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This is a model of the Sherman used in the movie "Kelly's Heroes" (1970). The basic tank was a Yugoslav M4A3E4 with the 75mm gun replaced with the 76mm gun (hence the E4 designation). When the movie was filmed, the Yugoslavs were about the only army that still had Shermans in colors and configurations similar to the US Army's in WW2. The movie starred Clint Eastwood (Kelly), Donald Sutherland (Oddball, the tank commander), Don Rickles, and Telly Savales. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it.
The basic kit is the Tamiya M4A3. I redid the hull welding and added a casting texture to the transmission cover. I used Tiger Model's stamped wheels and idlers, Formations tools and sponson fillers, and Loinmarc's brass suspension skids and hex bolts. Additional detailing was done with Eduard P/E and some left overs from the spares bin. The gun is from Armorscale and I bought it because I could have sworn I saw a scene in the movie where the gun did not have the thread protector installed (but now I can't find the scene).
For the movie, the Sherman has a louder speaker prop added to the turret side (usually on the left side as I've shown but also on the right side in one scene). This was made from a left over resin Tuba I had in the spares bin.
The vehicle was painted in Model Master's Russian Armor Green which is a close match for the color used by the Yugoslavs (and it's much lighter than OD). The tank is shown heavily weathered (and Oddball even comments on this in the movie). This was done using oils and pigments.
I tried to make the stowage similar to what's shown in the movie. The large tube on the right front top of the hull is another prop described by Oddball as being used to fool the Germans into thinking the tank has a 90mm gun (too bad it was never actually fitted in the movie). The rest of the stowage is from the spares bin.
The figures are a great set from Jaguar called "Oddball Sherman Crew" and if I could paint faces any better, you'd recognize Donald Sutherland.
The scene is intended to be right after Oddball's Shermans attack out of the railway tunnel. I used the Verlinden railroad sections for the track and the other parts are from the spares bin.
Hope you like it and "watch those negative waves" :) [View discussion] [Discuss my model]
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