ARMOR - Sherman Family Group Build

Wow, guys.

Thanks for the warm welcome and helpful advice.

Chris: thanks for the lesson. Very much appreciated. It's nice to have a little 'reference chart' when your just starting out. However, a few of the pictures wouldn't show up. I'll see if I can go directly to the links... I may know diddly-squat about armour (and planes for that matter), but they sure do intrigue me. There's a few guys that build WWII armour in our club and I continue to be drawn in when I see their build-ups. I still enjoy planes and cars too, but I'm looking forward to this build. I also have the Academy 1/35 M3 Stuart Honey, but I'm gonna build a few smaller things first to build up my skills a bit.

Domi: that's the kit I'll be using. I'll do a bit of research and see if there's anything 'special' I'd like to do to it...

Thanks again.

Murray

QUOTE: the sherman calliope (rocket launcher on top of the turret) (sorry, couldn't find a real picture)

Here ya' go...

Thank you!! any pics of a DD?

QUOTE: Originally posted by M1abramsRules nono!!!! "happy tiger hunting all"

Okay, here's the plan, build lots of Shermans and you guys can keep the Tiger busy while I sneak around and shoot it in the a... uhm... back plate.

Ron.

Doing a little research at home about which 70th Tank Battalion Sherman to do!

Welcome aboard Murray .... good to have you join us here on the Dark Side. Nice of the wife to give you a Sherman for Christmas .... nothing quite says "peace on earth, good will to all men" better than a Sherman.

I'm not familiar with the kit itself as I don't build that scale, but Domi and a couple of others have built it and there's some very Sherman - knowledgeable people who have already signed up for the build so you're pretty much covered.

Domi - out of curiousity .... what's in the box, an M4 or an M4A1. The reason I ask is the box art shows an M4A1.

Chris - here's a pic of the Duplex Drive with the screens up on display in England.


Don't think anyone is going to tackle this beast for the group build though, very complex plumbing inside those screens.

QUOTE: Originally posted by shermanfreak Welcome aboard Murray .... good to have you join us here on the Dark Side. Nice of the wife to give you a Sherman for Christmas .... nothing quite says "peace on earth, good will to all men" better than a Sherman.

I'd figure it'd be a B36 PEACEMAKER.

If someone wanted an easy way out of the DD screen nightmare, they could build it with the screens off. As soon as the tank was where it could, the crew would shed the screens. There are several pictures of DD Shermans with no screens once they got inshore at Normandy.

Resicast use to make 3 different versions of the DD. One with the screens up, one with the screens off, and the third with the screens down.

I have the one with the screens off in my collection. I didn't pick it because I thought someone else had already claimed the DD.

I hope some one builds the M4 DD version. That tank would look cool.
mark956

latch66:

QUOTE: I didn't pick it because I thought someone else had already claimed the DD.

Hey dude, that's okay. A lot of us are building the same model, even the same kit, for that matter. If you want to build it, go for it. I'd really like to see it done!

Bill

I agree with Bill, thats part of the fun of a group build. Not only do you get to see all the different variants, but also the styles, techniques and versions of similar or the same vehicle. Individuals interpretations of the build so to speak.

Did it with another group once doing a figure. Everyone built the same figure. Other than "some" similar poses there were 16 differnt figures, all from the same figure kit. The level and detail of some of the conversions was amazing.

The local woodworking group here has a contest every year at building something from 2 pine 8 foot 2x4's. More than a dog house frame I can tell you. I saw a small curio cabinet made from those 2x4's that would knock your socks off. No extra lumber added (he added the glass after the competition) just the 2x4's and the hardware.

Thats why I look forward to these. Just to see what everyone is going to do. Nothing like a group project like this to both instill some creative energy as well as some drive to build a project. To see the creativity of others is the most impressive means of improving ones self.

Mike

it's going to be nice having a lot of different ones to look at, after we're done

Well put, Mike.

Bill

No offense taken.

I'll build the BARV first just because I really don't think anyone else will come up with one. If I can sqeeze the time just right, I'll also do the DD. (The way it keeps snowing, I just might have the time!)

Neither kit is that complex, but resin kits take me longer to build than a standard plastic kit.

This build group has Great Potential!

Do yall remember the "Modeler's Guide to the Sherman"?

They built 15 different Sherman's in that book. No two were the same. They were all either 75mm or 76mm armed tanks. And all were WWII variants.

No recovery vehicles, No Prime Movers, No Tank Destroyers, No GMC's, No Korean war versions, None of the modern stuff, Think of all the mods the Isralei's did to their Sherman fleet. And the way the Sherman has gotten around, I'm sure I have missed something (like the M36's used in Vietnam and in Bosnia).

This could be very Big indeed!

Latch - either the D.D. or the BARV (or both) would be great for this build. I for one would like to hear from someone first hand what they think of these 2 kits as they're working on them. I've been collecting as much info on the BARV as I could with the intention of scratchbuilding one in the future. Resicast product can be very expensive here in Canada so I've shied away from it. You seem to have a little of their stuff, have you purchased or seen their Crab Flail Conversion?

