yes,I have a copy of dave harper's excellent squadron/signal title 'tank warfare on Iwo Jima' and after going through the stash have a question...would i be able to build an M4A3 as used by the USMC using Formations F078 M4A3 intermediate production upper hull?I think i've got everything else it's just that i know nothing of Sherman allocation to the Pacific theater.
Any help is gratefully appreciated.

hi , what tank battalion tank are you trying to replicate specifically, each tank BN had crews that modified the tanks to their leisure, and there were some that were equipped with m413 flamethrowers, i think with the formations upper hull you can but its just a matter of historical accuracy. for me , as long as it looks like a m4a3 sherman im good . good luck with your build.
calvin

hi calvin
yep,i'm aware of the differences between the tank battalions and the various mods applied(looking forward to either scratching the hatch cages or placing hundreds of scale penny nails on the upper surfaces!)but it's the standard model of M4A3 these mods were fixed on that I'm trying to work out.I'm wondering if the DML M4A3(76)W VVSS is also an option (replacing the turret of course!) seeing that i am going to be covering up all that upper hull detail

just a few thoughts to kick around

having spent the day off work after knackering my achilles tendon it hurts! I seem to have stumbled on the answer to my own question!and cos i'm a generous kinda guy i'm going to post this link (which if i'm breaking forum rules will probably be removed,so sorry in advance!)

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47208/message/1208301408/Best+M4A3+Option+for+Marine+Iwo+Jima+Sherman

I posts links to other boards all the time. I've never seen any link police.

Pat Stansell covers it pretty well in your link. 4th and 5th tanks used late production M4A3s with VVSS. 3rd tanks used intermediate production M4A2s with VVSS. A common route to the 4th and 5th tanks vehicles is the Tamiya M4A3 Frontline Breakthrough but it requires many corrections. I prefer mixing and matching DML kits to get there.

-Doug

the reason i asked about the production dates for the M4A3 was that I've got a spare Formations M4A3 intermediate production upper hull in the stash and that seems to be good to go with.All i've got to do now is get a late high bustle M4 turret (hello Formations,i love their stuff)

the only question now is.........does anyone make M4A3 wading stacks?

my neverending quest for knowledge

Here are a couple good threads discussing M4A3 wading stacks:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47208/message/1143222103/M4A3+Wading+stack+plans-+Questions-

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47208/message/1163705929/Sherman+Wading+Stack+Pics

I asked a similar question some months back and received similar answers to those supplied above. You can either scratch build your own or modify an existing set of stacks (Italeri, Tank Workshop, etc.). In either case, TM 9-2853, Preparation of Ordnance Material for Deep Water Fording, will help with the details. Some modeling books contain partial or full stack plans, but I have not seen plans specific to the M4A3 (on Iwo Jima or elsewhere).

Some day, when I build Beelzebub, I will scratch build my own and post the plans. Some day...

-Doug

yep.........some day!maybe Hardcorps Models or Formations(top 2 dream team!) will make em for me to eagerly purchase rather than all that difficult scratchbuilding malarkey

thanks for the heads up

just all part of this marvellous hobby