maillemaker

I'm re-building a Heng Long Sherman and I have some questions about the 105mm mantlet.

First, it looks like both the rangefinder port and the machine gun port are too low on the mantlet, they are not on center with the gun but should be slightly higher.

Secondly, should the coaxial machine gun barrel stick out of the turret?

Lastly, did the 105 Sherman have a canvas "rain shroud" between the turret and the mantlet?

Thanks,
Steve

P.S. stock Heng Long the hull machine gun barrel looks like the end of Han Solo's blaster. Anyone have a good source for a more authentic-looking one?

Edit: Found one: http://www.matomart.com/prodview.php?p=2891

Steve

armourguy

A common mistake that people make with sherman models is that they have the M1919 barrel extend out the mantlet. With the way the gun is mounted on the inside only the very end of the barrel tip would be seen on the outside of the mantlet,



As for the tarpaulin this was a feature that was developed towards the end of WWII. Some had it however many didn't and would be more of a feature found on the HVSS versions used in Korea

maillemaker

Thanks for the info, armourguy! The Heng Long mantlet looks correct in regards to the MG barrel length. I guess the Heng Long mantlet is pretty decent then. Trying to decide if I should poke out the Red Eye of Doom (remove the firing LED warning light).

Steve

armourguy

As for the warning LED, I would. As this is an easy way to help the look of the tank compared to leaving it stock. This is something that I do on all my 1/16 builds.