Stokesy's 1/35 RFM Sherman Firefly

[BigWall]

Man! The olive drab really came out nicely!

[Gary30]

Yeah that came out really nice! It will only get better from here too, this kit might have to go on my wishlist now

[Stokesy44]

Detail painting done and decals on. Forgot to paint the muzzle of the co-ax MG

Very pleased with the decals. They've got a beautiful matt sheen to them and minimal carrier film - why cant all decals be like this?







The travel lock for the gun sits square over the rear deck cover so I prized it off before painting as I knew the allied star would be going on there. I'll paint it and add it later.





There's quite a bit of variation in the paintwork. I know I went for the black / white base but its a bit more than I wanted. The matt varnish (to seal before filters) will calm it down as will the gloss varnish prior to the wash at the end.









That's where I am at close of business last night. Still happy with how its all going. I would recommend the kit to anyone who wants to build a Firefly and doesn't mind the detail work. To my mind its the best Firefly out there, especially when looked at from a cost / what's in the box basis. RFM are consistently well priced IMHO

[digger303]

Detail painting done and decals on. Forgot to paint the muzzle of the co-ax MG

Very pleased with the decals. They've got a beautiful matt sheen to them and minimal carrier film - why cant all decals be like this?







The travel lock for the gun sits square over the rear deck cover so I prized it off before painting as I knew the allied star would be going on there. I'll paint it and add it later.





There's quite a bit of variation in the paintwork. I know I went for the black / white base but its a bit more than I wanted. The matt varnish (to seal before filters) will calm it down as will the gloss varnish prior to the wash at the end.









That's where I am at close of business last night. Still happy with how its all going. I would recommend the kit to anyone who wants to build a Firefly and doesn't mind the detail work. To my mind its the best Firefly out there, especially when looked at from a cost / what's in the box basis. RFM are consistently well priced IMHO

Fantastic result to date, lovely clean paint job.
How would you rate the RFM against Tasca assuming you have seen said kit. I know Tasca are expensive.

[Kevthemodeller]

Looking good mate, the decals really make a kit come alive

Looking at pictures, most Firefly's didn't have painted barrels, if you look on Neil's Comet build thread, my friends didn't

[BigWall]

It's coming along very nicely! I'd say the paint variation is about where you want it before filters and weathering and whatnot. Your tools look very nice as well.

[Stokesy44]

How would you rate the RFM against Tasca assuming you have seen said kit. I know Tasca are expensive.

I've built a Tasca Sherman and I'd say the RFM is better. Better detail, better price. Major issue I had with the Tasca kit was the effect of the rubber band tracks on the sprung suspension. The bogeys looked great until I put the tracks on then the tension in the rubber bands squashed the front and rearmost wheels so the tank looked like a rocking horse. Had to superglue the suspension so it withstood the effect of the tracks. Kind of defeated the object.

You cant get a Tasca for anywhere near the price of an RFM kit either.

[Stokesy44]

Looking good mate, the decals really make a kit come alive

Looking at pictures, most Firefly's didn't have painted barrels, if you look on Neil's Comet build thread, my friends didn't

I'm seeing that too, and hardly any of the pics I've seen show the fender skirts either so I feel less bad about leaving them off now

[digger303]

How would you rate the RFM against Tasca assuming you have seen said kit. I know Tasca are expensive.

I've built a Tasca Sherman and I'd say the RFM is better. Better detail, better price. Major issue I had with the Tasca kit was the effect of the rubber band tracks on the sprung suspension. The bogeys looked great until I put the tracks on then the tension in the rubber bands squashed the front and rearmost wheels so the tank looked like a rocking horse. Had to superglue the suspension so it withstood the effect of the tracks. Kind of defeated the object.
You cant get a Tasca for anywhere near the price of an RFM kit either.

Thanks mate. High praise and good to hear. I have a couple Tasca'a to build sometime and I don't like the rubber tracks in any case and had thought to replace them. I had wondered why they charge so much for them and then stick horrible tracks in the kit. Bit like Dragon I guess.
Wondering how good the Zvezda Sherman is as well.

[Parker]

superb.

