wavelet wrote:Great kit indeed. I have it in my stash. Looking forward to your build.
Thanks buddy!
For the record: To deal with any uncertainty about the status of this kit I decided to add a picture of the running-gear sprues, just to confirm that they are both in untouched state. I missed one of them in my previous picture, so here goes...
20160902_213843 by
Tommy Killander, on Flickr
Now with that technicality out of the way, let's focus on the subject and the build...
Background
The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most numerous battle tank used by the United States and some of the other Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce and available in great numbers. Thousands were distributed through the Lend-Lease program to the British Commonwealth and Soviet Union. The tank was named by the British for the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman.
The M4 Sherman evolved from the interim M3 Medium Tank, which had its main armament in a side sponson mount. The M4 retained much of the previous mechanical design but put the main 75 mm gun in a fully traversing turret. One feature, a one-axis gyrostabilizer, was not precise enough to allow firing when moving but did help keep the reticle on target, so that when the tank did stop to fire, the gun would be aimed in roughly the right direction.
The designers stressed mechanical reliability, ease of production and maintenance, durability, standardization of parts and ammunition in a limited number of variants, and moderate size and weight. These factors, combined with the Sherman's then-superior armor and armament, outclassed German light and medium tanks of 1939–42. The M4 went on to be produced in large numbers. It spearheaded many offensives by the Western Allies after 1942.
The relative ease of production allowed huge numbers of the M4 to be manufactured, and significant investment in tank recovery and repair units allowed disabled vehicles to be repaired and returned to service. These factors combined to give the Americans numerical superiority in most battles, and many infantry divisions were provided with M4s and tank destroyers. A M4A3E8 variant was introduced, with improved suspension and a high-velocity 76 mm gun as used on the tank destroyers.
The complete designation of the tank variant is M4A3E8(76)W HVSS (Easy Eight) - Upgraded with widetrack Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension (HVSS), fitted with the 76mm High Velocity cannon and a Wet ammunition rack. The tank variant was nicknamed "Easy Eight" for two reasons; the designation E (for Experimental) and the HVSS suspension that gave the tankers a smooth ride.
Armament
The 3" (76.2 mm) high velocity gun where derived from the M10 Wolverine and gave the M4A3E8 a penetration of 88mm on 30 degree angled armour @ 914 meters range.
It also had a 7.62mm M1919A4 hull machine gun and a 12.7mm M2 machine gun mounted on top of the turret.
Specifications
Length: 7.54 m
Width: 2.99 m
Height: 2.97 m
Weight (fully loaded): 33.6 tons
Crew: 5
Engine: Ford GAA 4-stroke V8 gasoline engine (500 hp)
Max speed: 41.8 km/h
Range: 161 km
Tommy
20160902_205854 by Tommy Killander, on Flickr
20160902_210358 by Tommy Killander, on Flickr
20160902_210652 by Tommy Killander, on Flickr
20160902_210847 by Tommy Killander, on Flickr
20160902_211102 by Tommy Killander, on Flickr
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