M4A6

I had to lose a part didn't I  Put the loaders hatch down and it immediately donned a cloak of invisibility so had to make a new one from sheet styrene. WIP shot here showing ET Model PE hinge with 5amp fusewire spring and Meng styrene nut and bolt....



Gary

Main gun is an M3 75mm. By this stage, the barrel was starting to be produced without the slight flare at the end, but given that some 11,000 units had been produced and ready to go, it would be a while before the newer style would be fitted to production vehicles. So I've used the earlier type here as supplied by Tasca. The .30 barrel is absolutely superb and is by Polish producer Master. The D68454 rotor shield gets some casting details courtesy of Archer...



And fixed to the turret....



Gary

Remaining periscope guards at various stages of construction....



Using PE guards as a template, 5 amp fuse wire is cut into sections. A simple H frame is made first, the cross bars being set to the required width and the assembly soldered together. The 'legs' are then cut to the required length, again using the PER part as a guide. The legs are then folded up, using a piece of scrap styrene as a former. They are then attached to the periscope base with CA gel and small pieces of die punched lead foil at the foot of each leg completes the assembly.

Gary

Suspension parts arrived today...



Gary

As previously mentioned, later type VVSS units on this build with the upswept return roller as can be seen in comparison with an earlier type below...



Tasca/Asuka units are really good, but do require a little TLC. There are some annoying joins between parts to deal with. The one at the end with the return roller assembly is particularly annoying due to its location. Using filler is awkward due to access so I've found the best solution is a piece of stretched sprue works best....



Once the cement has fully cured, a sharp blade is used to carefully shave the sprue away leaving a smooth face.

Standard filler is used for the other parts and styrene strips fill the void usually occupied by the kit track skids which will be replaced with PE items. I've also added the spring adjustment points using Meng styrene nuts...



ET Model provide a very useful PE template for drilling out the 4 holes on the leading face of each unit....



PE track skid added. I've used styrene bolt heads shaved from the kit parts. (Bolt heads are also added to the roller return bracket but not shown here)...



Completed unit....



Gary

Thank you kind Sir


That's a very subjective question. While I find them easy.... Some soldering skill is a prerequisite as is using a gas butane torch and solder paste. Give it a go and you will find that with practice, you can knock them up pretty easily.




Here we are half way through the suspension....







And all complete with the vehicle standing on its own feet...











Gary

Tracks arrived a while back nut only just made a start on them today. All parts are stripped from the sprue trees and placed into small pots....



Gary

And another ready for the paintshop....





Gary

Awesome work, Gary. Can't wait to see it with some color!!