Monday 2 September 2013

20mm Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) US Sherman 76mm

Again the PSC "quick builds" comes the rescue of my flagging WWII Command Decision US Tank Battalion from the US Armoured Division Orbat. I cannot think of a more contrasting experience, the Airfix/Esci/Italeri/Matchbox/Revell (and worse, Fujimi or Dragon) 80-100 parts per Sherman versus the PSC 20 or so. Instead of months of hobby time, three M4 76's took less than a nights attention (see below):  


These Normandy+ "Tiger Tamers" (well that's what they were supposed to be) can add offensive weight one per US Sherman company (see below): 


The US Sherman Tank Battalion "box" suitable from when the Americans threw away the concept of having a separate "light M3 Stuart battalion" in the Armoured Regiment and instead integrated a light "Stuart" company as one of the companies in a Sherman battalion (and padding the original Stuart battalion up with displaced Shermans, thus retaining the same number of tank Battalions, for use in their Combat Commands). This allows me to field a force ranging from "post-Tunisia (Italy) to Berlin (Normandy, Break-Out, Aredennes, Germany)" (see below):

Note: As per my earlier point it is still waiting for one last, in this case Italeri (aka ex-Esci), Sherman to be made.

Left hand side (Light Tanks):
  • 3 x M3 Stuart Company (1942-43)
  • 3 x M5 Stuart Company (1944+)
Right hand side (Medium Tanks): 
  • 5 x M4 75mm Shermans (1943-45) + one still to make
  • 3 x M4 76mm Shermans (1944-45)
Top row (Command Company): 
  • 1 x M4 81mm Mortar Half Track (1943-45)
  • 1 x M8 Howitzer Carriage "Close Support" (1943)
  • 1 x AA Recon Jeep 
  • 1 x M4 Sherman 105mm "Close Support" (1944-45)
  • 1 x M4 76mm HQ Tank (1944-45)
Note: An additional Sherman could be useful to downgrade the Command Tank in 1943-44 scenarios to a 75mm Sherman (in teh meantime the Sherman 105 can take its place)


The remaining US AFV's now fit into a separate box, which I will carry up into the loft very, very carefully (see below):

Also of interest are:
  • 3 x M3 Lee (Tunisian Campaign, somehow making "another seven" does not appeal, for a tank formation that was quickly phased out of service. See bottom left)
  • 3 x M24 Chaffee's (Late 1945 "Bust Berlin". See bottom middle)
  • 2 x M36 Jackson's (1944-45, see top right)
  • 2 x M10's (1944-45, see top left)
  • 1 x M6 Pershing (1945, see top middle)
  • 1 x "Easy Eight" Sherman (1945, middle right)
  • 1 x Sherman Calliope (1945)
  • 2 x M8 Priests (1943-45)
  • 1 x M12 (155mm, 1944-45)
  • 1 x M40 (155mm, 1945)
  • 1 x 155mm "Long Tom" Artillery Piece (1942-1945)
  • The 'mis-filed' DUKW (Interestingly for which I have not as yet found/devised a table-top scenario to fit in for 20mm, though candidates from reading various history books 'could be' D-Day, Market Garden and the Rhine crossing. Trouble is I may need more than one and my stamina to make another is not that great!)

There is another box full of US soft-skin/half-track transport to ferry the infantry about, but there is also the case of time to paint that infantry first.

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