M4A3 Sherman w/ 105 mm Howitzer & 75 mm Long Gun tanks by Jack12477 - 1:35 scale - Tamiya - FINISHED

[CDW]

6 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

Very nice work, Jack.  Just curious, would the crew's side arms (the Thompson and M1 been kept outside the hull?  I think the weather would have damaged them.  But then, I know zip about tanks.

You're saying that because you're a Marine. I know you sleep with your rifle. Me too. 🙂

[mtaylor]

7 minutes ago, CDW said:

You're saying that because you're a Marine. I know you sleep with your rifle. Me too. 🙂

 

Yep.  Can't be too careful you know. Well.. did would be a better way of putting it. Don't have a thunderstick at this point.

[Egilman]

13 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

Okay, I think I am now finished with all the figures and added accessories.  EG, you wanted sandbags ! I think I captured the look, altho I have not decided on a color for the bags.  Btw they are made from a children's modeling clay.  .......

 

.......Now to use the tank's cannon.......... 

 

5 hours ago, Canute said:

Jack, looking good.  If I may hazard a guess, if the bags are burlap, they'd probably be a light tan.

 

The color of the bags depends on where they got them from, Standard US issue were OD green painted heavy burlap, very quickly they turned into a close resemblance to heavily shaded Field Drab, this would be the OD Green muted by the canvas color underlying it...... other than that if they are locally sourced bags they would be anything from light tan/wood color to black... The shape and form sure looks like freshly filled US Army issue sandbags to me... given the fresh refurb condition of the tank, that would be appropriate... (btw... you might want to paint the cannon's muzzle black before you use it)

 

Beautiful work by the way, can't wait to see your setting...

Edited May 11, 2020 by Egilman

[Jack12477]

7 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Very nice work, Jack.  Just curious, would the crew's side arms (the Thompson and M1 been kept outside the hull?  I think the weather would have damaged them.  But then, I know zip about tanks.

Mark, I am assuming the tanker brought the carbine up with him when he opened the hatch and placed it on the turret to keep it handy and close.  The ones on the hull are just there cuz they were shown that way in pictures I had, presumably the infantry could run up and grab a new weapon off the hull deck. 

 

EG,  thanks for info on the sandbags. I'm still not satisfied with their look, may redo them. Not glued down yet. 

[Canute]

Yeah, the sandbags I remember from the 70s on were OD. They were also plastic. I was opining about a WW 2 era burlap bag, is all. Carry on. What's an aviator know about earth-moving equipment, huh?

[mtaylor]

6 hours ago, Canute said:

 What's an aviator know about earth-moving equipment, huh?

That's true.  Depending speed and altitude, they're just "something moving around down there"... some are targets, some not.

[Canute]

They're all targets, sez the Weasel. Some are just higher priorities for  weapons employment.

[cog]

So flyers are Weasels, Canute? They'd appreciate that!

 

I've seen on YouTube a video where the sandbags were made of Milliput. First given the general form, than it's final shape, and made more realistic by pressing some metrial with a distinct weave softly on it. Did look rather convincing.

[Jack12477]

While I am trying to figure out a suitable display for the tank, I decided to at least drag the Verlinden Battle Damage Villa kit out of the stash and at least paint it.  Not sure how I want to depict the stucco but I hit the whole thing with a coat of Tamiya Fine Gray Primer first.  The started painting in the exposed bricks.  The various other colors on the stucco are just test paint strips for now. For the brick I first applied a coat of Liquitex Red Black acrylic then over painted somewhat random bricks with Lifecolor Terracotta.  More work to be done and more testing of color schemes. Then the whole thing has to be Epoxied together.  It's 3 " x 4" x 3 " x 3' wide per panel.

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Jack12477

[Edwardkenway]

Looks good Jack, I would think the stucco would be a dirty white/ivory or a dirty cream/ magnolia colour as that seems to be the colouring that is most prolific in western Europe. Although as they are battle damaged a pale dirty grey would be good😊

Edited May 12, 2020 by Edwardkenway

[Jack12477]

Thanks, Edward. The box art is a little vague looking at the color photo. I was experimenting with unbleached titanium white, which is kinda like parchment in color.  Have to play around still. 

[Edwardkenway]

I don't know if these will help? 

photos off the internet 

[Jack12477]

Thanks, Edward, great help.

[Canute]

11 hours ago, cog said:

So flyers are Weasels, Canute? They'd appreciate that!

Only certain ones, Carl.  It was a very specific and demanding combat mission. Not everybody did it. My base had the job and only 1 squadron did the lion's share of the job. I was in a separate squadron that flew as air escorts for the primary Weasels. We carried ordnance to neutralize the surface to air missile sites. The job was not for the faint of heart. 

