Model Military International – September 2019

24 Model Military International - September 2019

FEATURE ARTICLE Tasca / Asuka1:35 Sherman III Mid Production (w/Cast Driver’s Hood) • Kit No 35018

RESICAST’S SHERMAN MK.III DEEP WADING CONVERSION

Resicast offers two separate Sherman Mk.III

Deep Wading conversions – one for the Dragon

kits and a later release for Tasca. I actually have

both, but the Tasca Sherman is easier to build

and marginally more accurate, so I opted for

Tasca.

Resicast’s Sherman Mk.III Deep Wading

Conversion is made up from resin and photo-

etched parts. The main resin parts are for the

chunky rear stack mount, optional covered and

uncovered engine deck mount for the second

stack, alternative covered mantlets (early

narrow and later wide), replacement gun barrel

and covers for the end, covered hull machine

gun plus caps for the hull vents.

Additional resin parts are offered for

turnbuckles and other mounting hardware.

The parts are perfectly cast with just a wafer

of resin waste on some. Casting blocks are

pretty straightforward too.

The large photo-etched fret includes the tall

wading trunks, the frames and mesh.

GETTING UNDERWAY – RUNNING GEAR

Before the conversion work begins, most of the

model can be built.

By far the most fiddly aspect of Tasca’s

Shermans is the suspension. On the upside

though, the suspension units are superbly

detailed and they fit perfectly. You just need to

stay organised and take your time.

Tasca supply the mid-style bogies with this

straight arms for the return rollers. Tasca

has cleverly designed these bogies to be fully

workable. The four main suspension arms and

the rockers on each unit are separate parts that

may be left free to move. The really clever part

is the inclusion of a spongy rubber mat, which

is designed to be cut up and inserted in the top

of the bogie. This will offer some resistance but

still allows the suspension arms to rock (or to

drop when unsprung), just like the real thing.

The only tiny problem is that Tasca provides

flexible vinyl tracks. The tension of these might

not permit much movement of the bogies.

Individual track links will be a better option if

you wish to depict your Sherman in action over

rough terrain, but do keep in mind that the

“live” T51 track will not sag on the top run.

In my case, I was planning to sit the finished

Sherman on a flat surface so I did not need – nor

indeed want – the suspension to be workable.

Jim Wechsler backdated Tasca’s Sherman II

to the T6 prototype in Issue 46 of MMI. In his

article he pointed out that the early suspension

arms needed a minor modification from the way

the parts were moulded.

In this instance, however, I simply assembled

the units and glued the pieces in place to

prevent movement.

Before assembling the suspension units, I

roughed up the tyres on the road wheels. The

first step was to mount each wheel in turn on a

toothpick and randomly run a small dental burr

in my Dremel motor tool over the outside of the

plastic part. The result was pretty extreme at

this stage, but a quick once-over with a coarse

sanding stick settled the effect down to a more

realistic level.

All the suspension parts were cut off

their sprues and cleaned up with a knife and

sanding stick. Take care when assembling the

suspension arms and the road wheels that the

grease nipples face outward. With Steps 4 and 5

complete, these sub-assemblies were set aside

to dry thoroughly overnight before returning to

complete the bogies.

I spent a few puzzled minutes trying to

figure out why the two suspension arms would

not both fit onto their locating pins inside

the bogies. I finally figured out that the arms

interlock in the middle, and that the right arm

must be positioned first.

I also glued the rockers to the main

suspension arms. This locked everything into

place. The first time I fitted the front cover

(Part B3) to a bogie it took a few moments of

fiddling, but it eventually snapped into position.

A little Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement along

the join lines and the job was finished.

LOWER HULL

Tasca has moulded their lower hull in a multi-

part flat pack. Presumably, this allows for the

maximum detail to be moulded to the outside

surfaces of the parts, results in less moulding

marks and permits more options for different

hulls. However, it does mean a bit more work

for the modeller. Fortunately, it is not much

more work.

The instructions suggest the sequence of

assembly, and it worked a treat for me.

First, the nose joining strip (Part J24) was

glued to the bottom of the hull, followed by the

workable. The four main suspension arms and workable. The four main suspension arms and

the rockers on each unit are separate parts that

All the suspension parts were cut off

their sprues and cleaned up with a knife and

workable. The four main suspension arms and

The drive sprockets and idler

wheels are held in place with

clear polythene caps.

The tyres were roughed up with a coarse

sanding stick. This had the additional benefit of

removing the circumferential raised seam line.

One road wheel with its two suspension arm halves.

Note that I have marked the front of the road wheel

with a black marker to avoid mix-ups!

All the parts required

for a single suspension

unit, including three foam

rectangles cut according

to the instructions.

Assembling the units takes a bit of fiddling.

A clamp is helpful to hold the parts in place

as the glue dries.

B