The M4 Sherman Tank Epic Information Thread.. (work in progress)

[EnsignExpendable]

I don't know if it's the same vehicle, all the photos were in a jumble. There are also photos of M4A2 engines in that set, so it's very possible that they are separate tanks. It's unlikely that the tank in the bottom is an M4A3 since I don't think the Canadians got any, but they did use the Sherman IBY. 

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

4 hours ago, Walter_Sobchak said:

 

I don't think those pics are of the same vehicle.  The M4 was never given the HVSS suspension, at least as far as I know.  The tank in the bottom pic is probably an M4A3.  

Thats why I wanted to know if it was the same pic. But, Chrysler, the sole maker of Sherman 105 tanks did do a run of M4 105s with hvss and they made at least several hundred, and the order was for over a 1000. I'm not sure how many got built though. 

 

841 made per Sherman minutia.

 

 

[Meplat]

2 hours ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

Thats why I wanted to know if it was the same pic. But, Chrysler, the sole maker of Sherman 105 tanks did do a run of M4 105s with hvss and they made at least several hundred, and the order was for over a 1000. I'm not sure how many got built though. 

 

841 made per Sherman minutia.

 

 

There is a pic in Hunnicutt's Sherman, that shows USMC  105mm gun tanks with the HVSS suspension in use in Korea

[Walter_Sobchak]

5 hours ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

Thats why I wanted to know if it was the same pic. But, Chrysler, the sole maker of Sherman 105 tanks did do a run of M4 105s with hvss and they made at least several hundred, and the order was for over a 1000. I'm not sure how many got built though. 

 

841 made per Sherman minutia.

 

 

Ah, I misread Son of Sherman.  On page 343 it says that only M4A1 and M4A3 tanks were considered for conversion to HVSS suspension.  That statement only applies to existing tanks being upgraded, not newly produced vehicles.  My bad.

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

Yeah, what's kinda funny about that, is even M4A3 75mm HVSS Sherman's were converted by having their turrets swapped to T23 turrets, cause Post WWII the US Army was done with the M3 75mm. 

[Walter_Sobchak]

1 hour ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

Yeah, what's kinda funny about that, is even M4A3 75mm HVSS Sherman's were converted by having their turrets swapped to T23 turrets, cause Post WWII the US Army was done with the M3 75mm. 

 

The first plastic model I had as a kid of a Sherman was an M4A3 with 75mm gun and the HVSS.  I remember being confused as to why the suspension didn't look like the Haunted Tank in the comic book.

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

My second model was a Testors M4A1 76, and it was years before I figured out what some Shermans were not all cool and rounded!

[EnsignExpendable]

Real tanks have curves!

 

 

[Meplat]

49 minutes ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

My second model was a Testors M4A1 76, and it was years before I figured out what some Shermans were not all cool and rounded!

 

The old, weird "box scale" kit?

If it's the one I remember, it was like 1/30 scale or something.

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

Yeah, I've never seen the box again, it was yellow, with photos of the kit. This would be back  83ish. It may have been a rebox of the good for the time Italeria M4A1. 

.

[Meplat]

11 hours ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

Yeah, I've never seen the box again, it was yellow, with photos of the kit. This would be back  83ish. It may have been a rebox of the good for the time Italeria M4A1. 

.

Oh that's not the one I'm thinking of.  I know the packaging you mean though.  From the 80's/early 90's.

There was an earlier one, I think it was a Hawk/Aurora mold, and it had weird bits like you were meant to put batteries in it.

 

Like some of the earlier Tamiya kits. Except with a lot less detail.

[EnsignExpendable]

12 hours ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

Yeah, I've never seen the box again, it was yellow, with photos of the kit. This would be back  83ish. It may have been a rebox of the good for the time Italeria M4A1. 

.

 

Yeah, Testors repacks other people's kits. Scalemates says it's a rebox of the Italeri 1977 kit. I put that one together, it was fine except the barrel was visibly bent.

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

I remember it being a very nice kit at the time. 

 

If I recall right, some of the more modern Dragon Sherman kits share some lineage. 

[Meplat]

8 hours ago, EnsignExpendable said:

 

Yeah, Testors repacks other people's kits. Scalemates says it's a rebox of the Italeri 1977 kit. I put that one together, it was fine except the barrel was visibly bent.

Yes, same as "lindberg", and others.  Once toured Lingberg's factory when it was in Michigan.  They had some horribly old (but interesting) molds.

Testors later offered a 1/72 SBD that was a Hawk via lindberg mold that was almost solid chunks of polystyrene.  The markings/insignia were even molded in.

Still, with a lot of filing and scribing it was a stupidly accurate (externally) model.

1 hour ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

I remember it being a very nice kit at the time. 

 

If I recall right, some of the more modern Dragon Sherman kits share some lineage. 

Yeah, that's not the one I remember.

 

Ever build the 1/48(?) Monogram M48, that had the tracks and bogies as one piece?

Yeah it was that kind of quality..

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

I've seen them, but not in a hell of a long time heh. 

