View allAll Photos Tagged M46
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Am Samstag, den 24. Mai 2014, wurden diese Aufnahmen von der zum 25-jahrigen Bestehen stattfindende Traditionsfahrt des ATB (= Arbeitsgemeinschaft Traditionsbus Berlin) gemacht.
Aus diesem Anlaß wurde die ehemaligen Linie 73 - jetzige OL M46 sowie vormalige Buslinie 146 als befahrene Linie auserkoren, den die Verbindung Zoo – Britz blickt auf eine 115 jährige Geschichte zurück. Am 24. Mai 2014 waren die ATB-Busse 70 (ex LVG), 237, 1629, 1658, 1666, 1957, 2100, 2208, 2329, 2437, 2556 + 2626 sowie der BVG-Bus 3233 (mit Folienbeklebung für den ATB) unterwegs. Desweiteren wurden einige weitere aktuelle BVG-Busse sowie ehemalige BVG-Busse aufgenommen, die heute als Stadtrundfahren-Busse unterwegs sind.
Einige noch zusätzlich mit dem Fotoapparat aufgenommenen Videos werden aufgrund der schlechten Qualität von mir nicht eingestellt, sodass es hierdurch keine bildliche Dokumentation vom 237 + 1957 gibt.
Weitere Hinweise gibt es auf der ATB-Homepage www.traditionsbus.de/index.htm
This photo by James Palsgrove, 765th Transportation Railway Shop Battalion (TRSB), shows one of the 765th TRSB hospital trains. Our trains often had gondolas loaded with sand bags positioned in front of the locomotives to absorb most of the explosion in the event the tracks were mined, and often the gondolas had machine gunners to protect the trains against guerilla activities. This train also had a guard car behind the locomotive. Jim accompanied the hospital trains to and from the front lines.
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Am Samstag, den 24. Mai 2014, wurden diese Aufnahmen von der zum 25-jahrigen Bestehen stattfindende Traditionsfahrt des ATB (= Arbeitsgemeinschaft Traditionsbus Berlin) gemacht.
Aus diesem Anlaß wurde die ehemaligen Linie 73 - jetzige OL M46 sowie vormalige Buslinie 146 als befahrene Linie auserkoren, den die Verbindung Zoo – Britz blickt auf eine 115 jährige Geschichte zurück. Am 24. Mai 2014 waren die ATB-Busse 70 (ex LVG), 237, 1629, 1658, 1666, 1957, 2100, 2208, 2329, 2437, 2556 + 2626 sowie der BVG-Bus 3233 (mit Folienbeklebung für den ATB) unterwegs. Desweiteren wurden einige weitere aktuelle BVG-Busse sowie ehemalige BVG-Busse aufgenommen, die heute als Stadtrundfahren-Busse unterwegs sind.
Einige noch zusätzlich mit dem Fotoapparat aufgenommenen Videos werden aufgrund der schlechten Qualität von mir nicht eingestellt, sodass es hierdurch keine bildliche Dokumentation vom 237 + 1957 gibt.
Weitere Hinweise gibt es auf der ATB-Homepage www.traditionsbus.de/index.htm
Driving southeast from Reno, Nevada, I encountered the small town of Hawthorne, about one third of the way to Las Vegas. A city block into the town, I was surprised to see by the road a paved lot with a tank on display, together with enough weapons to start a small war. I promptly did a 180 turn to go back and stop for a few snapshots. This turned out to be the Hawthorne Ordnance Museum, in Hawthorne, Nevada. On August 30, 2017.
The M47 Patton medium tank entered US service in 1952, as a development of the earlier M46 Patton tank. The M47 was soon replaced in US service by the M48 Patton tank and was retired from the US military by the early 1960s. Used also by many allied nations. Some of the allies used this type in combat, but the US never did.
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Am Samstag, den 24. Mai 2014, wurden diese Aufnahmen von der zum 25-jahrigen Bestehen stattfindende Traditionsfahrt des ATB (= Arbeitsgemeinschaft Traditionsbus Berlin) gemacht.
Aus diesem Anlaß wurde die ehemaligen Linie 73 - jetzige OL M46 sowie vormalige Buslinie 146 als befahrene Linie auserkoren, den die Verbindung Zoo – Britz blickt auf eine 115 jährige Geschichte zurück. Am 24. Mai 2014 waren die ATB-Busse 70 (ex LVG), 237, 1629, 1658, 1666, 1957, 2100, 2208, 2329, 2437, 2556 + 2626 sowie der BVG-Bus 3233 (mit Folienbeklebung für den ATB) unterwegs. Desweiteren wurden einige weitere aktuelle BVG-Busse sowie ehemalige BVG-Busse aufgenommen, die heute als Stadtrundfahren-Busse unterwegs sind.
Einige noch zusätzlich mit dem Fotoapparat aufgenommenen Videos werden aufgrund der schlechten Qualität von mir nicht eingestellt, sodass es hierdurch keine bildliche Dokumentation vom 237 + 1957 gibt.
Weitere Hinweise gibt es auf der ATB-Homepage www.traditionsbus.de/index.htm
The constellation of the “Stern of the Ship Argo” (Puppis) is for the most part too far south from my location in Central Maryland to view – but not all of it. There is a wide northern extension of the constellation that rides the milky way north just to the east of Canis Major culminating in the well-known Open Clusters of M46 and M47 (also do not forget the Open Cluster M93 south of them). In addition, there are many additional Puppis Open Clusters along this stretch of the Milky Way worth visiting. Two local Parks provided me far better southern views of the sky than from my backyard, which I sketched eight of the best of the northern non-Messier Puppis Open Clusters on the evenings of March 2nd and March 3rd (NGC 2421, 2479, 2482, 2489, 2509,2527, 2567 and 2571).
