M-51 Super Sherman
- flakmonkey
- Modelling Gent and Scholar
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M-51 Super Sherman
Take a M4A1 big hatch cast hull, drop it onto HVSS 23 inch suspension, fit a heavily modified T23 turret with the biggest gun you can somehow make fit, power it with a big 460HP Cummins V8 diesel, graft on a hybrid Chrysler transmission to take all that torque, and call it a Super Sherman.
This is exactly what Israel did in the late 1960s up until 1973, making the M-51 the last series production Sherman. In many ways it's the Sherman dream team, combining the gorgeous flowing cast hull with the T23 turret and HVSS suspension. Incidentally, that cast hull is often ascribed to the pen of the great Harley Earl, who was responsible for some of the most beautiful cars ever built (Buick Y, 59 Caddy, Corvette), and he was most certainly "there at the time" when the Sherman was being drawn up. It certainly does have Earl's signature flowing lines.
Choosing the big hatch cast hull and HVSS suspension as the best of Sherman design (and rightly so), the IDF initially upgunned with a T23 turret and the 75mm from their French AMX13 lights. The 75mm proved ineffective against Egyptian and Syrian T54/ T55 and so the IDF sought to upgun to 105mm in a T23 turret.
The first and most logical choice was the British L7 which Israel already employed to deadly effect on their Centurions. Initial trials proved there was absolutely no way an L7 could fit a Sherman and so attention was turned to the French D1508 anti tank gun. With a Firefly-esque turret bustle extension and a reduction in barrel length from 56 to 51 calibres, the 1508 was successfully fitted into the T23 turret.
The 105mm Supers had a relatively brief service life from 1967 to 1973, but nonetheless they acquitted themselves well in the Golan Heights and the Yom Kippur conflict. They were hampered mainly by the availability of only HEAT rounds, with no fin round ever becoming available, and so were made obsolete by the fitment of ERA packs to Egyptian and Syrian T tanks.
All the same, it's the last of a proud lineage of an excellent tank that became a byword for the free world's stand against the forces of darkness.
I shall be working from the very nice Academy kit, new tooled wayyyyyyyy back in 1997 but still looking fresh as a daisy.
Tracks will be from AFV Club, and I shall use the M2 from the Academy US Machine Guns set.
This is exactly what Israel did in the late 1960s up until 1973, making the M-51 the last series production Sherman. In many ways it's the Sherman dream team, combining the gorgeous flowing cast hull with the T23 turret and HVSS suspension. Incidentally, that cast hull is often ascribed to the pen of the great Harley Earl, who was responsible for some of the most beautiful cars ever built (Buick Y, 59 Caddy, Corvette), and he was most certainly "there at the time" when the Sherman was being drawn up. It certainly does have Earl's signature flowing lines.
Choosing the big hatch cast hull and HVSS suspension as the best of Sherman design (and rightly so), the IDF initially upgunned with a T23 turret and the 75mm from their French AMX13 lights. The 75mm proved ineffective against Egyptian and Syrian T54/ T55 and so the IDF sought to upgun to 105mm in a T23 turret.
The first and most logical choice was the British L7 which Israel already employed to deadly effect on their Centurions. Initial trials proved there was absolutely no way an L7 could fit a Sherman and so attention was turned to the French D1508 anti tank gun. With a Firefly-esque turret bustle extension and a reduction in barrel length from 56 to 51 calibres, the 1508 was successfully fitted into the T23 turret.
The 105mm Supers had a relatively brief service life from 1967 to 1973, but nonetheless they acquitted themselves well in the Golan Heights and the Yom Kippur conflict. They were hampered mainly by the availability of only HEAT rounds, with no fin round ever becoming available, and so were made obsolete by the fitment of ERA packs to Egyptian and Syrian T tanks.
All the same, it's the last of a proud lineage of an excellent tank that became a byword for the free world's stand against the forces of darkness.
I shall be working from the very nice Academy kit, new tooled wayyyyyyyy back in 1997 but still looking fresh as a daisy.
Tracks will be from AFV Club, and I shall use the M2 from the Academy US Machine Guns set.
Would ya like to learn to fly? Would ya? Would you like to see me try?
