On to the tool tie downs:
First.plug the mounting holes:


Then make copper wire footman's loops.





Yes, those nasty blobs will be shaved off.

: -H great work,love those details,keep the pics coming.

Put the snap locators for the hull MG cover


Made a latch for the gun travel lock.I am surprised DML FAILED to mold this part



And, built a cage for the sledge hammer

VVSS units are in 2 pieces, an upper and lower.The larger lower, has a molding issue on al of the innards.There was poor molding,so the center section sticks up too far.



The one on the right is a bit better (there are 2 on each sprue) yet to be safe,I nibbled the center lower on all of them.With careful aligning ,I was able to make a decent joint.

Transmission attachment bolts


And the Fender side brace


The mottling on the transmission cover, is dried liquid gle to see how that looks for texture. I will be painting a small area, to see the effect

I have to ask, in the review and now comments badly molded parts, missing parts. How is Dragon Addressing this issue? I am sure this is an expensive kit has their quality control gotten that bad, are they replacing the parts? This seems disappointing for a kit of this size and cost. I had plans on buying this , but if I have to mold bad parts this seems to be a mistake on Dragon trying to release an un finished kit. If I am wrong please correct me.
Jim

Hmmm, "unfinished",not really,it seems to be a case of poor quality control,and poor part design. Last night I started looking at the "horn" or siren. Very poorly shaped.
No one has taken Dragon to task about short shots etc. As I am a modeler, and do not mind a challenge,I can deal with the short shots on the track blcoks.FOr less experianced builders, a warning about this condition, will allow them to decide whether or not to purchase this kit.

Sinkmark filling.

Yeah, but it's the only game in town and for that price you can't go wrong.

Nice work Carl!



~ Jeff

Yes A very good job, I just can't believe Dragon would tun out such a flawed kit. I will follow your build with interest.
Jim

Well, to me, there are 2 types of flaws.The mechanical / QC flaw,is the poorly molded track blocks.This is a serious problem from a moderate to beginner builder.
The design flaws are ribs instead of handles on SOME of the locations.Dragon was able to mold handles for the driver's hatches,so why not the engine grill areas. There are flaws of omissions, which are the biggest part of my mods.Missing transmission to hull bolts along the sides,the support piece on the front fenders.Upcoming, are missing bolts from the idler arms,and the suspension to hull points.
My list of "fixes" which I think I will print out, when I get this to Armoreast in Sept, seems to be getting longer and longer.

Transporting this will be a big deal I bet.

Do you have to get a 'special' reservation for such a large project to be displayed?



~ Jeff

Jeff, a few years ago, I brought my 1/35th Dora.



They just put it on a table at the entrance to the show.This is a bit smaller.It may take up 1/2 of a display table. Minus the turret, it should be able to fit in my trunk.I will post images later.

Hi Carl ...I want to see the size of your display case!!!

Rick

Made a casting for the forward cable clamp.This is the "Smooth On" casting material curing (takes 6 minutes)





Also, added nut ends to the suspension arms



And some boltheads on the VVSS units,also, the unused boltholes,if the support roller is on the other end


Support roller side

May I ask have you thought how you are going to paint a kit this big. I built the Dora also and gave up counting at 30 bottles of Tamiya paint. I wonder if you could find a gallon of OD and use an Auto spray gun?
Jim

Jim, seriously, primer,1 can, and I have 3 of rattle can OD.I will paint the upper and lower hull, minus the suspension bits.Those will be painted then glued together.The roadwheels,will OD center front and rear,masked, then Flat blackish rubber. Wooden tool handles, will be worn off OD exposing natural wood.
Does anyone know if the leather straps to secure them were brown,or OD?
I found a stencil set, and will make masks to do the registration and unit ID markings.I will paint large blotches of white, and make a stencil mask from the kit stars, to cover the white,Shoot my OD, then peel to expose a proper painted on star.