NGC 2482 is a relatively faint but rich Open Cluster. There was little problem seeing it in the 110mm refractor. A small triangle of bright stars rests northeast of it which helped pinpoint the Open Cluster’s location. The brightest stars of NGC 2482 are around magnitude 10 but most of the 40+ stars making up the cluster were near or below the resolution of the telescope. Their combined glow looked ethereal in the eyepiece. In larger telescopes, NGC 2482 displays fat star arms radiating from its center. This has given it the name of the Starfish Cluster. With my small refractor, I was getting the impression that it was more humanoid than starfish like. A celestial ghost among the stars.
To see additional astronomy drawings visit: www.orrastrodrawing.com
M46 (NGC 2437) is a trumpler (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpler_classification) class II 2 r open cluster approximately 4,928 light-years away in Puppis.
NGC 2438 is the planetary nebula right above M46. It is located approximately, 3,000 light-years away. It is illuminated by an estimated 17.7 magnitude central star.
M47 (NGC 2422) is an open cluster of about 50 stars located approximately 1,643 light-years away. This one has be classed as II 3 m, I 3 m and III 2 m depending on the source.
Luminance – 5x600s – 50 minutes – binned 1x1
RGB – 6x600s – 60 minutes each – binned 1x1
230 minutes total exposure – 3 hour 50 minutes
Imaged April 21st, 22nd and 24th, 2022 at the El Sauce Observatory – Telescope.Live (Rio Hurtado, Chile) with a FLI ML16200 on an Officina Stellare RH200.
This data is from Telescope Live (telescope.live/) “One-click Observations.”
Korean huts on the west flank of Namsan Mountain on a frigid 1952-1953 winter day. The 3rd TMRS compound, formerly the Yongsan Middle School, is visible in the upper right quadrant of the photo.
New Zealand Railways F13, built by Neilson in 1873, near Avoca Bush on a railfan special Midland Line November 1967
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Am Samstag, den 24. Mai 2014, wurden diese Aufnahmen von der zum 25-jahrigen Bestehen stattfindende Traditionsfahrt des ATB (= Arbeitsgemeinschaft Traditionsbus Berlin) gemacht.
Aus diesem Anlaß wurde die ehemaligen Linie 73 - jetzige OL M46 sowie vormalige Buslinie 146 als befahrene Linie auserkoren, den die Verbindung Zoo – Britz blickt auf eine 115 jährige Geschichte zurück. Am 24. Mai 2014 waren die ATB-Busse 70 (ex LVG), 237, 1629, 1658, 1666, 1957, 2100, 2208, 2329, 2437, 2556 + 2626 sowie der BVG-Bus 3233 (mit Folienbeklebung für den ATB) unterwegs. Desweiteren wurden einige weitere aktuelle BVG-Busse sowie ehemalige BVG-Busse aufgenommen, die heute als Stadtrundfahren-Busse unterwegs sind.
Einige noch zusätzlich mit dem Fotoapparat aufgenommenen Videos werden aufgrund der schlechten Qualität von mir nicht eingestellt, sodass es hierdurch keine bildliche Dokumentation vom 237 + 1957 gibt.
Weitere Hinweise gibt es auf der ATB-Homepage www.traditionsbus.de/index.htm
Solaris Urbino 12 III Electric EN15 n°1687 et VDL Citea LLE-120.225 EN15 n°2341 du réseau BVG sur les lignes 204 et M46 vers U Wittenbergplatz à "S Südkreuz".
Continuing reliability problems with the M47 Patton led the US Army to begin work on a replacement only a year after the M47 entered service. The new tank would be broadly similar to the M47, using the same 90mm gun, but would have an improved turret and suspension; the forward hull was also redesigned, eliminating the bow machine gun and moving the driver to the center. Besides being a replacement for the M47, it was hoped that the new M48 Patton would replace all other types of tank in Army service, including the remaining M4 Shermans, M26 Pershings, and M46 Pattons. The new Patton entered service in 1952--it was rushed into production, for fear that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in tank effectiveness.
The Army expected that the M48 would run into issues in the field, and they were not wrong. Most of the problems were easily rectified, but the biggest one was the engine: the M48 used a gasoline engine, and the tank proved to be a gas-guzzler. It lacked range, and since it was a gas engine, it was vulnerable to fire; there was a fear it would "brew up" if hit. The tank commander's .50 caliber machine gun was also completely exposed. The latter would be corrected in the M48A2, which would enclose the cupola, while the engine was addressed with the M48A3, which switched to diesel fuel, adding range and lessening the chance of catastrophic fires.
After the Army got the chance to look over a Soviet T-55 captured during the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, it made the decision that the M48 could not survive a hit from the T-55's 100mm gun, while the T-55 could survive a hit from the 90mm. Production would then switch to the M60 Patton, with improved armor and a 105mm gun. Since 11,700 M48s had been built in the 1950s, this left the Army with a lot of redundant tanks. These were passed on to Reserve and National Guard units, or exported; modernization programs were gradually applied to US Army M48s, but most were retired by the early 1970s.
