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Яusso-Soviэt Forum: Cold War Soviet Armor
For discussions related to cold war era Russo-Soviet armor.
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Dragon's M4A2 76mm
Mahross
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: March 12, 2002
KitMaker: 837 posts
Armorama: 132 posts
Posted: Friday, January 07, 2005 - 02:55 AM UTC
Just started this kit:



Seems very nice. Any one else done it? Know of any potential pitfalls?

Hopefully when its finished it will go in a vignette with some figure from Alpine Miniatures.

Ross
ex-royal
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Ontario, Canada
Joined: May 03, 2003
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Posted: Friday, January 07, 2005 - 03:16 AM UTC
I have mine completely built now, it just needs painting. I can think of no major pitfalls if you want to build the model out of the box. You will need to replace the Drive sprockets from the open spoke to the flat spoke type, The Tracks will need shortening by a few links as well. If your going to build it as a ww2 vehicle I can find no reference to support the use of the mantlet dust cover so I added the attatchment points and ribs. I added alot of details to mine but it can be built out of the box into a quite nice model.
Heres a pic of mine, you can see all the things I replaced. HTH
cheers,
Bryan
Emeritus
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Uusimaa, Finland
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Posted: Friday, January 07, 2005 - 05:42 AM UTC
Looking goo there, mate!
BTW, is that russian sherman M4A2 (76) an "export-only"-model supplied only to the russians or can it be built as an American tank? Or any other nationality, if used by other countries?
junglejim
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Alberta, Canada
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Posted: Friday, January 07, 2005 - 06:46 AM UTC
Throw on a set of AFV Club HVSS suspension and tracks, and you'd have one that Canada used for training post-war. That's what I plan to do. Still lots of examples scattered around Canada.

Cheers,
Jim
Splinty2001
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Michigan, United States
Joined: October 01, 2004
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Posted: Friday, January 07, 2005 - 06:52 AM UTC
Didn't the British call the 76mm M4A2 the Sherman IIa?
generalzod
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United States
Joined: December 01, 2001
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Posted: Saturday, January 08, 2005 - 02:48 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Looking goo there, mate!
BTW, is that russian sherman M4A2 (76) an "export-only"-model supplied only to the russians or can it be built as an American tank? Or any other nationality, if used by other countries?


As far as I know only Russia used the M4A2 (76)
Hollowpoint
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Kansas, United States
Joined: January 24, 2002
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Posted: Saturday, January 08, 2005 - 05:37 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Didn't the British call the 76mm M4A2 the Sherman IIa?


Nope. Would have been a Sherman IIIA (M4 was Sherman I and M4A1 was Sherman II).

BTW, the version described by Emertus and JungleJim is a Sherman IIIAY.
Slug
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Alberta, Canada
Joined: September 02, 2004
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Posted: Saturday, January 08, 2005 - 06:22 PM UTC

Quoted Text

BTW, is that russian sherman M4A2 (76) an "export-only"-model supplied only to the russians or can it be built as an American tank? Or any other nationality, if used by other countries?

my little bit of research came up with this:
M4A2: Welded hull. Some early vehicles had spoked wheels. Used only by USMC and Lend Lease. Had the GM 6-71 6046 motor.

Bob, quit picking on us ay
LOL
Bruce
KurtLaughlin
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: January 18, 2003
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Posted: Sunday, January 09, 2005 - 07:39 AM UTC

Quoted Text

BTW, is that russian sherman M4A2 (76) an "export-only"-model supplied only to the russians or can it be built as an American tank?


I wouldn't say it was export-only (or "for Foreign Aid", in the parlance of the time) by design but rather that it just turned out that way. To my knowledge they weren't built or equipped any differently than tanks for the US. Records show 5 to the UK, 2073 to the USSR, and 133 were kept for "conversions and tests". BTW, there were over 700 M4A2(76)s sitting in depots on V-J day, probably all HVSS models. My guess is that about 1500 of the Russian tanks were VVSS, the rest HVSS.

KL
Mahross
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: March 12, 2002
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Posted: Sunday, January 09, 2005 - 09:16 AM UTC
Cheers for the info guys. Seems like the vehicle has some interesting history. Can you suggest any good references?

Ross
Hollowpoint
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Kansas, United States
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Posted: Monday, January 10, 2005 - 12:32 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Cheers for the info guys. Seems like the vehicle has some interesting history. Can you suggest any good references?

Ross


For Soviet use, check out this page on "Russian Battlefield" http://www.battlefield.ru/library/lend/sherman.html

Perhaps one of our Canadian friends can give you more, but I know there is some info on the Sherman IIIAY in post-war Canadian use here: http://www.quartermastersdepot.com/ Quartemasters makes the decals and the online instruction sheets might help give you some ideas.
Mahross
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Queensland, Australia
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Posted: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 06:45 AM UTC
Thanks Bob for the links. Anyone know if the Osprey book on the M4 76mm is any good.

Ross
Mahross
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Queensland, Australia
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Posted: Friday, February 04, 2005 - 07:25 AM UTC
This kit is going along quite nicely. I haven't built a Dragon kit in a while and i am pleasantly surprised. I think i will be buying more. Got my Alpine Miniatures figure to go with it and that is superb. Will go along nicely with it when it is finished.

Ross
Hollowpoint
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Kansas, United States
Joined: January 24, 2002
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Posted: Friday, February 04, 2005 - 12:03 PM UTC
Glad you're having a good experience with this kit, Ross. IMHO, it's the best Sherman kit by Dragon EVER. I can't wait to see the new ones they are supposed to release this year.
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