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My next build will be the M4 Sherman 75mm Normandy and configured as: Co. C, 70th Tank Battalion, Utah Beach, Normandy, France, D-Day 1944 (later modified to the 37th TB, 4th AD, Brittany, France 1944)

M4A1E8/M4A1(76)W HVSS - Upgraded with widetrack Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension (HVSS), fitted with the 76 mm M1 gun. Pics thanks to Mike.

Kit: Tamiya 35190 Paint & Weathering: (Mostly) Tamiya Acrylic. MIG pastels, oil washes & filters. Decals: Kit. Extras: RB aluminium barrel, numerous extras from Tamiya, Italeri & Academy accessory sets. References: New Vanguard #3 ‘Sherman Medium Tank’ – S J. Zaloga. US Armour Camouflage & Markings WWII – Jim Mesko. D-Day to Berlin, Armour Camouflage & Markings of the US, British & German Armies, June 1944 to May 1945 – Terence Wise. Building & Detailing Realistic Sherman Tanks – James K. Wechsler. M4 Sherman (Early - Remanufactured) ‘H’ Company, 66th Armd. Regt. 2nd Armd. Division France, August 1944 - Really enjoyable, and for me lightning-fast, project. Thanks for taking the time to look and/or comment. As ever happy to take any and all questions, criticism and comments. AFN Ian

Kit: 1/72 Dragon M4A3 105mm 8th Tank Batallion, 4th Armoured Division, France 1944 Kit base from an old Matchbox kit (M24 Chaffeee) Thanks for your interest!

Etched set for American M4A3(76)W Sherman for Tasca 1:35 ET Models E35-148 The Sherman medium tank is one of the most well known tanks of World War II, if not in the history of mechanised warfare. The version that this etched set is dedicated to is the that of the Tasca M4A3(76)W that began to be introduced in 1944 and was to become one of the most popular marks of Sherman to be used by the Allied forces. Introducing a new 76mm gun and improved stowage of the main gun ammunition in the lower hull with a wet system of protection, (hence the W) it was also one of the safest Shermans built, being less likely to cook off like the earlier versions. Protected in ET Models standard card headed thick poly sleeve the set comes on six different sized sheets of relief etched brass. The instructions, on their usual green A4 sheets are clearly laid out, but it still pays to read them carefully to ensure the parts are folded the right way and fitted to the correct position on the model. Each of the sheets are of the same thickness and there doesn’t appear to any noticeable flaws in the etched parts. The instructions begin with the removal of all the kit detail parts that are to be replaced with etched items, such as the straps and clamps for the engineering tools. These include items for the spade, sledge hammer, wrecking bar, axe and pick axe head. There is some interesting folding required for each of the track guides that are fitted to the tops of the suspension mounts. The largest assembly included in the set is that of the storage rack fitted to the rear of the tanks hull. The assembly is all brass and requires no parts from the kit, thusly it is very detailed, with the rear and bottom boards attached together by three hinges. At each end there are folding stays and strengthening brackets beneath the bottom board. The whole assembly is then attached to the hull by three more hinges with the use of brass or styrene rod to act as the hinge rods. Finally there are eight handles fitted four to the back board and four to the bottom. The rack assembly can be posed either opened up and fitted out with the modellers choice of equipment or folded away. Either side of the main storage rack are the two smaller racks for the spare track link stowage. Again these will make for some interesting and precise folding to ensure each side is symmetrical. Forward and aft of the tanks sides, just above the tracks, are a pair of brackets, the forward ones have the new front mudguards attached to them. Bolted lengths of brass are attached to both sides of the lower hull between the two main brackets. Moving to the turret there are a several small brackets fitted aft of the aerial mount and forward of the commanders cupola. The periscope protection guards are folded and fitted to the gunners, drivers and co-drivers hatches. On the hull two more brackets are built up and are used for the storage of the tow cable. The M2 0.5” machine gun is very well detailed, with new firing handles, forward and rear gun sights, barrel perforated section, where it attaches to the breech housing, barrel removal handle and cocking lever mechanism. Attached to the gun is a n all new ammunition canister rack with ammunition guide, locking clamps and handles. Now the set includes enough parts to make up five ammunition boxes, each with carrying handles, and latches. If the modeller so wishes these can be posed open and there are several lengths of 50 cal ammunition belt to give an impression of a full box. Conclusion This is another superb set from ET Models. Again though it is not a huge set and there shouldn’t be to many problems with the parts, apart from those mentioned above. If the modeller has a little bit of experience and perhaps a nice folding tool then there shouldn’t be any worries with folding even the more complex items. Tasca have produce a very nice Sherman in this kit, but the etch will really bring it alive with those extra additions that injection moulds can’t deal with, particularly where scale thickness is concerned. Highly recommended Available soon from White Ensign Models in the UK Review Sample courtesy of

