I still have a bit more to do on this -- applying more pastel "dust" for one, but since the Formations M4A1 kit has come up in several threads, I thought I'd post some pics.

This tank is a generic vehicle from the 1st Armored Division in Anzio, April 1944. It is red-brown and OD camo with counter-shaded barrel as described by Steve Zaloga in "The M4 Sherman at War" (Concord 7001). It has markings for the 2nd Platoon of B Company (battalion unknown). I used blue drab registration markings from Archer and some Verlinden stars. I still have about 10 more pastel washes to go until I get it to the level of dustiness seen on most Italian theater Shermans. BTW, that's a Formations .50 cal. with an early gun pintel and ammo box -- wonderful little kit to spruce up any early Sherman.

Here's a shot before I added stowage:


And with a bit of stowage:

Hi Bob:
Your M4A1 looks great. Is it a Formations kit ?
I can´t appreciate very well the color in the pics.
Very nice job.

Yes, Carlos -- it is the Formations kit. It was the first conversion kit Formations released. The .50 cal. is a separate kit.

About the colors -- it is painted in Model Masters Olive Drab and Light Earth.In the process of washes and filters, it toned down the contrast between the two colors quite a bit. This contrast will diminish even more as I add more pastel washes. I'll try to get some shots in the sunlight when it.s done -- these were taken under a "Reveal" bulb, which is supposed to show true colors. I'm not convinced it works that well.

Nice looking M4A1! I don't think that bulb works too well with the colors

Howdy Bob!
Very good build , nice to see you are building it the exact way it was! So far your M4 is just awesome!
Keep up the good work.

Garry

Bob, looks very good so far. I truly like the camo chosen for this tank. The blue-drab reg. markings are another nice difference. Were they in fact used than?

The only thing I would like to critique is the rust on the tread's surface. You probably are going to tone it done though, right?

Do us a really big favor, take a pic or two outdoors under some "real" natural light. The rust appears to be too red, most likely from the light source though.

Thanks for the comments, guys!




Yup. Blue drab was the standard through 1943. Many of these tanks were veterans of Sicily. Some vehicles has blue drab markings right through to the end of the war.




Oh yeah. They'll get the graphite treatment before long. That rust will just show in the nooks and crannies.




I'm not sure why it looks so red -- it's really more a terra cotta orange.

When I get this thing done, I'll take it outside for some natural light shots. The last time I took this tank outside, it was for paint and the wind launched it off the back porch! Luckily, I managed to save almost all the parts and nothing was seriously damaged. Still -- it was pretty traumatic.

Hey...hey...heyy!! You didn't think you were going to get away without a comment from me did ya!?!

I bloody well beg to differ there HollaringPimples!

Now......if I may?

O.K., the first mistake you made was not cutting off the front third of the hull and mating it to......oops!, ..err, sorry, wrong project.......

Hey Bob, I'm lovin' it. She looks fantastic. I have even blown up your pics to have a really good look .
It looks like you added some rain streaking on the hull sides....looks nice. And I think the two tones of camo have melded very nicely. I am sending you kudos for the "counter-shaded" barrel (I plan on doing the same thing, just hope mine is half as good). And the strap work on the turret stowage really adds the feel of 'weight' to the packs.
Mighty good stuff there Bob.......

Now, where did you get the 3-bar cleat tracks again? Also, the front fender detail on this hull is 'different?' (but then I'm still immersed in ref-surfin'). I can't see your bogies clearly so I can't give you guff about those yet...
The MG looks good, closer pics of it would be nice.
And here's a question (I phrase it this way so I don't look stupid....) When Sherman's were repainted in new camo style paint jobs out in the field, did they just paint right over the Pioneer tools? Maybe so they didn't stand out, or reflect light?

Sorry......I'm back. I keep 'wheeling' down the thread to look at your pics..........bloody good job Bob.

Tread.

Hey Bob ..Looking good !! Don't you just love these Formations Shermans !!! The only thing I can think of to say is don't forget to weather the spare tracks...other than that ...Coool! I'm close to paint on my M4A2 but it has to be a plain old OD color . (Tarawa) But I just ordered a DV M4A1 and I can see the camo now (in my head) lol Or maybe an umbrella might come to mind ..lol ..Nah I'll leave that on to Shermie. Great job and I can't wait to see it finished.

Rick

On your wonderful Sherman, I'm wondering why there are rubber tracks on the glacis plate, while the tank is using the 3 bar cleat tracks. Would the same unit have different tracks? Maybe picked up from a wrecked sherman? Interesting. Either way, it looks supurb. I especially love the smaller ammo box for the .50cal. Its something you don't see often on a model (as you didn't often see it on the real thing too). I agree with everyone when I say the counter-shading is good. I tried it on mine and had mixed results (though I could blame it on the "whitewash" if I want too ). Anyway, cool beans.

