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Sherman M4A3 105mm Howitzer ft NEW PICS SEPT 10th


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I'm calling this finished, although more work will be done on it when it's sited in its dio. I was toying with the idea of giving it a winter camo, but anyone who saw my last attempts with the Nashorn will understand my decision not to go ahead with it. However, I suspect my dio will feature the Sherman in the first stages of having its winter camo applied by a crewman or two.

The Sherman is 1/35th Tamiya, with scratch sponsons (why Tamiya never rectified this glaring omission is beyond me) Also included some Tamiya stowage from their US Tank Crew set (which will also feature in the dio) The frontal armour enhancement was made from Barbeque sticks and spare track links, tied up with cotton. Rear stowage secured with cotton, back-pack straps made from cut-offs from PE sprue and all bags are secured to a cotton line. I also added a 'plank' of wood at the rear of the turret, thinking that crew would make use of the two 'bars' sticking out of the back and make a 'shelf'. Graphite dust used to colour steel tools and give a worn sheen here and there. Clear green used for periscope glass although in reality these were untinted glass.

The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that the M2 machine gun on the turret is seated backwards in its mount. I did this because the gun will not depress beyond the horizontal when seated correctly, and would not be able to shoot at targets at close to mid-range (or anywhere below the horizontal) This is because the ammo box is fouled by the mount itself. Mounted 'incorrectly' the gun can depress below the horizontal and can in fact be 'dropped' almost vertically down over the back of the turret. I have seen photos from WWII where M2's were 'stowed' in such positions.

Yes, there's bits of fluff here and there and a bit of touching-up to do.

Anyway, all comments welcome and encouraged.

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TFL

Badder

Edited by Badder
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That is superb Badder. Some of the close-ups look like they could be of the real thing! I really like the weathering and detailing. Wonderful stuff! Well done. :thumbsup:

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That is superb Badder. Some of the close-ups look like they could be of the real thing! I really like the weathering and detailing. Wonderful stuff! Well done. :thumbsup:

Thanks Stix. It's not a patch on that Churchill AVRE, but I'll get there one day! This is my first Sherman and I have to say it's a very enjoyable build from Tamiya (apart from the missing sponsons) Plenty of opportunity to ad-lib on the front hull armour. I'm still debating on whether or not to add extra protection to the sides. Now I think I best crack on with the vignette GB!

Rearguards,

Badder.

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Nice job Badder, I built one of these years ago it was my first Sherman. Now I've built 3 more 2x Dragon 1x Tasca.

Thanks Ozzy. I will definitely build another... which I haven't decided yet.

Rearguards,

Badder

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Nice one! Love the stowage and the fact that it's actually tied down, a detail that some modellers forget

Very nicely done sir.

G

Thanks guys.

Yeah Foggy, I've reached that stage where I find magically-magnetic stowage a bit silly.

I've actually continued working on this Sherman, adding more stowage and ropes front and rear. I have some spare tracks from my Nashorn misadventure and I'm thinking about adding bits as extra side armour. The Nashorn used the same tracks as the Panzer IV and I'm figuring the Sherman crew came across a wreck and salvaged some track for extra protection.

Rearguards,

Badder

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The tank slightly too glossy for my personal taste, but the stowage really so nice and it sure successfully made the tank looks more "busy".

Don't worry Sinhow, it WILL get a matt coat when it goes into the dio I think. I'm not sure whether it will be a dry scene or a muddy one, so I'm leaving it gloss for now.

PS, I've painted the kit bag/spare ammo pouch buckles with brass, added some more stowage and I've drilled out the barrel of the M2 machine gun.

Cheers,

Badder

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Like it,good work. :thumbsup: For a tank that was average at best ,the Sherman had a lots of variants,Still quantity beats quality.

Thanks Celt. It has now received a matt coat and some extra stowage.