- KellerModeller
- The Bug Has Well And Truly Bitten
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
That's an interesting project and I like the choice of the subject
I like to carve old kits into something roughly aircraft/tank shaped...
- beany
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
That's a great looking tank. Thanks for the background info. - very interesting and informative as always (I'm still very new to armour modelling). Look forward to seeing your build of it.
2024 Acquired: 9 Built: 1
- PaulBradley
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
This should be cool!
Are you saving any Sherman kits for the GB later this year?!
Are you saving any Sherman kits for the GB later this year?!
Paul
За демократію і незалежний Україну
"For Democracy and a Free Ukraine"
За демократію і незалежний Україну
"For Democracy and a Free Ukraine"
- flakmonkey
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
Asuka Vc Firefly....PaulBradley wrote: ↑February 24th, 2024, 8:44 pm
Are you saving any Sherman kits for the GB later this year?!
Would ya like to learn to fly? Would ya? Would you like to see me try?
- PaulBradley
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
Cool!
Paul
За демократію і незалежний Україну
"For Democracy and a Free Ukraine"
За демократію і незалежний Україну
"For Democracy and a Free Ukraine"
-
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
Great subject choice. Seeing a Super Sherman being built always reminds me of Shep Paine building one with some old school converting/kit bashing in either his diorama or building AFV's books that I have from the early 80's.
Doing - Tamiya 1/35th Universal Carrier.
Work is the curse of the modelling classes!
IPMS#12300
Work is the curse of the modelling classes!
IPMS#12300
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
Super Sherman is one of those interesting postwar modifications, and one of multiple. I know the Egyptians and Brazilians were also having plenty fun with their conversions.
Alex
The more effort I put into a model, the better it becomes!
The more effort I put into a model, the better it becomes!
- flakmonkey
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
Thanks for looking. It really is a very interesting vehicle.
Progress has been made.
Yes, that is a very big gun indeed
The "whiskers" around the mantlet cover are not to prevent pigeons from nesting. They will be trimmed off to represent the cover's fixing lugs. They are just pieces of stretched sprue, which was also used to make the mounting bars for the cover. The cover itself was titivated with Milliput to make it more like the real item, which extends forward over the mantlet itself by a couple of inches or so, and similarly extends aft over the turret itself. Academy moulded it to fit between the two, leaving all kinds of ugly gaps and visual wrongness.
I am also opening up the vision blocks in the commander's cupola, to be glazed after painting is complete using Glue'n'Glaze. It's a technique I have used on all of my Academy Shermans and it works well.
I am turning my attention to the upper hull as I wait for the cement on the "whiskers" to set fully before they can be trimmed to length. Despite its age (new tooled in 1997) it's a well fitting and nicely detailed kit that captures the overall look of the variant very well.
Progress has been made.
Yes, that is a very big gun indeed
The "whiskers" around the mantlet cover are not to prevent pigeons from nesting. They will be trimmed off to represent the cover's fixing lugs. They are just pieces of stretched sprue, which was also used to make the mounting bars for the cover. The cover itself was titivated with Milliput to make it more like the real item, which extends forward over the mantlet itself by a couple of inches or so, and similarly extends aft over the turret itself. Academy moulded it to fit between the two, leaving all kinds of ugly gaps and visual wrongness.
I am also opening up the vision blocks in the commander's cupola, to be glazed after painting is complete using Glue'n'Glaze. It's a technique I have used on all of my Academy Shermans and it works well.
I am turning my attention to the upper hull as I wait for the cement on the "whiskers" to set fully before they can be trimmed to length. Despite its age (new tooled in 1997) it's a well fitting and nicely detailed kit that captures the overall look of the variant very well.
Would ya like to learn to fly? Would ya? Would you like to see me try?
- B4en
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
I hadn't realised what a very very big gun this version had.
The past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was tense.
- flakmonkey
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
Some progress on the M51, and it's now ready for paint.
The modifications to the mantlet cover seem to have gone well enough. I'll be able to see better after a coat of primer. I've also drilled out the exhaust for the generator, the flare gun port on the turret roof, and drilled a small hole in each smoke discharger barrel to accept a length of fine chain running to the caps after all the painting is done.
