The Sherman was the most widely used Allied tank of World War II and was built in larger numbers than all German tanks combined. There was also a huge number of variants, powered by different engines, and manufactured with different types of hulls and turrets. This book presents an expert guide to modelling the 75mm gun versions used by the US Army in the ETO, in 1/35 and 1/48 scale. The projects featured include an early M4A1 from Operation Husky (July 1943), an intermediate M4 during Operation Cobra (August 1944), an M4 mine-roller in the Ardennes (January 1945), and a M4A3 during Operation Grenade (February 1945).
The Sherman was the most widely used Allied tank of World War II and was built in larger numbers than all German tanks combined. There was also a huge number of variants, powered by different engines, and manufactured with different types of hulls and turrets. This book presents an expert guide to modelling the 75mm gun versions used by the US Army in the ETO, in 1/35 and 1/48 scale. The projects featured include an early M4A1 from Operation Husky (July 1943), an intermediate M4 during Operation Cobra (August 1944), an M4 mine-roller in the Ardennes (January 1945), and a M4A3 during Operation Grenade (February 1945).
The Sherman tank was the principal US and Allied tank of World War II with more Shermans manufactured than all German tanks combined. Not only were large numbers manufactured, but there was a very wide range of variants powered by different types of engines, manufactured with different types of hulls, turrets and other details. As a result, a M4A1 tank from the Tunisian campaign in 1942 had nothing in common with a M4A3E8 tank from the 1945 campaign in Germany, even if they shared the same name. Consequently, the Sherman has proven to be an enormously popular modeling subject. Due to the enormity of the subject matter, this book is the first of three planned to deal with this tank and its many variants. It covers the early 75mm Shermans and runs the gamut from the US Army in Tunisia in 1942-43, Italy in 1943-45 and NW Europe in 1945. In so doing, it covers the broadest possible range of variants and details. The builds include: 1.M4A1, 2/13th Armored in Tunisia 1942/43. This is mainly 'out of the box', and deals with cleaning up and correcting the popular Dragon kit and painting it in desert colors. 2.M4A3, 6th Armored Division, Battle of the Bulge, January 1945: an intermediate level build, correcting and enhancing the Tamiya kit, and dealing with the issue of assembling aftermarket (separately available add-on components) link-to-link tracks. 3.M4A1, 2nd Armored Division, Sicily 1943. This is actually an earlier version of the M4A1 than the first type (2nd Armored having been the first division with the Sherman); an advanced level project using the Formations resin hull for the proper 'direct vision' early hull. 4.M4, 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Normandy, July 1944: the 'super'project, including a number of advanced techniques such as swapping the suspension on the Tamiya kit, applying foliage camouflage, building and painting a turret interior and adding figures to the model. The book also showcases a number of other Shermans already built by the author to demonstrate the variety available.
With numbers 13 and 14 the Osprey Modelling Series sees the start of a regular subseries on modelling specific AFVs. The second covers the Allies' most important tank of WW2, the US M4 Sherman, of which 49, 234 gun tanks were built. With detailed step-by-step model photography, specially commissioned walkround photography, scale drawings and wartime shots, these books will provide all the details needed to model the main M4 Sherman version – the M4A4 – and its variants. There is a full roundup of the models available on the market, details of where you can see the real thing, a select bibliography, and survey of websites of interest.
The Sherman tank was the principal US and Allied tank of World War II more Shermans were built than all German tanks combined. Not only were large numbers of Shermans manufactured, but a large number of variants emerged powered by different types of engines and with different types of hulls, turrets and other details, making it an ideal subject for any modeller. Steven J Zaloga takes on the Sherman tank in this book, providing a guide to four variants across a range of different skill levels, depicting differing colour schemes and techniques which are examined and illustrated in lavish full-colour step-by-step photographs.