Knowing that there are many "roundheaded fastening device enumerators" I decided to do major surgery on one really poorly placed item.
The bullet deflecting ridge near the cupola.There was a HUGE gap,compared to what actual pictures show. Hello Dremel.



So then I glued down some 1/4 round plastic stock, with the round facing out, and filled in a bit with Squadron putty.



Tomorrow, I will smooth out by sanding. I have purchased a Dragon 1/6th scale .50 cal MG, so I will have to scratchbuild a mount for the pintle.

I am building this Sherman also and only received half of the end connectors. I was only able to build one track run. Dragon Care is supposed to send me 162 more pieces. Check your parts count for the end connectors. Will wait and see what Dragon does. The no detail on the rear of the bogie wheels is inexcusable for a kit this size and PRICE.

I have to agree and this echos the concern that others have expressed above. Carl, you are doing a fantastic job with this but I will say that reading through your build log just makes me angry that there are so many sink holes, poorly molded parts, and outright omissions of detail on this kit. This is inexcusable for a kit of this scale as all of the shortcomings that might be OK on a 1/35 scale kit are just unacceptable in 1/6th. I fully recognize that as an expert modeller, you are up to the challenge of addressing these issues in this build and I salute you for taking it all in stride. However, I have a feeling that Dragon really missed the mark on this kit and others who are not up to the task will be sorely disappointed and possibly feel cheated by this obvious lack of effort on Dragon's part.

That said, I'm sure I'm not the only one that will be following this blog with great interest to see how your finished product turns out. I have little doubt you will do an excellent job given what I've seen so far.

Cheers.

Carl ,, your doing a wonderful job on a not so wonderful model..i have seen this beast up close and personal at a hobby shop near me and my first impressions of this model were not good ones .
For a model this size i would expect so much more ..the springs on the loaders and commanders hatches really turned me off ,,when you think that trumpeter include the springs for the front and rear guards on there PanzerIV kits in 1/35th and yet Dragon can't do it for 1/6th ,,pardon me but damn,,the suspension don't even work ,,for the price it is a bit off a rip off in some ways when you think that this monster is lacking some pretty serious details .
I would love to see someone go seriously nuts on this and show what can be really done ,Jeff is right tho ,,it is the only game in town .

Phill

Thanks for the support. I like tweaking and adjusting, and I have the tools/supplies.BUT,I agree there are those serious shortcomings. As for a workable suspension, I would prefer not.The design keeps everything level.
Just counted my end connectors,I think I am 4 short.
Mold or Dragon Care?
As for sink marks, I actually expect those, due to the nature of injection molding, and the size of the parts.

I did a complete count, and I am more than 4 short.Each track requires 2 end connectors. The missing parts are in 1 bag, and the instructions call for only 1 bag of (160) Obviously, this is wrong.81 blocks x 2 =160 track blocks per tank
End connectors =2connectors x 160 = 320 pcs.
Since my sealed box only had 1 bag, the person who loaded the box, put 1 bag of extended duckbills (correct) but only 1 bag of end connectors.
I created a Ticket with Dragon care, and took the time to explain the problem:

I have purchased and am in the process of building kit # 75046 - M4A3(105) Howitzer tank.

I did a parts count on the track end connectors,
part # (K) I only have enough for 1 of two track assemblies. (156 out of 320 pcs required.)
I need a total of 164 more pieces
The front page of the instructions indicates Part (K) 160 pcs. This is incorrect, to complete both sides 320 parts (K) are required. All kits ought to be shipped with 2 bags of part (K)
I have a build log on Armorama.com
http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=207838&page=2

I have been a dedicated customer and builder of your various model kits, and look forward to having this problem resolved.
Thank you.

I would like to have this completed for Armoreast, in September,so the race is on.

I wonder if dragon outsourced this kit to another company to mold the plastic?

Outsourced? Perhaps. But somewhere in any reputable manufacturing firm, there must be QC. I am a QC inspector.If you do it right, and actually work to correct problems, manufacturing actually is less expensive over time.
Now, has anyone had success/ failure with Dragon Care?