Though being replaced by the M60, the M48 was still the backbone of US Army and Marine tank units during the Vietnam War, and since the tank threat was minimal there, the M48 was deemed adequate for combat. It proved its worth, being effective against infantry, and much less vulnerable to RPG fire and mines. One tactic the Army developed was the "thunder run," when Pattons would be run at full speed up a road. If they hit a mine, the most that would usually happen was the loss of a road wheel or track. Convoys could then followed the tanks without worrying about mines. (The term "thunder run" would be applied to any high-speed tank attack, most famously in the assault on Baghdad in 2003.) In the few tank battles fought during the war, the 90mm was found to be effective against North Vietnamese PT-76s, T-34s, and even T-55s.
The M48 would also see extensive service in the Indo-Pakistani Wars and Arab-Israeli Wars, with mixed results. Pakistani M48s took heavy losses against Indian Centurions, mainly due to poor tactics and the Centurion's 105mm gun. Israeli and Jordanian M48s also suffered losses, for the same reason (the Israelis used upgunned Shermans and Centurions against Jordanian Pattons; Israeli Pattons fought Egyptian T-55s). The gasoline engine on unmodified M48A2s was indeed prone to explosion, and the Israelis had to modify their tactics to take into account the shorter range of the 90mm gun. Following the Six-Day War, the Israelis began upgunning their M48s with 105mm guns, a practice emulated by the West Germans (in the oddly designated M48A5GA2) and many others. Upgunned and uparmored M48s remain in service with eight nations, including Greece, Taiwan, and Turkey; these tanks have been so upgraded, they barely resemble their original forms.
"Mad Harlot," this M48 at the National Museum of Military Vehicles, is a Marine example, on display at the NMMV's Tet Offensive exhibit. The exhibit may not be complete yet, as the rubble is sort of random; a group of three mannequins is behind the Patton (unseen in this picture), using it as cover. The setup resembles a famous picture of Marines advancing under fire at Hue City in February 1968.
Messier 46 or M46, also known as NGC 2437, is an open cluster of stars in the slightly southern constellation of Puppis. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771. Dreyer described it as "very bright, very rich, very large." It is about 5,000 light-years away.
NGC 2438 is the small planetary nebula at upper left. Parallax measurements by Gaia put the central star at a distance of roughly 1,370 light years. It was discovered by
William Herschel on March 19, 1786.
Image Details:
- Imaging Scope: Celestron C8 SCT
- Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI183MC Color with ZWO IR cut filter
- Guider: Celestron Starsense Autoguider
- Mount: Celestron CGEM- Mount: Celestron CGEM- Acquisition Software: Sharpcap
- Guiding Software: Celestron
- Capture Software: SharpCap Pro (LiveStack mode with dithering)
- Light Frames: 12*4 mins @ 100 Gain, Temp -20C
- Dark Frames: 12*4 mins
- Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker
- Processed in PixInsight, Adobe Lightroom, and Topaz Denoise AI
Train 1001 operated by the 712th TROB (Transportation Railway Operating Battalion). This photo was taken on a frosty winter morning during the Korean War while traveling between Seoul and Chunchon, Korea, on the Chunchon Rail Line. The location of the Chunchon Rail Line is shown on the 3rd TMRS rail system map on the bottom of page 3.
This is a late-evening photo of my brother-in-law, Jerry Hartman taken in the Iron Triangle of Korea during the Korean War in March 1953 at which time Jerry's unit was supporting Outpost Harry, a small mountain outpost north of the front lines. Jerry is holding the lanyard (firing mechanism) of the 105 mm M2A1 (M101A1) howitzer that his crew worked with.
Outpost Harry was a critical outpost on a small mountain north of the front line. The Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) badly wanted Outpost Harry because it would give them a commanding view of the Chorwon and Kumhwa valleys where our forces were concentrated. The great Battle of Outpost Harry was in June, 1953. At that time, Jerry's unit was moved up near to the base of Outpost Harry. Jerry told me that the barrels of their howitzers were pointed nearly straight up. Our troops on Outpost Harry were ordered to "Stand or die." The battle was so desperate that at the time the CCF were flooding into the Outpost Harry trenches, our American artillery forward observer called for artillery fire directly onto their own positions.
Jerry and I climbed to the top of the ridge out in front of his battery to where we could look down into the Kumhwa Valley and see Outpost Harry just on the other side of the valley. The front line was in the Kumhwa Valley. As Jerry's unit fired we could hear the artillery rounds whooshing over our heads, and then watch them exploding on Communist Chinese Forces positions.
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- Britz, Gradestraße -
Am Samstag, den 24. Mai 2014, wurden diese Aufnahmen von der zum 25-jahrigen Bestehen stattfindende Traditionsfahrt des ATB (= Arbeitsgemeinschaft Traditionsbus Berlin) gemacht.
Aus diesem Anlaß wurde die ehemaligen Linie 73 - jetzige OL M46 sowie vormalige Buslinie 146 als befahrene Linie auserkoren, den die Verbindung Zoo – Britz blickt auf eine 115 jährige Geschichte zurück. Am 24. Mai 2014 waren die ATB-Busse 70 (ex LVG), 237, 1629, 1658, 1666, 1957, 2100, 2208, 2329, 2437, 2556 + 2626 sowie der BVG-Bus 3233 (mit Folienbeklebung für den ATB) unterwegs. Desweiteren wurden einige weitere aktuelle BVG-Busse sowie ehemalige BVG-Busse aufgenommen, die heute als Stadtrundfahren-Busse unterwegs sind.
Einige noch zusätzlich mit dem Fotoapparat aufgenommenen Videos werden aufgrund der schlechten Qualität von mir nicht eingestellt, sodass es hierdurch keine bildliche Dokumentation vom 237 + 1957 gibt.
