Hi guys just got his started this week, really have only finished 1 tank model in the past 15 or 20 years so this should be a good kit for a beginner.
I did make a few mods as you can see from the pics, some new tool clamps, I thinned down the headlight and taillight brush guards for a better scale appearance added new front fender supports thinned down the the track skids and added bolt detail, some other stuff also.
I do have a question for you Sherman experts Tamiya did not provide a tow cable should this take have one? All comments welcome.
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Nice work on dressing up this kit.
No Tamiya did not provide a tow cable for this kit, and yes, the tank should have one. There are plenty available from aftermarket companies.
Also, your tracks are on backwards. When viewed from the front of the tank, the open end of the chevron pad should be at the top, not the bottom.
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Thanks for the info, oops good thing those tracks are not glued on yet.
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Robert, really excellent work detailing this very basic kit into something you can really study. Nice brass grab handles. Great side skirt strips. Looks like you’ve covered all the bases for an M4 except for the tow cable but like Carlos said those are easy to get. Good solid build there. Model on!
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Thanks for your reply, I just ordered the tow cable, and turned the tracks around in the rite direction. When the cable comes I will take a few more detail pics than it will be time for paint, airbrush time.
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I just picked up this kit, since I wanted to build an earlier version of the Sherman. Sems that the Early version was used by then Lt Col. Creighton Abrams (namesake of the M1 tank).
THis oen is “Thunderbolt V”, eventually, he commanded “Thunderbolt VII”, an M4A3E8 Sherman.
A replica of the “Thunderbolt” is on display at the grounds of the Citadel Military Academy in Charleston, South Carolina.
It would be a cool build to represent a historically significant vehicle.
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I know that Tasca offers a hedgerow cutter on their M4A1 on their kit.
I used it on my Academy M10 Wolverine build an it looks great.
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That style of hedgerow device was specific to 3rd Armored division, if I’m not mistaken. There were multiple designs used for those
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The tanks fitted with these homebrew cutters were called were called “Rhinos”.
The invention of a hedge-breaching device is generally credited to Curtis G. Culin, a sergeant in the 2nd Armored Division’s 102nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron. However, military historian Max Hastings notes that Culin was inspired by “a Tennessee hillbilly named Roberts”, who during a discussion about how to overcome the bocage, said “Why don’t we get some saw teeth and put them on the front of the tank and cut through these hedges?” Rather than joining in the laughter that greeted this remark, Culin recognized the idea’s potential.
A prototype tusk-like assembly was created by welding steel scrap (from destroyed Czech hedgehogs) to the front of a tank to create a hedge cutter. The teeth helped prevent the vulnerable underside of the tank from being exposed while it knocked a hole in the hedgerow wall. On 14 July, Lieutenant General inspected the tank and “watched in awe as a hedgerow exploded … to make way for the Sherman bursting through”. According to Hastings, Culin, “an honest man”, attempted to give credit to Roberts, but this was forgotten in the publicity surrounding the invention. Hastings concludes: “Culin became a very American kind of national hero”.
There wasn;t really a set pattern for how to make these, so there are several different variants used.
You can clearly see the 3rd Armored Division markings on the Sherman behind the soldier.
This is the picture that I used as reference for my M10 Wolverine build.
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Time for an update, got the tow cable installed and I added those round clips on the front donated by an old Academy m3 lee kit, Also added a clamp and wing nut to hold the tow cable down, wow that thing is small. All comments welcome.
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Adding the tow cable is one of those small details that add up. By itself, no big deal. But add that, and other missing details elsewhere, and you’ll lift this kit from good to great. Keep up the fire!
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Thanks for your reply, I am almost there have to clean up some glue marks and some other small stuff than on to paint.
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