M4A3 (76w)
Historical Context
With the deployment of heavily armoured vehicles by Germany in World War II, the Allied nations needed a solution to this threat on the battlefield. The Allies desperately needed weapons that could penetrate the thick armour of these new tanks.
Manufactured as the workhorse of the US forces at the time, the M4 Sherman was a highly adaptable tank used for numerous roles during the conflict. Equipped with a 75mm main gun, this weapon lacked the firepower required to effectively fight the heavily armoured German tanks of the war. After several attempts to up-gun the Sherman, the designers eventually managed to accommodate the larger, more powerful 76mm anti-tank gun to engage their heavy German counterparts.
Development Process
Like the majority of my model/diorama designs, I purchased the Tank model kit first, then decided to develop the completed model into a diorama. The selected model kit for this project was the Trumpeter 1/72 scale M4A3 (76W) Sherman.
After creating the model, I purchased a display case the model would fit to feature as the base for the diorama. I covered this base in Woodland Scenics turf blend, using a mixture of earth blend and green blend, to create the desired ground texture appearance. To create the idea of weight for the tank, I decided to place two strips of dirt behind the model where the tracks would have churned up the terrain.
With the model tank and turf blend in position on the diorama base, I decided to add some foliage, in the form of large bushes. These were to be placed on the model base with one bush in front of the vehicle and another behind, to create the illusion that the tank has emerged from cover to ambush or attack the enemy. The bushes were created using 2x cotton wool balls, stretched into shape and coated in hairspray. These were then placed into a pot of Woodland Scenics turf blend, which stuck to the hairspray on the wool balls, to give the illusion of foliage.
Once all these elements had dried, they were attached to the diorama base to complete the model.
Finished Model
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| 01. M4A3 (76W) Sherman |
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| 02. M4A3 (76W) Sherman |
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| 03. M4A3 (76W) Sherman |
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| 04. M4A3 (76W) Sherman |
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| 05. M4A3 (76W) Sherman |