Weitere Hinweise gibt es auf der ATB-Homepage www.traditionsbus.de/index.htm
Orion (at left) with his two Dog stars, Sirius (bottom) and Procyon (upper left). Plus lots of glowing red nebulosity that shows up only on long time exposures like this one. The Milky Way runs from top to lower left. Taken the night of Feb 11, 2010.
Technical:
Canon 5DMkII (internally modified with extended red pass filter) and Canon 35mm L-series lens at f/4 for stack of 4 x 4.5 minutes at ISO 800, Median combined, plus stack of 4 x 4 minutes with Kenko Softon filter for fuzzy stars. © 2010 Alan Dyer
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Am Samstag, den 24. Mai 2014, wurden diese Aufnahmen von der zum 25-jahrigen Bestehen stattfindende Traditionsfahrt des ATB (= Arbeitsgemeinschaft Traditionsbus Berlin) gemacht.
Aus diesem Anlaß wurde die ehemaligen Linie 73 - jetzige OL M46 sowie vormalige Buslinie 146 als befahrene Linie auserkoren, den die Verbindung Zoo – Britz blickt auf eine 115 jährige Geschichte zurück. Am 24. Mai 2014 waren die ATB-Busse 70 (ex LVG), 237, 1629, 1658, 1666, 1957, 2100, 2208, 2329, 2437, 2556 + 2626 sowie der BVG-Bus 3233 (mit Folienbeklebung für den ATB) unterwegs. Desweiteren wurden einige weitere aktuelle BVG-Busse sowie ehemalige BVG-Busse aufgenommen, die heute als Stadtrundfahren-Busse unterwegs sind.
Einige noch zusätzlich mit dem Fotoapparat aufgenommenen Videos werden aufgrund der schlechten Qualität von mir nicht eingestellt, sodass es hierdurch keine bildliche Dokumentation vom 237 + 1957 gibt.
Weitere Hinweise gibt es auf der ATB-Homepage www.traditionsbus.de/index.htm
M46, M47 and NGC 2423
ES102ED FCD100 CF
Stellarvue 0.8X Reducer
Pegasus FocusCube
Zwo ASI294MM-C
QHY 7-Position Filter Wheel
Astronomik RGB Filters
Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
60x60s Each RGB
PixInsight, Voyager, PHD2
I took this photo from the rear of a passenger train in October 1952 while traveling from Taekwangni, the northernmost 3rd TMRS rail station on the Sintanni Line, to Seoul.
65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, front line, in the Battle of the Kumsong Salient about a week to week and one-half before Dick Gallmeyer radioed the "Cease fire" that ended the shooting phase of the Korean War on 27 July 1953.
Following massive attacks by the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) that had literally destroyed some U.N. units, and forced the MLR southward by several miles in but a few days time, our 3rd Infantry Division was sent into the battle as a blocking action. The CCF ran up against the 3rd Division and was stopped. The 3rd Division historian, W.F. Strobridge, stated, "The enemy offensive ran up against the 3rd Division and stopped.... The 65th Regiment took an estimated 20,000 rounds of enemy artillery and kept its ground."
For geographical location, please see my "Map: Korean War, Battle of the Kumsong Salient, July 1953 " further down the page.
This photo shows 65th IR bunkers, tents, and other shelters on the sharp ridge crest that constituted the front line. If you look carefully, you can see an artillery forward observer on the rocky knoll near the center of the photo, spotting CCF targets for our artillery to fire upon. My brother-in-law, Jerry Hartman, a 105mm howitzer gunner with the 58th FAB, and I visited with the forward observer for a while. He pointed out to us the flashes of CCF howitzers that were firing at our lines. All the mountains out in front of us were CCF territory. The white smoke on the left side of the photo is from one of our artillery rounds exploding on a CCF position across the "No-mans-land" valley floor that separated the U.N. and CCF.
Across the "No-mans-land" valley, just to the right of the rocky knoll in the photo, is Hill 433 where American and ROK forces known as the "Lost Bastards" were trapped by the CCF. They were rescued on 20 July, 1953, very near to the time I took this photo.
Behind us, in the valley to our south, our 3rd Division artillery units were engaged in heavy fire missions supporting our troops on the MLR. From that valley came the continual lightning flashes of our howitzers, and the rumbling thunder of their barrages. For me, standing on that mountain ridge absorbing the thunder of our power, hearing our artillery rounds whooshing directly over our heads to then explode on CCF positions, sensing the very mountain quaking with the thunder of America's power, and witnessing our troops holding the line, was an awe-inspiring experience.
I've often thought of that experience down through the years. Today, even after the passage of nearly 60 years, it yet remains the single-most inspiring day of my life.
Image taken with a SkyWatcher 70mm SK707AZ2, using a super 25mm lens (28x)
Also known as NGC 2437, it lies at Puppis (The Stern) constellation.
Afocal, with Lumia 640.
Edited with MS Picture Manager.
At the end of World War II, the US Army's armored divisions used mostly M4 Sherman medium tank variants, with a small number of M26 Pershing heavy tanks. The Army began working on a postwar replacement for both, but in the meantime intended to upgrade the Pershing to M26E2 standard: this would upgrade the Pershing's indifferent engine (the tank used the same engine as the Sherman on a much larger chassis) and add improvements to the 90mm gun as well. So many modifications were made that the Army ended up with a new tank, so the M26E2 was redesignated the M46 and named Patton for George S. Patton, the American "tank guru" who had recently been killed in a car accident.
