting close to done.

In this shot, you can see the updated travel brace lock. I also plugged the light mount holes. I have one, with the glass headlight, one with the blackout headlights, and now one with the plugs in place. I'm trying out the red magma; it makes me look like an even bigger slob! As sloppy as it looks, you can't feel it, so it should ok after paint.

Here you can see the updated rear engine deck. The engine doors do open, but not with torsion bar effect.

I decided to add the cable for the phone box. I suspect the example tank did not have one... This is just a test fit, I'll use some of the spare track holder brackets to hold the cable in place like the real deal.

M4A3-76-HVSS-Sherman-in-past-owned-by-Li

The box is also not right against the hull, its on three little mounts that keep it about an inch out. So, on the final Sherman, I'll make a little bracket to look like its supposed too.

That's how I'm going to do Sherman number 4, as detailed as I can get it. Should eat up a lot of time when I get to it eventually.

As far as the M103 goes, the spotlight mount is some of the hardest modeling I have ever done, and I got it together, more or less right, but with a minor tilt. I can live with that.

The only hard bits left on this puppy are the headlights, but they should be easy compared to the spotlight.

The Sherman will get the fenders next. Then I can start on the turret. I don't think I'm going to bother painting the gun mount on this third one, I might even leave off some of the detail bits.

I have no plans to start Sherman four until the M10, Achilles, and Greyhound are all done.

Thanks for reading fellas!

Oh, also, I found an adapter in my airbrush stuff that lets me use the Paasche airbrushes I have with the small electric pump. I couldn't spray the house paint with it, but it does Tamiya just fine.

JeepsGunsTanks · January 22

Minor update!

I got the tracks for one of the Shermans more or less finished enough to go on, so I can dull coat it soon and start the part I like the most, the final weathering!

That's my stunt copy of Son of a Sherman; a cat puked on it... I have a pristine copy in a special place.

I'm not done with the exhaust manifold, I still have the dark rust to do. You won't be able to see much of it with the deflector in place. In this early version, it swings up into the hull. On the Korean version, it is either fixed in place or in the open position.

The other Sherman's tracks are real close; just a few gunmetal highlights don't he guides, and finishing the exhaust on both tanks, then dull coat, and final weathering. Plus the figures and all the junk to pile on.

JeepsGunsTanks · January 29

Progress has been made; it feels more than it looks, but it's something. The tanks have been glossy for months, and now they have their matte clear coat, and they look great. The flat clear helped get rid of some decal issues, and it took just one can between the two. What had been holding up progress was getting the exhaust painted up with a few other detail items. Since the exhaust on the Pershing had not been painted yet, it came down for this part, too.

Now the Pershing and Both Shermans are at the same stage in the painting process, the weathering. I may have overdone it with a wash on the Pershing too. if so, no biggy, I'll just respray it and get a different set of decals. I need to crack it open and check the wiring on it anyway.

I got the deflector in place on one, but left it off the other until I'm sure I'm done with the manifolds.

There is no deflector; this one still needs a bit of work. The Korean Sherman is going to be a filthy mess, the WWII 4th AD tank is going to be much closer to new.

Shout out to whoever said to put a drop of paint in the cup on the top of the cap; they are a genius! @Dave_Williams

Pershing getting closer.

Since all the other stars were blacked out, I blacked out the front. This was done in the 4th Armored Division because the crews thought it the white star was a good aim point.

The first layer of the matte. I should have waited to put the armored glass in the cupolas.

My ancient digital camera really likes natural light.

The Pershing after a brown wash.... I'm not sure I like it... I want it to be dirty, but this might be to much.

Hmmm

Indoor shot...

The following shots were taken with my phone. It takes better pictures, but getting them onto the computer is a pain in the rear since the computer does not see it as a drive when hooked up to USB, the memory card requires tools to remove, and the images are too large to email reliably...

Final shot, just messing around with an AK water color weather pencil.

