WWII AND KOREA WAS JUST THE BEGINNING FOR THE SHERMAN. VARIANTS SERVED IN More than 30 ARMIES AROUND THE WORLD AND SAW SERVICE well INTO THE 1990S. The PInnacle of sherman engineering can be seen the the m-51 used by the Israel Defense Forces in the 1967 and 1973 wars. HVSS equipped, 105mm cannon armed m-51s defeated soviet t-55 and t-62s in direct confrontations. Re-engineed with a cummins diesel engine and modified to fit the huge cannon, the Isherman is very distinctive and should find new opponents in the hooben T-55.
My project is the natural progression of the Mato sherman release, what to do with the junked Tamiya hvss suspension units, mato cast hulls and cut apart t-23 turrets? Tamiya’s offering came about over a year in to the project and provided the solution for my turret and gun. If you build it, they will make a kit.............
Field test with added stowage bin and travel lock. Vehicle has a temporary base coat of Testors Sac Bomber tan. I like the color for isreali stuff....Now painted with Testors Israeli sand, Gunze Khaki, field drab and a few other tan shades. Washed with acrylics.I added a tamiya track clamp.... why not?exhaust chipped.under the lights....My progress to date. MAto Cast Hull. TAmiya Lower hull and HVSS.Added side skirts and began making gas can racks and stowage boxes from styrene.added the spare bogies and more gas can racks made from left over photo etch frets from trumpeter.Had to make the upper hull an Oval loaders hatch.made the counterweight from styrene and lots of putty.engine louvres from Brass and Styrene.made the modified intake manifolds from mato hull parts and tamiya intake cover.mantlet is a work in progress..... Likely swapped with tamiya setup.good old pins and chain on the gas caps.I made the exhaust armor plate from styrene.DSC_0802.JPGAux generator exhaust made from brass tube.Definitely not a typical Sherman.mesh on grousers. Gas cans have working caps.Shovel bracket.Stowage boxes.mato hull and tamiya lower hull now friends.Engine Deck frogress. The late m51s had the cummins diesel exhaust route above the engine deck and to the right.Dust jacket made from some plush fabric i had, styrene strip, hex head bolts, and a fair amount of crazy glue.Smoke launcher tubes replaced with brass.aux generator exhaust made from brass tube.