However, the M46 was seen only as an interim until the T42 entered service: this was an entirely new tank that would replace the M4, M26 and now M46 as well. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, however, the US Army found itself short of tanks--in some cases, M26s donated to museums were repossessed and sent overseas. With no time to waste, the Army mated the T42 turret design (which was finished) to the M46 chassis, creating the M47 Patton. These were rushed into production, but only a few reached Korea before the armistice was signed in 1953.
Despite its hurried origins, however, the US Army realized they had a good tank design: the M47 combined the decent armor and 90mm gun of the Pershing, the engine of the M46, and the turret of the T42 prototype. There were still some issues, with the M47's hull design too prone to destructive front hits and the turret cramped for the crew. The M47 still retained the World War II-era and ultimately unnecessary bow-mounted machine gun as well. The Army began an improvement program that would culminate in the M48 Patton, which became the standard Army and Marine tank of the 1950s and 1960s. With over 8500 M47s still in service, most were passed on to foreign allied armies as the M48 entered service. Many of these were later upgraded to near M48 standard, and a few even received M60 Patton 105mm guns and armor upgrades.
This M47 is the other half of a Vietnam veterans' memorial at New Rockford, North Dakota. Where it came from is unknown, as the North Dakota Army National Guard isn't known to have had tanks. It could use some restoration work, as rust has started to appear on the hull. Though I usually get a good amount of tank pictures on my trips, this turned out to be the only one I saw during my August 2022 North Dakota trip.
I recently purchased this M-46 Patton tank at a model show. It was neatly built 50 plus years ago by someone. It is missing the driver's hatch, and the 50 cal is broken, but it still looks nice.
The answer is Open Cluster M47 in Puppis. A mistake in the location data resulted in the object being “discovered” twice and thus assigned two New General Catalog numbers (NGC 2422 and NGC 2478). M47’s one-hundred and seventy-seven plus stars contain both bright and dim members. Most clusters do, but it is extreme in M47. The brighter stars in M47 stand out nicely, which is helpful in finding the cluster in a section of the sky devoid of bright stars. Only 1 ½ degrees east of M47, is M46 another large Open Cluster (but much dimmer). In addition, about a half of a degree north of M47 is NGC 2423 another Open Cluster that is one of the Herschel 400 objects. This nice threesome is just a bit too large for me to enjoy in a single field-of-view through my 155mm refractor. Not a problem, since M46 makes a nice drawing on its own.
Additional astronomical drawings can be seen at www.orrastrodrawing.com
Taken in Joshua Tree National Park
Jumbo Rocks campsite
11/28/2013
Canon EOS 60D
Stellarvue SV102ED2 4" Achromatic Refractor Telescope
Celestron CGEM-DX
Orion Starshoot Autoguider
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
Uruguay, like several other countries in South America, has been a traditional customer of US military hardware. In Uruguay’s case, this first example were 40 M3A1 Stuart light tanks delivered in 1944-1945. In the years following the Second World War and the Korean War, obsolete armored vehicles which were no longer deemed as required for the current situation of the US military were given as military aid to US allies, particularly in Latin America. It was in this context that Uruguay would receive 17 M24 Chaffee light tanks and 12 M4A3E8 Sherman medium tanks in 1957-1958 from American surplus stock.
Deliveries were completed on September 30th, 1958. This was part of the American Military Assistance Program (MAP), under which the US provided military equipment to aligned nations within the context of the Cold War. These tanks did not come from the mainland US but were instead delivered from US Army stocks in Japan and Korea. A considerable number of spare parts were likely delivered along with these, too, as well as in the coming years. Along with the Chaffees and Shermans, Uruguay furthermore received a single Sherman-based M74 Armored Recovery Vehicle.
By the time of the Korean War, the M4 series had evolved into its final form, often referred to as the M4A3E8, and this was the Sherman version that was also delivered to Uruguay. To the Marines in Korea, they were known as the “Old Reliables”. Entering service late in the Second World War, this model featured an improved Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension (HVSS) that replaced the iconic Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS) of earlier models. This suspension allowed for a wider track, improving grip and lower ground pressure on softer ground.
Propulsion was provided by the Ford GAA all-aluminum 32-valve DOHC 60-degree, 500 hp, V8 gasoline/petrol engine. This could propel the tank to a top speed of 40 – 48 km/h (25 – 30 mph). Armor on the vehicle was up to 76 mm (3 in) thick. The tank had a crew of five, consisting of a commander, driver, co-driver/bow machine gunner, gunner, and loader.
Even though a large number of newer 90mm gun armed M26 Pershings and M46 Pattons were dispatched to the Korean Peninsula, multiple variants of the HVSS Sherman were also used in the Korean War. These included the regular M4A3(76)W HVSS, which was armed with the 76mm Tank Gun M1A1 or M1A2, the M4A3(105) HVSS, armed with the 105mm Howitzer M4, and finally, the POA-CWS-H5, a specialist version armed with both a 105mm Howitzer and a coaxial flamethrower.
The ex-American tanks were delivered to Uruguay’s Batallón de Infantería Nº 13 (13th Infantry Battalion), founded in 1904, and with the arrival of the new equipment at the Durazno Arsenal in central Uruguay the regiment was aptly renamed Batallón de Infantería Blindado Nº 13 (13th Armored Infantry Battalion). The tanks formed two Compañías Blindada de Tanques (Armored Tanks Companies), formally created on 12 July 1958. In each company, two tanks formed a command section while the remaining were divided into platoons of five. Each platoon was coded with an individual color and the command tanks received colored shields as background to their tactical codes. Additionally, the command tanks received individual names, beginning with letters corresponding to their respective commanded platoons, e. g. “Ceasar” for one of the 3rd platoon’s commanding M4s, which carried the tactical code "2" on a green background, the 3rd platoon’s color.