[Kevthemodeller]

hardly any of the pics I've seen show the fender skirts either so I feel less bad about leaving them off now

My friend and a lot of other ex WW2 tankies I've spoken to over the years, said having skits in Normandy was a hindrance to maintenance, especially trying to fix broken tracks and they nearly always got ripped off/ badly damaged by going through hedge rows. If they didn't fall off they took them off

[Quax]

great job with the modulation and the decals seem to have set nicely, looking forward to the weathering up now

Paul

[Stokesy44]

Thanks Guys,

Chipping and oils done today. For the chipping I used a lighter shade of olive drab over any exposed edges and then black for specific chips.

For the oils I used white and tan with just a little green. It looks a little proud at the moment but a glossing then a dark wash will knock it back some. Once that's done I'll decide if it needs a matt coat depending on how clean it looks after the wash has been wiped away.













Turret has that 1944 summer sun faded look!







I'll gloss later today then the wash goes on tomorrow. Should get it finished tomorrow

[BigWall]

Very nice work! The streaking looks great and really pulls things together.

[ForeverPlasticKits]

Good weathering work!

[Kevthemodeller]

Great looking oil wash/shading there mate, chipping is spot on too

[digger303]

Love the look great weathering. How did you do your tools ?

[Stokesy44]

Thanks Guys.

Love the look great weathering. How did you do your tools ?

I always paint the tools after they're on the kit. Seems like less hassle than painting them separately then gluing them onto an already painted surface.

Glossed the kit yesterday. Its knocked the oils way back - probably too much but its all still so there so hopefully a wash and a matt coat will bring it back. Pigments will also add to the final effect.





I used aqua gloss. Lovely stuff, although you need to be a professional wrestle to unscrew the bottle top once its been used a few times! And I painted the gun travel lock but I haven't put it back on yet.

[digger303]

Sorry Stokesy I didn't structure my question correctly. I meant to ask what were the color /washes and steps used to paint your tools.

[Stokesy44]

Sorry Stokesy I didn't structure my question correctly. I meant to ask what were the color /washes and steps used to paint your tools.

Oops, my bad. The brackets and clips get painted when the base colour goes down. The metal bits of the tools are painted flat back (gun metal is too shiny) and the wooden elements are painted in tan. They get all dirtied up when the wash goes down and that's pretty much it.

[digger303]

Sorry Stokesy I didn't structure my question correctly. I meant to ask what were the color /washes and steps used to paint your tools.

Oops, my bad. The brackets and clips get painted when the base colour goes down. The metal bits of the tools are painted flat back (gun metal is too shiny) and the wooden elements are painted in tan. They get all dirtied up when the wash goes down and that's pretty much it.

[Tomcat64]

Nice work on the weathering as always mate - it's always a surprise how the change in top coat changes the way everything looks!

[Stokesy44]

Nice work on the weathering as always mate - it's always a surprise how the change in top coat changes the way everything looks!

To be honest I was surprised how much the gloss knocked the oils back. I've just finished the build and will post shortly. Thankfully the final matt coat had the same effect - but in reverse

[Stokesy44]

I'm calling this done!

After glossing it last week I applied a dark dirt wash courtesy of good old Ultimate. I love the stuff, it never lets me down.

It made the kit even darker but I could see the effects of the wash and also the oil work underneath so I still had hope a matt coat would bring it all back. I used AK Ultra Matt for the matt coat and gave it a good coat, not a misting, a proper coat until the cup was empty. Here's the result.

Here's a before and after. Glossed versus washed and matt coated















Then it was time for the dry pigments for dust on the running gear and hull. I'm depicting a late summer 1944 tank so it would have been dusty rather than muddy















So that's it. Really enjoyed the build. Its my second RFM kit and very pleased with the experience. Highly recommended if you dont mind a bit of detail work. As always, thanks for looking in and all the comments. You enhance my enjoyment of the build and challenge me to do better. Thanks guys

[digger303]

Wow well done. That ultra matt works really well and the subtle shading works well too.

[Joker56]

Stokesy's
Fantastic results and a brilliant step by step guide, well done buddy

[BigWall]

Very nice! Great job with the paint and weathering!

[Kevthemodeller]

Oh yes another great build mate the tonal quality is superb

[Tomcat64]

Cracking job mate - really well done that's a fantastic result

[Parker]

nice one!

[Stokesy44]

Thanks everyone. Just posting the reveal pics now