RAM's M4A2 Sherman - COMPLETED - Pic's pg.2

[zenrat]

To stop people fussing about wood planks; My build isn't using them.

Someone should compensate for that then.  I can envisage a Sherman completely clad in planks.  Including the turret.  It would look like a Flintstones tank.
Maybe the nazis went for magnetic mines big time but the allies couldn't get their zimmerit to stick to the armour?

[Old Wombat]

Zimmerit, now there's something designed for a threat that didn't exist, as the Germans were, by far, the biggest user of magnetic (hand)mines during WW2. Japan, however, came in 2nd on their usage.

Still, the wooden planks could be considered an over-reaction to a relatively minimal threat, as they weren't applied in Europe, where the threat of magnetic anti-tank mines was much higher.

[NARSES2]

I suppose there was a greater chance of someone actually being prepared to try and use them in the Pacific Theatre ? Plus not so many stand off alternatives ?

Talking of Zimmerit. Hannant's Just In pages this morning had a 1/72 set for a Panzer IV H. Never knew this mark of Panzer used it ? Still you live and learn 

[Old Wombat]

From the little bit of reading I've done on it, the Japanese tended to use them from camouflaged pits, with the "bomb-man" waiting until a tank passed by to pop up & attach the mine, although they preferred to wait for a tank to drive over their position, then attach the bomb to the belly of the tank before ducking back into their pit & hoping to survive the explosion 4 to 5 seconds later.

Placing the bomb on the belly of the tank had several advantages;
1) it was next to impossible to prevent a magnetic mine being attached there without losing too much ground clearance;
2) placing the bomb under the tank meant that the ground assisted the bomb by bouncing more of the blast up into the tank, as the Japanese mines weren't shape-charges like the German mines; &
3) there was a better chance of killing or injuring the crew from underneath than from the side due to the thinner armour.

[NARSES2]

Interesting and eminently logical. Cheers 

[Old Wombat]

Right, running a bit behind on this build but I did promise photo's (for yesterday ). So, here they are, as of 5 minutes ago:







Grey stripes are "field applied by brush with paint acquired from the Navy".

[NARSES2]

Nice build and the paint scheme adds to it enormously 

[Old Wombat]

Thanks, Chris!

[Old Wombat]

Righto! Finally finished this last night (whilst waiting for paint to dry on my Navy GB build). I'll try to get some photo's up in the next day or so.

[buzzbomb]

It.. is.. alive.

Well that is a back from the tombs build. Looking forward to seeing how it went

[Old Wombat]

Photo's of the finished subject:

A M4A2 Sherman tank of 3Div, 58Bn, D Coy, RAMAR, depicted 1945, late in the Philippines Campaign.






















Hope you like her!

As usual, I still have to do the base (there's going to come a time when I'll be building bases constantly for a year or more).

Constructive criticism welcomed (I know about the eyes, not quite as good as I wanted but not too bad).

[Jacques Deguerre]

I like it! The weathering makes it look grubby without the "rolling derelict" look some folks prefer.

What is the source (are the sources) of the crew? It's nice to see some Commonwealth tankers in helmets and shirt sleeves.

To answer a question from earlier in this thread; yes, the roof section where the driver and bow gunner/assistant driver hatches are located is a casting.

[zenrat]

Very good.  As far as bases go i've seen worse than that towel.

The figures have very natural poses.  i particularly like the bloke on the left having a smoke.

[Old Wombat]

Good spotting, Fred!

Jacques, the figures come from these three MiniArt boxings with Hornet heads;

(2nd from left figure = commander)


(Far right figure = loader; lower left figure = driver)


(Central figure = (smoking) assistant driver / bow gunner)



Thanks for the interest, gent's!

[rickshaw]

Nice!