M36B1 90mm Sherman Tank Destroyer

[Pcomm1]

Hello All,

I have just started working on a US Army WWII M36B1 tank destroyer turret kit this week. Cool limited production resin kit (with the Tamiya 90mm metal Pershing barrel included) and created and offered by Nick Aguilar in Texas.

email if you want one too: ndaguilar@grandecom.net

What is a M36B1 tank destroyer? "In October 1944, there was a lack of M10A1 hulls to carry the M36 tank destroyer's turret with its powerful tank-busting 90mm gun. The plentiful Sherman M4A3 late hull was substituted with only minor alterations needed mainly to accommodate the TD's larger ammo rounds. The resulting M36B1 had the advantage of thicker hull armor and a bow machine gun. Only 187 conversions were done, and there are reportedly only a handful of photos of these beasts in action, but they are an impressive sight. According to Steve Zaloga, they were deployed to tank destroyer battalions including the 605th, 654th, 705th , 813th and the 899th during the Battle of the Bulge and were fought on until Germany surrendered."

I most enjoy building backyard Tamiya rc tanks with Battle Systems, so the priority is that the rc tank must be a good runner and then hopefully look decent.

First Module: My build concept (at this stage) is a top hull – turret swap out between the new M36 turret – new top hull and my existing Tamiya Sherman 105mm turret and top hull.

The plug and play concept shares my already built and strong running Tamiya Sherman lower hull and its TBU receiver. My Sherman lower hull uses Impact T-66 tracks and Sprockets, Impact & Daryl Turner Rear Idler parts. Bearings are installed in the HVSS suspension, so it works good in most terrain situations. So while not suspension accurate, it should still be a good fighter platform and look convincing.

Second Module: A rear upper hull V8 engine grill vent and an emitter tube for the mantlet arrived from Bob at ETO Armor. And a new Tamiya Sherman upper hull just arrived from Karen at the AAF Tank Museum. Below, you can see the installed engine cooling vent and the travel lock (relocated to the rear deck) per the M36B1 illustrations.

Enjoy and I think this something different tank destroyer when finished, will make a very good hunter against my Jagdpanther and all the Tigers, Panthers and Pz4s and the other Axis tank foe already out there.

Weathering will follow when the build is completed and rc setup is tweaked.

John

[r32]

Haven't seen the Sherman-based TDs before, you're the first and its looking good!

I suppose it'd be alright to take some liberties with historical accuracy in order to have a good-running tank where HVSS and VVSS are concerned?

[Ex_Pat_Tanker]

Looks good John, I was wondering how I was going to accomodate the TBU in there
Now just need to figure out how to get a recoil motor in there

[Pcomm1]

Hi There,

This first M36B1 turret & upper hull build will probably go to Tomas in Texas (he just saw the work in progress and emailed he would like a finished turret and doesn't have the time to build his kit, due to a demanding work schedule etc.) And to your point, the second build will most likely use a Tamiya Pershing recoil unit in the turret. There is room and if you don't mind giving up the kit's scale, semi-detailed, 90mm breach mechanism, you can add recoil and a flash unit easily. HL parts would work just as well too, but I am most familiar with Tamiya parts, Tamiya parts numbers and the vendors to mail order from.

The one minor down side is that elevation is not much due to turret ring assembly interference, but main gun depression is pretty good. Plus, the resin parts are not to difficult to work with, but they do demand you check and double check fit to get turret rotation and elevation functions working smoothly before proceeding with other turret assembly steps.

John

[bowlman]

I got one last year but after seeing septons build of using Mato and Tamiya Sherman parts build im going to due mine that way .

Jimmy

[Ex_Pat_Tanker]

Hi John,
Well, there's the trick ,

There is room and if you don't mind giving up the kit's scale, semi-detailed, 90mm breach mechanism

Nick has put a lot of effort onto the details of that turret, so squeezing something in without ruining his hard work will be difficult - getting the recoil mech into his T23 turret is the easy part, the elevation caused me much more hassle on the Easy 8 build.

but I will carry on working on it - right now I'm thinking maybe the DBCRC2 with its servo output for recoil might be a more compact solution, but then I'm stuck with HL elevation - and with the best will in the world, Dr Dremel won't make that fit in the counter weight at the back of the turret

Cheer's
Mart

[Pcomm1]

Hi,

Yes, I agree, I wouldn't want to trade away the M36B1 90mm gun interior turret detail for a Tamiya recoil system for this build.

But doing a different and more complex build, say a M36B2 TD; with a covered tank destroyer turret; and fit a recoil unit; well that could work out.

The task of discarding all the M36B1 turret interior detail; the breach; the ammo well; plus hollow out the turret interior bustle counter weight and fit a recoil unit system; would make for a very cool TD. But with this approach you would need to scratch build a completely different upper hull. Just can't win. LOL.

John

[bowlman]

I asked Tomas if Nick A was going to do a upper hull of a M36B2 he said heed ask him at that time Nick A had broken his arm and I never heard another word about it .

Jimmy

[Pcomm1]

Hi Jimmy,

I don't know either. Even with good demand for a M36B1 resin turret kit, I doubt if a kit M36B2 upper hull and turret roof will follow. WWII Axis armor modeling subjects have always been way more popular over any Allied Sherman based armored vehicles; especially in the USA.

I believe the demand is still being tested for just the M36B1 turret kit and the results are not in.

When you add up the total cost of kit bashing a Tamiya f/o Sherman lower hull plus the Mato VVSS parts; add in new Tamiya Sherman f/o turret parts; plus detail parts; and if you use Tamiya Pershing DMD Units; the build gets expensive. You have got to really want a Scale Allied TD to make that type of investment. And at this point, I am doing a cost sensitive plug and play solution build, though I already have Pershing DMD Units that I can use if I want to rob my Pershing tank, but I won't do that.

John

[bowlman]

I picked up on ebay last year a fist generation non DMD Tamiya Sherman for $200.00 it had the clutch system in it so in the long run with new gearboxes and other stuff to make F/O im most likely going to pay a higher price in the long run to get what I want but at lest im looking at that ill have it done my way .

Jimmy