The tanks were delivered in a unicolor camouflage, likely U.S. Army olive drab. They received prominent Uruguayan army roundels on the turret flanks, comprising a blue roundel in the center, circled by white and then further circled by blue again, with a red bar going through the roundel diagonally. Later, likely in the 1960s, the tanks were given a disruptive four-color scheme, comprising medium green, dark green, tan and a dark brown bordering on black.
The first months of the new tanks’ service were marked by several instances of ceremonial use in foreign presidential visits to Uruguay, during which the tanks would perform a parade in the streets of Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital – often in the company of the vintage M3A1 Stuarts which were still retained in service by this point for training.
The 1960s were a decade of turmoil in Uruguay, with an economic crisis caused by struggling Uruguayan exports causing significant unrest and political uproar. This led to the rise of an armed revolutionary left-wing movement known as the Tupamaros or MLN-T (Movimiento de Liberación Nacional-Tupamaros, Tupamaros National Liberation Movement) which would progressively grow more violent. In 1968, the Uruguayan president, Jorge Pachero, declared a state of emergency that would see the military largely deployed in the streets. The following president, Juan María Bordaberry, would continue authoritarian policies and suspend civil liberties. In June 1973, he dissolved the Uruguayan congress and became a de facto dictator sponsored by the Uruguayan military.
During this time, the Tupamaros fought in an urban guerilla war against the Uruguayan military. The Uruguayan tanks, especially the compact M24s, were regularly employed in the streets as a show of force, being a very intimidating presence to potential insurgents. For this mission, a few M4s and M24s, primarily command tanks, were outfitted with locally developed hydraulic dozer blades. These were detachable, though, and the tanks should retain the installations for the rest of their career.
By mid-1972, the Tupamaros had largely been defeated, killed, captured, or forced into exile, as many other Uruguayans had been. The Uruguayan dictatorship would maintain itself all the way to 1985 however, engaging in repressive policies which, while often overshadowed by some employed by other regimes, such as Augusto Pinochet’s Chile, would see many Uruguayans exiled, and many assassinations performed against political opponents, even though most of which took place outside of Uruguay’s borders. The M4s and M24s would continue to regularly be used for intimidation purposes during this era, though Uruguay would also purchase more modern tanks in 1982, including twenty-two M41 Walker Bulldog light tanks from Belgium. These didn’t replace the vintage WWII vehicles, though.
In 1984, elections were finally held, seeing Uruguay return to civilian rule from this point onward. Though amnesty for human rights abusers would be declared, Uruguay would move back towards being one of the more democratic and stable countries in South America in the next decades, which would culminate in a former Tupamaros, who had spent fifteen years in prison, José Mujica, being elected president in 2009.
At the same time as Uruguay was transitioning back to democracy, the M4s and M24s the country had now operated for about thirty years were becoming increasingly obsolete. The tanks’ engines were worn out after 30 years of constant use and useful ammunition for the M4s 76 mm gun was not available anymore. Funds for new/more modern tanks were not available at that time, therefore, it was decided to modernize the powerplants and drivetrains of the tanks and outfit the Shermans with a modern, bigger main gun.
For this purpose, the Brazilian company Bernardini was contracted. The Bernardini S/A Industria e Comercio (Bernardini Industrial and Commerce Company), based at São Paulo, was originally a safe manufacturer which operated from 1912, but during its later years it branched out into vehicle production, too, and created several conversions and indigenous tanks for the Brazilian Army.
Bernardini outfitted the light M24s with a Saab-Scania DN11 220-230 hp engine, a Swedish industrial truck engine manufactured in Brazil. This was a commercially available engine for which parts could be very easily sourced, and it was coupled with a new GAV 762 automatic gearbox. Mounting these totally different engines called for considerable modifications, including a completely new raised engine deck with integrated coolers.
The Shermans received new Continental AOS-895-3 six-cylinder air-cooled petrol engines, which had been procured together with the Belgian M41s as part of a spares deal and directly delivered to Brazil for the conversions. This engine delivered 500 bhp (370 kW), the same as the former Ford GAA V8, but provided more torque, was lighter and more compact, and had a considerably lower fuel consumption. It was coupled with a new gearbox, an Allison CD-500-3, with 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse.
For the planned armament upgrade, the modern 90 mm Cockerill Mk. 7 gun was chosen, another item procured from Belgium. Weighing less than ¾ of a ton and with a length of 4.365 m, the 90 mm Cockerill operated at a pressure of just 310 MPa and produced a recoil stroke of only 350 to 370 mm. Ammunition for the Cockerill gun was made by MECAR (another Belgian arms company) and included a potent Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot – Tracer (APFSDS-T) round with a muzzle velocity of 1,500 m/s, able to defeat even heavy targets. Furthermore, there were High Explosive Plastic rounds (HEP) to defeat bunkers, structures, light armor and also for indirect fire use, smoke, canister, High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), and training rounds.
