IDF M51 Sherman, October 1973

Agreeing with others that this was very nicely done, Carlos! :clap: You took an old, mediocre kit into a nice presentation. I have that kit built somewhere, but was a bit frustrated during assembly due to several fit issues (mainly between the turret and mantlet cover) and weird texture on the body. Thanks for sharing.

@petbat , you’re hitting a nerve with me mentioning the Crab… we’ve got paper panzer kits a dime a dozen, but the majority of the “Funnies” that actually were built, served in quantity, and made D-Day a success have yet to be kitted in 1/35 injected plastic. Interesting (and logical) bit of info about the grouser vents on the Crabs.
@Petition2God, thank you. Yeah, the mantlet and fit to the turret is the glaring weak spot of this kit. It’s not the best kit of the subject currently available, but it is not the worst either.

1 Like

It is amazing really. Arguably two of the most iconic vehicles of D-Day/Normandy Campaign, but the Duplex Drive and Crab have not been kitted in 1/35th scale styrene.

My Shelf Queen Crab… Legend conversion on Dragon M4A4. (would have used the Asuka Sherman but the conversion was for Dragon’s kit anyway)

I stopped when I was deliberating on whether to scratch build the marker dispensers or not. That dictates markings. I really need to finish this.

Excellent work on the Crab so far Peter! Looks like your almost finished. I can’t wait to see it completed.
If that was my conversion project, somebody would announce and release a mainstream kit at this point…

1 Like

Peter, nice build! Something I want to do one of these days. Now that I have become somewhat skilled in CAD drawings, I could offer to do a 3D design and print the marker dispensers. However, you residing in AU makes the shipping cost-prohibitive. :frowning:

Yes, OS postage is a bear. Thanks for thinking of me, and for the kind words on the build.

I actually found some pics of one without the dispensers and I had decals to suit, so this is now marked up and back in the painting queue right now.

2 Likes

Excellent job on the old Academy kit there Carlos. It has its faults for sure, but I still used parts from it on other builds, namely the suspension and engine deck. I built one OOB a number of years ago and that was enough.

@petbat, Peter, the Crab looks great! Did you ever do a base for it?

@rfbaer, Russel, thank you. I would not mind building another one of these kits as an earlier or later variant, but I’m not gonna go out of my way to get another. I already have enough kits in my stash to keep me busy for a lifetime and then some…

I’m sticking with the Tamiya kit for a base, so much easier to work with and even accurate for what it is. I’ve managed to stash a couple…

It will eventually be on this base. The Officer with Sten and a few infantry passing the Crab will be added. This all in the paint queue. Cheers.