M4A1 Sherman "Derby"

By: Ilya Cherkashnev

Manufacturer(s): Dragon

Modifications: Self-made elements made from wire, paper and PE.

After-market parts: Accessary from CMK, Extra-Tech.

Description: Sherman 2-nd Armored Div. US Army. Normandy 1944. Painted by Zvezda and Alanger. Waethering: CMK.

Judge 1: Nice home made and PE upgrade parts. I suggest you read our photo guide, as these photos are not sharp enough for a reasonable judging. What I see, that base color is nice painted, a bit dark, but not too much. Weathering was done only with pigments. Pigments are very effective weapons of weathering, but you can't win a battle only with the heavy artillery. There is a huge number of oil techniques of weathering, most of these could be well used on a dark green base like this. Details are painted well, but washes, some drybrushig, shadows and highlights are missing as well.
Judge 2: I agree with the other judge the photos make it hard for us to do our work. The build is quite good but there is a problem with the track as it goes around the front left drive sprocket. The home made PE parts are also mostly well done with only a few of them out of alignment. I like the paint scheme and it could be further enhance with some tonal variation and staining/fading, as suggested by the other judge. The stowage is well place and adds some life to the model. Adding a few new tricks to the tool bag in the way of oil paint fading staining etc will help to move your models onto the next level, good work.
Judge 3: I really like the stowage at the back of the turret & lifted on a tray on the engine deck like the photo of the real thing especially the rolled tarps. The only thing is you have put one of the tracks on back to front! also on the particular vechicle the grousers on the engine deck rear were added facing the wrong way to normal. paintning & decals are fine (Though your colour profile reference is out of date, Steven Zaloga the artist now says it is OD & Black camo & 3rd AD not 2bnd AD!) go dust pigment application but pinwashes & drybrushing would have added extra details.