Assault gun Sherman

[Rick Lowe]

The conversion I saw once had the casemate raised above the lower hull, so there would have been a lot more space.
It was marked as Israeli, so that's another option. They may even have contemplated something similar in RW, so...

Yeah, the 'i' info I had was from about 20-30 years ago, so... 

And high ground pressure? The reason they fitted Extended End Connectors. I'm not saying how well they worked, but...

[kerick]

I always thought the "duckbills" were for winter in the snow but I'm no authority.

[Rick Lowe]

I always thought the "duckbills" were for winter in the snow but I'm no authority.

Yes, but they also worked in muddy/marshy areas.

[kerick]

Fiddling around with the fiddly bits. Since I added extra frontal armor I have to remount the headlights. PITA. I thought I had some Sherman photo etch for the headlight guards but I can't find it. Maybe tomorrow. Otherwise I'll use the kit stuff. It's just overly thick. We'll see what happens.

[Rick Lowe]

Depends on whether you want them working or not.
When the did the RW uparmouring, they left the lights of the donor add-on glacis plates in place, but didn't bother drilling and rewiring them.

Thick plastic? Needle Files Are Your Friends. 

I wish the Eduard Sherman Basic PE set had made a comeback - just the light and horn guards, nothing else.
And the basic Browning 50 set, too...
Oh well, I have some Shapeways items now, so...

[kerick]

Here's the pic I promised with the current level of fiddle. The worst ones were the headlight guards. I had to pick both of them off the floor. It's a good thing it's a concrete floor in the basement. No carpet monster.



Of course, tomorrow I'll find the photo etch I'm sure I have. I don't think I would use it right now anyway. I'm too stressed out over all the holiday crapola.
Here's a question. What is that odd looking round device with a dome top I see on top of some Sherman turrets? Is it some sort of air cleaner? Every kit seems to have one but pics I've looked up show some with and some without. It appears to be about the size of a coffee can in RW.

[Wardukw]

Here's the pic I promised with the current level of fiddle. The worst ones were the headlight guards. I had to pick both of them off the floor. It's a good thing it's a concrete floor in the basement. No carpet monster.



Of course, tomorrow I'll find the photo etch I'm sure I have. I don't think I would use it right now anyway. I'm too stressed out over all the holiday crapola.
Here's a question. What is that odd looking round device with a dome top I see on top of some Sherman turrets? Is it some sort of air cleaner? Every kit seems to have one but pics I've looked up show some with and some without. It appears to be about the size of a coffee can in RW.

Ken i think that's a air vent ya might be talking about ,,it's to get rid of the gases and smoke when the gun fires hull down ,🤔🤔

[Rick Lowe]

The larger round part with the four attachments behind the turret in the picture is a ventilator, yes. Also the part between the front hatches.
The smaller round bit on the LF of the turret top is a plug for an unused aerial mounting point. Same with the round plug outboard of the front hatches, I believe.

Coming along nicely. 

[George the Cat]

Looks good to me.

[kerick]

I finally found a pic of the device I was asking about. The kit includes the part and I have one from the Easy Eight kit I built a few years ago. From the pics I could find not many Sherman's had it. Here's a screen shot that actually shows it to be a light.
IMG_9876
I found the etched brass. And a few other parts.
IMG_9877

[Rick Lowe]

Late war production units had the light.

[kerick]

To better reveal their position.

[Rick Lowe]

As Murphy says, "Tracer works both ways."   

[kerick]

Well, I just couldn't let the etched brass go to waste. It wasn't very hard to install. Just one bend I wrapped around a needle file and I bent the ends of the straps 90 degrees so I could glue it down. A little more armor welded on and a radio antenna mount. I'm going to have to splash some paint on this soon. Things go faster when I just have to leave parts off instead of building a bunch of new structure.



I'm still working on trim in the kitchen. It's tough when I have to stop all the time when my back starts hurting or I get stabbing pain in my right hip. I'm in the middle of my second trip through the sixties and it's not been a lot of fun so far.

[RAFF-35]

Fantastic looking build so far!

Quick question though, what glue do you use for brass to plastic?