While putting together a list of kits and parts (Resin PE etc) I now have, I have just discovered that I now own:

Plastic 1:35

M4A1 X3 (Italeri or rebox)
M4A3 (Italeri)
M32
M36 Jackson (Italeri)
M51 (Academy)

Resin

76mm Turret
M50 turret
M4A1 Hull (Early)
M4A2 Hull
M4A4 Conversion Kit
M1 Dozer Blade
V-8 GAA Engine
Sherman Update Kit
M4A3 PE set
Track sets X3

M4A3E8 (Hasegawa ±1:72)

Firstly I did not know about this phenomenon and that it was so contagious , secondly is it terminal, or is there a cure out there?

Just joking, I do love the Sherman! What is the best reference book / books for the Sherman, mainly looking at British Funnies and the Firefly?

SAVAGE,
The BEST books by FAR are the Hunnicutt book "Sherman"
and Sherman by Forty, and sherman by Zaloga, All 3 have great pics and text.
Oh the (2) books Sherman at War from concord are great too. TONS OF PICS.

the best book on the Firefly is "The Sherman Firefly by Mark Hayward"

and for IDF shermans TOm Gannon's book ' Israeli shermans'. Truth is there really is no cure except to build variants aleaves the aymptoms somewhat. and after you finish WW2, korea middle east you can go on to Chilean Shermans. Now aren't you glad you cleaned that closet

Joshua Weingarten
IDF armour group janitor
www.homestread.com/shiryon/index.html

Hi Savage:

Here is a link with a basic overview from the current draft on the 1/35 scale kits and conversion sets to make accurate Fireflys:

http://freespace.virgin.net/shermanic.firefly/home5.htm

You don't even want to know what I've got going on with Pattons. Looking for a conversion to make a Gas-Burner M-48, plus the 10 I've already got and looking to do an M-60 version of AVLB if anything reasonably priced turns up.

Savage: Sand a couple road wheels and call me in the morning ...

Then get out there and get some more Shermans! You're just getting started.

As for reference, good suggestions from all -- here are a few more.

I have a well-worn copy of Hunnicutt's "SHERMAN" -- the "bible" for true Shermaholics. It's out of print and expensive (over $100 in several recent eBay auctions). Try to get one through Interlibrary loan and burn copies of pages to your heart's content (for personal use only, please).

MMiR's "Modeler's Guide to the Sherman" is also good, but lacks detailed info on turrets. It's currently out of print, but MMiR has been promising a second edition -- perhaps this will include the missing turret references. I don't have this one, so I'm waiting with everyone else.

Two inexpensive, but worthwhile references are from Squadron/Signal. The old "Sherman in Action," Armor No. 16, can still be found -- it's a pretty good overview of the most common Sherman gun tanks in U.S. service. "Walk Around M4 Sherman," Armor Walk Around Number 1, has lots of nice detail shots of preserved and restored Shermans. Again, it doesn't cover everything, but it has lots of close-ups of common tanks in U.S. use.

To amplify on Concord -- Steve Zaloga's two M4 Sherman at War books are very good, and several other titles have lots of Sherman pics, inclusing "Tank Battles of the Pacific War."

Anybody got any insight into Absolute & Tamiya’s M4 Sherman CD ROM?