M10 based on the Armourfast (HAT) M10 kit.
M36 Jackson based on the Armourfast (HAT) kit with other parts. - (model built by Albert Chen)
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 "Calliope" with "T34" Rocket Launcher
One day I found the new Airfix Calliope and I decided to give a try. The price is less. I did not like the ESCI and the UM Calliope. The T34 is definitely the best of the three because it has many parts (although many parts did not fit well). The only draw back is that the tubes are molded solid (easy fix with a drill). The tank is a Trumpeter M4A3. The hull is replaced with one from Dragon. I made the sand bag reenforcement from 2 part epoxy putty. The angle iron is scratchbuilt because Evergreen does not have anything that small. The stowage box is of course scratchbuilt. The tarp is made from my hard plastic putty. Enjoy the pictures! ---- Albert.
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 "DD" Amphibian Tank
Sherman "DD" Amphibian Tank
This M4A2 is based on the new Hat Armorfast with many parts (mostly Dragon). The screen is made with two part epoxy putty and rest are scratch built with styrene sticks and sheets.
M7B1 "Priest" 105mm - with trailer
This is only my second US SP gun (the other one M10). I don't think there is a model kit of this vehicle in any scale. Most people mistaken
the late M7 for M7B1. A late M7 has many features similar to M7B1 (light placement, spare track boxed, one piece transmission cover, etc), but
true M7B1 must have the M4A3 engine deck and longer tail. Also, another vihicle call M7B2 can be confusing, it has an elevated gun and machine
gun pulpit. It was used in Korean war, not WW2.
I started off with taking apart of the very poor Fujimi M7B1. It had a M3 Lee engine deck, so actually a late M7 (as opposed to the Matchbox M7,
an early one). The front plates were completely inaccurate so I cut them into eight pieces to correct them. In the same time I adjusted the pieces
to 1/72. The interior was inaccurate also so I scratch built the gun cradle with "I" beam. The machine gun pulpit needs to reworked. I think the
raised MG mount was probably a postwar modification so I filed it down. The side armor plates were used with minor modification.
The original gun was small so I replaced it with the over-engineered ACE gun. It was a very accurate model but also very difficult to build.
Since I always like my howitzers short and stubby, I replaced the barrel with a thicker styrene tube. The shields for the gun had to be scratchbuilt
from curved parts (Hat Sherman fenders). Fortunately, the gun fitted into the cradle snuggly with a little room for elevation.
The donor for the rest of the tank was Eduard M4A3. Since I think the running gear is over-engineered, I replaced them with Trumpeter
and Dragon parts. The instrument plate and the driver's seat were from Eduard also. The tracks are Dragon DS. I think they are too wide.
The front fenders were built from the original Fujimi with curved parts from Italeri. The rear ones were from Revell.
I could not find too many reference photos of M7B1 in my books. To my surprise, the old "D Day to Berlin" has a few. I use those pictures to
place my decals. Since this vehicle came out in late 1944 or early 1945, I white washed it for Ardennes (my favorite battle).
Hope you enjoy looking at the model as much as I build it. It took a long time because I think presbyopia is settling in. Regards, Albert
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.
The German SdKfz.251/17 Ausf. D with with 2cm SchwebeLafette
This is actually my first Dragon halftrack model. I think it is definitely more detailed than the Hasegawa model, but somewhat "over-engineered".
I modified the seats by cutting them in halves and added a ammo box (no ammo).
The gun with the small turret is scratch-built. I started with a resin copy of the piece from Roden SdKfz 234/1. Using the pictures of the Dragon 1/35
model as guide, I used pieces from my spare box and build around the gun. I shrunk down a copy of the 1/35 PE of the shield and attempted from soda can
but failed. The aluminum fell apart when I tried to bend it. Finally, I used the tail fender of the Hasegawa M3 Lee to piece together a rather thick shield.
It had to be thick so that the ends with glue with greater surface area and stiff enough to handle. After it was shaped, I thin down the top to make it
look like sheet metal.
I modified three figures to match the picture I found on the web. They were the classic ESCI smoke unit with winter uniform. -- Albert.
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.
The German SdKfz.7/1 - how to confirm/scratchbuild to the armoured version
The vehicle is based on the Hasegawa/Revell Sd Kfz 7 with the quad AA.
Panzer IV
Captured Stug III in U.S. Service
Comments Albert
"Captured Stug III - Beute Panzer" - I used epoxy putty this time to make the zimmerit coating with a homemade stamp.
Then the concrete armor is made from my "hard plastic putty" with alot of solvent. Everything else is pretty much out of the box -
excellent model by Revell. The picture is from Squadron-Signal.
