Mystery part on El Alamein Sherman

I see nothing unusual.  In your pic, just below the sledgehammer handle and under the overhang is the large air cleaner box.  This is extant in all M4s and M4A1s.  Below that further is the idler axle.  Further below and to the left is the tow lug.

All are customary Sherman features -- and parts contained in the kit.

Here's a pic with another style of air cleaner box.

EBergerud

 (Right next to the right rear fender: can't miss it.)

Eric

 

Like Roy, I only see the air cleaner; a common fitting on Shermans.

My eyes were playing tricks on me. Because of the way Doi's kit was photographed, the inside of the tracks on the right rear are very bright. On my monitor it looked like something semi-circular was protruding underneath the exhaust, especially with the shadow underneath it. I do have Sherman books and it's absolutely amazing how few pictures are taken of the rear end of a tank. I do have James Wechsler's Kalmbach book on building Shermans and the MkII is in it (complete with the middlestone color scheme I'm going to use) and there was nothing I could see there, so I got more confused. Of course there was nothing to see. Odd. I've been looking at those pictures of Doi's tanks for a week and kept seeing a phantom.

Now, this would not have happened if Dragon had included a decent graphical representation of the model in finished state - right, left, front and rear. There's nothing like that in the instructions. Nor any kind of guide to the options available. This company makes very good kits and charge very reasonable prices. Personally, I'd be glad to pay an extra few dollars to get Tamiya quality instructions.

Eric

EBergerud

Personally, I'd be glad to pay an extra few dollars to get Tamiya quality instructions.

Eric

You and the rest of the modeling world. Their instructions have long been their downfall, either ambiguous or in error.

Wait, I see it now that I've blown up the pic.  I have no idea---that is really weird...

I just looked again and I see your phanthom.  Do you notice how the model is sitting on a dark grey sheet?  What you see is the hole through the idler wheel and the light reflecting off of the dark grey sheet to the left of the model.  It sort of looks like a rod or something -- but it's the idler wheel aperture.

T26E4

I just looked again and I see your phanthom.  Do you notice how the model is sitting on a dark grey sheet?  What you see is the hole through the idler wheel and the light reflecting off of the dark grey sheet to the left of the model.  It sort of looks like a rod or something -- but it's the idler wheel aperture.

The large semi-circular part that projects well out from under the rear of the hull is a large funnel attached temporarily to the back of the tank to be used to add petrol (gasoline) through the back deck fuel fittings. As much petrol for vehicles was dumped from barrels, there was a shortage of pumps, and the Brits being neat persons, the large opening in the funnels was made to prevent spills. Dave from Atlanta

Wasn't this already answered correctly, two years ago.

Remember Pearl Harbor this morning.

Georgia Dave: I don't see any of the british ad hoc funnels in the pic that the OP provided.   

The Brits did carry ad hoc funnels usually rammed into one of the lifting eyes but they were usually home made contraptions , squarish on top, with a funnel attachment on one end. (Formations did/does a set of resin ones).  

Sorry... never mind; though I hope the info is helpful to other modelers.