I feel the need...the need to build American ARMOR!!!

Modeling Subjects Armor
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Guys: I Just finished the book (first) and the DVD series of Band of Brothers. What an awesome movie!!!..and I LOVED that American armor!.. I was drooling over those duece-and halfs, jeeps, Shermans and halftracks!

Maybe it was just how the movie made me feel so damn patriotic, but I feel compelled to get some American Armor going real soon! I have an M26 (front half of the Dragon Wagon) In the stash and I think I need to bump it up on the workbench schedule. Gotta’ get that new Academy M7 Priest, and the Hobbyboss Highspeed Tractor real soon too!

Share your thoughts…about the movie, what you have in the stash that was built in the US of A, cool build ideas, etc…

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Greatmodels has that Priest for 1/2 price!

I have an Academy Stuart, and a Tamiya Pershing. Most everything else is German of course. I need more Brit and Russian tanks.

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Get some M4s (the Sherman), it is probably the most slandered tank in history.

It’s not as sexy as the German tanks but it fought in every corner of the war from Africa to Europe, Russia to the Pacific islands from 1941 until the end, and was made in as many or maybe even more varieties than even the German Panzer 3 & 4. If you get sick of US Shermans (is that really possible) you can do it in British, Free French, or Soviet markings. If you get tired of WW2 versions you can do some from the Korean war, or some of the Israeli versions, or marked for one of the many Latin American countries that used it all the way into the 70s.

Now that would be a project, research a specific long lived M4 and build it as it was in WW2 then follow up with builds as it appeared over the years. I’m sure among than thousands built there must be a few that served in WW2, Korea, and either South Korean, Israeli or Latin American service, possibly more than one of the three.

The M3 Lee is a great tank to contrast with the later American designs, it is hard to believe the US went from the ungainly looking almost cartoon like M3 to the M26 in a period of about 5 years.

Actually I could go on for pages, I like almost all the US armor from WW2. None of it was really pretty but it got the job done in a quiet unassuming way.

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I am surprised your only getting to it now,i’ve been thru it a number of times,great series,great acting.lotsa armor,the German stuff was cool too,that German attack that was broken up by the counter-attack of the shermans,I think outside Carentan,good looking Stug,and I think a Jagdpanther,and the British Shermans and Cromwells in Holland.

I really enjoyed the epilouge of where everybody went and what they did after the war,and the “making of disc” was great too. Bastogne was great also how bout Capt Sobel + Lt Dike,I can just go on and on was just great.

Go build something !!! do the Priest,it looks like fun

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Haven’t built any American armor yet, but I will soon be starting my first ever American fighting vehicle, a 1/35 Zvezda M-3 Scout Car when I’m finished with my SU-76M build.

If you want to build American armor, there’s a GB that’s gonna start on January 1st, the Lend-Lease GB, where many of the allowed builds are American tanks. Click the link is you’re intrested, it’s open to all.[:)]

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SMJ, Band of Brothers was an awesome series! I loved the battle scenes; very realistic and way more accurate than most war movie/series! It was a blast to see “real” Shermans, Cromwells, Jagdpanthers and StuGs in those scenes instead of modern tanks painted up to represent WWII armor. Personally I love Shermans and Stuarts, all variants! I’ve got kits of most of them in my stash, Dragon, Tamiya, Italeri, Academy. Here’s some WIPs to hopefully inspire you even more:

Italeri M4A1 on the left, Tamiya M4A3 in the middle, and Tamiya M3 on the left. Obviously they need more work, but doesn’t the Olive Drab just call out to you?!?![:D]

I’m sure you’ll get lots of ideas and inspiration here in the forum! Good Luck!

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SMJ - If you want simple…go with a half track or a jeep. If you want to build big the M4 18ton HST from Hobboy Boss (the later version for artillery) and the AFV M115 8 inch howitzer. Hook them up and drive in the snow!! A nice big pair for a great dio.

You want just a self propelled, well the M7 (either Italeri or Academy…check the reviews), M12 155mm Howitzer by Academy or go a little bit simple with the M8 HMC from Tamiya.