I've used a little sheet styrene here and there on the model and also replaced some of the clunkier 90s vintage parts with improved parts from the spares box.
I suppose I had better paint it now.
The modifications to the mantlet cover seem to have gone well enough. I'll be able to see better after a coat of primer. I've also drilled out the exhaust for the generator, the flare gun port on the turret roof, and drilled a small hole in each smoke discharger barrel to accept a length of fine chain running to the caps after all the painting is done.
I've used a little sheet styrene here and there on the model and also replaced some of the clunkier 90s vintage parts with improved parts from the spares box.
I suppose I had better paint it now.
Would ya like to learn to fly? Would ya? Would you like to see me try?
- flakmonkey
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
Bare plastic to a deeply faded IDF sand grey in a single painting session.
Beginning with bare plastic (of course).
Then a few very light coats of Rustoleum grey surface primer straight from the rattle can. 30 minutes on a warm radiator later, it's ready for a straight black pre-shade.
Then Ammo "Real IDF Sand Grey", thinned and flow improved with Vallejo's thinner and improver to way under 50% paint to dilutant. If I had to guess, 35% paint. Again, very light coats so as not to "kill" the pre-shade. After a base all over shade was applied, I added white to what was left in the colour cup and airbrushed the midtone highlights, and finally added more white to the remnants to do the shiny parts. Don't ask me how much white I added, I do not know. Just whatever looked right. It's not science.
Danger Will Robinson: Academy would have you use Sinai Grey all over. Don't do that. Sinai Grey was not a thing until the year these were retired from service. They are all late 60s/ early 70s sand grey. Sinai Grey is much more green/ OD in tone. The Ammo sand grey looks really good to me. You could also probably use Soviet 1980s yellow-grey as a close enough match.
Next job will be detail painting followed by some light washing and sandy/ dusty weathering using Ammo washables.
Beginning with bare plastic (of course).
Then a few very light coats of Rustoleum grey surface primer straight from the rattle can. 30 minutes on a warm radiator later, it's ready for a straight black pre-shade.
Then Ammo "Real IDF Sand Grey", thinned and flow improved with Vallejo's thinner and improver to way under 50% paint to dilutant. If I had to guess, 35% paint. Again, very light coats so as not to "kill" the pre-shade. After a base all over shade was applied, I added white to what was left in the colour cup and airbrushed the midtone highlights, and finally added more white to the remnants to do the shiny parts. Don't ask me how much white I added, I do not know. Just whatever looked right. It's not science.
Danger Will Robinson: Academy would have you use Sinai Grey all over. Don't do that. Sinai Grey was not a thing until the year these were retired from service. They are all late 60s/ early 70s sand grey. Sinai Grey is much more green/ OD in tone. The Ammo sand grey looks really good to me. You could also probably use Soviet 1980s yellow-grey as a close enough match.
Next job will be detail painting followed by some light washing and sandy/ dusty weathering using Ammo washables.
Would ya like to learn to fly? Would ya? Would you like to see me try?
- flakmonkey
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
The AFV Club workable tracks are assembled.
So that's nice.
I've also done the detail painting, decalling, and added the searchlight. I did the searchlight reflector with a Molotow pen. there is no transparent part for the cover in the kit and so I made one myself out of some clear film.
Next job is to assemble, paint, and fit all of the jerry cans, spare wheels, and other bits and pieces that the IDF plastered these with, attach those, and then get some weathering done.
So that's nice.
I've also done the detail painting, decalling, and added the searchlight. I did the searchlight reflector with a Molotow pen. there is no transparent part for the cover in the kit and so I made one myself out of some clear film.
Next job is to assemble, paint, and fit all of the jerry cans, spare wheels, and other bits and pieces that the IDF plastered these with, attach those, and then get some weathering done.
Would ya like to learn to fly? Would ya? Would you like to see me try?
- Clashcityrocker
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Re: M-51 Super Sherman
Nice. I bet that searchlight would dazzle you
Nigel
Nigel
Re: M-51 Super Sherman
Really nice. That searchlight is fantastic
Besting 60 years of mediocre building of average kits in the stand off scale