"Burnt out Sherman" Topic

M4A2 from Heller with much detailing added esp from Dan taylor Modelworks, tyres ground off the bogies, burnt tracks from OKB, ash from my fireplace! All hatches are open as everyone got out of course and lived to be great grandfathers.

The family are not impressed and think it is boring. They want "context" and I am thinking of having some AB German Paras marching by and a St Lo sign from Braillestrike, but personally I prefer it simple

it's excellent, but the additional details would also be cool to see!

Looks great as-is.

Wow – that is cool! Well done!

Fine job.

Thanks all. Just dawned on me that any makers of road signs for France largely concentrate on Normandy and the early days. That rules out a 2eme DB Tank. An M4A2 of course has no other place in the US Army, so St Lo is out, as I guess are Fallschirmjagers. Why didn't I use an M4 or M4A1? Weep.

Very nice work! Rather than victorious Boche perhaps an Allied recovery vehicle or bulldozer removing it.

Very nice work!

Oooo – that must have hurt!

Amazing work – thanks for sharing

Great modeling in any case!

Looks good

I am VERY impressed…Looks authentic!

Nice.

I am gobsmacked by the responses.

The family think it is boring and pointless and they (SWiMBO especially) are usually better judges.

It is exactly what I wanted to create and I am happy with it (much more than that in practice). It makes a change from elegant carriages in the same scale at Waterloo, or beautifully turned out cavalry or horse artillery trains en masse. The attic stash of models is scary though. Sherman DD next I think.

Honestly, I did not expect this response. MUCH appreciated folks. Especially on Friday 13th!

(Thank you re the crew.) Great detail!

You did very well. For "context," may I suggest a building front, possibly burnt out? Done on a separate L-shape base, it could be done without altering your work as it now stands, and removed to another project if you and yours don't find it satisfactory.

Very well done, Deadhead. You could use FJ for context- British and Canadian Sherman III's engaged them at Normandy.

FJs in Eastern Normandy, that I did not know. The idea of a separate building as background is inspiring, as it could indeed be moved around at will. So obvious that it never occurred to me……

Again thanks all. I had no idea this would attract such (honestly…any) interest as not a lot of use to those who throw dice. (This tank threw a 1 and the crew each threw a six)

I did something similar a while back when I killed an old Airfix Sherman and had it being inspected by gloating Germans. Always nice to see a piece that doesn't have immediate practical wargame use.

An absolutely fantastic paint job deadhead!

Really excellent.The burnt out hulk, the sagging tracks and the molten debris in the wake of the tank are perfect.
Now pardon if I say you could still do the 2e DB : they lost quite a few tanks in their epics…
I looked & found this plate of signs

link

At the end of the battle of Normandy, Leclerc's division fought a hard battle quite close to Falaise, so that road sign might do it. And you could add some logistics vehicles and troops, perhaps a few grateful French civilians to do the trick. IIRC, Retrokit has a few of these.

What about Monte Cassino, Italy?

One thing I've seen on knocked out tanks is the gun dropping to full depression. Maybe drop the barrel to pointing down as well, although it looks pretty good as is.

This is often because the hydraulics get burnt up in any internal fire/explosion. Hydraulic oil is very combustible.

So without the hydraulics there's nothing holding it up.

Hope this helps,

B

Drooping unto full depression? Wait till you get to my age.

I left it as the turret is seen blown slightly out and the 50 calibre is down. But even then its ammo box would have exploded, surely.

I spent ages working research on a burnt out tank, rather than an exploded tank (and I admit, once the ammo store goes up, there is no distinction).

I asked for help here;

TMP link

and can now see why any of the German Cats or modern Russian/Ukrainian AFVs are sunk onto their tracks.

You have all been so helpful (on summat I imagined of no interest seriously)

Building a Benedictine Monastery, top of a mountain is a bit of a challenge. I am already being called back to Waterloo, as a modeller. Foxbat's link to Southern Normandy road signs is tempting, even in 1/48, as I do try to stick to 2eme DB….and I have absolutely no idea why….it is called obsessionality (lunacy).

