Military Illustrated Modeller – August 2019

 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2019

FULL-BUILD: COLD-WAR ARMOUR /
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As the turret basket was

scratchbuilt, there is no

specific photo-etched set

for the mesh that lines the

basket. Here we can see a

paper template has been cut

to shape, which will then be

used to help cut the correct

shape from a sheet of

photo-etched diamond mesh

TURRET BASKET

When the Sheridans first arrived in Vietnam, they

were only equipped with only a small framework

on the rear of the turret. This proved totally

inadequate for the troop's needs. Most photos seem

to show a combination of locally manufactured or

‘somewhat’ standardised base-workshop stowage

baskets. These offered a much larger carrying

capacity and soldiers being soldiers, filled them to

the brim and then added more stuff to the outside

of the basket. No doubt massively exceeding the

weight it was designed to carry!

For the turret basket, a combination of Aber and Eduard photo-etched mesh has been used. The floor section is Eduard and the sides and rear are

from Aber, which better replicates the exact pattern seen in the reference photos

Here we can see the Sheridan, ready for priming and painting. In this photo we can observe the modified exhaust, which was made from a propellent charge container.

These field modifications were made using either containers from 155mm or 175mm ammunition to help direct the exhaust away from the immediate rear of the tank.

The pamphlet included in the kit, which has been written by Vietnam Veteran Doug Kibbey, offers some great info on the Sheridan’s service in Vietnam