Airfix 1:76 Sherman M4

      There’s a Tinder tangle in the room next to me
      Where I lay my head on this final sortie.
      The lady doth protest too much, too loud
      Whilst outside, a brand new crowd
      Gun their engines at the lights
      To settle the scores and claim the rights
      Christos and Mo, New Kings of the Night.

      Thirty five years since I left this town
      I know all the hallowed ghosts,
      the sacred streets around.
      I rise above the noisy boasts
      On Freedom’s wings… silent... hard won
      The mission, the journey, now finally done.
      I’m an old guy’s face with a young boy’s smile
      Lost in Hotel Hobbies, happy for a while.

      Now… no more delay.
      Open the box! Begin! Let’s Play…



I was stuck in a Travelodge for several days last year, away on business in a fairly ‘stark’ part of North London... in what was my home town, in fact.

I decided to kill some time by doing an Airfix military vehicle kit; first one I’d done since I was a boy/teenager about 40 years ago. I ended up having quite a pleasant stay in that hotel as a result.
( It sounded like the couple in the next room had a pretty good time there too 😉 ).

Anyway, this is the Sherman M4 from the 1:76 scale “D-Day Battle Front” set.

Filing the wheels, bogeys, wheel arms etc. Bogeys glued to hull sides…

Hull, turret and suspension parts all complete and ready for painting…

First coat of Humbrol Light Olive enamel (86) applied to the turret. I didn’t have any primer with me so it was applied directly to the bare plastic, and I used a detailing brush rather than a flat brush. Brush marks are very noticeable as a result…

Fortunately, the second coat of paint came out looking really good. Here’s the underside of the hull and the suspension parts. I’ve just found out that Sherman suspension wheels were covered in rubber, so I should have done those in matt black really. I used Gun Metal (53)…

Top view of the tank now, and all that remains is to detail the shovel, and other tools, at the back of the hull and to paint and fit the tracks…

Here’s the finished model. I completed it back home and used Halfords plastic primer spray on the tracks before painting them with Gun Metal (53) and Rust (113). I discovered that the spray primer can flake off when the rubber moves, taking bits of top coat away with it. I kind of got away with it but, in hindsight, I think some Humbrol grey primer paint would have worked better…

Front view of the model now…

A very steady hand is required for painting those tools!

Finally, a rear view of the tank. One thing I have never done before is weathering/washing of my models; I have always left them looking like the vehicle just came out of the factory. However, this rear view looks very plain and there are lots of details that could be highlighted, so I think I will have to learn how to do that one day. For now, I’ll just keep it simple…