Just stumbled onto this site and am so glad I found it! I'm a huge Sherman fan, especially the late WWII/Korean War Easy 8. I've just gotten back into scale modeling after a nearly 20-year hiatus and, after completing an M46, a Pershing, and an M41 Bulldog, I'm about to start work on the Academy M4A3E8 kit. Please wish me luck as my skills, which were never that great, are limited.
Post by barkingdigger on May 24, 2015 16:10:47 GMT -5
Hi qcarr,
Looks like it's been very quiet here of late, but welcome to the site! Plenty to see even if there is no new activity. By the way, do you have a bigger copy of your profile pic? I ask because I have an M36 to paint in Korean camo, and wanted to get a better handle on colour choices. (I modelled from a B/W pic, so it's "light" & "dark" instead of "earth" and "OD"...)
Tom - yes, I do have a larger photo of my avatar and I've attached it to this message. It's an M46 Patton from the Korean War. Hope you are able to retrieve it!
Awesome - nice to see you in this group as well! Can't wait to see some of your Shermans. I'm in the middle of the Academy M4A3E8 and enjoying it. My skills have a long way to go, but it may turn out somewhat respectable.
The Academy kit is a good starter kit, given its age and normal cost. I use the lower hull for other projects: I like the ease of assembly and reasonably good detail. The turret shape is better that the old Italeri turret too. The only real drawbacks that I'm aware of are the chunky details and the depressed welds on the hull. The old tracks are a bit stiff but newer issues have them molded in a softer material, still melty-pin though (I think). The M4A3/105 I have in progress, almost finished, is built off the Academy lower hull and suspension, and the Italeri upper I used went right on, no issues, very little modification required. Had I had one in the stash when I started the project, I would have used a Dragon upper hull, but all I had then were the old, Italeri-copy version.
I couldn't help notice that you hail from Vermont. We currently have a monthly meeting in Essex for all model builders. AMPS and IPMS members are there along with other modelers. It is a free model club and if you haven't dropped in yet, please do. Our club name is Mt. Mansfield Scale Modelers. We have a FB page and a annual show FB page also. Hope to hear from you!