However, the plan to simply exchange the old 76 mm gun in the original M4A3 turret turned out to be impossible, so that Bernardini offered to adapt one of the company’s own turret designs, a cast turret for an upgrade for the indigenous CCL X1A2 “Carcará” tank that never materialized due to low Brazilian funds, to the M4’s very similar hull. The Uruguayan government agreed and the deal for the conversion of all M4s left in service was closed in late 1982. Some sources refer to this modernization as having occurred in 1983, while some others mention 1987.
The new Bernardini turret resembled the earlier Sherman turret, but it was overall larger and featured a long, characteristic jutty as a counterweight for the bigger and longer gun. It also offered ample space for a radio set and ammunition. The turret had a maximum armor strength of 114 mm (4.5 in) at the front, instead of the former 76 mm (3 in); traverse was full 360° (manual and electric-hydraulic) at a rate of 36°/sec. The turret’s higher overall weight was compensated for by the relatively light gun and the lighter engine – even though this raised the tank’s center of gravity and somewhat reduced its handling quality. The commander and gunner sat in the turret on the right side, with the commander provided with a domed U.S.-style cupola. The gunner did not have a hatch and was seated forward of the commander. A loading assistant was placed on the left side of the gun, with a separate hatch that was also used to board the tank by the crew and to load ammunition. A tool storage box was normally mounted externally on the rear of the already long bustle, and smoke grenade launchers could be mounted on each side of the turret – even though this never happened, and Uruguay apparently never procured such devices. A large radio antenna was mounted to the turret roof and at the rear of the jutty, command tanks had a second antenna for a dedicated inter-tank communication radio set next to the cupola.
The 90 mm Cockerill Mk. 7 gun had a rifled L/52 barrel and was outfitted with a light T-shaped muzzle brake and a smoke ejector. The secondary armament was changed to two 7.62 mm Browning M1919 machine guns (which were able to fire 7.62×51 mm NATO standard ammunition), one coaxial with the main gun and the other in the hull. A manually operated 12.7 mm Browning M2HB machine gun was mounted in an anti-aircraft position on the turret roof, in front of the commander cupola. A total of 55 rounds for the 90 mm gun were carried, plus 4,750 rounds for the 7.62 mm machine guns and 600 rounds for the 12.7 mm gun. This ammunition was mostly stored in the hull, the turret jutty held a new ammunition-ready rack with 11 rounds.
At some point following their modernization, during the late Eighties, all Uruguayan tanks were given a new, more subdued camouflage scheme, vaguely resembling the American woodland scheme, consisting of a very dark brown/black, light brown, and dark green. The prominent roundel was removed, too, an the vehicles’ tactical code was now either retained in a dark color on the turret side or completely omitted.
The 1990s saw the 13th Armored Infantry Battalion receive a fleet of fifteen BVP-1s purchased from the Czech Republic; ten more were delivered in 1996, with a further five in 1998, plus three vehicles for spare parts in 1999. These more modern infantry fighting vehicles would be operated alongside the M4s and M24s within the battalion’s fleet during the coming decades. Other purchases from the 1990s included, for example, Tiran-5Sh main battle tanks (revamped captured T-55s from Israel) and 2S1 self-propelled artillery pieces.
Uruguay retired its M4 fleet around 2012, but the light M24s soldiered on until 2019, when the last WWII type in Uruguayan service was eventually sorted out, after a long process that was delayed by a lack of an export permission for M41s as replacement from the United States for no less than six years.
Specifications:
Crew: Five (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/hull machine gun operator)
Weight: 33.7 tons combat loaded
Length: 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in) hull only
8.21 m (26 ft 10 1/2 in) overall with gun forward
Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) hull only
Height: 3,45 m (11 ft 3 3/4 in) w/o AA machine gun
Tread: 89 in
Ground clearance: 17 in (0.43 m)
Fire Height: 90 in (2.29 m)
Suspension: Horizontal volute spring
Fuel capacity: 168 gallons 80 Octane gasoline
Armor:
0.5 – 4.5 in (13 – 114 mm)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 30 mph (48 km/h) in a dash
26 mph (42 km/h) sustained on road
Operational range: 120 mi (193 km) on roads
Maximum grade: 60 percent
Maximum trench: 7.5 feet
Maximum vertical Wall: 24 inches
Maximum fording depth: 36 inches
Minimum turning circle: (diameter) 62 feet
Power/weight: 13.5 hp/ton
Ground pressure: Zero penetration 11.0 psi
Engine & transmission:
Continental AOS-895-3 six-cylinder air-cooled petrol engine with 500 bhp (370 kW),
coupled with an Allison CD-500-3 gearbox with 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse
Armament:
1× 90 mm (L/52) Cockerill Mk. 7 gun with 55 rounds
2× 7.62 mm Browning M1919 machine guns with a total of 4,750 rounds,
one co-axial with the main gun, another in the front glacis plate
1× 12.7 mm Browning M2HB anti-aircraft machine gun on the commander cupola with 600 rounds
The kit and its assembly:
This whiffy M4 Sherman was inspired by two things: one was that I have so far never built a fictional M4 before, despite the type’s large number in WWII and thereafter. And I had a surplus turret from a Japanese 1:72 Type 61 tank (Trumpeter kit) in the donor bank, which frequently grinned at me – but I never had a proper idea how to use it.
This changed when I combined both, and the idea of a post-WWII M4 conversion/modernization was born, inspired by the successful Israeli M50/51 upgrades. I also settled for an M4A3E8 chassis, because I wanted a relatively modern Sherman with a welded hull and the new running gear as the basis – and the choice fell on the respective Hasegawa kit (which has its fundamental scale and proportions flaws, but it was cheap and readily available). Using an alternative Trumpeter kit might have been a better choice from a detail point of view, but I think that the Hasegawa kit’s weaknesses are negligible – and this here is whifworld, after all.
