Sherman ARV Mk.1 South Alberta Regiment

[Beekster]

This is another of my on-again, off-again projects.  It is on again while the two I have at the paint stage (Mack DM and Madill) are on hiatus as paint dries and additional airbrush tooling is on the way.



The Sherman ARV Mk.1 was the standard Commonwealth recovery vehicle in Sherman-equipped regiments.  Most were built from M4A4 hulls, and a few on M4A2 hulls.  The box says this is for Dragon, but I'll be using Tasca/Asuka parts as the base.  There's a wrinkle there, too...I don't have a complete kit with instructions, but a whole bunch of partial sprues from previous projects.  The only instructions I have for the base kit are a grainy set I downloaded off the internet!




Being designed for Dragon, the cover plate for the turret ring opening required alteration to enlarge the diameter.  The resin part was also twice as thick on one side as the other, which required much sanding to grind down to an even dimension.  That done, I made a guess as to how thick the plate really was and cut a disc of styrene for the bottom so that I can make a standard plastic glue joint when the time comes.  I then added styrene strip around the edge to build up the diameter. Since sanding the new edge smooth damaged some of the weld seams, which were now too short anyway, I sanded them off and replaced them with Archer weld beads.


You will notice that this machine uses a simple, collapsible A-frame boom and a small winch for lifting.  This ARV wasn't as capable as an M31 or M32.  The resin boom arms were both quite warped, so I have started making replacements:

It's tough to tell from this angle, but mine are made from hollow square brass tubing, with .060" x .060" stock run down the center and two strips of .010" stock on adjacent sides to build up the outside dimensions.  This too is a guess, since I don't know what the real size was and the dimension varies along the length of the resin parts.

Finally, a mock-up of the partially completed hull with the cover plate set in place:


I've added the few weld seams that Asuka missed using .010" plastic rod, textured with a knife blade while soft.  I am debating how to proceed.  Resicast makes a full interior, but much of it can be cribbed from an Academy TD kit and some elementary scratch building work.  I am mulling over having the turret ring hatches open to show what is inside, but with a figure or two standing or sitting  in/around the opening.  That would mean I would not have to detail the driver's compartment.  Or I might just close it up.

[BUCKY]

Looks like a nice project, beekster! Keep up the good work, bro!

[JCON]

Cool, I'll follow along...

[JED]

I'm in,interesting build

[doogie]

I love odd subjects like this, can't wait to see more.

[JEFF]

I'm in, Beeks.

[Dukemaddog]

I'm following this too. This rocks man.

[Beekster]

Not a lot of visible progress, but some decisions have been made. This will illustrate the big decision:

You see that the hatch hole has been filled, which means no interior. I only have one set of Academy TD parts to use for one, and I've decided to use those as master patterns for molds to cast copies. I'll probably start a thread in the tips section for that, once my LHS has restocked their Alumilite casting kits. The two hatches seen here are being built up on the bottom to make them fit flush, and again I'll be able to use a normal plastic glue joint when they are installed. Sharp eyes will note that a weld seam is shorter than it should be; there was a low spot on the rim that needed filling with superglue and additional sanding work this morning. The weld seams will all get extended out past the rim this afternoon, and sealed in place with Future tomorrow morning.



Nothing remarkable here. I've textured the final drive covers with Mr. Surfacer, since the Asuka parts are a little too smooth and sanding the joins obliterates what is normally there. Ordinarily I would point out where I have added missing casting symbols to the center section of the differential cover, but that won't be happening here. The various fittings and a stowage box that eventually go there would make such marks invisible so there's no sense wasting rather expensive Archer decals.



And all this ones shows are the added weld seams. There's one on the sponson, out of focus up in the left-hand corner of the image. The others are where the rear plate is welded to the side and the sponson top. These are the only weld seams that Asuka misses on these hulls.

[JCON]

Works for me sir, keep it going!!!

[BUCKY]

Very nice details, beekster!

[doogie]

nice detailing

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Can't wait to see more of your magic Beek!

[MARCO]

GReat subject, nice start! I'll follow.

[JEFF]

Nice work, Bro. Which Mr. Surfacer did you use for the cast texture?

