Parachute rifle company Sherman Platoon

Got stuck into the sherman tanks for the parachute rifle platoon.

The tanks with the improvised armor moulded onto them are absolutely beautiful.

Interestingly enough you cannot get these any more.. the are OOP.

Nowadays you buy a stock standard tank and then buy the add on armour or sandbags.

Of course they have a M4A3 early and late version… the differences are in the angle of the front bow armour plate and he access hatches for the driver and the radio operator.

SO we have 5 M3A3 early tanks with there dry ammo storage.. so no protected ammo. But they have Detroits finest which gives a 14″ movement instead of the standard 12″ of most tanks.
The tank telephones rule is really cool… it allows standard infantry teams beside a tank to use a the eyes and ears rule to make target platoon not gone to ground. Which is pretty cool.. thats a basicly a long range Pack howitzer that can blow up dug in FJ .. er I mean enemy .. 🙂
There are two other tanks .. being a M4A3 without the extra armour and a M4A1 … which has the 12″move… those can be used as a armoured company HQ if the set is used to make an armoured company some how?
Anyways the photos show the tanks as they are today.

They are primed with KlearKote black primer (which is cheaper now in a new can hand has a different spray pattern and slightly less paint in the can)
Airbrushed with Tamiya Olive drab which is acclaimed as the closest commercial paint that matches the real colour.
It is then delicately dry brushed.
The sand bags have been washed with Devlan mud and then painted a dull OD colour.
I have applied some polyurethane on the places for decals.

Next jobs are to apply Decals and paint the black to rubber road wheels and tracks.
50 cals are to be fitted and the platoon command figure attached after painting and new hatches.

I have ordered some decals from Doms Decals in the UK because the BF ones are not worth the $13 dollars because of the five sheets of decals only one sheet has stars… which isn’t enough for 5 tanks. Besides I need some for my tanks later.

http://domsdecals.com/

Anyhow .. pics

Completed the non vehicle units

Well I have basically completed all the foot troops.
Except for some ammo crates for the artillery.
Things to note:
2 spare platoon HQ stands .. just in case you need to split into three combat platoons at half strength.
There are 2 bazookas in the LMG platoon.
There is one bazooka in the mortar platoon.
The Bazookas and LMG’s up to 5 teams can make combat attachments to the combat platoons.
The two artillery batteries allow a double width template or
An 8 gun battery which re-rolls misses can range in on the “Hit em with everthing you got” rule. Because both batteries have a staff team.
And of course the staff team allows a time on target attack too.. with 8 guns! twice the rerolls!
The mortar platoon observers are the CHQ and 2iC which have no +1 penalty to range in. Thats why there is no observer in the mortar platoon.
The Sherman M4A3’s (not painted yet) has tank telephones.. allowing your Combat platoon troops to use the Eyes and ears rulls to remove gone to ground status of your target!

anyways pictures:

Company command and spare plt HQ's

Artillery battery comand carbine team, observer and staff team

Battery, yet to have ammo crates added.

All the foot forces

Bases coding