FINISHING THE KITNote
the title here is not "The Finished Kit." That's because I'm
now in the painting and weathering phase and I don't want to delay this report
any further. I'm still reserving the option of adding the Kirin sandbag set, but
at this point the kit is looking pretty good. There
are ample photos of M10 tank destroyers with sandbag armor, primarily on the nose.
I've even seen one frame from a film that shows an M36B1 with sandbags atop a
makeshift armor roof. So I figure that it would certainly be possible, if not
likely, that the M36B1 could be suited up in sandbags, too. Making
Tracks After
a couple of months I finally got my hands on the M4 Sherman VVSS T48-Track. This
is apparently out of production and I was afraid I'd have to settle for their
plain pad version which I had on the shelf. I prefer the robust look of the beefy
chevrons to complement the heft of the tank. Unfortunately,
this means cleaning assembling 158 individual links and their end connectorsand
the ubiquitous extended end connectors. So I'm putting those together right
now. And it's like eating Brussels sprouts or spending the weekend with your in-laws.
It sounds worse than it actually turns out. I mean, you can live through it. But
now I can take advantage of the flexible suspension with indy links that will
be more pliant than the rubber band tracks. So I'm thinking of putting this TD
on a terrain that will show the suspension to its best advantage. And
I have to say that the AFV Club tracks assemble about as easily as can be hoped
for this type of track. There is a raised ejector pin mark on the flat pad of
each link; I didn't carve them off the top run of track since they can't easily
be seen. I did clean up the flat pads that face up. The end connectors vary as
to how snugly or loosely they grip the pins on the pads. I dip the pins in white
glue before inserting them in the connectors. Even after the glue dries, the run
of track retains some flexibility, and they can be bent carefully without the
end connectors dropping off. However...When
you glue the "duckbill" to the edge of the link, you don't have much
of a surface to glue the two pieces unless you get some on the open ends of the
pin receptacles, which has the effect of solidly fusing the pieces and immobilizing
them from flexing. So for the time being I am only gluing the duckbills to the
top, straight run of track. The rest will be affixed when I get the model positioned
onto the uneven base surface. I understand the kit is short on the EECs, so I'm
leaving empty spaces here and there, since the duckbills actually broke off the
tanks in real life. ConclusionThe
problems with TWS's hull, instructions, missing and extra partsas well as
some confusion about the vehicle's interior features and difficulty finding the
indy linksstalled my momentum and dampened my enthusiasm for this project.
If TWS can address the issues with their conversion, this project will be a more
enjoyable build for more modelers. It's reassuring to know that Jay Galbierz will
promptly take care of problems with parts. More
problematic overall might be the use of the donor kit's suspension. As
soon as I get the kit finished I'll add some photos here and you can judge for
yourself the final outcome. But the construction photos should give a good idea
as to what you can make of this conversion with some patience and perseverance. References Modeler's
Guide to the Sherman, by Pete Harlem, Ampersand Publishing. Modeling
U.S. Army Tank Destroyers of World War II, by Steven J. Zaloga, Osprey Publishing. "Sherman
Tank Destroyer," Military Modelling, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2001. TM
9-745 M36B2 and TM 9-748 M36B1, Easy 1 Productions CD-ROM. U.S. Tank
Destroyers in Action, by Jim Mesko, Squadron/Signal Publications. U.S.
Tank Destroyers in Combat 1941-1945, by Steven J. Zaloga, Concord Publications. Walk
Around: U.S. Tank Destroyers, by Jim Mesko, Squadron/Signal Publications. Walk
Around: M4 Sherman, by Jim Mesko, Squadron/Signal Publications. M36B1
conversion kit provided by Tank WorkShop. Introduction Hull
Interior Hull
Exterior Turret Finishing |