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Modeller Build Logs
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 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 the main reasons I decided to use the Dragon kit as a donor.
The surprise I got was that they incredibly thin. I fact, they’re so thin that just getting them to form to the right shape was difficult. Once I got them to shape, they looked funny and were so flimsy that they bent whenever I tried to set them up on the model. After playing with them for about an hour, I decided that they just weren’t going to work. Huge bummer.
I’ve realized that at times like this, it’s almost always better to go to plan B. If I’d continued to try to force these parts to work, I would have likely ended up messing up the model as well and compounding my problem. Plan B was to use the Eduard set TP028 US Light Guards. This is a simple and cheap (about $4 USD) photoetch set that contains just the headlight, taillight and siren guards. It’s easy to use and I was able to form these with no problem.
I added the light cap holder (the small tube mounted on the inside of each headlight guard) by cutting a 0.040” rod about 5mm long (yes I know I’m mixing my units of measure). I added a small piece of Aber photoetch chain running from the top to the bottom and then a small rivet head on top of the chain which I made from 0.015 sheet plastic using a punch and die set.
I left off the head lights since they’re molded in clear plastic and I wanted to try to paint them so the lens would remain clear. I had a heck of a time figuring out how to mask the lens. You can’t use liquid mask because it crazes the plastic and normal masking with tape is nearly impossible. I finally decided to simply add a drop of Elmer’s Glue (white glue) over the lens. Elmer’s Glue is my second favorite glue (after the Testor’s tube glue) and it’s perfect for this use since it doesn’t interact with the plastic. I painted the back side of the headlights in chrome silver to give the light the reflective look I wanted. I’ll paint them the correct color along with the rest of the model.
I went to put on the siren and realized that the Dragon kit only has the newer style siren and so I scrounged through my spares box for one I had left over. I also added the small power wire that runs from the back of the siren up to the side of the headlight guard (where it then goes into the hull).
Progressing on, I put on the .30 cal MG. Note that this hull represents on of the earliest hull designs and so the ring around the .30 cal MG mount that was used for the foul weather cover isn’t present. Checking references, I found that there should have been four snap rivets in the four corners of the mount plate (just inside the weld lines) so I added these using 0.015” sheet plastic and a punch set.
Also, I added the small eyelets that are on the inside edge of the hatch openings. These are set so that when the hatch is closed, the eyelet sticks through the slot in the little ‘tongue’ that sticks out from the hatches and a lock can be placed through the eyelet to prevent the hatches being opened. I used some left over photoetch for this.
I then formed up the stowage box that goes on the right fender. Legend did a really nice job in their photoetch for this piece. It’s only three parts and the photoetch is very sturdy. It has nice scoring where the folds are to take place and I had no trouble folding it up (I don’t use any kind of photoetch folding tool) and the parts all fit together perfectly.
Finally, I assembled the hull hatches per Legend’s instructions. These are nicely done and I had no problems with them.
Up Next: Rear Hull Details |
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