Okay, I'm cracking to pressure from a few folks asking (or should I say questioning) if I actually build anything. Without further ado I selected my M4A1 w/Sommerfield matting being applied to show for critiquing.
Any and all comments welcome.

Howdy Kenc,

Looking great sir! I really like the Sommerfield application. Is that brass railing behind it? Can't wait to see your follow-ups.

Tread.

I do have one additional comment my friend. Where did you buy your kit? Whenever I've bought a Sherman kit in the past, they have always included the turret in with the rest of the model......you were jipped! #:-) #:-)

Hi Ken that looks good but please excuse an ignorant truckie....'what is the matting for Sir'

Looking good Bro..I was one of those people who questioned if you even owned a kit! Keep us posted! Im with Mr. Roo on the mating thing. (:-)

Very nice!!! The Matting I believe was used to Put Foliage on or to Stop Certain Weaponry.

Kencelot

Looking very good so far! Can I ask which base sherman kit you have used here?

Lee

Thanks guys.

Hmmm... this is less known than I had thought. Okay Sommerfield matting was a hexagonal wire mesh originally designed and used for strengthening hastily made landing strips. It sort of looks like chicken wire or like a chain-link fence.
It was applied to tanks to allow tank crews an easy way of attaching foliage for camouflage.

Below are two examples of the Sommerfield matting applied to Shermans.

Only two M4A1 kits out are by Italeri (M4A1 76) and DML (M4A1 75). I'd venture a guess that it is the Italeri kit (because it's molded in green).

Ken, looks like top-notch work. I like the bolt detail added to the suspension boogies.

As far as Ken owning a kit, I think he's the one who cleaned out Model Expo's warehouse.

Great job there. It looks very well done. I can´t wait to see it finished. Please show us more pics as you progress.
What did you use to simulate the Sommerfield matting ?
I saw a pic of an M4A1 in Osprey´s Sherman M4 Medium Tank and always have in mind how can one model that.

Gees, that'll teach me not to post anything until I've had my coffee! I forgot to answer all the "q's" except about the SM.

Tread, yes I used 26g brass wire for the attachment rails, and 0.3 x 1mm plastic strip for the rail's (welds) attachment points.

This is the good ole trusty Italeri kit. Rob knows! When I was last down at Model Expo they had a sale on these kits for $6.90 each! Needless to say, I bought several. Enough for a whole battalion!

Great detail so far Kencelot, keep it up.

Andrew

Csch, I used what I call "wedding vail". (???) It's the stuff they use to dress up areas for weddings. Where I work, there are lots of weddings and they always leave this stuff behind for us to remove.
I'm not so sure I'm happy right now with the "scale" of the matting. The holes look a little too small. Is it just me?
My wife is going to take me to a few fabric stores later today to look for other options. I'm just hoping to see some fish-net stockings - modeled... hehehe

Nice start, Ken.

Are you modeling a particular vehicle or just a generic M4A1 (76)? I'm interested to see if you try to put markings on the hull underneath the matting. Also, are you going to put matting on the turret?

Those reference pics are a little small, but I can tell a few things from them: the pic on the left is a M4A3 (76) and shows that the Sommerfield matting provided absolutely no protection -- look at that hole! Must have been an 88 or at least a 75 that made that!

The pic on the right might be an M4 (75) dry -- kinda hard to tell with all those hitch-hikng GIs on board. It may be an illusion, but there appears to be applique armor on the sponson.

Like Rob, I like the way you have dressed up those Italeri bogies. It's amazing how simply applying the missing boltheads and adding the boltholes opposite the trailing arms really improves their look.

Bob, I had originally planned to reproduce the one in the photo below from the 4th AD. But, since I did not have enough of the "pressed" type to use (and how I hate robbing from other kits) I'll have to go with a more generic vehicle. hehe, in fact no markings are required on that one.

Yes, the turret is going to be done. In fact all the surfaces are ready to accept the matting. I'm just going to wait to see what I can find in some more options in stores this afternoon before finalizing the matting. I'm not too happy with the size of the holes in my current choice.

The matting is just placed on for now- in order to "show off" the look. I left enough spacing between the mounting rails and the hull to slip a decal underneath should the need arise.

And, if anyone thinks that this matting provided any armor protection...

I love the way that every piece of field-modification gets an official name. To the unitiated it would look like chicken wire (which it probably was...) . The brits used electrical cable to hang camo or gear on (usually threaded through the lifting hooks). Many photos of Cromwells and Centaurs show this modification... Jim :-)

Yeah, I think you're looking for some fine hexagonal mesh. I have some, but I think it's too big -- it's green mosquito netting.. Might want to check the fabric stores, as well as the second-hand stores (remember that ladies used to wear hats -- might find something there!). If you picked up a half-yard of material, you'd probably have enough to build an industrial-sized chicken farm in 1/35th scale.

Oh, man ... I just had a mental image of some guy wandering around a lingerie store with a couple of those Sherman pics in his hand ... #:-) "Excuse me, miss? Does this come in OD?"

I love the matting verry nice idea, is it coming in a diorama with time?
Cant waith to see it finnished

Been there, done that, as far as the strange looks at the fabric store go. Walk in and ask for olive drab tulle for a tank model or ask if you can get a yard of cheese cloth (cammo nets).

The ladies at the fabric store know me now, and put up with me...

Shaun

......hey keenan, we all know you now, and we put up with you!.....

Tread. #:-)

Looking nice Ken and something unusual that I have never seen modelled before!
The mixture pressed and spoked wheels also adds to the effect.


Depending on who you want to proceed, I have a full set of pressed wheels in the spares. Tamiyas M4 early comes with a full set of both and I used the spoked type. I could send them to you if you want them? Let me know.