Yeah, they reckon 4 Shermans were needed to take out 1 Tiger. The Tigers were usually hidden in ambush positions and fired at a column of 4 Shermans, taking out the lead tank first. The remaining 3 would then try to locate the Tiger, and manoeuvre, trying to rush the Tiger, but by then the Tiger would have taken out another Sherman (either the 2nd in the column when out in the open, or the last if they are on a road) One of the remaining Shermans might get off a shot or two, but at range they rarely killed the Tiger. But the idea was that the 2 remaining Shermans would try to out-flank the Tiger, using superior speed and manoeuvrability and faster turret rotation and get round behind the Tiger to deliver the killer shot. The Russian T34's though just charged head on at Tigers and overwhelmed them by force of numbers.

Rearguards,

Badder

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  • 2 weeks later...

Brave buggers, they new their tank was outclassed and still they went in harms way. Thats bravery. Too such men we all owe so much.

I think all allied AFVs were outclassed when facing Tigers, Panthers etc and of course the 88mm 'anti-aircraft' gun. It was higher production and sheer weight of numbers in the field that won in the end.

Rearguards,

Badder

Completely missed this for some reason,excellent job Badder...

Cheers Vince.

I actually did a bit more work on it since posting this... maybe I should post more pics.

Rearguards,

Badder

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So, here's the Sherman with a matt coat and some extra stowage at the rear.

The Sherman will next appear in a dio at some point in the future.

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TFL

Badder

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Now that he has "something" was missing in my IHMO (for my taste), it may be a little maniac with the finish, I like mat, since i made Frog planes and ESCI tanks 1/72, when just painting (brush only ... sigh) when dry, as there were some shine ... almost certain spare box ... :hanging:

As you have done for yourself, :thumbsup2: I dared not tell you but now I can tell you, I thought that was what was missing (just an opinion which may be wrong), and it is very easy to opine with good intentions and that it is a misunderstanding, because what is true is that all spend a lot of effort, time, money, and great enthusiasm when we make a model.

The addition of more equipment, it also gives a touch very proper and real, above all, I see you had in this "hold" all with cables, as would be in reality.

Therefore now (for my taste), it has been great, ready for diorama :goodjob:

Cheers Badder :winkgrin:

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Now that he has "something" was missing in my IHMO (for my taste), it may be a little maniac with the finish, I like mat, since i made Frog planes and ESCI tanks 1/72, when just painting (brush only ... sigh) when dry, as there were some shine ... almost certain spare box ... :hanging:

As you have done for yourself, :thumbsup2: I dared not tell you but now I can tell you, I thought that was what was missing (just an opinion which may be wrong), and it is very easy to opine with good intentions and that it is a misunderstanding, because what is true is that all spend a lot of effort, time, money, and great enthusiasm when we make a model.

The addition of more equipment, it also gives a touch very proper and real, above all, I see you had in this "hold" all with cables, as would be in reality.

Therefore now (for my taste), it has been great, ready for diorama :goodjob:

Cheers Badder :winkgrin:

Glad to have met your taste Francis :winkgrin: I posted the original pics knowing that the Sherman wasn't actually finished. As I said at the top of the page, I hadn't decided whether the dio was going to be a wet or dry scene so I left the tank with a satin sheen. I have since decided that the dio will be 'dry' so I applied the matt coat.

Rearguards,

Badder

That's a beauty Badder....

Thanks Vince. I really enjoy this build and in particular the opportunity to add lots of additional stowage and makeshift armour.

Badder

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How long 'til you start on the dio WIP,need to go and buy some popcorn :door:...

lol I have a vignette to do very soon.... featuring BMW R/75 and Sidecar plus figures. There's a WIP for that about to re-commence this week. After that I'll be doing a dio for the Sherman.

Rearguards,

Badder

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lol I have a vignette to do very soon.... featuring BMW R/75 and Sidecar plus figures. There's a WIP for that about to re-commence this week. After that I'll be doing a dio for the Sherman.

Rearguards,

Badder

Cheers Badder i'll keep an eye on the BMW WIP then...

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