Sherman Tanks and Bailed out markers – Update

Well the M4A3E tanks are finished.
I weathered them with Tamiya powders and varnished with dull spray varnish. The decals went on very well using Vallajo Decal softner and decal setter.
The decals from Doms Decals were very good. I wish however the recognition stars were bigger. The battle front decals were a bigger size and look better.

The crew were painted up and the Bailed out markers made. I made 4 markers and used the fifth crew chopped down to make the commander in the hatch of tank number one.

Each tank has a number in the turret well as well as on the underside of the turret itself.

The tank platoon comprises solely of M4A3e (e stands for early war) Sherman tanks with improvised armor. They are a stunningly good model. I do wonder however if the turrets are a bit squat compared to the standard vanilla Shermans?

The bailed out markers are glued on to 10c coins as they are very close to the same diameter as a BF plastic bailed out marker. Early game tradition was to use a small game stand. But I have decided to undertake a hybrid between the easy to use markers and the nice to look at bailed out tank figures. The US figures suit being based individually.
The bases shown are not finished. They need to be sanded lightly around the putty to take off the rough edges. Then painted green in the middle and red around the outside. Then the letters will be flooded with white paint. Finally polyurethane varnished.
Considering making some destroyed markers… but unsure what would be the best way to do that.

Anyhow .. pictures as always..

The two standard tanks are so obviously different that they make ideal Command tanks (If you chose to field an armored company with them). Mighty Adam is the CHQ tank and the M4A4e is the 2iC. The M4A1 (cast rounded hull) moves 12″ and the 2iC is a M4A3 which moves 14″ with it’s Detroit engine.
These tanks are useless in the airbourne list as you can only take one platoon of tank support. The other platoon is either tank hunters or stuart tanks.

Mighty Adam - The commanders tank

Mighty Adam - M4A1

CHQ section

M4A3e with no improvised armour

The full M4A3e platoon – with improvised armor of sandbags. Probably a must have with late war Germans with Panzerfausts and Panzershrecks. All the tanks have radio aerials in the right place. I was astounded to see in alot of posts on the web that people were putting the .50 cal machine cannons in the hole were the radio aerial goes. But hey they all have .50 cal guns.

The commander is a bailed out figure cut at the waist. Luckily hte pose looks well as he has his arms at the waist.
Platoon commander tank
M4A3eShowing the deck and slightly small AR symbolThe whole platoon of five tanks

The bailed out markers.
Four bailed out markers

If you ever need four of these at once.. you know your in trouble or that you shouldn’t have assaulted that infantry position without pinning them first
The three individual poses
I chose deliberately not to have a smear of blood on the helmet figures arm… I figured a bashed arm doesn’t have to bleed to be seriously painful.



Well that’s about it… I have to add some artillery ammo crates to the howitzer bases, wire fix the guns down and that’s about it. I think this entire project has taken me a year to do.

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