Hey guys! I'm working on a 1/35 M4A3E8 at the moment and I was wanting to have it destroyed. I already know how to make penetration holes and I have the finishing shot made in the hull. However, I wanted the right side tracks to be shot and therefore broken apart.

Does anyone have pictures of tracks like this? Like the spot where the actual shell went through? I'm sure the links will be blasted apart but is there still a circular hole where the shell passes through? Or are the links hit by the initial impact completely shattered?

Any damage of a Sherman's drive sprocket would be useful too. I've searched Google and haven't found what I need...

If you type Battle Damaged SHerman Tanks in the search window, you'll get hundreds of images showing what you want.

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If you type Battle Damaged SHerman Tanks in the search window, you'll get hundreds of images showing what you want.

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I've seen most of those already. I'm looking for one showing an unrepaired drive sprocket, after it was hit by a shell. Same with tracks. Any tank's tracks will do, I just need to know what the impacted tracks look like aside from being limp.

Seriously? Here's one showing the tracks

http://i.imgur.com/AkKpsWR.jpg

Here's one showing a damaged sprocket.
http://i.imgur.com/AZvtMgf.jpg

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Seriously? Here's one showing the tracks

http://i.imgur.com/AkKpsWR.jpg

Here's one showing a damaged sprocket.
http://i.imgur.com/AZvtMgf.jpg

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That first one never came up in my results, searching what you told me. :/ It helps though.

As for the tracks, I’m trying to see specifically the links that the shot first came in contact with, unless they’re normally just blown to tiny bits.

There is a photo of a Jagdpanther knocked out near Hargarten with a penetration of one track at the top of the drive sprocket. Although it looks like one or two tracks links have partially fractured, the track has not come completely apart and is still in place. So it's hard to say what a hit by a large caliber shot will or will not do. IMO a modeler is allowed considerable artistic license so long as the result is at least plausible.

Based on a couple of photos I've seen it looks at if the entire outer ring of a Sherman drive wheel--the part with the teeth--could sometimes come off if sufficient force was applied to it (perhaps the bolts holding it in place could shear right off).

As for the track itself, presumably the pins were the part most likely to fail, so a track could be loose without showing much sign of damage. I'm contemplating a similar scenario with a T-54 with a track broken by a shot which penetrated the full, so you've got me wondering about this now, LOL.

If it's an HVAP type of round and it impacts the track link, then I'd say you'd only see a hole or a gouge. If it's an HE round that impacts on the link, then I'd say the link would be destroyed, and possibly one or two adjacent links.

Here is the photo I was referring to. There is another photo which I suspect was taken at the same time and place showing another knocked out Jagdpanther with an M36 TD close by, makes sense to me. " BORDER="0">

I'm no expert but I do know the Sherman tracks were basically a rubber block with two tubes in them for the track pins to go through. In Steves first picture you can see the rubber blocks have been burned off leaving the two tubes showing. In the second picture of the "Easy Eight" the front drive sprocket is broken. These parts were hardened steel and therefore would wear well but were brittle which is why you see some tanks carrying spares. Since they were bolted on they were easy to change.

IMHO a Sherman track link would be destroyed and if burned would leave only the block tubes left on the guide horns.