I was looking at 2 kits in my stash,Tamiya M4 Early production and the Italeri M4A1,now having used the M4A1 Turret with 76mm gun to convert another sherman can I use the turret from the M4 on the hull of the M4A1 to get a 75mm armed M4A1? Or is the M4A1 hull a later version which only used the 76mm.
Having looked through all my Sherman refs and seen lots of pics of the 75mm M4A1 was wondering if this conversion would be possible?


Thanks

Mark

Gday Mark
You are right in your assumption re the hull being only for the later M4A1 with 76mm gun...
BUT~ There was a version of the later with a 75mm gun, but like the proverbial hen's teeth... It was a high bustle turret though IIRC... Seen pictures of it landing after Normandy, and think it was done up as a 'funny'... Duplex drive most of them were...if not all of them?
Hope this helps some... with some research you can do it!
Cheers
Brad

The majority of the Big hatch M4A1 production was intended for Duplex Drive tanks so it would be rare to see a combonation you refer to. The closet thing would be either a late dry big hatch with cast in applique on the hull sides. Resicast has a kit of this particular M4A1- or is it a Wet big hatch?.



but of course anything could be possible, right?
and if you want to do it anyway - enjoy!

Chris

Like Brad and Chris mentioned, the Italeri hull is a "wet" stowage, large hatch hull -- mated with the 76mm T23 turret. If you want to make it into one of the rare 75mm gun tanks, then you'd need a high bustle turret (as found in the Tamiya M4A3 kit, not the low bustle one found in the M4 kit) and you'd need to add the cast in hull armor. Most (if not all) were used in the Duplex Drive program and the few photos of these show them to have remnants of the DD equipment on them (they were generaly defrocked of DD equipment to fight inland as normal gun tanks).

If this is too obscure for you, I'd recommend just doing the M4 kit -- there were tons of interesting options with that one.

RC

Thanks for the answers and help guys,I should have known it would have been too easy to slap the M4 turret on the M4A1 hull ,ah well I will build the M4 as is.
I am just "getting in to" Shermans even though I have 5 built on the shelf (4x 1/35th,1x1/48th).


Thanks again guys I think I hear my Academy M-51 calling to be built!

Regards

Mark

If ya wanna build the M4 out of the box, use the one piece transmission cover, as the suspension units supplied in the kit are the late style used after the three-piece tranny unit was discontinued. Or else swap the suspension units with those from an Academy M36 tank destroyer and use the Tamiya bogie units on the TD.

Hi Gerald: I've never heard that or seen that scenario. That's an interesting find. Can you point to where you've read that or seen photos? I've got all the "standards" as far as Sherman pics go.

I have a pic of a burnt-out 756TB M4 with one-piece transmission and horiz arm VVS.

Personally, I've never seen upswept return rolller arms on a standard M4, regardless of the transmission housing. Also, the transmission housing type is not indicative of "early" or "late" production. I have photos of direct vision M4s with the one-piece transmission and central bogie, "M3"-type VVS.

Can you help out here? THnx

I still stand by the assumption that the upswept VVS units included in the Tamiya M4 kit shouldn't be used. I've found this tweaks list to be very useful:

http://www.usarmymodels.com/MANUFACTURERS/Tamiya/tamiya35190.html

I was actually thinking of converting the M4 into a Brit Sherman ARV .Presuming ARV conversions used the M4 Hull,I have quite a few decent pics in various books of the ARV which will give me something to work with .


Regards

Mark

Hi Mark:
Peter Brown, in his review of a Legends kit says that most were M4A4s with only a few using M4A2s

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/legend/lf1105.htm

It makes sense as the M4, although available, weren't as common as the A2 and A4s by the time the REME were building the ARVs.

Thanks for the link to the conversion Roy.Probably end up doing a conversion using a Dragon kit as the ARVs used by REME are interesting and I would like one on the shelf.


Thanks again

Regards

Mark