I’m ashamed to say that I don’t have a lot of knowledge about Allied WWII armour and as I have the Dragon Sherman Mk.Ic Firefly Hybrid kit in my stash I’m planning to build it this year (it was a present that I received at Christmas [:$]). It must be marked and built as a Firefly in British Service, not a Polish one.
Box art (except my box doesn’t say Cyber-Hobby on it):
I’ve looked at the English marked one and the markings along the side hull appear to be just ablurry white colour. I’m not sure about this and was hoping that someone could help me or provide additional marking info that I could use? Perhaps markings from Archer that I could buy instead of using the kit markings?
If you look at the above link and scroll down to the bottom look at the three pictures of the Fireflies at the bottom and the Coldstream one is the one on the right hand side (obviously). Look at the markings for the Coldstream Guards version and you’ll see that the side hull marking is a blurry white and the writer states “the white ares on this will need to be painted”.
I’m not exactly overkeen on that look unless that’s the way that all the British Fireflies were marked?
I really hope one of you guys can help me with this - I want this build to be put on a base with a brass nameplate etc in honour of my Grandad who entered France shortly after D-Day and was Commander or Gunner on a Firefly. Unfortunately because my family cannot find his medals or military history paperwork I can’t be specific [:(]
Hanno Spoelstra is the moderator for the Sherman Register “G104” mailing list. These are folks interested in restoring real Shermans [the Standard Nomenclature List entry for the M4 was G104]. They helped me verify the serial number of one of the M4A1(76)W “Super-Sherman” tanks used in the 1953 movie “War of the Worlds”: 30126777. You can contact him via G104-owner@yahoogroups.com
BTW, the cammo on the cannon is accurate. The Allies tried to disguise Fireflys as “vanilla” Shermans.
That very Firefly IC appears in a photo in the Concord book “British Tanks of WWII (2) Holland & Germany” by David Fletcher. It also has the Typhoon rockets that were sometimes carried by some of the Coldstream Shermans. It’s on p. 66 and is dated April '45.
There’s a color illustration of this pictured tank in Concord’s “British Sherman Tanks” by Dennis Oliver (p. 40)/ That white/lt grey patch may be an anomaly b/c other Coldstream Shermans don’t appear to have it.
The same question appeared a few months back on another forum: missing-lynx.com The general consensus being that it is just dirt on the side broken up by a darker area where fuel has spilled over.
Bison Decals also has markings for the firefly, but any generic markings for divisions and brigades will do if you want something different from what the kit offers.
Managed to scare-up these photos. The first shows a genuine Sherman IC (Hybrid) with the fake muzzle brake and disruptive camouflage:
The second shows a Firefly with some interesting graffiti.
What is interesting is what isn’t present. To borrow from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
Inspector Gregory: Is there any other point to which you wish to draw my attention, Mr. Holmes?
Sherlock Holmes: To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.
Colonel Ross: But the dog did nothing in the night-time.
Sherlock Holmes: That is the curious incident.
[“Silver Blase”, 1892]
There’s graffiti but no official markings on the side of the tank. Ben, I suspect (based on having a honking cannon doesn’t make your armor any thicker) that their markings were muted to the point of being erased.
I’m not sure if I’m going completely crazy but - if you look at the two pictures above that Tom posted. Look at the second picture with the Tommies sat on the barrel of the tank in the foreground (click on the bar below it to expand it) THEN look at the tank directly behind it with the turret rotated 90 degrees to the side. Look at the front sloping armour of this vehicle and then look at the two sections of spare track hanging down vertically then look at the piece of spare track on the right hand side (as you look at the picture) and I’m positive that there is a very gruesome looking human torso strapped to the front armour with a screaming head!
I’m sure that’s not the case [;)] but see if you can see it? Perhaps I need to increase the medication?
Anyway, back to normal: I’m glad that this has been noticed before so I’ll pop on over to the link and have a look [Y]
I took this kit out from the stash last night and felt like started building it there and then. What a great model! I’ve got the Pz III N for the Pz III GB ready to go then I’ll be building this Shermie followed by the Bronco Comet I have on order.
I believe it’s a person in front of that Sheman, perhaps a child? the graffitti on the Firefly looks to be “thank you” messages written by grateful civilians as towns were liberated. It might account for the presence of the girl???
Given her position in front of the tank, it’s doubtful that she was strapped to the tank itself. That area of a Sherman would not be a place to store anything. I posit that she is in front of the tank, behind the fence railing.
LOL! I wasn’t being serious when I said ‘strapped to the tank’, I didn’t even think it was a person - just a visual deception but the more I look at it the more it looks like a person all the time.
I definately agree about the chalk scribbles - they would look good on a post D-Day Sherman build.