Hopefully that helps (and keeps you out of Shermans [swg])

Rounds Complete!!

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The tamiya duece and half is superbly molded and does not have a fiddly suspension, great kit.

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Band of Brothers is awesome! [bow] My favorite was operation market-garden, British assisted attack. I’m even planning a dio on the part where the Tiger 1 buried in the hay slowly turns the turret… the rest is pretty obvious. I havn’t built much american armor but I did build a Tamiya Sherman w/105mm gun. Sweet kit.

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I’ve only built tamiya’s 1/48 sherman. If i were to give you a suggestion for american armor it would be the sherman (like most of your replies said). By far I love band of brothers over most war movies/series. They got some sweet armor from both sides in it. I’d have to say my favorite parts are during the battle of the bulge and operation market garden.

-Brandon

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my favorite part… all of it [swg]! Check out AFV’s new M5! if you did a WIP, I could then decide if it’s worth the money or not, LOL. I’m a big fan of any variant of the stuart. You could build an m3a3. Technically American made, but was a strictly lend lease tank, best of both worlds if you’d like to do both.

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Don’t overlook the M-37, either. I’m pretty sure those are WWII-era rigs.

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Tigerman: 1/2 price!!![:O] on the Priest, I need to check that out. I saw it as low as $27 at AMPS East.

Aaronw: I haven’t done enough, only one so far, Shermans to even get close to sick of them!

anthony2779: Awesome seen! In fact it was one of the best patriotic feelings I had during the flick. The way they were in a row…almost like marching soldiers!

mg.mikael: You gotta’ get at least one US build under the belt, sounds like the Lend-Lease GB will be it!

bufflehead: Like that M4A1…is that the version with a cast hull AND turret? If not, which one has that? I’d like to build that one someday. Diggin’ that M3 too. I took some pic’s at Nationals of some EXCELLENT M3’s. Here’s a fav’:

I’ve seen some nice color variation of olive drab with some great weathering. It can be really cool if done right! Check this out:

redleg12: The patriot himself, I hoped you’d chime in. Still not an artillery guy yet though. The M7 Priest is a must for me. Did you see the FSM workbench review not too long ago?

jagdpanther302: The duece is one of my few American builds. Great truck, in fact I’d like to do a “Redball Express” GB someday. Here’s me build:

This was a GREAT kit, like you said.

Boba Fett: That was a cool scene! That Brit’ just wouldn’t listen to the soldiers though. I thought it was cool how the Tiger turret turned real slow…“catlike” ready to pounce. GREAT dio’ idea!

model freaks: 1/48 Sherman?!..go see dupes’ 1/48 Sherman with a dio’ in the Urban Armor GB, he did a great job!

Taco Buff: M5, you want me to be the guinea pig!?

Dan A: Not sure what an M37 is, got a picture of one?

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I must apologize: the M-37 wasn’t around during WWII; it’s a later, improved version of the Dodge WC series. The WC series was made in quite a few variations. In case you need it, here’s a decent picture of a WC series truck. Just ignore the Bridgestone sticker…

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OK…there is always confusion with designations during WWII. I think the improved version became the WC61/62 with a 1 1/2 ton rating. I will check my books tonight. But I will look at it from my angle on an M37:

You could build the M37 HMC. This was a replacement for the M7 HMC and was essentially an M7 on a M24 Chaffee frame. There is no kit out there now so it would require a kit bash of an M7 and M24. These began fielding in 1944.

My artillery side always finds an angle [swg]

Rounds Complete!!

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Well yeah! It’s great having guiena pigs that can do WIPs. I’m out of a job (it sucks being 18 and sans job), and have to make sure every dollar count. Hey, wasn’t that m5a1 in this month’s FSM? Pretty sure.

Nothin’ more beautiful than a well done m5 [:D]. Speaking of which, Check out some of the books written by Steven Zaloga. His armor is fantastic!! He does a lot of little things to make OD look really interesting.