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Armor/AFV: AA/AT/Artillery
For discussions about artillery and anti-aircraft or anti-tank guns.
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M7B2 - any 1/35 scale model availabel
mmeier
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Posted: Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 10:52 PM UTC
Question(s)

+ Is there a 1/35 scale model of the late/post-WWII M7B2 with the raised gun and extended pulpit availabel?

+ If not, what would it take to kitbash one from an availabel Priest and what model to start with (My bet would be Revel/Italerie since it is a "late" version)
barkingdigger
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Posted: Monday, February 14, 2011 - 10:32 AM UTC
Unless there's a resin conversion out there, you'll have to kitbash. There are pics out there on the web to show what's needed (Toadman's M7B2) , but it isn't that complex. The gun mount gets raised up on a layer of ironwork that I think is just the original mount with new steel welded on top - the shapes are simple enough to scratch from Evergreen. Likewise you need to add an extra section of plastic to raise the pulpit because the real ones look like they just had and extra one welded on top...

The Italeri beast gives you all the late features for the hull, but some of the detail is a bit poor - you could kitbash based on the very nice DML hull if money is no object and swap in the late nose and bogies etc. (The Italeri kit was great for the 1980s, but is old by today's standards. It has the advantage of being cheap, of course!)

Tom
GeraldOwens
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Posted: Monday, February 14, 2011 - 11:51 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Question(s)

+ Is there a 1/35 scale model of the late/post-WWII M7B2 with the raised gun and extended pulpit availabel?

+ If not, what would it take to kitbash one from an availabel Priest and what model to start with (My bet would be Revel/Italerie since it is a "late" version)


To do an M7B1, you'll need to extend the sponsons of the Italeri M7 hull to meet the rear plate of the engine compartment. You'll also need an M4A3 engine deck and upper and lower tail plate and exhaust system. Very few of these reached Europe during the war, though they were common in the Korean War.
Some units in Korea had a riser added to the gun mount to achieve high angle fire (previously, the vehicle had to be driven onto an improvised ramp). A standardized conversion was authorized later, dubbed the M7B2. The Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky, used to have one on display, but the collection has been scattered, as the Army moves its training facilities south.
KurtLaughlin
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Posted: Monday, February 14, 2011 - 02:21 PM UTC
To emphasize what Gerald has written, M7B2s were only made from M7B1s, that is Ford-engined vehicles. There were no M7 to M7B1 or M7 to M7B2 conversions.

The improvised raised mount he mentioned actually received a designation (after the fact): M7J1, the J standing for Japan where the work was done.

M7B2s are not uncommon aound the US, but my guess is that the M7B1 is in the majority. (Meaning you might not have to track down the ex-Knox vehicle to see one.)

KL
mmeier
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Posted: Monday, February 14, 2011 - 10:50 PM UTC
The Bundeswehr M7s where M7B2s and IIRC one is at Munster. That is the reason I am asking about this variant, would like to make one in "BW colors". They featured the raised gun, insert to cover the "gap" and raised pulpit.
barkingdigger
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Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 07:27 AM UTC
Ah - I knew the BW had M7B2s, and now that we know it was a Korea-era conversion of the M7B1 it suggests the BW pieces were all ex-Korea vehicles that were surplus by 1956... Any thoughts on this theory?

Tom
ianclasper
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Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 07:40 AM UTC
Here is a cross post from the Sherman Campaign of my Korean War era M7B1 build that would be the starting point to build a M7B2.................

Hope this helps with you with the M7B2 project

Ian


Quoted Text

Here is my Sherman entry to date. After several false starts, I decided that i too would build a Priest, however I decided to do something different and start with the Italeri kit. I then decided that I wanted to build a Korean war era M7B1, so I took advantage of Tasca's parts service and ordered the parts that I thought I would need to convert this veteran kit into the M4A3 derived Priest.

So I started the build and found that the Tasca gear assembly did not match the profile of the cast nose in the Italeri kit, so I replaced the nose with one form a AFV club M40, suitably modified to match the narrower M4 hull. Had I realized this once I had received the parts from Japan, otherwise I would have ordered that part too from Tasca. If i decide to build a M7B2, I will use much more of the Tasca M4A3 kit.

Well, here is the progress so far:



Ian Clasper






Front View showing the AFV cast nose


Rear View of the Chassis, show the Tasca M4A3 rear plate and modified transmission interior detail.


Rear View of the Hull showing the new engine deck from the Tasca M4A3
KurtLaughlin
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Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 12:49 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Ah - I knew the BW had M7B2s, and now that we know it was a Korea-era conversion of the M7B1 it suggests the BW pieces were all ex-Korea vehicles that were surplus by 1956... Any thoughts on this theory?

Tom


Not all M7B2s went to Korea. In fact, I would say that the foreign aid vehicles were likely NOT veterans, rather war reserve stocks from the US or Europe.

KL
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