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Post by Dwight A. Ta-ala on Jul 20, 2021 18:56:52 GMT -6
Good day to everyone! I got this kit from a Sell/Buy/Trade website for a good price although it is missing the "Cobra King" portion of the decals. While it came from Academy, this is actually a re-boxed Asuka kit (which is quite an expensive kit IMHO). The kit looks years ahead of the old Tamiya M4A3E2 Jumbo which suffered from a lot of issues like wrongly shaped turret, anemic transmission cover among others. However, while the kit is nicely detailed it seems that the kit is "over engineered" as components are usually made up of many parts. This may increase the time of assembly and will surely test the patience of lazy builders like me. The kit came with a metal barrel which I found to be too heavy and it has the tendency to point downwards due to its weight. The connecting pin between the mantlet and the turret should be tightened to avoid this. (Something that I realized when it was too late.) There were also 3 PE periscope guards included but those were too thin and too delicate to handle. I replaced those with some leftovers from previous kits although the plastic part looks OK to me. So far, here is how it looks... The plastic mounting brackets for the tools were very neatly molded but I replaced them from parts cut from brass because I wanted to have the option to have the tools removed leaving the brackets only. Hopefully, I get some more progress this weekend,
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Post by JCON on Jul 20, 2021 19:35:32 GMT -6
Nice building Dwight!!!
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reserve
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Post by reserve on Jul 20, 2021 20:40:30 GMT -6
Picked up a Tammy E8 a few years ago and found the same thing, an Asuka mold in a Tammy box. Gotta wonder what that was all about, but it's said Asuka molds the most accurate Shermans out there so I felt lucky.
Nice build
Regards, Mark
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Post by Dwight A. Ta-ala on Jul 20, 2021 21:15:56 GMT -6
Picked up a Tammy E8 a few years ago and found the same thing, an Asuka mold in a Tammy box. Gotta wonder what that was all about, but it's said Asuka molds the most accurate Shermans out there so I felt lucky. Nice build Regards, Mark Yeah, I got that one too, Mark. We are lucky indeed as the Tamiya price is substantially lower than the Asuka ones.
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bravo1jon
GAINING SPEED
Why is my finger more sticky to glue than the plastic?
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Post by bravo1jon on Jul 21, 2021 4:32:49 GMT -6
Cool looking tank. I am unfamiliar with Asuka. Is this an old model company? Are they still in business? How can you tell who made the body are there marking on the plastic? I learn so much watching you guys build these tanks, thank you. Looking forward to seeing more of this build.
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Post by dogfish7 (R.I.P.) on Jul 21, 2021 8:07:57 GMT -6
I like how it's front mantle has extra thick armor.
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reserve
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Post by reserve on Jul 21, 2021 8:36:19 GMT -6
Asuka used to be Tasca if I recall correctly; a Japanese company known for high end molding (and high price). I'm not sure how old the company is but I've been hearing about them for the last ten years give or take. Check out Sprue Brothers, they usually have a bunch listed
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Post by Dukemaddog on Jul 21, 2021 14:32:23 GMT -6
Looks excellent Dwight! You're really moving along on that.
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Post by JED on Jul 25, 2021 7:55:05 GMT -6
Looks a nice kit
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Post by BUCKY on Jul 25, 2021 9:54:27 GMT -6
I'll be checking this one out!
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rustybaer
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Post by rustybaer on Aug 3, 2021 13:27:19 GMT -6
Looks good. I haven't done a Jumbo in years, last one was a resin turret and trans cover on a Tamiya hull, still a little "old school". I do have a resin TMD conversion floating around somewhere that I'd like to get into one day. I'll be watching this one.
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Post by Dwight A. Ta-ala on Aug 8, 2021 18:25:03 GMT -6
Finally had a sunny day after weeks of rain here in my part of the globe and I was able to paint the jumbo. I went for a very dirty look with light dry brushing. Here is how it looks now. The pics are a bit too bright as it is sunny outside with really clear skies and it has drowned the details. This kit has been a joy to build as the fit is awesome. It just have too many small parts though that requires care. The decals are very flexible but strong. It is crying for some stowage I know. I will work on that later as I have serious sherman stowage shortage at the moment. I will try to get better pictures in the coming days with a proper base and background so stay tuned. Thanks for taking the time to look.
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Post by JCON on Aug 9, 2021 0:00:08 GMT -6
Looking good Dwight!!!
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Post by JED on Aug 13, 2021 11:45:25 GMT -6
Nice finish Dwight
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rustybaer
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Post by rustybaer on Aug 16, 2021 10:59:36 GMT -6
Well done! I'm curious: in what part of the world can one find Academy re-boxes of Asuka kits? Oddly enough, the local hobby shop has a bunch of Academy 1/35 armor kits in Airfix boxes.....
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Post by JCON on Aug 16, 2021 11:38:35 GMT -6
Well done! I'm curious: in what part of the world can one find Academy re-boxes of Asuka kits? Oddly enough, the local hobby shop has a bunch of Academy 1/35 armor kits in Airfix boxes..... Dwight lives in the Philippines....
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Post by Dwight A. Ta-ala on Aug 16, 2021 18:08:49 GMT -6
Well done! I'm curious: in what part of the world can one find Academy re-boxes of Asuka kits? Oddly enough, the local hobby shop has a bunch of Academy 1/35 armor kits in Airfix boxes..... Rusty, Actually, it is also my first time seeing this locally (Manila, Philippines). A few hobby shops and some enterprising individuals have cropped up during the pandemic selling kits online that are reboxed items and those that were previously not seen locally. Another example of these unusual kits is an Italeri Chafee in a Tamiya box with metal barrel and tracks which I got a few months back. Thanks for the comments, guys.
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Post by Dukemaddog on Aug 27, 2021 20:01:09 GMT -6
Another brilliant masterpiece Dwight! Way to go!
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