Hi i am going to buy a Sherman Vc Firefly and hopefully hold it in my first diorama, and i would like to know the kind of colours you guys use for your Shermans. Also the type of weathering they would need to look like ifthey were in the holland area, also would this need special markings for the tank or are they included in the Dragon Sherman Vc Firefly kit?


Thank you

Gday Sam
Well firstly, there was a difference between the US and Commonwealth Sherman colours.
Therer are people here who know the official colour used and what is the best match with current day paints, and I'm sure you'll hear frrom one or two of them. But then again, bottom line is that there is no specific 'correct' shade once you take into account the battle wear and tear and weathering, staining etc. You really just need to get a somewhat close base colour and then it will develop into your own entity! For Holland, why not do a Google search on Market Garden and what divisions were in use, and if you narrow it down somewhat then it should be a heap easier to find the specific markings you require Cheers mate
Brad

Thanks mate and it's a british firefly :-)

Hehe I say 'Commonwealth' to make me feel part of the action :-)

Hi Sam,

You asked about decals for your firefly. Have you decided what unit, and where in Holland you want to model the tank yet?

If you're thinking 'Market Garden' Sep 44 you might want to look at 2nd Bn Irish Guards (Armoured) who lead the advance from 'Joe's Bridge'.

Canadian units were also involved in the liberation of Holland and that would be a different approach.

Re painting, what paints are you using? If they are Tamiya then I use about 50/50 OD and DG with a squirt or two of vallejo yellow, if it's Humbrol then I think the No is matt 155 but check as I'm not 100% sure.

Check out the IWM site for some references or try a google, 'Sherman Tanks in Holland' (images).

You could also look for reference for 30 Corps (XXX) and see what comes up.

Here's the link for the IWM site:

http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/

Good hunting!!!

Cheers

Al

Colours:

Shermans, whether Commonwealth or US are all painted US OD#9, as best represented by the Tamiya OD. Lighten with dark yellow and then weather away to your heart's content.

The exceptions to this rule are those Shermans which have been repainted, either due to extensive rework, or because their camoflage requirements ahve changed.

Shermans coming from Italy to NW Europe were repainted for the latter reason and FIreflies were repainted for the former.

The British colour for NW Europe was SCC15 Olive Drab, a shade that is very close to the Tamiya (i.e.American OD) with just a hint of green to it.

If you are using acrylics, I'd go with the Tamiya OD plus just a splash of medium green, just a little bit. If you are using Humbrol paints, then a good mix can be found on the MAVFA site in the resources section. None of the Hubrol colours are right straight from the tin.

For weathering, you might want to depict a Canadian unit of the 4th Cdn Arm'd Div fighting to clear the Scheldt Estuary in Oct/Nov 1944. Wet, muddy, cold, miserable, it makes for a very evocative scene showing the misery of what was called "Polder fighting".

If you'd like info on markings, let me know. There are decal sets available from Ultracast and Quartermaster Depot.

HTH

Paul