Shermanfreak,

Yes, I've got the Crab conversion. The reason I didn't even try to get it into the build is I believe it is too involved for me for a "60" day build deadline. Particularly when you consider the corrections that have to be done to the DML M4A4 as well. None of it is hard, it just takes time.

The conversion is involved, but complete. The hardest thing will be getting the chains to look right. The ones that come in the kit don't look that good.

There is a picture in the Hunnicutt of a Crab in US Service (an M4A4 even) which has standard chains on it. That's the direction I was going to go.

I've got a few of the Resicast kits, but have not had an opportunity to get any of them built yet. All of the Resicast kits I have look good and complete. They look very buildable. This group build will allow me to get the BARV done and maybe the DD.

I will be more than glad to give you the skinny on how this kit builds.

My only problem is getting pictures to post on this forum. This is giving me fits. I'm still working on it.

Latch - I had heard rumblings about the chain being a little so-so. If and when you go to do this build, give me a shout, I have some pictures (about 48 of them) taken of a surviving Crab here in Canada. Be more than happy to share them with you.

In regards to posting pics, the first step is to upload them to a hosting site that will allow you to hyperlink to this forum. In the General Modelling Forum ... one of the first threads refers to a free image hosting site owned by Ron USMC who is a member here. After you have your pics uploaded to his site, then we'll move on to the next step.

Shermanfreak,

Thanks for the offer of the pics on the Crab. I'll definitely take you up on it.

Thanks for the info on the upload. I've gotten four pictures on Ron's site (two are real bad due to the flash, but the other two are OK. Not good, but Ok), but I've not been able to get a successful upload to the forum yet.

What am I doing wrong?

I aggree, though I am basicly new to modeling, I have been enjoying reading the posts and the pics from the panther group build, It is a good thing that there will be good looking, well built tanks, then there will be mine. Even though, I have had a blast reading the posts and looking at other peoples builds, It is a good way to see how something fits together that you may have a question over, or maybe the instructions arent to clear, I have had this happen a couple of times, where I looked up and saw how it was on someone else's pic, may not even be the same make as in tamiya, italarie, dragon but have been able to see how the part is suppose to look.

Anyone has the Verlinden book on Israeli Sherman & variants..? I'm after 3 pics of an Ambulance Shermie built over an early suspendsion-type chassis...

Hope an M10 will be ok. Thats all i have for now.

................i gotta get that book...sounds like a blast....take up some spare downtime @ the chevy dealer....jeffl

heres a link i posted in the Recovery post, its got some photos of the Sherman in the Israeli service http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/vehicles/tanks/sherman/Sherman.html
thers some good photos of the Ambulance Sherman

heres a link to some photos of the Crab at Bovington http://www.armouredengineer.force9.co.uk/crab1.htm
i took some photos of the Crab there too, ill have a look for them
heres another piccy of the Bovington Crab


and heres a Sorry looking Crab at Overloon, Holland
http://www.jagdtiger.de/ComWealthTanks/M4Crab-01.htm
its a great site dont let the name scare your Targets sorry Shermans

BARV




http://www.thewarandpeaceshow.com/military_vehicles.htm
heres some more links
BARV http://www.rememuseum.org.uk/museum/newhall/barvin.htm
http://www.rememuseum.org.uk/vehicles/trrv/vehbeach.htm
and another Crab


Im sorry if the photos are too big, i posted the BARV ones becouse i had to hunt them down on that site, they were stead out on different pages

After looking around at my unstarted Shermans, and finding a mouse in my basement and doing the scientific 'eenie, meenie, minie, moe...' I've decided on a 1/35 scale composite hull M4. I'm going to mark it to the 70th Tank Battalion in Normandy just after D-Day. Except for the interior, I'm going to do it right out of the box.

Ron

Edog - of course an M10 is just fine ..... look forward to seeing the build ... Academy's or AFV Club's ?

Jon - what don't you have a link to ... your favourites list must be a mile long !!!!

General Info for all - I will be setting up a small webspace where the finished pics can be posted. I will also be setting up a special e-mail address where you can send your finished pics to. I have to limit it to only the finished projects due to the number of bulds happening in this group and the limited size of the webspace. I figure 4 or 5 pics of each finished vehicle will tell the story pretty good. I'll keep the website active for about 4 - 6 months after the build is completed. I think everyone should attempt to include a small write-up of the kit they build, procedures used and how the found the kit to be.
I'll keep you all posted as to the adresses when I activate it.

good enough, Robert. I can do the in progress pics with ron's gallery then.

Sherm,

I went with the AVF Club M10. The detail is very crisp, and I am impressed BUT!!! There are some MONSTER sized pin hold mold marks!!

Great idea Robert.

Mike

Does anyone know if any models exist for the Canadian Skink?

QUOTE: In one instance, the Skink attacked a building occupied by 50 enemy soldiers. Ten of them were wounded by HEIT fragments, the others surrendered in terror. Another time, the Skink commander was fired on by a sniper. Unhurt but furious, the commander directed the Skink's guns to fire in the direction of the sniper. The 20mm's blasted away everything in the surrounding area and in moments the shaken sniper emerged.

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Never mind, I just saw that an issue exists, October '96 involving a Skink.

Sounds like a plan Robert.

Thanks for hosting!