I had a little time in my schedule between customer builds so I thought I would fit a Sherman in. With the recent re-release of the DML M4A1 early kit I thought I would breakdown and build one. What I cam up with is this;

Open spoke wheels
Three piece nose
Split commanders hatch
AFV Club T51 rubber block tracks
75mm M2 gun with early mantlet by CMK

A quick little build just because the world can never have enough Shermans. Any thoughts?

Sounds good to me -- have any particular markings in mind?

You might want to top it off with a Formations early .50 cal. or -- for a change of pace -- a .30 cal out of the new Academy U.S. Machine Gun set. .30 cals seem to show up on many early Shermans.

I have 2 waiting to go,though 1 will be for an M-32B1.
The hull itself is sort of a just after early version,no direct vision sights for driver and co driver.
I think the 3 pc tranny cover will look better with the small mantlet,but check your refs if there was a no vision block/small mantlet version.
Keep us posted.

Why the M2 gun? I thought that only a very few M2s were ever built (almost all, I thought with the rotor sight).

Paul Roberts
President
Armor Modeling and Preservation Society

Because I had one and figured why not. The .30 cal. is a good one I have the Academy kit for it too. Trying to build this one with bits I have kicking around. No idea on markings yet, any suggestions? I was thinking of making something up like Momma's boy.

Generally because it isn't accurate. From hunnicutt it appears as if almost no M4s were built with the M2 gun. Even Michael, the second M4A1 built had its M2 replaced with an M3 75mm by the time it was sent to the UK. Production started in February 1942. A photograph of M4s in a parade on April 6 1942 shows very early M4s yet they all have the M3 gun. If vehicles built within a month of the start of production all have M3 guns, it is pretty much an impossibility that any M2 armed Shermans got into the field.

But you can certainly build it any way you like. Given that it is a ficticious vehicle, you can put whatever markings on it that strike your fancy.

......just as long as you don't build 'HANG IT N'.......

Tread.

just kiddin'.

I noticed this when doing my Sherman barrel reviews. It's an M3 gun. CMK doesn't know what they are talking about, but that didn't stop them from issuing the set. . .

KL

Well I guess that will make everyone happy, the it didn't happen that way crowed and the sure why not crowed. Wasn't meaning to insult or boil the blood of the purist out their I sometimes do fantasy tanks based on could've, should've or why not. I'll have to get pics of my M59 Patton and my M69 Dragon assault tank up in my gallery. I didn't think the barrel looked any different but I didn't spend the time to dig out the Bible on this one. It was just an attempt to use up some accessories I had lying around. Still looking for a name don't real want to use the kit decals as they are all fairly well know vehicles. Besides I think they all had the cast nose. Upper and lower hulls have been joined and after some miner surgery the bolt nose has been added. With any luck it should be ready for paint tomorrow along with my Panther A. Still haven't decided on a color scheme yet it's suppose to be a tank that went from North Africa to Italy. Any suggestions on a color scheme.

Please don't get me wrong. I have been known to do that too and was quite sincere when I said that if that's what you want, then it's cool.


Well, if you are looking at an American vehicle, then OD with broad brown stipes might be good. For Commonwealth then Light Stone with a Blue Black or Brown disruptive pattern would be OK or, perhaps even a Light Mud with Blue Black to give a more Italian/Tunisian feel to it.

Paul

Here is an in progress pic. It's ready to go to paint and I think I'm going to do it in an OD and Sand camo pattern still iffy on the name though. Two of the front runners are Mamma's Boy or boys and Major Sloppy. I added the missing bolts to the sprocket and spare antenna mount. Stuff I ended up using on this build are as follows:

DML M4A1 early kit # 6048
The three piece nose from the above kit
The open spoke wheels
Split commanders hatch
AFV Club T51 tracks #35026
Academy .30 cal from their US machine gun set #1384
Detail Associates bolts
MV lens LS-29 clear
Custom Dioramics periscopes and guards
Evergreen styrene strips
CMK Early M34 mantlet and aluminum gun tube

Made for a nice little build and the DML kit is worth picking up even at the outrages ebay price I had paid for this one. I plan on buying a few of these now that they have been reissued. Figures are going to be from the Tamiya's M4 for the driver and an unknown resin maker with a Warrior's head for the commander.

OK I give. I have tried to put the following image in here from my gallery and stillget the magical little red X. Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong. I used the image tags and this link. https://gallery.kitmaker.net/data/13436/4317M4A1_early.jpg

Do you have to link to a non Armorama site?

Like we'll ever see the imfamous Treadhead umbrella tank!! LOL

'Tread's "Umbrella" Tank!?! Man, don't tempt 'Tread - he will build it for sure then!

Hey Bob (Hollowpoint) - I've got the DML M4A1 sitting here and just don't know which Sherman to build it into. Pick one that this kit can be built into to show off its best characteristics for me and I'll go for it!

It should be a great stress reliever between my gun truck miniature commissions going on right now...

Gunnie

Hey Gunnie! Glad to see you back on the board -- understand business has had you tied up lately. Well, we all gotta eat and keep a roof over our heads...

As for that Dragon M4A1, why not a tank from Sicily or the Italian campaign? Some of them had neat two-tone OD and tan markings. That was the idea when I built my Formations M4A1.

I'm working on a couple 'A2s right now -- one a late small hatch (Trakz conversion hull) as a British vehicle and the other a Marine M4A2 (big-hatch, dry stowage) on Tinian. I'm scratching the rear wading trunk on the Marine tank.

how about..."Iron Made-In '? or, Yankee Doodle's Dandy"... or, Hitler's Nightmare"? or..."Here Kitty Kitty Kitty"? or "Tanks Alot"?

Cool! I'm thinking Italian right now...

I look forward to seeing the Marine Sherman - I've not done one of those before.

"Iron-Made-In"? That sounds intriguing - but I don't have a picture. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Man, two Shermans in one year - that's a record for me!

Gunnie

How about camoflage scheme FM-5-20B that was used in Italy by the 1st Armored Division?

At least mine won't be in conflict with any of you guys - A British or Canadian Sherman II will probably be the end result.