1:35 Barrel for British Sherman VC

Turned barrel for the British Sherman VC in 1:35 scale

A turned metal part in 1:35 scale intended as a replacement for the plastic barrel on a model of the British Sherman VC tank. It is not a kit of the vehicle but a separate accessory, which is fitted into a finished turret. An accurately machined muzzle profile and a smooth surface with no parting line are the main reason why modelers replace the plastic barrel: it is on a long barrel that every irregularity shows at first glance.

The real subject

Sherman VC was the British designation of the American M4A4 medium tank rearmed with the 17-pounder anti-tank gun. The conversion came about because the standard American gun armament was not enough against German tanks with thick frontal armor. The conspicuously long barrel with a muzzle brake was the recognition feature of these vehicles from the landings in Normandy in 1944 until the end of the fighting in Europe. In British and Allied units it was one of the few means that could deal even with the most heavily armored targets, and crews therefore often camouflaged the barrel so that the vehicle could not be identified at a distance.

Installation and painting tips

Cut the original plastic barrel off as close to the mantlet as possible and level the mating surface flat. Join the metal part with cyanoacrylate or a two-part resin; ordinary cement for plastic does not hold on metal. Degrease the surface before painting and apply a primer suitable for metal, or the paint will cling badly to the smooth material. Check that the barrel is in line with the turret before the glue sets.

Who the set is for

• Modelers of British and Allied vehicles of the Second World War
• Builders bothered by the parting line and the inaccurate muzzle of a plastic barrel
• Dioramas of the fighting in western Europe after 1944
• More experienced modelers used to working with metal parts