Small Scale Military Headquarters

Hey Guys,

I hope to get started on the M4a1 hull today. Hopefully I will have some pics to post tonight.

For you guys who are actually going to get this I have a question.

Do I texture the hull or not? The 21st has no texture what so ever ( it is smooth ) and the FOV turret is WAY TOO ROUGH.

So Do I leave it smooth , fine texture or semi rough texture it ?

No way will I do it as rough as the FOV. That should be sanded a bit to get it looking half way decent.

My other post started to head in a different direction so I made a new post.

Input welcomed.

The M4A1 is a cast hull and has a definite textured appearance. The 21st XD M4 hull version is made from rolled steel plates welded together. Thus a more smooth finish. I vote for a fine texture.

I just did a thicker cast texture on mine to cover up the seams (too lazy to sand and what not) I may refine it a bit as it is a little to thick but it is still technically overdone.. and im going to cover most of the tank with gear lol to hide imperfections.

I started a little experamentation getting the radia on the side and with the texture.
I think that I got it right and it is just rough enough.
It is about half as rough as the FOV.
What do you guys think ?

Looks about right to me.

Looks good! Much better than a smooth surface.


- Jeff

Looks Great

I finally got the prototype done.

That resin just killed me.

Check the pics out.

Very cool... what was the final price and do you take howitzers in trade?

outstanding, pH. Like i said, you are a magic wand.

Hey Grunt we can work something out

I was thinking about $85 for the hull. It is one unit and fits on the 21st chassy with no problem.

All you need to do is pop off all of the hardware. Lights brackets shovels that kind of thing off of the mother Sherman.

I have not done the FOV retro fit yet. I am going to see what kind of response that I get with the first prototype.

I was thinking of doing a parts package for about $25 which will include everything you need so you will not have to take them off of the 21st hull.

That way you could keep the 21st hull and just switch them out and have 2 tanks for the one .

That .hull is looking very nice.

A parts package would be a great idea

wow, looks real cool! Great job!

Thanks Guys ,

I will try to get the hull all tweaked out today. Filler caps that kind of stuff.

I am thinking of cutting off the beam thing that goes across the front for gear stowage.

I do not recall too many pics with this on in pics. The ones that I have seen are mounted up closer to the hull anyway.

It will be easier to cast WITHOUT IT.

So should I leave it or cut it ?

Cut it!

Make it easy on your self, cut it. This hull looks great!

Cut it !

phil

Well I took everyones input and cut it off.

I think it looks better.

I fit the hull to the FOV and it was not as hard as I thought. I had a little practice with the M-10 and it was not hard to do at all.

What I did was make it like the 21st and cut the tranny off and made it a seperate piece. Here it is.





I mounted all the fuel caps and did a mockup.

This is almost ready to mould . All I need to do is put the mounting stubs in for the FOV and we are ready to go.





So you can now use either the 21st or FOV to do this mod.

I will make the FOV tranny seperate I am guessing about $10- $15.

All you will have to do is unscrew the old hull and screw mine on and the mod is done.

That is after a little sanding of flash priming . You will probably need to get the parts kit for the FOV because it will be real hard to use the parts because they are moulded to the hull.

But it can be done.

This look realy great!!....well, ALL of your custom jobs look great!!!!!

I only visit the 1:18 side occasionally and came across this - it looks GREAT! I am a major Sherman buff and this one is really tempting. Your tesxture looks good, the real casting vary in roughness (there were several foundries producing the parts) but in general US armor castings are not nearly so rough as the Russians, etc.

So far it looks like the "best" M4A1 would be your upper hull on the 21C lower hull for the correct rear engine plate (the FoV is a Ford-engined M4A3), with a 21C turret and FoV suspension bogies (21C have the later raised return roller bracket).

By the way, you are right to leave the "stowage beam" off. There was a small fender support bracket on real Shermans. The crews would often place a timber, board, or steel beam across the front that was held in place by those fender supports. There wasn't a standard design and not everyone used the front stowage support.

Nice work - I'll have to look into this.

binder001 wrote:I only visit the 1:18 side occasionally and came across this - it looks GREAT! I am a major Sherman buff and this one is really tempting. Your tesxture looks good, the real casting vary in roughness (there were several foundries producing the parts) but in general US armor castings are not nearly so rough as the Russians, etc.

So far it looks like the "best" M4A1 would be your upper hull on the 21C lower hull for the correct rear engine plate (the FoV is a Ford-engined M4A3), with a 21C turret and FoV suspension bogies (21C have the later raised return roller bracket).

By the way, you are right to leave the "stowage beam" off. There was a small fender support bracket on real Shermans. The crews would often place a timber, board, or steel beam across the front that was held in place by those fender supports. There wasn't a standard design and not everyone used the front stowage support.

Nice work - I'll have to look into this.

Hello ,

Thanks for the compliment.

I have made a generic M4A1. Something you can work with.

The first M4A1 had the rollers you talked about ( just like on the M-3 Grant ) and tiny mantlet. They also had the slick pads on the tracks .
I think they progressed them as they built them.

The 21st could be used for that version but it should not have the ring around the bow gun. Easily sanded off. Also it probably should not have the armor plate on the stock 21st turret.

The M4A1 hull is correct for the FOV . The grille in back is not an issue because with my replacement the FOV upper hull is not even used.This would be the late M4A1 version. Additional armor should be on the turret and aditional armor should be on the hull sides. Also the extra hatch on the top of the FOV should be deleated.

As stated before this is a generic M4A1 hull . With minor changes either way will work with what is out there. Or use as is for a easy conversion.

During the war they used eveything that was moving. Different tracks turrets and what not. If it fit use it.


The next phase of the M4A1 would be the 76 gun and it would have canted hull hatches. I am pretty sure I will not do that version. It all depends how this one sells.