Thanks Mark!
I did errands and hit the hobby shop today. My intention was to replenish some colors I needed and pick up 1:48 Sherman for Heritage Park. I was treated to a surprise. The asst. Mgr, Marty, presented me with a 1:48 Hobby Boss "Easy 8" late Sherman version (like the one I finished in 1:35 a couple months ago) which he had almost finished building. I've been doing some custom decals for Marty and he has repaid me in kind… our own little barter system.
This is great! I was not looking forward to building another Sherman and really wanted to get this little project finished. With it almost done, there's just a few bits that needed to add. I'm going to paint it a very faded olive drab with fairly rusted tracks. It won't have a 50 cal heavy machine gun, nor any antennas and will look like it's just sat in the park for 15 years. Remember, my time frame is "theoretically" late 1960s. The quotes point to my many anachronisms that populate the layout. I will not be putting on that tiger face graphic. That would not be appropriate for a park relic. The money I saved I put to my Sikorsky SH-60b layaway.
Here's what's been completed. My scaled drawing was very close in size and the real model does fit okay.
I almost finished prepping one of the column post lamps. I chucked in a pin vise, and chucked that in my big DeWalt drill so I could revolve it while cleaned it up. I cured it for only 8 minutes. Over-curing transparent parts turns them brown. Before finishing my short session I did get a second one under way, but not finished. I'm going to try and use real copper foil which I can patina for the top cap. I think a slightly frosty appearance may actually transmit light better. From my experience making that chandelier, I can attest that the light will get through paint unless it's quite thick. The foil will totally block the light. The LED will project up through a brass tube to prevent leakage through the column body.
Y'all have a nice, safe, socially distant, masked Super Bowl Weekend. Please ignore the desire to get together with folks for a big SB party. We're just coming down from the TG/Christmas spike which killed thousands. We don't need to have another spike, especially now that folks (including me) are getting vaccinated. Don't be the last idiot that gets Covid before we eradicate it.
