Sherman III Early in North Africa |
| By James Wechsler |
| Started: | Aug 13, 2005 | | Updated: | Sep 25, 2005 |
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A couple of weeks ago I wrote up a review here on Track-Link of the Legend Sherman III conversion set (LF 1096). I really liked the set and couldn’t wait to start on it. So I thought, why not do a blog to show how the build-up comes together? So here it is.
Up Next: What items am I going to use? |
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| Chapter 31 - Perspective | Sep 25, 2005 |
I close this blog with a little summary. The photo included in this chapter has the Sherman III that I just completed and my Chilean Army M-60 HVMS Sherman (see the Gallery/Chile section).
These tanks are the bookmarks on the long career of the Sherman tank. The Sherman III in this blog represents... more |
| Chapter 30 - Final Assembly | Sep 23, 2005 |
I don’t have much to report in this chapter. This is really a summary and opportunity to show the finished model which I’ll also post to the gallery.
When I wrote the initial review of the of the Legend LF1096 Sherman III Early Conversion set, I gave it 4 ½ stars. So would I change my review? No.... more |
| Chapter 29 -The Base - Part 2 | Sep 21, 2005 |
As I looked at the base, I decided that there were three problems.
1. The sand is too light
2. The well is too dark
3. The sand looks too uniform. More like a beach than a desert
In order to fix this, I decided that I’d need to add some rocks and paint the sand. First, I sprayed the whole base... more |
| Chapter 28 - The Base - Part 1 | Sep 19, 2005 |
| Now that the well is completed, it’s time to make the base. I didn’t want to do anything to complex since I felt the model and well would show themselves. I’ve been building up a rather large Sherman collection and I’ve put them all on bases that are about 6 inches wide by 9 inches long (some are 5... more |
| Chapter 27 - Well, isnt that special | Sep 13, 2005 |
| When I first started this project, I planned to build a simple desert base for the model. Nothing special, just some sand and a few rocks. Something to give the model context and place it in it surroundings. Then the good fellows over at Mission Models (www.missionmodels.com) decided they were going... more |
| Chapter 26 - All Together Now | Sep 12, 2005 |
Well the time has come. All the parts are built, painted and weathered. Time to put them together.
The first step was to mount the VVSS assemblies to the hull. This is a tough job since there are no locating holes. I determined that the bottom of the assembly should be 2mm below the bottom of... more |
| Chapter 25 - The Crew | Sep 11, 2005 |
| For the tank crew I used the excellent Warriors 35389 British Desert Rat Tankers set. This consists of two half figures for the driver and co-driver and a full figure for the commander. All three are holding binoculars. I thought this a bit strange but after looking at it long enough, I decided that... more |
| Chapter 24 - Stow it | Sep 10, 2005 |
I love stowage! Along with the tank crew, I feel stowage really adds life to a model. It gives a tank a sense of action and use. Coupled with even a simple base, stowage and figures can give a real feeling of the setting and environment the vehicle is in.
Unfortunately, the photos of the desert... more |
| Chapter 23 - Please Maam, Just the Tracks | Sep 9, 2005 |
| So with the tracks painted, I went and clipped them of the sprues and started to assemble them. 79 links per side. I found that the paint on the track pins made the fit to the end connectors nice and tight so no Elmer’s glue was required. The assembly was painless. After making both track runs, I... more |
| Chapter 22 - Just the Tracks Maam | Sep 8, 2005 |
| I decided to use the excellent RHPS WE210 Double I Bar Tracks for this project. Of course the T51 Rubber Block tracks (also available from RHPS) would have been appropriate too. So why did I use the Double I Bar tracks? Because they look cool! Honestly, that’s the only reason. I don’t have any reference... more |
| Chapter 21 - Weathering | Sep 7, 2005 |
| With all of the painting done, it’s time for weathering. Like the lower hull, I first mixed up a sloppy mess of Raw Umber oil paint and oil paint thinner (buy this at the art supply store as well). I’ve read several other reviews, and just for a note, what I call a wash is sometimes called a filter... more |
| Chapter 20 - Detail Painting | Sep 5, 2005 |
I thought I’d include a short chapter to show the way I painted the details (pioneer tools, .30 cal and .50 cal MGs, etc) on the model. I try to paint the details before I give the model a wash so that they blend in a little better.
Most of the detail painting on this model is on the tools. I like... more |
| Chapter 19 - Dry Transfers | Sep 4, 2005 |
| For the markings I decided to use the Archer’s Dry Transfers, set AR35174 ‘9th LANCERS, 1st ARMOURED DIVISION NORTH AFRICA (C squadron). This set has transfers for both the Sherman II (M4A1) and III (M4A2) as used in late 1942. I have never used dry transfers and I was a little nervous. I new that... more |
| Chapter 18 - Dry Brushing | Sep 3, 2005 |
With the camouflage complete, it was time to do some dry brushing. I didn’t see much point in dry brushing the sand colored areas since there are not many colors much lighter than the sand. I did dry brush the green areas with a medium tan color.
I used a wide, flat brush and made sure to drag it... more |
| Chapter 17 - Painting - Section 4 | Sep 2, 2005 |
So with the painting complete, it was time to make the hard edge. I took a fine brush and began to paint along the feather so it would become a hard edge. I used the paint straight from the jar and cleaned the brush a few times.
