Tamiya's 1/16th Sherman--Turret Traverse

Tamiya
M4A3 Sherman HVSS
1/16th Scale

Turret Traverse

The Tamiya 1/16th scale Sherman comes with a DMD (Digital Motor Controller) but it doesn't have a turret traverse mechanism. I designed and installed one on my Sherman and this webpage will show you how you can, too.

The basic components of the turret traverse mechanism (TTM) are nothing more than some sheet and strip styrene and a standard servo. I use Evergreen products (instead of Plastruct) since they are polystyrene and glue with regular model glue. The Tower Hobbies TS-53 standard servo is the same dimensions as the Futuba S148 that I used in the plans. You can get the Tower TS-53 servo with JR, Airtronics, or Futuba plugs for $13.00. The sheet and strip styrene many of you will have on hand, but if you don't, your local hobby shop will probably have it for less than $5.00.

After the TTM was installed, I found that controlling the turret with the trim rather than the stick gave the most realistic looking turret rotation. When you give full stick input, the turret spins faster than a carnival ride!

This picture shows the turret crossbrace. The tabs A and B go into the cutouts on the turret retainer tabs. You can glue the crossbrace into position or fasten it by your own means.

The left photo shows a bottom view of the hull with the servo tray in place. Note how the tray sits right on the hull clips. The right photo is a top view showing the long screws that are threaded through the servo arm and secured with retaining nuts.
To facilitate turret removal, I drilled out the hinge pin and retainers for the commander's hatch and installed some evergreen 1/16" rod. This easy modification makes it so you can look through the hatch to get the screws on the servo arm to feed through the turret brace.

Click here for a copy of the plans. They will print out in scale and you can use them for a template to make your parts.

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This picture shows the turret crossbrace. The tabs A and B go into the cutouts on the turret retainer tabs. You can glue the crossbrace into position or fasten it by your own means.


The left photo shows a bottom view of the hull with the servo tray in place. Note how the tray sits right on the hull clips. The right photo is a top view showing the long screws that are threaded through the servo arm and secured with retaining nuts. To facilitate turret removal, I drilled out the hinge pin and retainers for the commander's hatch and installed some evergreen 1/16" rod. This easy modification makes it so you can look through the hatch to get the screws on the servo arm to feed through the turret brace. Click here for a copy of the plans. They will print out in scale and you can use them for a template to make your parts.