I started this a while back and being out of my comfort zone it has sat for at least a year. Many many years ago I did a hitch in the Marine Corps and love all things forest green.

USMC armor in the Pacific has always fascinated me, but I almost always build early war or DAK panzers.

So anyway here's my first attempt at a Sherman on Iwo Jima.


















Sponson armor is .030 sheet "grained" with a razor saw. Sandbags are Milliput. The wading trunk is scratchbuilt from .010 sheet and mesh I had in the spares box.

Track link armor is courtesy of a Bronco set I've had lying around for a long time too.

I have no idea yet what colors or markings I will be using. I started this and then just "winged it".

This looks like it will be an interesting build will follow your build progress like the add on Armour and sandbags

Keith

Thank you sir!

I wanted to see if I could replicate the intake trunks. The real ones weren't that neat and precise so I didn't have many worries.

Here's the lower piece.





Constructing the upper trunk.





Getting there.

Here's a bit more then.


Primered the trunk and fixed some rough spots.

















First primer coat.














G

Looking good! I really like the add-on armour.

Thank you Colin. It is interesting isn't it?

I made the decision to spray the basecoat of Olive Drab, then brush paint the camo pattern. The real tanks were painted that way plus this model has way to many fragile parts. I was afraid of masking over them.











That's Tamiya OD lightened a bit with Tamiya "Desert Yellow" It'll have a faded appearence when weathered. I'm going to use Vallejo for the brush painting.


G

Here's some more paint. This is where I will leave this for the evening.

















For the camouflage pattern I used Vallejo "Yellow Tan", "Mahogany Brown" and "Black Gray" . The sandbags are basecoated in Vallejo "Dark Sand".

G!
I like the colors, well done.

Thank you gentlemen!

I weathered the piece based on period photos. There is no paint chipping and minimal rust. These M4A3's were collected from the supply point, modified and painted just before the invasion. They were on the island a month or two at most. The last thing I will do is dust the whole thing up. Vehicles on Iwo Jima became covered with a grayish pumice dust in no time.