SHERMAN M4A3 HVSS

It worked so well that versions of the American Sherman with the Horizontal Volute Spring (HVSS) set up were sometimes called the “Easy 8” because the standard gun tank was labelled the M4A3E8.

The M4A3E8s Shermans equipped with the new suspension & widened tracks started to see action during the Battle of the Bulge.

When we wanted to make this variant as a standard 76mm gun tank, there wasn’t the wealth of options that the modeller has today. So this kit is the old Dragon version (Ref: 9010) released over a decade ago.

The only addition to the model was a set of brass fenders & strengtheners made by Aber (Ref: 35A34).

Otherwise, our model was made pretty much straight out of the box.

There’s the usual minor Sherman corrections & tweaks that most kits require like new headlight lenses & tools plus a replacement metal gun barrel which came from Jordi Rubio.

Additional expense went into kitting the tank out with a crew from Alpine Miniatures & some rear deck accessories from Blast models.

We wanted to show an M4 towards the end of the war – so markings were deliberately removed. Many tanks at this stage had all official markings obscured to remove potential aiming points for the enemy.

The purpose of a display base is to show a model at its best in an appropriate setting. What’s more, every diorama should tell a story, even if it is a simple one. So, the choice of a smart wooden display base & a simple diorama depicting a victorious tank crew seemed to work well. It alludes to the journey that took the M4 Sherman from the factories of America in 1941 to the heart of the Third Reich & ultimate victory in 1945.