Deadhead, you're an example to all of us, and I say that as a miniature wargamer who hasn't painted a miniature not intended for the gaming table in almost 60 years. But I can recognize and respect attention to accuracy and detail.

As for your relationship with the 2eme DB--well, the line between lunacy and genius is hazy. Maybe in a completely sane world, everything would be made just good enough to pass, but where is the fun--or the greatness--in that? As long as your obsession still lets you produce, you're on the right side of the line. Go forth and conquer!

(But I'd still like to see you paint up one of those 1940 French tanks reclaimed by the FFI in 1944, even if they didn't serve in the 2nd DB.)

What about Monte Cassino, Italy?

As one from the Polish 2nd Armoured Brigade , as there wasn't any French operated Shermans .

Great suggestions. But the tank itself has not a scrap of paint on it, so no markings. I see it as being like the "Unknown Soldier" of so many countries. It could as easily be French 1st Army or 2eme DB, many a Commonwealth unit, Polish, US Marines, USSR, and I can imagine many more users of an M4A2 that is now unrecognisable. This is the "Unknown tank" and maybe only the road surface restricts it to NW Europe.

But I spent an hour or two today working on a large hatch M4A1 from Dragon and inserting the small hatch glacis of a direct vision Heller M4A2, with, then, the three piece differential housing (that proved harder!) all for a Desert Sherman (with the earliest suspension of course). I do need to get out more.

Great suggestions. But the tank itself has not a scrap of paint on it, so no markings. I see it as being like the "Unknown Soldier" of so many countries. It could as easily be French 1st Army or 2eme DB, many a Commonwealth unit, Polish, US Marines, USSR, and I can imagine many more users of an M4A2 that is now unrecognisable.

Add a sign post and a few troops , that would help in identifying the army .

I see it as being like the "Unknown Soldier" of so many countries. It could as easily be French 1st Army or 2eme DB, many a Commonwealth unit, Polish, US Marines, USSR, and I can imagine many more users of an M4A2 that is now unrecognisable.

Understood, mate. The model is a sort of memorial to all the Allied tank crews, whose tanks were brewed.

Memorial to:

Wiki – Exercise Tiger

Another almost done, but at least this one gets a Tony Barton crew. Tricky little conversion to a very early Sherman II with direct vision (and one even opened now!) You might notice black paint to hide the far too tall early suspension. It almost works, but the resin models were far too tempting and the mstake only obvious once the model was assembled.

That in my opinion Mr. D is a stunning visualisation of a burnt out Sherman.

There was a TMP discussion about U.K. forces mounting 50cal Brownings and I believe from that, that if they had anything it was a 30 Cal, but certainly the US forces liked them.

As I said, an excellent piece of modelling.

Best wishes,

Chris

This is the "Unknown Tank" and could be US Marines, Free French or UK/Commonwealth as it is an M4A2.

But, under pressure from the family who really do not like it, I have got some AB Fallschirmjagers to walk past it. I prefer it dead simple. Strange is that they all prefer the Desert Sherman. I know that will be lost as not in a new post, but I do feel a bit awkward posting to what is meant to be a wargames, not modelling, forum. The M4A1 is not as pale as it looks in the images.

50s, loads of photos from as early as Alamein. 30s much easier to use, but UK used 50s or nothing as a rule. Challenge me to download photos from Egypt, not Tunisia

I think the value of your work warrants a new post without doubt.

Best wishes,

Chris

I am well into a Jumbo now, from at least three different kits, and might repost the Desert Sherman with that. The contrast between one of the earliest and latest Shermans. The Jumbo is an ugly brute mind you.

How to camo a British Sherman in North Africa .

link

Now that diagram is invaluable, but the text on that link is fascinating. Many thanks!