Stokesy's 1/16 Andy's HHQ Sherman Easy 8

[Stokesy44]

Coming soon to a bench near me


Additional goodies including Valuegear stowage set (in the post) and potentially some more or alternate crew figure(s).

Aiming to start this week

[RangerNeil]

Definitely one to pull up the comfy chair and popcorn for!!

[digger303]

Definitely one to pull up the comfy chair and popcorn for!!

You got that right.
The tracks might be a tad irritating having to glue and clean all those track guides for each link.
It's going to be a good build to follow....

[DRUMS01]

This will be fun to see how you address some of the issues I found when building mine. I'm all in and kicking back to watch this one.

[aur0ra145]

Ooooh, fun project. I'll be following with interest!

[Quax]

After the StuG it’s definitely one to watch

Paul

[krusty69]

This should be fun

[Stokesy44]

And we're off!

First up, a bit of blurb about the M4 Sherman and how it came to have the upgraded 76mm gun:

The M4 Sherman evolved from the M3 Medium Tank, which – for speed of development – had its main armament in a side sponson mount. The M4 retained much of the previous mechanical design but moved the main 75 mm gun into a fully traversing central turret. One feature, a one-axis gyrostabilizer, was not precise enough to allow firing when moving but did help keep the gun aimed in roughly the right direction for when the tank stopped to fire. The designers stressed reliability, ease of production and maintenance, durability, standardization of parts and ammunition in a limited number of variants, and moderate size and weight (to facilitate shipping and for compatibility with existing bridging equipment size and weight limit restrictions). These factors, combined with the Sherman's then-superior armor and armament, outclassed German light and medium tanks fielded in 1939–42. The M4 was the most-produced tank in American history, with 49,324 produced (including variants). During World War II, the Sherman spearheaded many offensives by the Allies after 1942.

When the M4 tank went into combat in North Africa with the British Army at the Second Battle of El Alamein in late 1942, it increased the advantage of Allied armor over Axis armor and was superior to the lighter German and Italian tank designs. For this reason, the US Army believed that the M4 with the 75mm gun would be adequate to win the war, and relatively little pressure was initially applied for further tank development. Logistical and transport restrictions, such as limitations imposed by roads, ports, and bridges, also complicated the introduction of a more capable but heavier tank.

Tank destroyer battalions using vehicles built on the M4 hull and chassis, but with open-topped turrets, had the more potent high-velocity 76mm gun, and were in widespread use in the Allied armies by 1944 but even then, most M4 Shermans were still equipped with the dual-purpose 75 mm gun. By then, the M4 was inferior in firepower and armor to increasing numbers of German upgraded medium tanks and heavy tanks but was able to fight on with the help of considerable numerical superiority, greater mechanical reliability and better logistical support. Later in the war, the more effective armor-piercing 76mm gun was incorporated into production vehicles while the British, also mindful of the 75mm gun's failings, refitted some of their Shermans with a 76.2 mm Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun as the Sherman Firefly. Reequipped as such, these up-gunned tanks could destroy any German armor they came up against with the exception of a frontal attack on a Jagdtiger.

Here's the kit. Andy's Hobby HQ in association with Takom presents the M4A3E8 Sherman Tank



And the stowage has arrived





First impressions are the plastic is very good, crisp details, no flash. The box is pretty much jammed solid with it all including a metal barrel and tow cable.

Rear plate to start





Return rollers



Transmission cover and tow hooks





Bathtub style lower hull. Massive piece of plastic but its beautifully square with no warping.











And that's step 1 finished!

[digger303]

[DRUMS01]

Fun isn't it? I hope you have as much fun with it as I did mine...

Looking good so far

[Stokesy44]

Fun isn't it? I hope you have as much fun with it as I did mine...

Looking good so far

Thanks mate. It looks like a cracking kit and the fit so far has been great. I had to drill out a couple of location points because the lugs were a fraction too big but other than that there's hardly been the need for test fitting. I love it when a kit has been put together with the modeller in mind.

[Stokesy44]

BOGEYS! Bogeys everywhere!

Worked on the lower hull some more with the rear plate mounted greeblies (tow hooks, exhausts etc) and the result is suitably busy.





I'm not sure what these smaller wheels are for. Anyone know? They sit just above the suspension units once they are added. They're too low for the tracks above them.



Then it was on to the suspension units. There are 6 of them and each one is identical so its just a case of build one from start to finish then cut the next lot of parts off the sprues for the next one. I thought this was the best approach as a lot of the parts can be put together reversed or backwards but everything seems ok until the final bits go together and you realise its all facing the wrong way! The first one took about half an hour, the follow ons were much quicker once I had a rhythm of how to do things.



