03/03/2007
AFV MODELING
Though my primary subject of modeling is railroad related, AFV modeling is where I cut my teeth. The last time I
purchased an armor kit was around 1998 or '99. Before that, I hadn't modeled anything since I graduated high
school in 1982. For a very long time I hadn't even stepped into a model shop hobby store and when I did, I was
thoroughly amazed at the advancement of the hobby. All the photo etched stuff and after market kits just threw
me for a loop! My mind went crazy for all the new possibilities. Being a ShermanAholic, I picked up the Tamiya
M4 Sherman (early production) kit. Of course being a modeling nut, I wanted to "BUILD" a model and
proceeded to pick up the Tank Workshop parts to change this kit into an early production M4A1. I picked up a
bunch of other things as well and a fairly good library of Sherman reference books. I got about as far as
building up 80% of the turret and put it all away again to go back and model trains.
This is as far as I got on the M4A1 I
started back in the late 90's.

I plan on continuing it soon, but I may
just start from the beginning again with
all new parts. It will be a 1st Armored
Division M4A1 Some time during the
Italian Campaign.
Well it is the beginning of 2007 and model trains are starting to bore me a bit and I need a diversion. I have
been doing a lot of reading on the AFV front of modeling techniques and especially weathering. So a read and
read and salivated enough. Time to reintroduce myself to AFV modeling and see if I can run with this crowd as
well. I have a long way to go, but it is going to be a lot of fun to apply what I have been reading. If you want to
see some of the best looking AFV models, go to the TRACK-LINKS web site. Very inspiring. You could say it is
intimidating, but I look at it as a level of artistry that I want to attain. It will help me make my railroad models all
that much better.