Tank destroyers were the US Army's response to blitzkrieg, and were based around the concept of mounting a large anti-tank gun on a light, fast moving vehicle. They served in the Mediterranean, Pacific, and North-West Europe theatres, and were also supplied to other Allied armies. These vehicles form an attractive modelling subject; their open turrets provide plenty of opportunity for detail work, as demonstrated here by the author in clear step-by-step instructions. Packed with tips and techniques from a leading modeller and Allied armour expert, this title covers the M10, M18, M36, and M39, and features modelling projects in 1/35th and 1/72nd scale.
The M4 Sherman tank was the mainstay of the Western allies between 1942 and 1945. Fast and modern it was a big success and was transported as far afield as Russia and North Africa. The American Chief of Staff claimed in November 1943 it was 'hailed widely as the best tank on the battlefield today...'. However, by the Normandy invasion of June 1944 this was not the case: the new German heavy tanks such as the Panther and Tiger were completely outclassing the Sherman. This title covers the M4 version armed with the 76 mm gun, examining developments such as the HVSS suspension, using much new archive material.
Aimed at military model makers and wargamers who are interested in the armoured fighting vehicles of the United States as used throughout World War II, this book follows on from Modelling British World War II Armoured Vehicles by the same author. The book places its emphasis on US Army and US Marine Corps AFVs modelled mainly in 1/72 and 1/48 scales, in a deliberate departure from the more popular 1/35 scale, to encourage and inspire model makers who are new to or less familiar with these scales. Illustrated with over 270 colour photos this book features every major US AFV used in World War II, with many models shown in various stages of construction and paintings. It presents step-by-step guides demonstrating the painting techniques appropriate for different scales and includes an additional section showing how to paint wargames models. There is also a review of how the USA developed tanks and other armoured vehicles from the interwar period through to the end of World War II. This fascinating story will help model makers and wargamers give the vehicles they build an historical context.
“An important contribution to the history of World War II . . . I have never before been able to learn so much about maintenance methods of an armored division, with precise details that underline the importance of the work, along with descriptions of how the job was done.”—Russell F. Weigley, author of Eisenhower’s Lieutenants “Cooper saw more of the war than most junior officers, and he writes about it better than almost anyone. . . . His stories are vivid, enlightening, full of life—and of pain, sorrow, horror, and triumph.”—Stephen E. Ambrose, from his Foreword “In a down-to-earth style, Death Traps tells the compelling story of one man’s assignment to the famous 3rd Armored Division that spearheaded the American advance from Normandy into Germany. Cooper served as an ordnance officer with the forward elements and was responsible for coordinating the recovery and repair of damaged American tanks. This was a dangerous job that often required him to travel alone through enemy territory, and the author recalls his service with pride, downplaying his role in the vast effort that kept the American forces well equipped and supplied. . . . [Readers] will be left with an indelible impression of the importance of the support troops and how dependent combat forces were on them.”—Library Journal “As an alumnus of the 3rd, I eagerly awaited this book’s coming out since I heard of its release . . . and the wait and the book have both been worth it. . . . Cooper is a very polished writer, and the book is very readable. But there is a certain quality of ‘you are there’ many other memoirs do not seem to have. . . . Nothing in recent times—ridgerunning in Korea, firebases in Vietnam, or even the one hundred hours of Desert Storm—pressed the ingenuity and resolve of American troops . . . like WWII. This book lays it out better than any other recent effort, and should be part of the library of any contemporary warrior.”—Stephen Sewell, Armor Magazine “Cooper’s writing and recall of harrowing events is superb and engrossing. Highly recommended.”—Robert A. Lynn, The Stars and Stripes “This detailed story will become a classic of WWII history and required reading for anyone interested in armored warfare.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “[Death Traps] fills a critical gap in WWII literature. . . . It’s a truly unique and valuable work.”—G.I. Journal
Even after the paint dries, there is still one important decision left to the modeller. How to display the finished work? In this new guide, expert modeller Richard Windrow covers all the common and many less common display techniques including dioramas, simple display cases, mirror stands, domes for individual figures, deep 'picture frame' boxes, and even light boxes. In a book crammed with pictures of beautiful models on display, from World War II tanks to modern-day rally cars, it instructs both novice and expert modellers alike on how to take a simple model and display it as a work of art.