It took me about another hour and the edging was complete. One thing... more |
| Chapter 16 - Painting - Part 3 | Sep 1, 2005 |
With the lines drawn on, I now began the slow process of filling in the green areas. I chose Model Master Green Drab for the color since that seemed closest to the references I have.
This part of the painting is a bit slow since it’s critical that you get a very tight feather. The tighter the feather,... more |
| Chapter 15 - Painting - Part 2 | Aug 31, 2005 |
I had originally planned to summarize the rest of the painting in a single chapter and include a collage photo to show the work. However, after looking at the collage photo, I realized that it would be tough to actually see what I was doing. Instead, I will be posting four short chapters on the painting.
I... more |
| Chapter 14 - Painting - Part 1 | Aug 30, 2005 |
| For the base color, I followed the same painting procedures that I used when I painted the lower hull. I first painted the rest of the parts in a pre-shade of Tamiya Acrylic NATO Brown and then covered it with Testor’s Model Master Sand. I didn’t paint the split hatch and one of the hull hatches since... more |
| Chapter 13 - The Turret | Aug 29, 2005 |
Originally I had planned on a number of chapters relating to how I built the turret. However, once I got going, it was so straight forward that I realized I could summarize it in a single, relatively short chapter.
To be frank, Legend really did a fine job with the turret. Construction is simple,... more |
| Chapter 12 - The Pioneer Tools | Aug 28, 2005 |
I decided to use the Formations pioneer tools (F018) since I didn’t have any photoetch brackets and straps and the kit tools really need enhancing. The Formations set is really nice and looks great when it’s on the model.
If you haven’t used this set before, don’t be intimidated. Even though it... more |
| Chapter 11 - Rear Hull Details | Aug 27, 2005 |
| I started on the rear hull details in much the same way as the front. First up were the taillights. The Dragon kit also has these molded in clear plastic but I really didn’t think it was necessary to try to keep the lens clear. I’ll just paint them after the model is painted and add a small drop of... more |
| Chapter 10 - Front Hull Details | Aug 26, 2005 |
| I expected that putting on the details of the hull would be an easy and straight forward job. For the most part it was. However, I got a nasty surprise when I went to use the Dragon headlight guards. Dragon gives you a photoetch set of headlight guards that look quite nice. In fact, it was one of... more |
| Chapter 9 - The Suspension | Aug 23, 2005 |
| The early M3 suspension included in the Legend conversion kit is a very nice set. It is a bit complex to assemble (more on this later) but it does appear to be accurate based on the references I have. The Legend set assumes you’ll use the road wheels and return rollers from the donor kit. The Dragon... more |
| Chapter 8 - Those Pesky Front Fenders – Part Deux | Aug 22, 2005 |
It seems that I can no longer avoid having to fit the front fenders and sand skirts to the hull. I knew going in that they weren’t going to fit correctly. I started by gluing the fenders to the hull and the transmission cover. My logic was that I had to locate these positions correctly no matter what.
When... more |
| Chapter 7 - Weathering the Lower Hull | Aug 21, 2005 |
I decided to do a little weathering on the lower hull, drive sprockets, and idlers before attaching them, the front fenders and the sand skirts. I figured it would be easier now than after they were all assembled.
My photo references indicated that the Shermans in late 1942 really didn’t have a lot... more |
| Chapter 6 - Painting the Lower Hull | Aug 20, 2005 |
At this point in the build, I realized that I’d have to paint the lower hull and drive sprockets. I needed to do this so I could then mount the front fender/sand skirt. I almost always paint the whole model at once so it felt a little weird to only paint the lower half.
However, I did see this as... more |
| Chapter 5 - The Sand Skirts | Aug 19, 2005 |
I figured that mounting the rest of the sand skirts was going to be a pretty simple process. I cut the parts off the resin blocks, fixed some warping and drilled out the little air vent on the middle skirt.
My thought was that I’d start with the rear of the three side skirts and then locate the middle... more |
| Chapter 4 - The Front Fenders | Aug 18, 2005 |
| I knew the front fenders and sand skirts were going to be tough. The problem is that since I switched to the Formations one piece cast transmission cover I now had to also use the front fenders from Formations. No problem except that I had to make them fit to the Legend sand skirts. Turns out that... more |
| Chapter 3 - The Upper Hull | Aug 17, 2005 |
| Having completed the lower hull, I expected that mounting the upper hull would be a simple and straight forward process. Boy was I in for a surprise. In order to prepare the hull, you have to remove the thin covers left in place for the hull hatches, the turret, and the engine grills. No big deal,... more |
| Chapter 2 - Lower Hull | Aug 15, 2005 |
| I almost always start my kits by building the lower hull. In this case, the build up of the Dragon lower hull is pretty straight forward. The hull has its legacy back to the Dragon M4A1 (cast hull) kits so the sponson fillers are angled at the front to accommodate the cast upper hull. Dragon provides... more |
| Chapter 1 - What items am I going to use? | Aug 13, 2005 |
In the review, I discussed the options that a modeler may want to use for choosing the donor kit and other add-ons. So here’s the list of what I chose.
1. Legend Sherman III (M4A2) Conversion (for Academy M4/M10)
2. Dragon M4A2(76) Red Army
3. RHPS WE210 Double I Bar Tracks
4. Formations F018 Sherman... more |