The suspension moves but not in a true sense. I may add some glue later on to fix them in place if they suffer from the tension in the tracks (where the front most wheel is pulled upward by the tracks as they rise to meet the drive sprocket). Hopefully it will not be needed as the weight of the vehicle should keep them level.







Hoping to get some more done tomorrow. Its a very nice kit to work on and I continue to be convinced its been engineered with modelers in mind.

[digger303]

They should be in contact with the track

[Stokesy44]

They should be in contact with the track

Agreed. I have looked again and its a trick of the light. Although smaller than the main return rollers they are actually mounted slightly higher so they will, indeed, contact the tracks like your picture

[DRUMS01]

You got it digger, good catch as the track does indeed rest on the inner return rollers.

Stokesy44, you have no worry concerning the track tension lifting the front bogies. The rear sprocket post has a cam action that allows you to set the tension on the track which will eliminate your concern. I agree with you regarding the function of the HVSS suspension. The kit allows them to "toggle" or tilt as a whole assembly left and right based on the center axis. While it doesn't allow the suspension groups to compress inwards towards the center for each road wheel, it still "sort of" acts the part once they tracks are installed and set.

Good job on the suspension sets as I found it was easy to install certain parts 180 degrees (flipped) incorrectly. That was a pain the disassemble and fix. If you don't mind a suggestion, you may want to paint and dirty or weather the hull before adding the HVSS suspension sets. Those suspension sets weather up real well too.

You are so right in that this is a great builders kit. Keep up the wonderful work!

Ben

[Stokesy44]

You got it digger, good catch as the track does indeed rest on the inner return rollers.

Stokesy44, you have no worry concerning the track tension lifting the front bogies. The rear sprocket post has a cam action that allows you to set the tension on the track which will eliminate your concern. I agree with you regarding the function of the HVSS suspension. The kit allows them to "toggle" or tilt as a whole assembly left and right based on the center axis. While it doesn't allow the suspension groups to compress inwards towards the center for each road wheel, it still "sort of" acts the part once they tracks are installed and set.

Good job on the suspension sets as I found it was easy to install certain parts 180 degrees (flipped) incorrectly. That was a pain the disassemble and fix. If you don't mind a suggestion, you may want to paint and dirty or weather the hull before adding the HVSS suspension sets. Those suspension sets weather up real well too.

You are so right in that this is a great builders kit. Keep up the wonderful work!

Ben

Thanks Ben, I really appreciate the advice. I am definitely considering painting the suspension sets separately from the hull. Makes a lot of sense to me.

[Stokesy44]

Finished off the suspension units yesterday and had a very quick look at the track links.

Wheels! Wheels everywhere!

Each wheel comes in 2 parts with an internal nut that isn't glued. Point of interest, I have sanded down the central seam but it is still just visible. I'm fine with that because the real thing does have a seam so as long as its to scale I am ok with it.



Lovely details and the wheels go on nice and snug without glue but they can be turned for painting.







The tracks are very easy to put together. Once I had worked out where to put the glue it was a doddle. Putting them together will be simple, just good old fashioned repetition.



3 pieces for each link x 77 for each side but I shall prevail

[digger303]

You got it

[Stokesy44]

The build is on track - geddit?

77 links each side, 3 bits to each link. Thank God its 1/16! It all goes together like a dream. A little Tamiya extra thin in 2 strategic places and the links go together fine. Then the guide horns to finish. One side done and all my remaining hair still in place.



Nicely detailed, pads and tracks.





Track links for mounting on the hull



Now for the other side!

[Garion77]

real test of patience ! how much time did it take ?

Great progress !

[Stokesy44]

real test of patience ! how much time did it take ?

Great progress !

About 2 hours per side. There are 6 sprues and I did each one separately, cut out, clean up and gluing. I reckon about 30-40 minutes each.

I'm glad I had my Tamiya sprue cutters and a brand new blade for the knife though!

[Tomcat64]

Lovely, tidy progress so far mate.

You can almost "feel" the weight of the hull from the photos

[Twokidsnosleep]

Looks like a good kit…for al I know about tanks
Andy’s Hobby Headquarters must have some good pull to have company put out a kit with his name on it

[Stokesy44]

Looks like a good kit…for al I know about tanks
Andy’s Hobby Headquarters must have some good pull to have company put out a kit with his name on it

He saw a gap in the market at 1/16 where the offerings were largely axis vehicles with interiors and partnered up with Takom to produce kits of high quality but less expensive as they dont have interiors. He has a big store in Arizona and online stores in the US and Europe. He has a very popular Youtube channel where he reviews new kits, and gives progress updates on the kits AHHQ is developing such as showing test shots and early versions of the box art etc. He also does build videos and he's got some skills!

There's a real renaissance going on in 1/16 right now and a lot of that is down to him along with companies like Takom and Border Models. Trumpy are also cranking out new offerings but they have full interiors and are massively expensive.