 

The stucco in Edward's photo is spot on for what I remember as the color in France. Where I lived in Germany, the stucco was more of a red, but it was fairly new, having been redone in the late 40's/early 50s.

[Edwardkenway]

The town of Iserlohn near Duisburg was mainly off white when I spent time there with my brother in law in the late 90's but in Hemer it was a dark salmon red.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Edwardkenway
Hemer was the village not Iserlohn

[mtaylor]

Looks good, Jack.   Will you be adding "smoke damage" to the stucco?  

[Egilman]

2 hours ago, Canute said:

Where I lived in Germany, the stucco was more of a red, but it was fairly new, having been redone in the late 40's/early 50s.

Yeah, that was an explosive growth industry in Germany back in those days....

[Jack12477]

2 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Will you be adding "smoke damage" to the stucco?

I will be adding some type of damage, just not sure how I wiil present it yet.  Still messing with the basic colors right now. 

[cog]

Stucco: in the Northern part of France is off white - greyish. The more Southern you go the more it goes to ivory - sand colour (no not black sand!) In Belgium it is often light grey - grey. Dammage usually shows as tears and rents, or pieces of plaster falling off which either shows the bricks/stones, or an underlaying layer of plaster

[Canute]

Yes, the stucco in Bitburg was a salmon color. I think my dad had pictures of the town square in Jan-Feb 45, after 3rd Army helped pinch off the Bulge. Looked better in 1975.

[popeye the sailor]

love what your doing Jack......the tank and figures look super     the walls look real good too!

[Jack12477]

Well, here's the Villa all painted and assembled. The last wall had to be re-epoxied because the 1st attempt did not hold.  Now for some weathering, then create the scene. Having some  difficulty locating the building materials I want, most are out of stock at the moment, so progress will be a little slow.  

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by Jack12477

[popeye the sailor]

looks good  

[Jack12477]

Still here! Just waiting for supplies !    Also got a little sidetrack,  planting veggies and flowers; had to build a 2 ft  high fence around a raised bed to keep the feral cats from digging it up.

 

We are sloooooooowly coming out of lockdown, but now I have to remember to put a "face covering" in my pocket along with a handkerchief    

[Old Collingwood]

1 minute ago, Jack12477 said:

Still here! Just waiting for supplies !    Also got a little sidetrack,  planting veggies and flowers; had to build a 2 ft  high fence around a raised bed to keep the feral cats from digging it up.

 

We are sloooooooowly coming out of lockdown, but now I have to remember to put a "face covering" in my pocket along with a handkerchief    

I have that sorted  when I go out  - Flame thrower  does the job fine.🤭

 

OC.

[CDW]

Just now, Jack12477 said:

Also got a little sidetrack,  planting veggies and flowers;

What kind of veggies and flowers did you plant, Jack? 

We planted sunflowers and hibiscus hedges at my house this past week. They got rained on real good this afternoon.

[Jack12477]

I have 3 raised beds for veggies, 1 - 3 ft x 3 ft, 2 - 3 ft x 6 ft. The 3x3 is tomatoes, peppers, bush beans; 1- 3x6 is all potatoes, red skins and purple aka Adirondack potatoes, have a purple skin and purple meat very tasty; other 3x6 is beets, broccoli, egg plant and kolhrabi.  I use the "square foot" gardening technique for the veggies. 

 

The flowers are the peripheral gardens, we just augmented them with a variety of phlox, coneflowers, Bee Balm (Manarda),  coral bells, coleus. The flower gardens are well established, we just augment them from year to year. 

[Jack12477]

21 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Flame thrower  does the job fine.

For the virus or cats ?   I was thinking a few Claymores for the cats, but decided that was too drastic  

[Edwardkenway]

2 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

For the virus or cats ?   I was thinking a few Claymores for the cats, but decided that was too drastic  

I think it would work for both 😏

[Edwardkenway]

2 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

I have 3 raised beds for veggies, 1 - 3 ft x 3 ft, 2 - 3 ft x 6 ft. The 3x3 is tomatoes, peppers, bush beans; 1- 3x6 is all potatoes, red skins and purple aka Adirondack potatoes, have a purple skin and purple meat very tasty; other 3x6 is beets, broccoli, egg plant and kolhrabi.  I use the "square foot" gardening technique for the veggies. 

 

The flowers are the peripheral gardens, we just augmented them with a variety of phlox, coneflowers, Bee Balm (Manarda),  coral bells, coleus. The flower gardens are well established, we just augment them from year to year. 

Never been able to grow tomatoes,  they flower then the fruit doesn't get larger than a grape and stays green 🤔😟