 

Any of you guys remember or ever seen the RadioShak RC Sherman? It ran on C cells and had rubber tracks.  It was tough as hell too and lasted a really long time, but only vaguely resembled A Sherman. 

[Meplat]

2 minutes ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

I've seen them, but not in a hell of a long time heh. 

 

Any of you guys remember or ever seen the RadioShak RC Sherman? It ran on C cells and had rubber tracks.  It was tough as hell too and lasted a really long time, but only vaguely resembled A Sherman. 

Oh sure, it was also absurdly expensive for what it was.  A friend had one, it was pretty terrible.

I ended up buying a very early Associated RC-10 for very cheap from someone I worked with who could not figure out how to assemble it (They were fairly sophisticated for their day) and ended up building something that would run rings around that Radio Shack  tank.  I think I had ~$90.00 in the RC-10, including the absurdly fuzzy "Tower Hobbies" six channel dual stick radio.

 

All that aside-

 

I have the innards from a cheap chinese 1/30 scale RC M4 I intend to install in a Tamiya kit, when I finally get my shop in order.

(Provided I don't stuff it in the M3 I have half-built on the shelf)

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

When I got older, I got a Tamiya RC car kit, I think it was called a FOX, we had to build it, it was pretty sweet, but when you hit a curb at high speed, the motor would strip the screws holding it to the gearbox.

 

I still have the RC 1/16 scale M26 from Tamiya, I built in 2005, I just need to get a new battery, I've worn the current ones out heh. 

 

Tamiya is doing 1/32 Corsair kits that have me tempted to buy one, they are of course a fortune, but they have detail in places you can't even see! Well except when building it. 

 

[Meplat]

2 minutes ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

When I got older, I got a Tamiya RC car kit, I think it was called a FOX, we had to build it, it was pretty sweet, but when you hit a curb at high speed, the motor would strip the screws holding it to the gearbox.

 

I still have the RC 1/16 scale M26 from Tamiya, I built in 2005, I just need to get a new battery, I've worn the current ones out heh. 

 

Tamiya is doing 1/32 Corsair kits that have me tempted to buy one, they are of course a fortune, but they have detail in places you can't even see! Well except when building it. 

 

Oh those early Tamiya kits were fodder for a full pan car like the RC-10. A good tap to the transaxle would kill them. But they ramming my RC-10 would do nothing .

 

But their tanks? Beautiful. Also there is some company doing 1/4 scale stuff now.  Absurd money, but good looking. 

I'll stick to the armor I can put on a shelf, thanks. The full size stuff takes up too much room.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

You maybe thinking of Armortek's 1/6 stuff:

 

https://www.armortek.co.uk/

 

IIRC they used to do a live-fire option for their Tiger (shotgun license required in the UK).

[Meplat]

10 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

You maybe thinking of Armortek's 1/6 stuff:

 

https://www.armortek.co.uk/

 

IIRC they used to do a live-fire option for their Tiger (shotgun license required in the UK).

No this was a concern out of HK.  (And really being a British company, offering German armor, but no Comet or Centurion? I know there are a lot of wehraboos with fat wallets, but still.  )...

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Their range changes constantly.....But your point is well taken. 

[Walter_Sobchak]

1 hour ago, Meplat said:

Yes, same as "lindberg", and others.  Once toured Lingberg's factory when it was in Michigan.  They had some horribly old (but interesting) molds.

Testors later offered a 1/72 SBD that was a Hawk via lindberg mold that was almost solid chunks of polystyrene.  The markings/insignia were even molded in.

Still, with a lot of filing and scribing it was a stupidly accurate (externally) model.

Yeah, that's not the one I remember.

 

Ever build the 1/48(?) Monogram M48, that had the tracks and bogies as one piece?

Yeah it was that kind of quality..

YES.  The first two plastic tanks I ever had were the snap-tite M-48 and Tiger tank.  

 

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

Never built those. I did have some sweet diecast tanks with working treads, and guns, that you could cock back and load a little red shell in the muzzle and press the antenna and it shot the little shell. 

[Walter_Sobchak]

3 minutes ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

Never built those. I did have some sweet diecast tanks with working treads, and guns, that you could cock back and load a little red shell in the muzzle and press the antenna and it shot the little shell. 

My friend down the street had those when I was a kid.  They made a tiger and and chieftain.  I think Corgi made those.

[Meplat]

30 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Their range changes constantly.....But your point is well taken. 

Really, If I were doing the same, my core offering would be a M4 line, the RAM I and II and a smattering of U.S lights, before anything else.

And then I'd offer a Matilda II or BT-7 before any fucking German tank. 

Because fuck fascist box tanks.

Just because.

 

3 minutes ago, Walter_Sobchak said:

YES.  The first two plastic tanks I ever had were the snap-tite M-48 and Tiger tank.  

Oh I forget my first, but I remember the M48 because I bought it at a "Toms" in Traverse City, Michigan with money I earned mowing lawns.  Then painted it with house paint.

Yes, it probably looked like shit, but compared to the stuff the other kids had, it was badass.