Andy's a genuine enthusiast and promotes all sorts of kits, not just the AHHQ stuff. Yes, its great promotion for his business but its great for modelers too.

Tomcat is a big fan and we constantly advise each other of any new videos we've spotted, especially if they are 'wallet killers' and very likely to induce us to part with our hard-earned cash!

[DRUMS01]

I'm a big fan of the scale as well. I've built Andy's Easy Eight Sherman and still have a couple more on pre-order. I'm waiting for the 1/16 modification to add an assault gun to the Das Werks German halftrack too. Enough about other stuff....

How the progress on this going Stokesy?

[DRUMS01]

I think you are most likely moving towards the upper hull about now. Just as a reminder, when looking at the pivot points for the hatches it became clear to me that if you wanted, you could drill the center points of the hatch hinge and the hull tabs to add a rod (pivot pin), thus making them operational (opened or closed at your whim). The process is easy and adds functionality towards future modifications.



Hope you find the suggestion useful....

Ben

[Stokesy44]

I think you are most likely moving towards the upper hull about now. Just as a reminder, when looking at the pivot points for the hatches it became clear to me that if you wanted, you could drill the center points of the hatch hinge and the hull tabs to add a rod (pivot pin), thus making them operational (opened or closed at your whim). The process is easy and adds functionality towards future modifications.

Hope you find the suggestion useful....

Ben

Thanks Ben, keep the suggestions coming. I did a similar thing on the hatches on my Pz4 so I could see the final drives and brakes under the front glacis plate. I could do similar here and then I would retain the option of adding crew figures.

[Stokesy44]

I added the idler wheels and the drive sprockets. Also the rear mud flaps. Hardly exciting stuff. Then it was time to get the big dog out and start on the upper hull.

Its another beautiful piece of plastic, beautiful lines and detail - and its heavy too

If was a full on greebly session, front greeblies first. I stretched the limit of my super detailing skills by drilling out the end of the 0.30 mg then went for a lie down to recover



The hatches are beautifully detailed and fit so well on the hinges they can be attached without glue and be workable.







I continue to be impressed with the kit. Its a beautiful new tool and I would rate it up there with the best of what's new on the market.





I've started work on the rear deck and that's going well so far. Greeblies, greeblies everywhere!

[digger303]

It looks damn good the details are great. If I may say one thing about the detail that could be better is the cooling jacket on the 30. The indents are shallow it's a shame they couldn't provide PE for that. Otherwise I like what I see very much.

[DRUMS01]

Lookin good... Isn't the detail awesome, like the weld lines, the cast numbers, etc. Even the detail under the driver and gunners hatches are clean and readable. It appears you have a good handle on this one.. keep it up!

[digger303]

Lookin good... Isn't the detail awesome, like the weld lines, the cast numbers, etc. Even the detail under the driver and gunners hatches are clean and readable. It appears you have a good handle on this one.. keep it up!

Hear hear

[Stokesy44]

It looks damn good the details are great. If I may say one thing about the detail that could be better is the cooling jacket on the 30. The indents are shallow it's a shame they couldn't provide PE for that. Otherwise I like what I see very much.

I thought much the same. There are after-market .30s available but I've gone to the well for the last time for a few months when it comes to kit spend.

[Stokesy44]

Lookin good... Isn't the detail awesome, like the weld lines, the cast numbers, etc. Even the detail under the driver and gunners hatches are clean and readable. It appears you have a good handle on this one.. keep it up!

Thanks, I need to have another peep at yours for the interior colors of the hatches.

[Tomcat64]

Great progress mate & awesome scratch-drilling

It really does look a superbly engineered kit

[Stokesy44]

Great progress mate & awesome scratch-drilling

It really does look a superbly engineered kit

A couple of times I've had to trim the location lugs to get a decent fit but other than that everything sits really nicely in its location points.

Finished off the greeblies today. I've left the spade and axe off because of their wooden handles but everything else is on now.





Does anyone know if the big hammer's handle is wood or metal?







Rear panel is up next with the diffuser and carry rack.

[digger303]

Ever swung a sledge hammer with a metal handle. The handle does not absorb shock that well it has a tendency to transmit it to your hands and wrists if it doesn't hit the target squarely. So I would suspect it to be wood and being USA ...Hickory.


Ps...deck festooned with greeblies is

[Stokesy44]

Ever swung a sledge hammer with a metal handle. The handle does not absorb shock that well it has a tendency to transmit it to your hands and wrists if it doesn't hit the target squarely. So I would suspect it to be wood and being USA ...Hickory.


Ps...deck festooned with greeblies is

Excellent analysis. The panel it sits on is not glued down so while the tool is glued, I can remove the panel which will make painting the handle that much easier, thank you

[DRUMS01]

Just to reinforce diggers reply, every image I have found showing the sledge hammer appears to have a wooden handle.

