1/35 M4A3 salvage/rebuild...

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

I have had this one sitting sidelined for many years. The hull is an old Tamiya M4A3 75mm (wet) that I had modified to accept a Verlinden Firefly turret many years ago when I did not know that the M4A3 never was used for Firefly conversions (around 1988 or so). Well eventually I got one of those MB M4A4 hulls and took the Firefly turret for that and had this hull sitting sidelined. A few years back I picked up a couple of Academy M4A2 76mm kits and decided to take the T23 turret off one of those to make this into a M4A3 76mm. I did much of the work you see here some time ago, but the big hold up was repairing the turret opening that had been widened to accept the Verlinden Firefly turret. Seeing “Fury” a couple of weeks ago, gave me the hankering to get this one finished. Last weekend I laminated some strips of styrene to correct that surgery and sanded it to accept the Academy turret. Then I went thru my Sherman references and found some photos of various late war M4A3s that had field applied up armor with tracks and sandbags and then raided other Sherman kits and my spares bin to get things like periscope brush guards, grab rails, and some other spare tracks for the turret sides. Of course I also added some styrene to the empty sponson bottoms. So this is where my rebuild stands now…

repaired turret opening

sandbags and track links to the glacis

grab rails and track links added to the turret

and how it looks before paint overall

paint getting applied soon…

2

Nice recycling job, but according to Steve Zaloga, there were 80 M4 and M4A3 US tanks converted to fireflies after the Battle of the Bulge. www.missing-lynx.com/…/m4a3fireflysz48_1.html

3

Thanks Rob. I think that I read about some of that info in the recent (compared to my initial 1988 project) Osprey book on 76mm Shermans, but not the M4A3 part. Besides, I do not yet have a 1/35 M4A3 76mm on my shelf yet.

4

I still have the old, motorized Tamiya M4A3E8 sitting in my display cabinet!

I understand, I was just pointing out that you weren’t wrong all those years ago. One thing I learned about Shermans is never say never when it comes to combinations; as soon as you do, someone will post a photo showing something that proves it.

One of my current recycle projects involve trying to replicate the variant depicted by the ancient Revell M4 Sherman. The composite hull with low bustle turret and HVSS suspension that might not have existed but will be an interesting project nonetheless.

5

You know, after stumbling across a website who’s link I am gonna post here shortly, I agree 100%. Back when I built this kit originally, all I had was the old Squadron “in action” book. The local library had the Hunnicut Sherman book at that time, but it was pretty hard to get ahold of for check out. I think I was able to snag it once.

6

I remember scoffing at those Hunnicutt books at the Armor School book store at Knox in 1991. They were $99. Today, those books are worth several times that now.

7

Hi Stik,

Very nice build. I like all those tracks used as additional protection. Are you planning on rusting them a lot? or just some dusty weathering?

What colors will it be painted?

Any figures?

8

Thanks Garzon. It’s gonna be a typical very drab 1945 Sherman in Germany in OD with minimal markings. Yes the tracks will be bare metal, with weathering. Maybe some rusting on them. I need to find a good color for the sand bags… A good proper shade for the burlap.

9

stik: before painting, you might want to add some putty to the gun tube. That’s the 76mm cannon from the old Italier M4A1 kit. Mistakenly, it replicated a de-milled static version in one of their museums – which had that step in the de-milled gun tube. The real 76mm cannon barrel had no step.

One other suggestion might be to lower the sand bag directly in front of the driver’s hatch. At this point, he has no clear vision through his periscope. HTH

10

Thanks for the tips Roy. I will see about sanding down that ofeending sandbag a bit. The turret is from the Academy M4A2 76mm and has no step on the main gun tube, unlike the Italeri 76mm gun, but it does have a seam as if it represents a two part barrel. I can correct that easily enough. Thanks for looking and for the feedback.

11

Hey Stik,

You don’t want to model “Fury”? My friend and I got to see the real thing at the Tank Museum in Bovington. For tread heads, this place rates five stars!

https://flic.kr/p/pYNeSe[img]https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8637/15738951237_3c647caf95.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/pYNeSe]Fury-01[/url] by N. T. Izumi, on Flickr:600:0]

https://flic.kr/p/pYLLVc[img]https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8618/15738665469_347e482209.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/pYLLVc]Fury-02[/url] by N. T. Izumi, on Flickr:600:0]

12

Well I would need another E-8 kit for Fury. I do have one, but it is the original Dragon Imperial Series with T-66 single pin tracks and the additional armor for the glacial and turret front. I like that look too much to convert it to Fury. One day perhaps…

13

OK, corrections made that Roy mentioned, and a coat of good old Testors square bottle OD hand brushed on. (hey it’s a salvage rebuild, not a new top dog- besides, I need to get back on my hand brushing game) It’s starting to look like a late war Sherman now…

I also used one of my Polly Scale ODs on the .50 ammo can and Pioneer Tools and some old Pactra OD on the spare road wheel for a little variety…