HL Sherman M4a3 with M3 75mm Gun options?

[MrChef]

Maybe I'm the weird one but I want the 75mm gun for the HL Sherman. I don't want an Easy 8, that would require a new turret and suspension. I don't like the 105 it looks like a FAT LOG!!! There I said it for you guys...

I'm looking to do a cost effective simple model. Hopefully at least one of the aforementioned are possible. I'm set on doing a Heng Long on the cheap. I do not like the Sherman but wifey saw them on Band of Bothers yesterday and noticed I didn't have one. Well that opened a door.

I know about weight and compatibility issues with metal turret/gun combos so that's out. I'd be interested in doing a recoil barrel and even consider the cheap route with the HL BB recoil barrel option as opposed to a servo option. Likely want to mod the BB unit to install smoke and flash. Don't know if theres enough room in the turret for smoke? If not I'd retain turret rotation limit.

Ideas? Links? The only 2 units I see on Toucan are the long barrel 76 and the short Howie/LOG.

I'd also consider cutting down the 76 if that is possible. I did preliminary measurements and the 75mm should be 18.75cm to scale? Does that sound correct? But I don't know where to measure that from either. Mantlet/breach? Dunno.

Thanks in advance.

Chef

[Kaczor]

There are few options. Easiest (but costly) ist to change whole turret for Taigen one. There are BB and IR version available.

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Or Mato turret if tou want ealier "low bust" turret with early split hatch. Only note that it's using servos.

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Guns in both turrets are slightly oversized but it's close enough.

More complicated would be changing only gun and mantlet. There is separate Mato mantlet to buy but installation on HL turret is troublesome. Gun is sold separately also by MK Modellbau but their quailiy control is lacking.

[Model Builder 4]

viewtopic.php?t=33425

Somebody else a while back was looking to do the same, the link above shows the mato gun and mantlet that is available to purchase, the picture there shows the conversion I did using those items, hope this helps

Cheers,Lee.

[MrChef]

Thank you Gents. I'm trying to do this less expensive and as little modding as possible. I don't understand why HL doesnt offer the short 75mm.

Is the long barrel Easy 8 option the same diameter as the 105 howitzer? Or is it the same diameter as the 75mm? I did see the old Easy 8 long barrel used to be just a Panther barrel mated to the Sherman mantlet.

Thanks again.

[ColemanCollector]

I'm working very slowly on a Grizzly-ish M4. Having grown up in Montreal, Quebec, it seemed only right to create a tank made at the Montreal Locomotive Works. I'm using an old Mato M4A1(76) that had been rid hard and puttaway wet by its PO. I'll need to convert the hull to a small hatch version I believe--it's been awhile on this one so I'll need to re-research things.

The Mato turret had its split hatch turret removed and installed on this new turret from Mato. Grizzlies had no loader's hatch or pistol port so they have been/will be filled in. The metal Mato mantlet has been installed and will need pivot points grafted in, then recoil and elevation added. At this point, that is kinda pushing my fabrication boundaries but that'll come in good time. Or...I might just buy the Mato metal turret shown above by Kaczor and get on with life!

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Anyways, just some ideas of what's out there.

Mike.

[Ecam]

I've done the conversion a few times, but I used a FOV rotor shield to make a mold and then made several copies. I do have a lathe so I turned my own barrels. I did scratch the rotors and pivots. Obviously not the easy way but it was nearly zero cost.

I have 5 of these in use and a couple went to Hawaii. This is what I have left over..........



This was my very first build.

[PainlessWolf]

Hi, Ecam!
I picked up an entire Mato M4A3 on the cheap for my Panzer Spirit build. With some detailing, it came pretty clean for what I wanted, a basic Sherman gun tank with the 75mm. Following along,
regards,
Painless