Codename: Sherman 2016 - 3pc Differential Housing Conversion 210122

[ultravanillasmurf]

Looks good.

Just noticed the inclusion of the smoke bomb port, so much easier than trying to drill it out (you might notice the absence on my Shermans - tested drilling on the spare M4A3 turret, it did not end well but the blood cleaned up okay ^___^).

[Rubicon Models]

More turrets!

This is an important step towards the second phase of our M4 Digital Library project.
First phase being focusing on the lower hull, transmission housing, road wheels & tracks.

With the T23 Turret being completed (with plastic sprue), we are working hard to get
the M4 75mm Turret done before the end of 2016.  Hopefully we will be able to fit all
components onto a single sprue!

M4 75mm Turret features:

• 75mm / 105mm / 17 pdr gun options
• Choice of mantlets (late or early)
• Choice of high or low bustle turret
• Choice of split hatch or vision cupola
• With or without loader hatch
• With or without cheek applique armour



Enjoy!

[ultravanillasmurf]

Is one of those turrets for Pinky?

You might want to mention that you have both loader's hatches as well.

Looking forward to seeing them on Shermans suitable for HM's armed forces.

[Rubicon Models]

Is one of those turrets for Pinky?

Probably, will call it the "Pinky Special", lol!!

Looking forward to seeing them on Shermans suitable for HM's armed forces.

UVS, there is at least one Sherman Firefly IC and one Sherman Mk III coming... soon!! 

[ultravanillasmurf]

Looking forward to seeing them on Shermans suitable for HM's armed forces.

UVS, there is at least one Sherman Firefly IC and one Sherman Mk III coming... soon!! 

Looking forward to those (I think you have shown a large hatch Sherman III, but I think we only used small hatch except perhaps for DD versions).

On the subject of Sherman IIIs, here is a challenge, a Duplex Drive version, with floatation screen up, down, removed and a "waterline" version. ^___^

[Rubicon Models]

On the subject of Sherman IIIs, here is a challenge, a Duplex Drive version, with floatation screen up, down, removed and a "waterline" version. ^___^

I am afraid you have to kit-bash it!  But for your small hatch Sherman III, we can take care of it for you!

[ultravanillasmurf]

But for your small hatch Sherman III, we can take care of it for you!

Yay!

[Rubicon Models]

BTW, it was such an honour to have Military Modelling magazine (on their Facebook page) to share our M4 Turrets post and "literally" support us! We are thrilled!

https://www.facebook.com/MilitaryModelling/

[Pinky]

Looking forward to those (I think you have shown a large hatch Sherman III, but I think we only used small hatch except perhaps for DD versions).

Only the small hatch version went to the British and Commonwealth forces.  By the time the revised hull was introduced, virtually all M4A2s were earmarked for the Red Army.  Large hatch M4A1s were used as DDs by the US Army.

[Pinky]

Fantastic line-up of turrets.  How are you going to sell these - by including them all in every kit?

[Rubicon Models]

Fantastic line-up of turrets.  How are you going to sell these - by including them all in every kit?

Of course NOT the case!  Depending on which variants, some Sherman kits will have the
T23 turret and some will have the 75mm version.  However, all kits are cross-platform
compatible, meaning that you can swap turrets and configurations with each other. 
That's also true for road wheels & tracks and transmission housing too!

This is why this M4 Sherman project took so long to complete!  The "skeleton" structure
and key component parts had to be specially designed to be compatible with various hulls
and parts that are not yet designed. 

Hopefully, we should see three kits being able to get released before Q1/17, namely,
M4 / M4A2 / M4A3 plus some of their variants too!  As for M4A1, it had to be sometime
next year; and M4A4 will be much later!

[ultravanillasmurf]

If Rubicon can get one or two of the more common ones on a sprue they could sell them separately, having to buy a full kit just for the turret would be slightly annoying (I find kit builds in books and magazines where the builder says that he used parts 14 and 23 of a kit then dumped the rest very annoying). On the other hand I can understand needing the whole package price to make development financially worthwhile.

I would understand the Firefly turret only coming in a full kit, if you want to build a US 17 pounder, then it would be two full kits, but if the M4A3 kit comes only with 76mm turrets then an expansion kit with the ability to build one of the suitable 75mm options would (I think) be well received.

[Note Rubicon post above not read before this post]

[Pinky]

Of course NOT the case!

I was just picking up on your earlier comment:  "Hopefully we will be able to fit all components onto a single sprue!". It seemed quite ambitious.

[ripley]

Smurf , a lot of 1/35 Companies sell single sprues . Asuka , Tamiya , AFV , Trumpeter and even Italeri Germany sell single sprues . Great if you want a turret , HVSS wheel set  or those detail bits to soup up a old 70s classic kit . It would be nice if Rubicon sold their sprues as well . I could see a Crusader AA turret / Cromwell hull kit bash in my future  . I suppose when Rubicon has been around for a few years  ( 40 plus like Tamiya ), the ability to pull and pack single sprues for shipping would be a lot easier than it would be now .  Also a redesign of kits might have to be done , as some kits have turret parts  spread over the  3 kit sprues  at the moment  . I hope when Rubicon redesign their kits ( Sherman , Pz III & IV ) they re think the sprue layouts .

[Rubicon Models]

I suppose when Rubicon has been around for a few years  (40 plus like Tamiya),
the ability to pull and pack single sprues for shipping would be a lot easier than
it would be now.

We are still a very young company (2 years in business) compared to others. 
We simply do not have the human resources to manage so many tasks,
particularly splitting up sprues into a single product code... that will take us
a while!

I hope when Rubicon redesign their kits (Sherman, Pz III & IV) they re think the sprue layouts .

We had already discontinued our Sherman kit, and a new replacement will be on
the horizon before year end.  The Panzer IV and Panzer III will be next!