I’m planning on building a M4 from the Pakistani army.
I’ve seen both M4A1 and M4A3 kits out on the market that have the 76mm gun
From what I’ve been able to gather is that the only difference between the A1 and A3 were the engines. So would it be possible to use either kit?
No, the M4A1 and M4A3 also have totally different hulls. The M4A1 has a cast hull with a rounded front and a radial engine, and the M4A3 has a welded hull with an angular front and a V-8 engine. You really need to find out which version Pakistan used.
Thanks
Pakistan specifically used the M4A1E4(76) iirc
What might be a good starting kit for that?
Start with an M4A1 75mm middle or late production, the Dragon or Tasca/Asuka kits will work for the small hatch hull. You’ll need a 76mm barrel to replace the kit 75mm gun. Also the upgunned tanks had the loader’s hatch added on the turret top and later style single piece TC hatch with vision block cupola.
http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/sherman_types/m4a1/m4a1.html
http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/manufacturer/m4a1largehatches/m4a1_largehatches.html
quite a bit is different. In fact, pretty much the entire tank is different. As mentioned above, it had a cast hull most notably.
I can check Hunnicut’s volume for the Sherman in Pakistani Army if he’s got coverage on it for you.
edit: http://www.theshermantank.com another link for info
that would be awesome if you could find out more
thanks!
Unfortunately Hunnicut’s work is extremely limited on foreign Service of the Sherman. All of three pages are devoted to it and it solely focuses on the Sherman’s service in the IDF and the M50 Super Sherman.
“As did India, Pakistan also received ex-British Shermans in 1947, most of which had the US 76 mm tank gun fitted on. Pakistan also bought 547 M4A1E4(76)s from the USA (one of its major allies since the end of the 1940s) during the 1950s. Around 300 of Pakistan’s M4s saw their fair share of combat against various types of Indian armour (ranging from the then-already-obsolete American M3 Stuart light tank, also including same or similar Shermans in Indian military service as well, to the modern British Centurion MBT) in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the second one in 1971. After 1971, when the second war ended, the Pakistani Army retired their M4s from active military service. At the time of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Pakistan owned 200 Shermans which were armed with 76 mm main guns.”
http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/m4a3e4/m4a3e4.html
To make the MDAP M4A1 The asuka late small hatch sherman would probably be your best starting point and then you’ll need to make some modifications to make it work. Adding the long 76mm will probably be the easiest. It seems like most of them had the added armor on hull and turret, late commanders cupola, steel cleat tracks (t54e1?) plus the spare track on the turret sides.
Not all the pictures show the E9 double sided extended end connector space-out suspension. If you want one with extended suspension I think you’ll be doing some scratch building as I’m not sure any AM exists for that conversion exists. I also don’t know if any engine deck modifications were done like with south american and israeli shermans.
Robin,
Thanks for posting that! I don’t see the elongated final drive parts on that set. Perhaps they sell them separately?
Could this be the needed part?
I think maybe it is! The first time I saw the picture I thought that was connected to the idler mounts but now that you pointed it out i looks like you are correct, that is probably the extension for the front sprockets, my mistake.
That is indeed the part to extend out the sprocket. One thing I neglected to mention in my instruction sheet (I’m the designer of the conversion set) is you will need to drill a hole in the center of the kit sprocket. I don’t have a picture handy but see the Sherman Minutia web site to see what I’m talking about. The real sprocket extender was a hollow tube with flanges on it for the bolts.
Yea, that’s the picture! The E9 conversion set was designed for the Asuka/Tasca kits so the once you drill out the hole in the sprocket, you might have to shorten the axle on the sprocket extender.