Polish Firefly: Rycerz Dewertus

[Sharkmouth]

Not your usual entry as I won't be the one building it if all goes as planned!

While struggling with seasonal depression, after recuperating from diverticulitis, my mojo disappeared until Hubert (Dewertus) asked me for a Tamiya Firefly. I wondered why he went from 35th to 48th but he insisted he saw it in 35th scale. Hubert builds models with his son John so low parts count and superb engineering are mandatory.

It turns out that Tamiya reboxed the Asuka (formerly known as Tasca) Firefly, added figures, and increased the price. Obviously, the Tasca kit is superbly engineered but it has at least three times the parts with some tiny as well. Yet, I didn't want to disappoint him. Hubert had made it clear he doesn't care for resin (remember the Tamiya MiG-15bis?) so my leftover Firefly turrets would have to do. Sadly, I only had one Dragon Firefly turret left and it has issues. I also had a Tamiya M4 Early which I slated for a project so the hull was already modified but the turret was still untouched. Having a leftover Tamiya 75mm turret (from their ancient M4A3) I figured I would convert it to the Firefly for him. Later on, I realized that the turret ring sizes are different so I am making the upper turret fit the Tamiya M4 Early lower turret which Hubert said he had.

First, the subject. It is an M4 IC named Rycerz I (Knight I):

Note the lack of pistol port and the commander's cupola hatch looks different for a reason.

Here are a trio of Tamiya turret tops. The one furthest is what I am converting:

Testing on the M4 Early lower turret half to ensure it is a tight fit and that it still works with the M4 Early upper hull:

I already filled in the spent casing port and further detailed it but, in the meantime, there is Revenge coming!

More to come,

 

[Iron Mike]

There's a whole set of Dragon Magic Tracks for a Firefly in my spares box if you need them, they are still bagged. Feel better, willya?

 

[moon puppy]

 

[dewertus]

Paraphrasing one of my favorite contemporary musicians and composers (J.M. Jarre) - "Waiting for Sermanlipso"

 

[centaur567]

Gary S.

 

[Sharkmouth]

You only need to add the skid plates on top (included in your package):

Regards,

 

[Sherman 18]

Really a cool project Saul!

 

[Sharkmouth]

Resrarch, research, research!

I did state that the commander's cupola looked different:

Note how it lays flat? This means it was upgraded with a British all round vision cupola, Mk II. This is what it looks like:

I had a spare sprue tree from Tamiya's Cromwell but that is the Mk I cupola. Fortunately, since I have most of the AFV Club Churchill's in my stash, some kits have them as surplus (see arrows):

Joy, Joy, Joy@

Yet, joy is short-lived as one continues research.

There were two Knights (Rycerz). One was an M4A2 which was before the Firefly was added on strength. So it could be that the crew of Rycerz went on to the firefly and christened it Rycerz I (Roman numeral one):

Since I was warned that the names only appeared during the postwar parade in Loreto, Italy, I tried finding Rycerz I during combat. Well, she entered Bologna with the names on the sides but a standard Sherman cupola. It seems the British ARV Mk. II was added after hostilities ended but prior to the Loreto parade:

Oh well, I have the British cupola for another subject then!

Regards,

 

[Sharkmouth]

The film with Polish troops (called British in the title):

Regards,