[Beekster]

Jan 10, 2018 16:04:48 GMT -6 JEFF said:

Nice work, Bro. Which Mr. Surfacer did you use for the cast texture?

I used the 500, Jeff, my usual standby.

[Beekster]

Progress grinds on slowly. The Asuka kits are easily the most accurate Sherman models out there, but there are still details to be added. For example:

This image shows chains added to the filler cap handles, T-handles of soldered brass for the fire etinguisher pulls, and handle that Asuka forgot for the radiator cap along with a chain. Weld seams have also been added to the cover plates for the turret ring drains. This is all in the line of ding basic detailing that I do on any Sherman model, before getting really stuck in with the conversion bits. But I've started with that:

The rear tow bar is attached. The fit was a bit loose, so I shimmed the attachment points (it was bolted to the tow lugs) with styrene strip which can't be seen. I thus gave myself a plastic join rather than superglue. The handle for the clevis pin was too fragile and didn't survive handling, so a new one was made of styrene strip, .020" brass rod, and a drop of superglue to make a ball at the end. The instructions show this kind of shackle fitted and resin ones are provided. Mine is from RB Model in Poland, and of course is much stronger. The instructions call for another shackle here as well, with the end of a tow cable looped around the pin. I'll fuss with that later. The tow lugs included with the conversion have small-diameter shanks that are unsuitable...sure, I can drill them out for thread but the thread diameter would have to be ridiculously small. The included nylon thread for a heavier tow cable will be fine for that, since the cable ends provided are much larger.



upload image to webside
This is the back end so far. I've added sandshield strips from strip stock and might make mudguards, too. Some of these tanks had sheetmetal squares bolted here to deflect mud. The side rails for the sandshields were removed by the conversion, since that is where the boom arms hang. A piece of white styrene replaces the kit's mount for the big blanket bin, since I messed it up trying to make it more accurate. When finished it will look like the other side, with additional strip stock in that U shape, and drilled down the center for a retention pin. The real box had that U shaped bracket welded to it, and it slid onto the post and was retained with a pin. Angle stock was welded to the hull lower down and a bolt secured the box near the bottom on both sides. That element I've added to the box itself and it will look correct when installed...easier to do it that way than to have angle stock sticking out from the rear plate to be broken off during handling before it is time to attach the box for good.

[JCON]

Nice tiny work fella, keep it going!!!

[BUCKY]

Very nice work on those new details, beekster!

[JEFF]

Excellent detailing, Beeks. Very neat work, Dude.

[Beekster]

Not much to report today. The wife has a wretched, awful cold so I've been doing the "in sickness and in health" routine, puttering around to get hot liquids and the other sundry things that accompany dealing with a cold. But there has been some progress on various fronts and some problems. The most notable problem is seen with the stack of timbers here:

It seems to sit OK, but the straps on the ends don't reach the sponson. I need to consult the (rare) photos of this thing to get an idea of how to proceed. My gut inclination is to get some basswood strip and make real planks, held by styrene straps. Easy, right? Take a close look at how the the straps hold the planks in place. Now, Riddle me this, Batman...how does the crew get the planks in or out of this? Some part of the retention strap structure has to have a hinge somewhere so that part of it pivots away to allow the planks to be moved. Gotta think about that one...
The progress is easier to see, since I now have the bow MG installed and the turret ring cover glued down. The brass shackle there goes through a resin ring, which needed the hole enlarged a bit and some .020" stock added to the bottom to raise it enough for the shackle to fit.  It is also possible to see here that the plank assembly is warped...another reason to use it as a rough pattern and make my own.


Other things are moving along slowly. That left side mount for the blanket bin continues to vex me, since the top doesn't like to stay in place. I have drilled through the mount, so tomorrow (I hope...) I can trim the top piece flush and carefully run the drill up from the bottom to make the through hole. Then I can fabricate the retention pins with chains and get the blanket box on permanently.

Incidentally, the top image in this post shows some strip stock alongside the first aid box. That is something that Asuka and virtually everyone else misses, the brackets that are welded to the hull to keep the box in place. I am adding similar pieces to another stowage box that will sit to the right of the blanket bin, and a bin that sits on the right side of the hull near the back. I've also built the snatch block that fits atop the diff cover, a nifty little five-piece resin assembly. More on that later...