M4-A1 Sherman Tank by Osmosis - Italeri - 1:35

[Osmosis]

I am going to start this log with a disclaimer. This is my first attempt at a plastic kit in about 50yrs. Seriously since i was about 12 or 13. The reason for this particular model is simple it was the cheapest and easiest to lay my hands on at short notice. I recently had an opportunity to acquire these three kits at a very reasonable price (some would say that I stole them) .

 

 

Before I tackle them I would like to relearn how plastic kits are done. I was never very good at them to begin with so it may take more than one shot. I will be taking my time and doing the best job I can with this but I do not have very high hopes at this point. I will be using this build to practice gluing and fitting techniques and also finding out if the skills and tools I use on my wooden kits will work on plastic as well.

 

I am also going to be leaning how to use my newly acquired airbrush at the same time. So we will see how that goes as well. I am currently waiting on a new hose for it so I will be doing a lot of trimming and sanding and dry fitting until that arrives.

 

So on with the build log. I was able to purchase this locally on offer up. It is still sealed in the factory shrink wrap.

 

It appears complete as you would expect from a factory seal kit, right?

 

 

The instructions are in multiple languages but the illustration seem clear and easy to follow.

 

I am going to get to work now and will report back once I have made some progress.

 

Regards

Edited April 30, 2020 by Osmosis

[Canute]

Start with a sharp Exacto knife with plenty of #11 blades - cut parts off sprues, don't tear. Clean up the joints after a dry fit (if needed) and make sure the nibs are gone, too. Some older kits have flash at the edges , usually due to old, warn dies.

 

Get some liquid cement to assemble the kit. I like Tamiya Extra Thin (green label) for gluing. It has a small brush inside the cap. This glue is mostly acetone (welds styrene very nicely), but it's volatile. Other guys should chime in on their favorite glue, too. Keep the parts clamped until the glue sets.  Check the seams and fill if necessary. I like Vallejo filler, but the others will chime in with their faves. Follow the instructions for your first few kits.

 

This should get you started, Art. Have fun.

[Egilman]

An early war long barreled cast hull sherman tank.... Sicily, (with a short barrel) Italy, (post '43) comes to mind. With the T-48 (square pad) track and the offset return rollers strongly indicates Sicily and perhaps early Italy campaigns.... (there were still some floating around after D-Day in France but probably not with square pad tracks)

 

By 1944 the T-48 track and 75mm gun was out of service. (although there were still a few 75's running around that hadn't reached a service depot yet)

 

That's where you should look for references.....

 

And Ken gave some of the best advice anyone could.... 

 

And don't be afraid to ask questions.......

Edited April 30, 2020 by Egilman

[popeye the sailor]

awesome acquisition of the three ship kits.....I have the New Jersey    the Sherman should be a fun build.....

[Osmosis]

Thanks for the likes and the tips.

 

Based on recommendations from another thread I started in the plastic ship section I already have Testors cement and quick drying liquid glue. I had to order the Tamiya quick dry green bottle from amazon that should be here Monday. I got both just to see if I like one over the other. I already have acrylic spot glazing putty. I need to order some Tamiya paint and a few other airbrush related supplies but other than that I feel like I am all set.

 

Got started tonight deburing some of the parts for the suspension assemblies. That should keep me busy till the painting supplies get here.

 

Thanks

[Canute]

Art, just be careful with these cements and fillers. They give off volatile organic compounds. One reason I went for the Vallejo filler, no odors. The acetone and other chemicals give me a buzz (not a fun one, either), so I mask up with a good 3M product to eliminate the effects. Have fun; you've fallen into a fun "rabbit hole".

[Osmosis]

I am still going to have to roll around in some sawdust every now and then just to get rid of the smell of plastic. Lol

[Osmosis]

What is the putty all you plastic guys use for holding small parts. Is that just sculpey?

 

Thanks

[ASAT]

Rabbit hole indeed! LOL... I have three builds going on now... pretty addictive stuff, I have found these new kits are light years ahead of the stuff I used to build in my youth- lots more fun and produces a really nice results.... the sticky stuff is called “ blue tack” or tacky or the like.... it’s usually used to put up posters or light signage on a wall. I got some at Lowe’s in the sandpaper section....

[Osmosis]

(*^%^%$% I just got home from lowes an hour ago.

 

Thanks

[popeye the sailor]

 I don't use it myself,  there are other ways.   a lot of time,  you might be able to paint the parts on the sprues,  or you can assemble parts that are to be the same color.

[Osmosis]

Almost a whole day and I am not even close to being done with step one of the instructions. But I do have all of the hard part out of the way ..... I Think? All of the suspension parts or whatever they are called have been nipped from the sprue, deburred, deflashed, and dry fitted.

 

Here are the first three and all of the tools I have used so far. Nippers knives, emery board. 800 and 1200 grit sand paper. While the flashing was minimal the mold misalignment marks were pretty bad in some spots.

 

Reminds me of something out of TRON.

