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Looking for help identifying the specific tank


lumo

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Hello all.  I hope I'm posting in the right section.

 

I'm requesting some help identifying this tank as I would like to attempt to duplicate this image into a diorama.  I'm not familiar with tank history, I just build the kits for fun.  It's a Sherman M4A3 76w HVSS fording a river in Germany, 1945, based on the info from various sites I searched, most notably Reddit.  I'm including both the original photograph I found online as well as a incredible colourization done by the person posting it on Reddit.

 

I want to get it down right to the detail.  I'm guessing it's the 'Easy Eight" tank.  The one I found is from Tamiya, but not sure if its the correct one. 

I also found that kit built by a member of this site, ScootyPuffJunior. Incredible work.

 

Someone on reddit posted this link to theshermantank.com, it's the 9th image down that gives some info on the subject tank.

 

Also, to make it exactly like this tank, I want to do as much aftermarket as possible if needs be and if I could get some directions into that, there is just so much out there.  Scalemates has a great source for this as well, but I'm looking at the suspension specifically.  Also the tracks are different than what comes with the kit.

 

There is just so much that will be going into this project, it will be my biggest undertaking and any direction I could get is most appreciated.  Thank you all in advance,

 

lumo

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By the looks of it the M1919 mount in front of the commander would have been a field modification ...the tracks you need will be the T80 type used on the later E8 right through to when a lot of them were sold on to the Israeli armed forces.

Tamiya do the Korean theatre easy 8 which already has the correct tracks (TAM35359) this is a very nice kit. As far as I'm aware there was very little difference between the late war easy 8 and the Korean theatre version. 

Historex do an entire section of there online shop on the Sherman...go to the top of the page click brands scroll down to the Transport section of the page and you will see "Sherman" lots of detail updates and so on  https://www.historexagents.com/#  .

@Das Abteilung really has a wealth of knowledge on the subject of all things Sherman and may well have a few observations that will be of use

Other than that from what i can see that is a very standard looking easy 8 with all the soft stowage and extras you would expect to see on a Sherman at this stage of the war.

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This photo has come up and been discussed before, on Missing Lynx IIRC.  The commander's MG mount is indeed the rear legs of an M3 tripod welded to the cupola.  The mount for the M2 HMG has been moved forward between the hatches too.

 

As noted the Tamiya "Korea" kit pretty much represents this tank's build standard OOB, which is the final one to see WW2 service.  Their other one does not quite, but the biggest difference are the T66 tracks - which doesn't matter if you plan to replace them anyway - along with things like the torsion bar engine access hatches.  It is a perfectly adequate kit but needs detail improvements, as do most: solid grab handles, poor tool holders etc.  I've just built one.  The RFM E8 kit is excellent, probably the gold standard and much better in many respects than Tamiya, and comes with their lovely clip-together indy link tracks.  By the time you've bought the Tamiya kit and the RFM tracks you might as well buy the RFM kit: costs about the same, at least in UK/Europe - might be different in N America.

 

However, none of those kits have the mantlet with the cover fittings but without the cover fitted as per the photo.  They all offer plain or covered mantlets.  You could add these fittings yourself from plastic rod and strip.  Tiger Model Designs do one in resin, along with a whole wealth of other M4 detail parts.  In Canda you can easily get TMD directly from them in the US.

 

The MJ Productions 3D printed light guards are nice: probably the best out there.  Don't know where you would get these in N America: Sprue Bros?  Their M4 detail set is quite expensive but if their other sets are anything to go by it should be good.  For preference I would use an RB aluminium barrel with brass muzzle brake.  The DEF barrel uses the kit brake.

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As stated above, by @Das Abteilung and @M3talpig the Tamiya kit is quite nice, with a little work... Not much extra work, unless you go for a lot of add ons.

 

I'd actually forgotten that I built one, a year or so back. Quite enjoyable, overall. 

I was son a Sherman kick, for a while, and will have to get back to that thread soon.

 

pZnESJW.jpg

 

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Hey guys, thanks for the responses.  I looked into everything you said.  I really like the RFM E8 kit, looks like it would be a very fun build especially since I've never build one from them. Trying to find it Canada might be a bit of a challenge as it seems to be sold out everywhere. 

 

On 7/17/2021 at 6:17 AM, Das Abteilung said:

For preference I would use an RB aluminium barrel with brass muzzle brake.  The DEF barrel uses the kit brake.

 

Not sure what RB or DEF stands for.  I've only bought ABER barrels in the past

 

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On 7/21/2021 at 12:36 AM, lumo said:

ot sure what RB or DEF stands for.  I've only bought ABER barrels in the past

RB Models and DEF Model are companies who also make aluminium gun barrels.  Much cheaper than Aber equivalents for no less quality.  Although Aber do some things they don't: Matilda CS barrel springs to mind.  But Aber stuff is on the expensive side where alternatives are available.  At least here in the UK and in Europe,  I imagine it's the same over there.

 

RB use brass muzzle brakes whereas DEF tend to use resin or have you use the kit-supplied brake.  The RB range is huge - must be nearly a couple of hundred different barrels - and they also do brass antennas and bases, a whole range of brass ammunition and other useful items.  On your side of The Pond, the Barrel Store (unsurprisingly, perhaps!) used to stock RB but I believe they were taken over by Sprue Bros a few years back.

 

DEF now have a large range of all sorts of useful stuff, mostly in resin.  If you've never heard of either you should check them out.  When I started out modelling, the after-market parts situation was easy: there weren't any!  Now there is a huge and confusing variety of manufacturers and new products almost daily.

 

https://www.rbmodel.com/index.php?action=products&cat=news

http://www.defmodel.com/

 

Edited by Das Abteilung
Bad spelling!
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