Israeli M51 Sherman, October 1973

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

So my first project of the year is now complete. This is Academy’s 1/35 M51 Sherman, an Israeli/French upgrade to the basic M4A1E8. I built it mostly OOB, aside from adding a clear acetate lens to the spotlight (no lens was provided), some .010 wire for the antennas, and replacing the nylon mesh for the grouser compartment vents with some brass mesh - the kit stuff was horrid to try to cut to size & shape. Base color is Model Master Acrylic IDF Sand. I based the markings off what few photos that I could find of M51s in the Golan during the October 1973 War, where the Israelis had to bring these old war horses out of war reserve to assist the Centurions in stopping then pushing back the Syrian onslaught and subsequently driving towards Damascus.

Thanks for looking, comments and critiques are welcome…

2

Great Job!

3

Fantastic build,I particularly like the packs and the tarps.Its all of the small things that add up.

4

Looks very nice and i especially like the shading on the tarps. Also the contrast on the flesh and the lens addition was good. I hope to be able soon to figure out the shading technique on uneven surfaces. FYI - maybe my browser, latest FF, but I got a Postimage internal server error when clicking to look at the images. Tks for the post!

5

Excellent work. I loved this kit when I built it. Super good looking build.

BK

6

Excellent Stik! Love the figures as they add so much in terms of scale and context. Brilliant piece.

7

Superb job SP, love the packs and storage too, and the overall finish and figures are also fantastic! [Y]

8

Nice one Stik! My favorite version of the Sherman.

9

Very nicely done, Stik. This is an excellent build.

10

That’s well done, Carlos.

Like others have noted, the figures are absolutely first class.

Bill

11

Masterfully done, as always, Stik.

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Thanks to one and all guys! I truly appreciate your compliments on this build. But I do need to keep to keep working on my figure painting skills. One of these days…

13

Stikpusher, excelent job on this Sherman! This is my favorite variant of the Sherman and I completed the Tamiya version in 2021. I still have the Academy and Dragon versions left to build. Your painting & weathering is spot on and I really like your base and figure work too! My local model club is having a “Year of the Tiger” group build so Tamiya’s 1/35 Korean War Sherman Easy Eight is next for me. Great build to start off 2022 for you!

TJS

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Thanks Tom. I have the old MP Models M50 Sherman to tackle one day down the road eventually. I’m looking forward to seeing your Tiger Sherman. Those Korean War tank markings can be quite colorful! I think those are my favorite Sherman markings.

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Nice work.

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Wow and Wow! That is an exceptional build Carlos. The more I look at it the more I see little details I missed the previous times. Simply stunning…

DRUMS01 / Ben

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So much detail in this build. You’ve set the bar pretty high. Something for us newbs to aspire to! [:)]

Think I’ll be coming back to this for inspiration.

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Carlos,

I haven’t been on this site much throughout the past year due to health issues, so I missed a lot. Your Sherman is stunning!

Bill

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Easy Mike, Ben, Phoenix, and Bill, thank you guys for the kind feedback. Im very happy to see that you guys like this one.