If you're really mad, perhaps you'd like to try one of these. Due out in the next month or so the completed model is over 1m long, over 500mm wide and 430mm high.

M-4 (A3E8) Sherman 1:72 Hasegawa The M4 Sherman was without a doubt the most widely used and best known Allied tank of the Second World War. Almost fifty thousand examples were produced during the war, more than the entire wartime tank output of Great Britain and Germany put together. The Sherman was first blooded by the British 8th Army in North Africa, two months before the Americans deployed the tank in the same theatre. By the end of the war it had proved itself to me a robust, versatile and mobile tank, albeit with a dangerous tendency to catch fire if hit by enemy shells. The Sherman was produced in six basic variants featuring a variety of different chassis, turrets and power plant combinations. The basic chassis was developed from that used for the M3 medium tank and featured the same suspension setup. The Sherman was capable of 24mph and had an unrefueled range of just under 120 miles. The M4 A3E8 featured a welded hull and an improved high-velocity 76mm M-1 gun as standard. If you want to build a model of a Sherman then you have a huge range to choose from. They range from Tamiyas 1:16 scale monster down to 1:144 kits designed for war gaming. In 1:72 scale there is naturally a large choice, with the relatively recent Dragon kit probably being the pick of the bunch. Hasegawas version is one of their older AFV kits, but is still worth a look if you want to add a Sherman to your collection. Hasegawas M4A3 is one of the older armour kits in their range, although the moulds seem to be holding up pretty well. Detail is still clean and crisp and flash is restricted to one or two of the smaller parts. Construction of the model follows a fairly conventional pattern and begins with the lower hull. The sides of the hull have mounts for the bogies moulded in place and each bogey is moulded from a single piece of plastic. The wheels look pretty good but the tracks are of the rubber band type and lack detail on the inner faces. I personally do not like flexible tracks (with the exception of Dragons DS tracks) but you may feel differently. The upper hull is moulded as a single piece of plastic and the hatches and pioneer tools are all moulded in place, as are the various pioneer tools. There are some neat little details included though, such as a spare track links and a canvas roll. Some attempt has been made to create a rough texture on the turret, but it is only really present on the upper lower surfaces. The vertical surfaces of the turret are quite smooth by comparison. The turret hatches are all moulded in the open position, and two crew members are included should you wish to use them. I wish more kit producers would do this as sourcing decent figures in the smaller scales isnt particularly easy or cheap. The long barrel of the 76mm gun is moulded in two pieces. One accounts for the barrel itself and half of the muzzle brake, while the other part forms the other half of the muzzle brake. The marking and painting guide shows three examples. Two are Shermans of the US Army while the third belongs to the Japan Self Defence Force. No clues are provided as to which units the subjects belong to though. Conclusion Itd difficult not to like the Sherman, particularly so as it played such an important part in the Allied war effort. Hasegawas version is pretty decent, although it isnt the best available in this scale. This is mainly because it is slightly too wide and slightly too long for a true 1:72 replica. That said, it will look like a (slightly too large) Sherman once completed and it should build up nicely out of the box. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

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