"Bail Out" Diorama update: 6/26/11

Modeling Subjects Dioramas
1

Hi all, I decided to finish a diorama I started working on a few years back and never finished (no suprise there). It is a sherman that is all shot up with the crew bailing out. I added a scratch built interior, and added wire handles and the wire cages that go around the periscopes (I’m not sure what they are really called). The figures are from Verlinden and Master box. So here is some of my progress as of recent.

*NOTE: the interior may not be completely accurate but it had to look like there was something there. The Sherman is not yet painted.

2

I like it. I’m glad you decided to return to this one and to show us your progress. It is definately a good story and your painting is looking good so far. I also like the work you did on the interior.

Just one thing that I noticed - that grunt is wasting his time. The guys he’s dragging obviously isn’t going to make it - he got his head blow’d off…[6]

Post more!

3

With a puddle of styrene below it to boot. [H]

In all seriousness this is looking like a great build and your photo work is very good as well.

4

Great depiction of all to familiar action with the Shermans. Do you have any plans for smoke or fire? Great work. Rick.

5

Wabashweels: Yes I am going to add a small tuft of cotton (sprayed black and gray) coming out of the hatches for a smoke effect.

6

It looks great and the way you are making the diomara is already telling a great story. I will be following this WIP with interest. Good luck! [Y]

7

Yeah, this is going to be an exciting dio. Nice job with the scratched interior, and I’m looking forward to more progress on this.

8

Thanks guys, I will be posting more pics later today.

9

I like the figure poses. You might want to re-think the hedgerow title though, as the variant of the M-4 you are using wasn’t used the the Normandy “hedgerow” battles.

10

Looking good Ryan… I’ll be checking in on the next photo-posting

Thanks for sharing!

11

Thats unfortunate I really felt like making hedgerows. What Variant did they use in Normandy?

12

I believe (and someone might clarify this) that the M4 was the variant that landed on D-Day with M4A1 and M4A3 variants arriving in late July of 44.

By the way, what kit is this?

13

More pictures! I painted the Sherman w/ Tamiya’s olive drab (XF-62 I think). I will paint a lighter shade of olive drab today to give the paint a “faded” look. I also started working on the vegetation. I started a tree with wire and will add Milliput later. The other trees are natural which I got from around my house. I sprayed them a green color (they are not naturally green) Try and guess what the are! I also took a pic of some of the stowage that I will put on.

14

Howdy!

I like what I see so far a lot! Lots of action! Keep it up, have a nice weekend

Paweł

15

bbrowniii - It’s the Tamiya M4A3 sherman kit

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M4s and M4A1s were the main versions used in Normandy. Some late model M4A1 (75mm) with the angled hatches, and M4A1 (76mm) also were there. The M4A3 (75mm Wet) did not start getting in to battle until late 1944 after the Normandy breakout.

But your work looks great and the diorama idea is excellent!

17

Looking really sweet!

18

Well… I am not a Sherman expert by any stretch, but if that is the case, I think you can get away with it. I did a google search and found images of M4A3s prior to Operation Cobra (part of the Normandy Campaign).

19

Well, there you have it. I’d take Stik’s word over mine - he seems to know a lot more about Shermans that I do.

If you are curious, here is a link to that pic I mentioned:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cobra

20

I would not call myself an expert on Shermans either. ButI am a huge fan of them![:P] I have yet to see a photo of the M4A3 (75mm Wet) in action in Europe that are dated sooner than around early Fall of '44 or so. The M4 (105mm) with the 47* welded hull and enlarged angled hatches appeared around the time of Operation Cobra.