Something you may wany to try (or not), when I painted mine I used the edge of a hand file to create wood grain in each handle. Than I painted it with a thinned coat of "wood" color followed by a dark wash. I found that technique by accident but it came out very realistic in scale.



Regardless of what you choose, I'm sure it will be wonderful.

Ben

[Stokesy44]

Just to reinforce diggers reply, every image I have found showing the sledge hammer appears to have a wooden handle.

Something you may wany to try (or not), when I painted mine I used the edge of a hand file to create wood grain in each handle. Than I painted it with a thinned coat of "wood" color followed by a dark wash. I found that technique by accident but it came out very realistic in scale.



Regardless of what you choose, I'm sure it will be wonderful.

Ben

More great advice, thanks Ben. I have to say it took me a few minutes to realise the picture you had posted was your Sherman and not the real thing!

[DRUMS01]

Stokesy, I'm not meaning to be nit picking but I need to mention that I believe you have part P21 in the wrong position. When trying to attach part P21 it was clear that the holes made in the lower hull do not match the pegs on the part.



My solution was to use the forward hole and trim the rear peg off of P21 so it would fit flush on the hull. Alignment of P21 was still easy as it was parallel with the angle of the join between the hull and track fender. You can see the proper positioning in Step 3's image (it should protrude out the back of the lower hull).



There is a small notch for it to come out on the upper hull. On the other hand, if you don't care because it will not really be seen, then neither do i (smile). Overall looking great!


Ben

[Stokesy44]

Stokesy, I'm not meaning to be nit picking but I need to mention that I believe you have part P21 in the wrong position. When trying to attach part P21 it was clear that the holes made in the lower hull do not match the pegs on the part.



My solution was to use the forward hole and trim the rear peg off of P21 so it would fit flush on the hull. Alignment of P21 was still easy as it was parallel with the angle of the join between the hull and track fender. You can see the proper positioning in Step 3's image (it should protrude out the back of the lower hull).



There is a small notch for it to come out on the upper hull. On the other hand, if you don't care because it will not really be seen, then neither do i (smile). Overall looking great!


Ben

Thanks Ben, I remember the holes not matching so I snipped off the lugs, looks like I didn't position it correctly though. I'll see if I can prize it off and reposition it. Gotta get my money's worth out of the kit!

[Tomcat64]

have to say it took me a few minutes to realise the picture you had posted was your Sherman and not the real thing!

Ditto - that really did take a few moments to realise!

It's progressing nice & steadily mate - looks like you're taking your time and really enjoying the whole build process on this one

[Stokesy44]

It's progressing nice & steadily mate - looks like you're taking your time and really enjoying the whole build process on this one

Slow and steady wins the race - said every white sprinter in history

[Stokesy44]

So with the greeblies done I went ahead and attached the upper hull to the lower. Its not a bad fit although it will need a little filler where the rear plate meets the upper hull either side of the flat top of the engine deck. I then decided to press on and add the suspension units and try the tracks.

I pushed the idler slightly forward as I didn't want to stress the track then fed the links on. I added the final link to lock the track together and it all seems ok. You can see the small piece of Tamiya tape where the unglued link sits.



Mud guards were a nice fit and the front end went together without any drama





You can see where the filler will need to go - just where the shoulder of the upper hull meets the rear plate. It will go right next to the weld line so it should not be seen.



I've started work on the turret and completed the gun breach - pics to follow.

[digger303]

The tightness of the track looks good and part from the rear plate it all gooks very very good. Ya did miss one seam though

[Tomcat64]

Great to see the hull come together along with the running gear.

If that rear plate is the only filling you need to do then that's another testament to the engineering on the kit.

Looking forward to seeing the turret come together now

[Stokesy44]

The tightness of the track looks good and part from the rear plate it all gooks very very good. Ya did miss one seam though

Ooh, I do love a mystery. Feel free to enlighten me good Sir

[Stokesy44]

Time for the turret. Another massive piece of plastic but beautifully textured.



Then it was time for the greeblies (the turret is not glued together yet. I just added the bottom section to show the overall shape.





The loader's hatch is workable. By not gluing the springs to the hatch hinge it opens and closes perfectly - if I ever decide to put a figure in there.



It took me a while to work out what the rod at the back was then I noticed it was the same as the barrel for the .50 cal. Its a spare barrel! You learn something every day.





The gun builds up into a nice piece although the instructions are a little bit vague on positioning certain items











Next up is the gun mount, co-ax mg and some other interior bits then I'm back on top of the turret for the commander's hatch / cupula.

[digger303]

Excellent as always.



Ps...The end of the hammer handle.

[DRUMS01]

Looking good...