Modelling the US Army M4 (75mm) Sherman Medium Tank (Osprey Modelling) [Paperback]

Steven Zaloga (Author)

Book Description

Series: Osprey Modelling | Publication Date: November 28, 2006

The Sherman tank was the principal US and Allied tank of World War II with more Shermans manufactured than all German tanks combined. Not only were large numbers manufactured, but there was a very wide range of variants powered by different types of engines, manufactured with different types of hulls, turrets and other details. As a result, a M4A1 tank from the Tunisian campaign in 1942 had nothing in common with a M4A3E8 tank from the 1945 campaign in Germany, even if they shared the same name. Consequently, the Sherman has proven to be an enormously popular modeling subject.

Due to the enormity of the subject matter, this book is the first of three planned to deal with this tank and its many variants. It covers the early 75mm Shermans and runs the gamut from the US Army in Tunisia in 1942-43, Italy in 1943-45 and NW Europe in 1945. In so doing, it covers the broadest possible range of variants and details. The builds include:
1.M4A1, 2/13th Armored in Tunisia 1942/43. This is mainly 'out of the box', and deals with cleaning up and correcting the popular Dragon kit and painting it in desert colors.
2.M4A3, 6th Armored Division, Battle of the Bulge, January 1945: an intermediate level build, correcting and enhancing the Tamiya kit, and dealing with the issue of assembling aftermarket (separately available add-on components) link-to-link tracks.
3.M4A1, 2nd Armored Division, Sicily 1943. This is actually an earlier version of the M4A1 than the first type (2nd Armored having been the first division with the Sherman); an advanced level project using the Formations resin hull for the proper 'direct vision' early hull.
4.M4, 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Normandy, July 1944: the 'super'project, including a number of advanced techniques such as swapping the suspension on the Tamiya kit, applying foliage camouflage, building and painting a turret interior and adding figures to the model.

The book also showcases a number of other Shermans already built by the author to demonstrate the variety available.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"All of the articles are superbly written and include not only a goodly number of in-work images, but many pages of the completed model. I'm sure that if one was so inclined any of these could be duplicated with just care in construction. Another fine addition to the Osprey Modelling series and one you [can] be sure will offer good value." -Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com

"In my opinion, having reviewed a good number of Osprey's Modelling series, in the 'bang for the buck' category, it definitely comes top of any list. This new book by Steven Zaloga, gets even more mileage out of an already popular modelling subject by writing a book which will have valuable applications no matter where your subject interest lies." -Jim Rae, Armorama (October 2006)

About the Author

Steven J Zaloga was born in 1952, received his BA in history from Union College, and his MA from Columbia University. He has published numerous books and articles dealing with modern military technology, especially armored vehicle development. His main area of interest is military affairs in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in World War II, and he has also written extensively on American armored forces. The author lives in Maryland, USA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841769657
• ISBN-13: 978-1841769653
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Group Corp., an aerospace consulting firm. His professional specialization is the commercial and technological aspects of the international trade in missiles, precision guided munitions, and unmanned aerial vehicles. He also serves as an adjunct staff member with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank.

Mr. Zaloga has published numerous books and articles on military technology and military history. His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He has been a special correspondent for "Jane's Intelligence Review" and is on the executive board of the "Journal of Slavic Military Studies". From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/director for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series "Firepower" that aired on The Discovery Channel in the US.

Mr. Zaloga was born in 1952 and received his BA in history from Union College, Schenectady, NY. He received an MA in history from Columbia University specializing in modern East European history, and did graduate research and language study at Uniwersitet Jagiellonski in Krakow, Poland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sherman tank, January 16, 2007

By 

Mark McDonald "principal" (Downers Grove, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Modelling the US Army M4 (75mm) Sherman Medium Tank (Osprey Modelling) (Paperback)

I am an experienced armor modeler but I am always looking for new painting and weathering techniques. I found this book to offer several color schemes and painting approaches for the Sherman tank. I have been able to take and adapt the author's ideas to my work on some recent models. My litmus test for modeling books is simple: whether it helps me improve my skills in the hobby or not. This book did.

I do not have the time or patience for scratch building using styrene plastic and I seldom use aftermarket parts on my models--in part because I have a hard time making large cuts on a $40 plus tank model that I may or may not be able to repair. The author provided information about upgrading Sherman tank models with aftermarket parts and scratchbuilding parts. That is not, as stated, my interest, albeit it may be interesting or valuable to another modeler with different skills.

I have three other books of the same genre by the same author; I have ordered another. My opinion is that these are good products for the serious modeler and worth the money.

Dr. Mark McDonald

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent modeler's resource, January 15, 2007

By 

Gary E. Binder "Gary from Nebraska" (Waverly, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Modelling the US Army M4 (75mm) Sherman Medium Tank (Osprey Modelling) (Paperback)

Mr. Zaloga, a noted armor historian, strikes again with this volume in the Osprey Modelling series. This volume is themed around the famous M4 "Sherman" tank with the 75mm gun. The later "Shermans" with 76mm guns will be in a follow-on volume. This voluime has a brief overview and several model projects in different scales. The quality of workmanship is tremendous and each chapter has lots of historical information as well as modelling techniques. Each model has in-progress photos as well as descriptions and photographs of the finished project. This book is very handy for beginners as well as advanced modelers and should be in the collection of any person who enjoys military vehicle modeling.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For advanced Modelers, May 14, 2007

By 

Scott Dermont (Ames, Iowa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Modelling the US Army M4 (75mm) Sherman Medium Tank (Osprey Modelling) (Paperback)

This book is really geared for advanced modelers. It does have some nice color photos including some beautiful models by the author. But the modeling tips are really more advanced and are a bit beyond my current abilities. Maybe someday I'll be able to put this to better use.