Tamiya M4A3E8 - Korean War

[NickInTheValley]

Starting the build on Tamiya’s kit 35359 of a Korean War M4A3E8. In my intro post I mentioned gave up on an old Dragon kit for now. This kit already is a welcome respite from those headaches.

 

[Miko]

Looking forward to seeing your inaugural build, that front paint job looks interesting!

Miko (often considered building the Oddball's Sherman from 'Kelly's Heroes')

 

[NickInTheValley]

Looking forward to seeing your inaugural build, that front paint job looks interesting!

Miko (often considered building the Oddball's Sherman from 'Kelly's Heroes')

I'm not decided yet on if I will paint that specific Sherman or if I'll do another Korean war tank. Still thinking it over.

 

[Jakko]

That’s quite a good kit, IMHO. Like I mentioned before, fit of the bogies is a little loose so you may want to take care getting them to sit right, but otherwise it’s a typical Tamiya kit I also mentioned the tracks were not great, but as you have the Korea version, it has different tracks to the Second World War variant I built, so ignore that part — I don’t know anything about the tracks in this one.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

In for the build.

 

[papa 695]

Nice one Nick.

 

[NickInTheValley]

Standard construction at this point. Not too many areas to address to my novice eye. Going together nicely!

 

[scottie3158]

Chair pulled up I will follow along in the cheap seats.

 

[Jakko]

It’ll be easier to build than the 105 mm M102 howitzer you also have, and if it all goes horribly wrong anyway, it looks like you’ve got a good way to dispose of the model at hand too

 

[Airborne01]

Love the paperweight!
Steve

 

[NickInTheValley]

It’ll be easier to build than the 105 mm M102 howitzer you also have, and if it all goes horribly wrong anyway, it looks like you’ve got a good way to dispose of the model at hand too

That Howitzer is a pain but it's primed. Only problem I have now is I lost one piece that the barrel assembly mounts to the trailer/frame. I need two.. I'm missing one. If I can't find it I will have to make something.

Yeah the training grenade can smash it.

 

[JR]

I shall follow please.

 

[Jakko]

That Howitzer is a pain

I built it 20 years ago or so, when it was fairly new, and remember I didn’t find it that easy to assemble, no. Which just makes it pretty typical AFV Club kit, I’d say I somehow managed to lose one of the four springs … But since they’re a single spring each side anyway, I just wound copper wire around both equilibrators instead.

I lost one piece that the barrel assembly mounts to the trailer/frame.

Which parts do you mean?

Yeah the training grenade can smash it.

What, it’s not live? And here I was, thinking you were in the USA!

 

[NickInTheValley]

Which parts do you mean?

The companion to this:

 

[Jakko]

I looked at the instructions before I asked, and I was kind of hoping you didn’t mean that bit I’m sure it can be scratchbuilt, but it won’t be easy to get it to look like that. Maybe go for a simpler block shape without the ribs in it? Then throw a crewman’s jacket over it or something

 

[NickInTheValley]

A small update. Bogies assembled, lower hull done, and working on the upper hull.

 

[NickInTheValley]

Minor updates. Starting to close in on painting which is the part I struggle with. Still a fun build that is going together with standard Tamiya precision.

 

[Mickc1440]

Coming along nicely Nick, never built a Sherman

 

[Jim R]

You're off to a great start Nick. Being Tamiya the fit should be fine with not too many itty-bitty parts. We don't see that many post WW2 Shermans built and yet they survived into the 70/80s.

 

[Jakko]

That’s looking good so far. What parts of painting do you struggle with?