Jeff

Nice work Bob - can't wait to see more pictures. They're inspiring me to set aside more time this weekend to finish up "Derby"...

Gunnie

Oh, Gordon. You're such a kidder!

Those packs are leftover Academy parts from an M10 kit. The straps are nice, thin lead foil from the dentist ("hazardous waste" from bite wing X-rays -- sterilized in an autoclave).

I think the tracks are also Academy (though they may be AFV Club ... ) I may replace them with RHPS before the AMPS Midwest Regional in October. The rubber blocks on the front are leftover RHPS tracks from my M12.

I'll get some close-ups of the .50 and other details when this bad boy is done. I still have lots of paint and weathering to do. I'm debating about leaving the pioneer tools body color or doing them in bare wood and steel. Have to look at the pics again.

Rick -- I'm tempted by the M4A1 direct vision, but I think the M4A1 with applique (maybe do Battling B---h or Derby, like Gunnie) or maybe the M4A2 will be next. I already have a M4A1 DV in the collection I converted from a Nichimo kit (ahrghhh!).


Jeff -- The mix-n-match tracks are kind of an Italian theater thing I noticed in photos. I've seen 3-bar-cleat armor on rubber-chevron shoed Sherms, rubber-block on rubber-chevron, rubber block on 3-bar-cleat, etc. When they raced across Sicily, they must have worn out plenty of tracks and decided to use them to increase frontal armor -- and almost always in the same place. There might have been some kind of field-mod order?

Lots of good, inexpensive references that show these tanks. I've been using Squadron's old "Sherman in Action," as well as Concord's "The M4 Sherman at War" as my primary references. For details on this tank, including the old .50 cal. with the small ammo can, you can't beat Squadron's "M4 Sherman Walk Around." I have Hunnicutt and some other Sherman refs, but haven't really needed them for this build.

Gunnie -- Thanks for the support!

Get moving with Derby! I want to see your take on the bizarre rack on the rear of the turret.

Keep the questions and comments coming, fellow Shermaniacs and Shermaholics!!

The mixture of track is actually common. Depending if the crew stores it for spare or for additional armor. Then extra armor wouldn't matter what kind of track you rode. I have even seen crews use the burned out skeleton remains of rubber block tracks as extra armor

Howdy Bob,

Thx for the replies.....your pic of the 'small hatch' Nichimo just reminded me of how much I'm bogartin' for the Dragon A1 rerelease..............



I may even need to run down to Colorado Springs and buy out Compleat Models as well!! But that would leave HalfYank with nothing.........wonder if he'd notice

...wonder if he's listening......

Tread...

I have 2 M4A1 Dragon kits on ordr from two different sources just in case someon craps out on me

I agree. That was a life saver...A life saver for you guys, not me. Otherwise, you'd be anwering all my questions .

What's your question? My sarcasm detector is going off ...

You won't find all the Sherman answers on the Web. At some point you have to go to the good old books.

Where do you think most of us get our answers? Books.

Hit the library. Ask about interlibrary loan. Order some books. Save your change for the copy machine. This is how I built my references at first. (For all you arm-chair copyright lawers, you can copy things for your own personal research and reference -- just be careful how you share..)

Now I pick and choose, but I don't buy whatever I want -- I have a low model budget, too. I have focused my modeling on U.S. WWII subjects, that way I don't bounce around too much or waste money on a reference for a single whim.

If your are at a university, I'll bet your interlibrary loan rocks. Hit the books.

Bob, that brown/green job is a really neat, well made model that I'd be proud of if it were mine. Makes a change in the sea of OD as well.

Re. budget - loads of us have a low budget - thought I was going to have to pack up for a while, then another commission comes along and pays for a spending spree..............hence I have the Resicast Crab to do, and other stuff on order.

Hi Guys
While we're on the subject of extra track links being used as applique armour,I've seen pics of Churchills with Panther track links welded to the turret as armour,does anyone know if Sherman crews used them too?

Pete

Well I've seen a Sherman with Churchill tracks!! lol.. I'm sure somebody did put panther tracks on a sherman but I can't remember seeing a picture ...some one might have one for you .

Rick

This is my next Sherman. I am waiting for the Fruils for my Tiger and gonna use the kit tracks on the Sherman

........but that was my next Sherman...............

Tread....

Well I figure when I finish my composite this weekend I will need to move onto something else quickly

...... , just glad to see you're stickin' with that "I really have no sense of humour" thing..............

Tread.

HHHMMM.. guys.... those are Panther tracks... So there ya go Storm!

Rick