M4 Sherman for Bolt Action

M4 Sherman (75mm gun)

Catching a sale on www.squadron.com, I picked up a 1/48 scale Hobby Boss M4 Sherman for Bolt Action. At $14.00, the cost was less than half the going rate for other manufacturers.

The Hobby Boss kit brought back memories of my scale modeling projects; however, I didn't feel obligated to worry too much about the smallest bits.  This tank will be handled on the gaming table.  I also worried much less about the painting results, but I am very pleased with the final result.

Warning - Instructions are Wanting

I have one major gripe about the Hobby Boss kit: the instructions.  I was merrily following them step-by-step, and I fortunately realized that the instructions directed construction of two options for the suspension bogles as sequential steps.  At several points, construction options are not explained well.  Web reviews mentioned that the angle on the front glacis is incorrect; I'm not too worried about this flaw in a wargaming model.

Breaking Out the Airbrush

I have the cheapest airbrush known to man - a Testors model purchased at the Post Exchange toy section.  It is a simple sprayer; anything resembling nozzle control isn't optional.  One of my phobias in scale modeling was ruining a model during the painting process.  Since the model will be used for gaming, I was liberated from worry.  I also sprayed with acrylic paints for the first time.  Given the winter temperatures here, I set up a spray booth of sorts using a plastic bin in the washroom: I never would have attempted this with toxic enamels.  

Using Vallejo Olive Drab, I sprayed thinned OD as an initial layer.  I screened off the bottom half of the tank with paper, and lightened the top half with a blend of olive drab and white.  I should have made it even lighter since the weathering washes made the model too dark.

Weathering and Lightening

While working on my Warmachines project, I ended up with left-over Armor wash and applied it liberally to the tank.  It didn't flow into the recesses too well, so the wash darkened the panels too much. Now I know why modelers paint a gloss coat before using washes.  I also used an ink wash, carefully applying it to the recessed areas.  I then lightened the panels up significantly with a wet brush of an Olive Drab and White mix.  The machine guns were painted black and dry-brushed with gun-metal.

For weathering, I used three different brown tones of craft paint, heavily thinned as a wash as well as applied with a dry brush.  I tried to mimic mud splashes along the sides and front of the vehicle.  To finish up, I added a small amount of white glue to the darkest brown, using it to fix small amounts of ground cover to the track areas and front.

The overall build time wasn't too bad, and I'm sure this M4 will see a lot of gaming action.  I won't worry too much if it gets dinged up given the price point.  Great local prices on Tamiya 1/48 scale models have shifted my initial Bolt Action plans from the Pacific to the Late War in Europe. I eventually will get back to the Pacific, but I want to try out this modeling scale and game at a lower cost given my limited budget and varied interest.  I bought several Warlord Games German units, the Germany Army supplement, and Wargames Factory Infantry after New Years. My US infantry is on the paint table.  Hopefully, I'll be playing 1000 point games by March!

Reformed Jonah

After four years of frustration and procrastination, I have finished the plastic model that drove me to seek a new hobby, leading to wargaming.  I think it is fitting to give some credit to this "Jonah," a jinxed model that continued to be a challenge until the end.   While this F-86E Sabre didn't kill an albatross like the sailor of yore, the model did kill my enthusiasm for military modeling for awhile.

F-86-E-10 "Jolley Roger" 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing, Korea, 1952

During my last assignment in Korea, I started a collection of military models from the Korean War.  This F-86E represents one flown by Captain Clifford Jolley, 335th FIS/4th FIW.  The F-86 Sabre was the first swept-wing airplane in the U.S and proved very effective against the Russian MiGs in Korea.  The F-86E was armed with six .50 caliber machine guns and could carry 16 five-inch rockets or 2,000 pounds of bombs.

The model gave me fits from the starts.  I had problems with the fuselage assembly, requiring a lot of noxious putty work on the seams, and the tail had an ornery gap. The wings needed to be drilled for the fuel tanks, and I could never get one tank to align correctly.  You can see it drooping in the foreground. One landing gear was problematic, too.  I put the model away for awhile...

The real trouble began with the decals.  After completing the wing decals, the large yellow strips began peeling away!  They wouldn't adhere for some reason.  I first tried to use Dullcote as an adhesive, finally resorting to superglue for the stripes on the bottom of the wing....not the best looking result.  At this point, I stored the model away for several months and reflected on what I liked and disliked about plastic models.  I enjoyed brush painting, but I didn't care for airbrushing, particularly the clean-up.  I had also developed a definite hatred for decals...

When visiting a game store to purchase Pokemon cards, I found a Flames of War (FoW) display and gaming table.  I picked up a single Sherman tank as a test run and checked out the FoW website.  A search on other wargaming sites revealed tremendous variety in the hobby.  Even though I'm interested in WWII history, I decided against FoW for cost reasons and my interest in the American War of Independence (AWI).  I chose AWI as gaming era, partially because of concerns that Napoleonic gaming would be too expensive.  I now find myself with a decent AWI collection, five DBA armies, and a few Napoleonic units (with plans for many more).  I sometimes wonder if FoW would not have been a less expensive option! (I doubt that I would have limited myself to FoW, though.)

Determined not to carry a half-finished model back to Korea four years later, I tried to reform my Jonah F-86E.  During the first session, I applied all of the decals for the left side of the aircraft.  This model has a lot of marking-related small decals.  About 30 percent peeled off as did the large unit marking (FU-834) on the rear half of the fuselage.  For the right side, shown in the photos, I primarily used the large decals.  True to form, the yellow stripes on the tail peeled off.  Tempted to throw it in the trash, I decided to make peace with the Jolley Roger and continued to complete the model as best I could. 

The jinx remained when I applied Dullcote.  In my rush to finish this model within a day of our move, I didn't notice the dust that had accumulated on the wings.  Dullcote does a great job of adhering dust to a model, even a model that rejects decals.  I did my best to rub it off, rubbing off another decal in the process.


 I might run into a few people that notice the plane's faults when I display this in my office soon, but I'll accept that. This model led me to historical wargaming, for which I am grateful.


P.S.  I haven't turned my back on plastic models completely.  I built an M41 Walker Bulldog with Korean War markings during a wargaming hiatus.  The decals went on smoothly!

M-41 Tank rail-loaded in Korea
Photo Source: Wikipedia, originally from US Army Center for Military History