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Reply to "Continuing Saga …"

Thanks Mark! The Heritage Park tank is a 1:48 scale Hobby Boss Sherman that was given to me by my buddy at the hobby shop in an almost-built condition. The Bradley was a completely different animal. The model is more closely related to the Ryefield Model M3A4 76W HVSS Sherman that I finished last year. The Bradley had 874 parts including the track parts (which I didn't use). The Sherman had 2,000 parts, 800 of which were to their ridiculously complicated track assembly, the rest was for the tank and its full interior. I believe I posted Sherman pics in this never ending story, but I'll give you a refresher. The Sherman was a beautiful, complex model when assembled, but was not an easy build and Ryefield increased the parts count just because they could. If something could be made with two molded parts, they make it out of seven.

This is looking upwards at the underneath of the gun breach. The gun actually recoils and has a spring inside.

M4A3 Turret Fit

I built this stand so the insides and underneath of hull top could be viewed. It's now on display this stand at the Hobby Shop. (Scale Reproductions, Inc).

M3A4 Display Rack Glue Up

The broken star was actually part of the insignia of that particular prototype.

M4A3 Done 4

This is the turret basket looking top down. Gunner's seat and controls are upper left. Loader's seat is lower right. The box the gunner's seat sits on is the "Ready Ammo" box that holds 6 rounds. The rest of the magazine is below the deck floor. The ammo was stored in ethylene glycol to prevent ammo from cooking off in case of fire. The late model Shermans were the only tanks to have this in WW2. It worked until the crew started storing more ammo all over the place.

M4A3 Turret Basket Installed

Open hull view looking to the right side. The ammo magazine is open and you can see lots of rounds. There also another big box of rounds in a container under the floor behind the asst. driver's seat. The crews liked Shermans. They were roomy compared to other country's tanks. They were also easy to repair and keep running and we made thousands and thousands of them.

M4A3 Hull Done Right

And a view looking left… The model was so complex that the transmission and its controls had 70 parts. All the turret controls in the Sherman were electric. It had an APU, the OD mechanism in the upper center in this image, that would power the machinery so the main engine did not need to be running. The German tanks, in comparison, used a power takeoff from the main engine, so the engine needed to be run constantly. Not a good thing for a country that was running out of gasoline. Also, the Sherman turret traversed much faster than Axis equipment. The Sherman was the only WW2 tank that had a gyrostabilized gun that could aim as the tank was moving.

M4A3 Hull Done Left

The Ford GAA engine was superior and the model's engine was complete.

M4A3 Radiators Done

Overhead cam, gear driven 500 hp, 1,000 ft. lbs torque. Those two small drive shafts extending out to the sides drove the gear boxes that turn the radiator fans. From the gear box the fans were belt driven. Ignition was by dual magneto. If was basically a V8 high-performance aircraft engine.

M4A3 Engine Painted 3M4A3 Engine Painted 2

Sorry… didn't mean to get carried away.

Have a nice Derby weekend! Weather should be perfect.

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Images (9)
  • M4A3 Turret Fit
  • M3A4 Display Rack Glue Up
  • M4A3 Done 4
  • M4A3 Turret Basket Installed
  • M4A3 Hull Done Right
  • M4A3 Hull Done Left
  • M4A3 Radiators Done
  • M4A3 Engine Painted 3
  • M4A3 Engine Painted 2

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