Albert CHEN

Review of models built by Albert CHEN from California, U.S.A.

Albert Chen is a great lover from the Sherman tank. He has built this tank in many variants. He used for the models the (simply and cheap) Armourfast kits, but also the kits from other manufactures. The end-results are from a very high class.

Click on the pictures

Mr. Albert Chen.

M4A3 based on the Armourfast (HAT) M4A3 kit.

M10 based on the Armourfast (HAT) M10 kit.

M31 ARV - Recovery, based on Mirage's M3 Lee. (The crane, and all conversions are scratch built, ESCI/Italeri hard plastic tracks (extra two links needed). The Mirage PE light guards came with the kit.

M32 B1 Armoured Recovery Vehicle

The Sherman "Jumbo"

Sherman with wading thrunk

Sherman with 'Crocodile' flame thrower

Sherman "Crab" Mine exploder

Sherman Crab Mine-exploder
The pictures shows the Sherman Crab. The tank is Dragon M4A4 (Mk V). The crab Mk I is scratchbuilt with some parts from the Airfix crab. The tank commander figure is from Hasegawa Churchill kit.

Sherman M3A1 Leaflet tank"" - (American version of the CDL)

Here are pictures of the Leaflet tank (American version of the CDL) based on a late cast hull M3A1. The model started with the tail of Italeri M4A1 left over from the hybrid firefly project and some old parts of Hasegawa Grant. I prepared some "hard plastic putty" by melting sprues in methyethyketone (liquid glue). This was a messy process but I ended up with a cast hull that I can glue on the surface details more easily. The lower hull was from Eduard M4A3. I had to modify the rear doors with parts from Italeri. Note the gas cap was cut out from the original Grant hull and re-shaped with streched sprue. The canon was a 75mm PST German gun with muzzle removed. Scale drawings of the turret show a flat top, but most of the pictures I've seen show a slope. Other details are scratch built or parts taken from Hasegawa, Dragon, and Mirage.

The Light Tank M5 - M5A1 (based on the Hasegawa kit)

The US M5 - M5A1 Light Tank
This model is based on the old Hasegawa Stuart. The turret, the upper hull and the rear lower hull are heavily modified - and most of the surface details are built from scratch. The most unfortunate part of this model is the track. I had no alternative except using the original low quality rubber band tracks. I thined down the wheels and the sprockets so the wheels would fit in the tracks.

But he likes also other vehicles

The German SdKfz.251/1 Ausf. D as variant "Stuka on footh"

The German SdKfz.251/21 Ausf. D

The German SdKfz.250/8 "Stummel" Ausf. "Neu"
The Sd Kfz 250/8 is based on the old ESCI Sd Kfz 250 Alte model. Not too many original parts were used. The Hasegawa stummel gun is added with some trimming to fit and detailing. The figures are modified ESCI Nebelwerfer crew.