I'm not sure if I want to go with the dark wash on the Shermans, but not as aggressively for sure. Maybe the lower hull and suspension, and the fenders, and a way-thinned version on the upper stuff.

Next up, the tools, and spare tracks go on, and more weathering.

JeepsGunsTanks · January 30

With a little work using a sanding sponge, the wash looks pretty ok to me now.

JeepsGunsTanks · February 12

Here are a few shots of the two Shermans, they are getting close to being done. I just have to get the two tables on and finish painting them.

Got the headlights in

That's just the start of the washes. The Korean War tank is going to be Filthy, and the WWII late 45 tank is going to be much cleaner.

The tow cables still need a little paintwork but they are close. I'm going to have to give painting figure faces a go... That should be fun. I've watched several really good tutorials.

I'm just about done with the M103A2 as well, just a few hull bits and the tracks. The Third Sherman is a good 60% done. Neither TD is started, and the Grayhounds have not shipped yet.

TankBuster · February 12

They looking awesome, well done. Cheers.

JeepsGunsTanks · February 20

I have been adding layers of weathering and playing with the various new weathering products. The bottled washes are pretty nice, but it's easy to go overboard with the dark brown wash for green vehicles. They work great in conjunction with weathering pencils. The washes being oil-based do not effect the pencils, so you can pencil an area, hit it with a wash, then go back and use water on the weather pencil to loosen it up and move it around, and the wash goes with it.

All the light brown is pencil, the darker stuff is the dark wash.

The pencil can end up fairly dark if you really draw it on thick. The flash is washing it out, making it harder to see. When its not raining like crazy, I'll take them outside and get some natural light shots.

With a thick enough layer and light enough water, you can make it look like light is sticking to the surface. Up by the base of the turret in the fuel filler area, you can see the area kept clearer by the pencil when a wash was applied. I bought some thick brown paper; I'm going to try and use that and some brass rod for buckles to make hold-down straps.I left the left-hand bracket for the cleaning rod, on the package shelf, off as well so I can fit the painted cleaning rods into the holder and glue them in place so they look cleaner than trying to paint in place.

You can see the dirt effect on the front hull of this one better.

Just another close-up. In-person, it looks like the kind of dirt layer you get if your vehicle is very dusty and gets hit by some myst.

I lost one of the hold-down bolts for a track link, so one of them is hanging crooked because I'm sure they went missing in real life, too.

Things were going so well. Then I decided to help the wife with the laundry. I carried too many laundry bags at once, caught the turret of the Red Devil tank as I was going by, and dumped the turret on the floor. It busts the muzzle brake, the commander's sight, one of the machine gun brackets, and the barrel holder off. It sheered the Antenna off as well, cracked the shell open, broke the recoil guard off, and blew off the bottom of the canvas cover. It popped the commander's hatch apart and broke off the internal handles.

You can see the Machine gun bracket, and the shell seem here.

A few of the collected parts.

It was all easy to fix with some crazy glue, normal plastic cement, and then touching up the paint.

It took about a half hour to glue everything back on, and about a half hour to touch up the paint the glue messed up.

Some shots post paint fix.

So its 99% fixed. I'm sure most people won't notice these little signs. The tow cables are about to go on, and the figures are being worked on, so these are close to being done. Andy's tanks don't just look good, they take a fall well!

Edited February 20 by JeepsGunsTanks

JeepsGunsTanks · February 22

Another quick update.

I've got the tow cables painted on both tanks and I continue to weather them.

There is a little wingnut to add to the hold down, but those will go on probably last.

I used some of Mig Oil Brusher, fresh fuel to get some leak action going.

I've added some weathering pencil pre-wash, you can see up near the fillers. I'll hit them with water on a brush after the wash I'm going to use.

Going for the same effect as below.

The Tow Cables were not too bad, but they do not want to keep paint on if you flex them too much, and then the copper shows through. I considered painting the section on the front red, but I don't think wire rope gets painted in real life?