Hi,

I have seen the wonderful Dragon Sherman Beutepanzer M4A2 75mm.

I am wondering if the Tamiya Sherman M4A3 75mm (ITEM 35250) can be "backdated" to model this beutepanzer M4A2 75mm?

Rgds
Musicwerks

You can't back date it because the M4A3 is a different variant of the tank not an improved version. You could convert it but you would need a new engine deck and rear plate and have to add the grouser box covers. I'm not aware of any M4A3 75s used as Beutepanzers but there was at least one M4A3 76 which you can see on this page so instead of buying all the bits and pieces to convert to an M4A2 you could just buy an Aftermarket Sherman T23 turret and that would give you a correct model for the tank in the photos

As mentioned, Sherman variants were in parallel production, differing mainly in the engine installations, so the M4A2 and M4A3 were being built at the same time for different customers.
The Cyber Hobby Dragon Beutepanzer kit depicts a very rare interim M4A2 model with a late low bustle Sherman turret, but with the revised cheek armor, a pistol port, and a loader's hatch, all items normally seen only on the later high bustle turrets. It's an oddball, but the particular photo they worked from did indeed have this turret, which must have been part of a small batch built in the winter of 1943/44. The vast majority of late hull M4A2 75mm gun tanks sent to the Russians had the later turret as seen on the Academy US Marine kit or the Dragon M4A2 PTO kit.
To convert the Tamiya M4A3 kit, you would need the diesel engine deck and lower tail plate with dual mufflers, and you'd need to saw off the upper tail plate and reposition it at a more vertical angle (10 degrees instead of 15, and yes, you can tell by looking). The M4A2 engine deck and lower tail plate parts are included as unneeded parts in the recent Dragon M4, M4A1 and M4A3 kits, so if you know anyone who has one of these, just grab the parts and graft them onto the Tamiya hull.
That said, Academy already offers an inexpensive M4A2 US Marine version that is identical to many of the tanks sent to the Soviet Union, so no real conversion is needed (though the Dragon engine deck doors have finer grills, if you want to graft those on). Academy missed the cheek armor on the late high bustle turret, a thickened area of armor to the right of the gun mount wrapping almost a quarter way around the turret, but it can be added with some epoxy putty (earlier turrets had a patch of applique armor welded here to protect a thin area). Dragon's M4A2 PTO kit, depicting a late US Marine tank, is the same variant, though you'd need to find your own decals. Its turret is correct, and it may be a bit cheaper than the Cyber Hobby Beutepanzer kit.
If you absolutely want the same type as the Cyber Hobby kit, you can take the Dragon M4 Composite Hull PTO kit and Dragon's M4A2 PTO kit, and swap the first kit's low bustle turret with the second kit's high bustle turret.

Basically to convert a T amiya M4A3 to a M4A2 75 is rather crazy given how many kits of the M4A2 exist out there. Just hold onto the M4A3 for another day

Hi guys,

I think it makes sense to buy the kit or some M4A2 kit to convert ")

Cheers

Hey Kiong,
If you want to spend the money and purchase an AM turret, you can change the turret to the 76mm version of the Sherman.
Then you can have a Beutepanzer M4A3 as shown in these pictures:
Beutepanzer M4A3 [76]

Cheers

jjumbo