 

All 6 dry fitted. I got them aligned as bet I could but there are still going to be some fairly major in my opinion misalignment where the two halves come together. This leads me to my first question/problem.  As you can see below the only parts of theses assemblies that are called out for painting are the wheels, guide rollers and a small part that you can barely see once they are assembled that I assume to be part of the hydraulic system. So if the rest of the assembly does not get painted how do I hide and filling or sanding that I would need to do to correct the misalignment. Or am I worrying to much at this point.

 

There are very few parts that are labeled for painting in the entire kit. Do they leave it to the builders discretion? Or were these really basically just one color. I spent quite a few years in the US Navy so I know how the military can be when it comes to paint but I am more concerned with winding up with a decent looking model.

 

I have been doing a bit of research on painting and prepping for painting but I would like to hear from some of you. Is washing with warm soapy water and air drying the best method or do you have a different way?

 

Thanks

[ASAT]

Art, I haven’t built any armor - yet! But I’m sure some of the armor guys are gonna give you all the help you need, just looking at some pics online it seems like most of that is painted green and then you can add highlights and detail etc as you weather the model after assembling..... I haven’t washed anything yet prior to paint, on smaller stuff I shoot a lacquer primer (Tamiya rattlecan fine primer is great) and then airbrush the color coat, on larger pieces ( wings, fuse etc) I did wipe with isopropyl alcohol before primer, paint. Be sure to spray the lacquer stuff outside or with good ventilation/protection- it can be nasty..... I use acrylics for the rest.... the primer really helps to show where you need to clean up a bit more or fill,sand etc....

Edited May 1, 2020 by ASAT

[Osmosis]

Yes after about 5 minutes on the interwebs I answered my own question. They don't call it Olive Drab for nuttin. Very monotone. Is there a way to de glaze the plastic or do I just shoot the whole thing with dull coat when I am done?

[ASAT]

Yep, the general procedure is to : with acrylic colors

clean, prime and pre shade ( if desired) the completed model

paint, wait 24 hrs and mask for camouflage ( if applicable)

paint other color (wait 24 hours between multiple colors/masking 

apply gloss clear, wait 24 hrs then decals

apply more gloss over decals wait 48 hrs

apply oil based washes/panel lines/weathering 

apply acrylic flat coat clear

if more weathering/shading desired use pastels

I got this procedure from jwvolz on here, look at some of his builds to see the results- wow! But there are lots of other methods too, I’m sure we all develop our own after a few builds - try a bunch, that’s what I am doing - having a great time learning!

 

 

[Osmosis]

That is really what I intended for this model one big experiment from beginning to end.

[Egilman]

3 hours ago, Osmosis said:

Yes after about 5 minutes on the interwebs I answered my own question. They don't call it Olive Drab for nuttin. Very monotone. Is there a way to de glaze the plastic or do I just shoot the whole thing with dull coat when I am done?

Nope, actually paint it with Testors Rattlecan Olive drab.... You won't be sorry....

[mtaylor]

I'm not into paints, Art but the bogies look good and ready for paint.  

[popeye the sailor]

I do notice that the saddles are are in different positions......I hope they are movable.   all I can say about armor is ....yup....all green with accented colors........mud optional     some kit will have molded detail like tools,  rope, cable and stuff.  there are accessory kits out there,  where you can add them back on.   gives it a whole new look.

[Osmosis]

Yup Popeye they are movable. I have decided that since my painting supplies won't be here for a while yet that I am going to concentrate on getting this one glued together. I am finding that challenging enough. I am used to PVA glue and the long set times. Once I have figured out how to get them all stuck togethe,r I will figure out the painting on the next one.

[Egilman]

22 minutes ago, Osmosis said:

I will figure out the painting on the next one.

If it's a sherman, or any other US armor, Olive Drab overall...... Like I mentioned above, Testors/Model Masters Rattlecan.... Fastest way to put a true olive drab finish on anything...  goes down thin, dries extremely fast and has the optical properties of real US Army Olive Drab....

Edited May 2, 2020 by Egilman

[Osmosis]

I know it has been a while but here is my progress so far. The turret and body are all assembled and I have been working on filling and smoothing seams where needed while I wait for my paints to arrive. This kit was always meant as a practice platform for my as yet untried airbrushing abilities. I placed an order with tower hobbies for a bunch of Tamiya paint for this and the battle ship kits that will follow when I feel that my skills are up to it.

 

[Jack12477]

I hope the top is just dry fit to the undercarriage in this photo and not glued down, Art.  Getting the tracks installed with the top of the hull in place is a bear. 

[Osmosis]

Nope it is glued down. I practiced getting them on and off several times before and after gluing it down. I plan on doing a camo pattern and I wanted it to flow from top to bottom as it would on the real thing.

[Egilman]

Good looking work, not going to say much about the type model or version as it is just a practice piece, but what I see looks good for a refurbed M4A1 with 76.2mm gun....

Edited May 9, 2020 by Egilman