The next conceptual problem arose quickly, though: who’d be the operator of this tank? A natural choice was Japan’s JGSDF, because they received M4A3E8s from the USA (the Hasegawa kit even provides decals for such a vehicle), and the Type 61 was its successor. But the Sherman was not very popular in Japan – it was quite big, with logistics problems (tunnel sizes, train transport), and the interior was not suited to the smaller Japanese crews. The JGSDF was quite happy to get rid of the vintage Shermans.
The IDF was another candidate, but the M50/51s were “already there”. After long further research I went across Middle and South America. Chile, for instance, operated a highly modified M4A3E8 upgrade with a 60 mm high-velocity gun called “M-60”. And Paraguay decided to re-activate its M3 and M4 fleet in 2014, even though only for training purposes.
I eventually settled for a small and rather exotic operator: Uruguay! I found a very good article about the M24 Chaffee’s active duty in this country, which lasted from 1958 until 2019(!), and these Chaffees underwent massive conversions and upgrades during their long career – and some M4s would be a nice and plausible company. Another selling point was that the Uruguayan Army’s roundel was easy to replicate, and, as a bonus, the M24s carried a very attractive camouflage early in their career.
With this concept, the build was straightforward: The M4A3E8 was basically built OOB, it went together with no trouble, even though its details appear rather clumsy and almost toylike these days. A good thing about the kit is, though, that you can paint the small road wheels separately, while the HVSS suspension can be attached to the hull. This makes painting quite easy and convenient.
Trumpeter’s Type 61 turret was another matter, though, because its fit was rather dubious and called for some PSR. Furthermore, it was incomplete: some small parts of it had already been used in other projects, so that I had to improvise.
First, I had to create an adapter so that it could be combined with the Sherman hull – it was created from styrene sheet and profiles, together with a “floor” for the turret with 0.5 mm sheet. But now the turret can be mounted into the original opening, and it fits like a glove into the intended space. Even the low deflector walls that protect its base fit snuggly around it, it’s a very natural combo (at least on the Hasegawa hull!).
Biggest problem was the missing original commander cupola. The spare box did not yield a proper replacement, so I ordered M48/M60 cupolas from Bulgaria-based OKB Grigorovich – very crisp stuff, the set comes with four pieces and the cupolas are even made from clear resin so that the periscopes have a natural look on the model. As a lucky coincidence, the cupola’s diameter perfectly matched the respective hole in the turret, so that the implant looks very natural. Because the cupola came with a separate hatch, I fixed it in an open position and added a crew figure from the Hasegawa Sherman.
The dozer blade was a late addition, inspired by equipment carried by some real Uruguayan M24s. However, in this case the device was scratched from the remains of a dozer blade from a WWII Bergehetzer. Hydraulic rams to lift it and some hoses were scratched from steel wire and various bits and pieces. Improvised, but it looks the part, and it’s a nice detail that fits well into the model’s real world historic background.
Painting and markings:
The camouflage is based on a single-color picture I was able to find of a Uruguayan M24 wearing it, providing a guesstimate basis for the four tones, and a profile drawing of the same vehicle, just from the other side. I settled upon Humbrol 63, 75, and mix of 150 with 63 and 10 with 85 for the respective tan (which appears very yellow-ish), dark green, light green and the very dark brown tone. The pattern is a free interpretation of what could be discerned on the reference material, with guesstimates for front, back and upper surfaces. As it is a retrofitted piece, the dozer shield became all dark green.
The model then received an overall washing with a highly thinned mix of black and dark brown acrylic artist paint. The vinyl tracks were painted, too, with a mix of grey, red brown and iron, all acrylic paints, too, that do not interact chemically with the soft vinyl in the long run.
Markings are minimal; the Uruguayan Army roundel is an Argentinian cocarde from an Airfix Skyhawk (and a bit pale) with a separate red decal stripe placed over it – unfortunately it’s a bit obscured by the handles running along the turret. The tactical code number came from an Israeli tank, and it had to be placed quite high because of the handles/rails.
Uruguayan tanks from the Eighties and earlier seem to have carried additional registration numbers, too, and I gave the Sherman the fictional code "A 247" on the glacis plate and its flanks. The nickname "Caesar" is a personal twist.
Dry-brushing with earth brown to further emphasize edges and details followed. Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic vanish (Italeri) overall, and some very light extra dry-brushing with silver and light grey was done to simulate flaked paint, esp. on the dozer blade. Dirt and rust residues were added here and there. After final assembly (the vinyl tracks refused to stick to the road wheels!), the lower areas of the model were powdered with mineral pigments to simulate dust.
All in all, this fictional Uruguayan Sherman update looks very natural and convincing. The Type 61 turret matched the M4A3E8 hull in an almost unnatural fashion, and the dozer blade adds a certain twist to the tank, even though this detail is rooted in Uruguay’s tank operations history. The disruptive “tiger stripes” paint scheme is also very attractive, and together with the unusual roundels the whole thing has a very exotic look – but it’s not unbelievable. :D
Old Glory waving above the 3rd TMRS Headquarters compound in Yongsan, Korea, with Namsan Mountain in the background, taken in the winter of 1952-1953.
The ancient Seoul City wall is visible along the Namsan ridge crest to the left of the flag pole.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
Uruguay, like several other countries in South America, has been a traditional customer of US military hardware. In Uruguay’s case, this first example were 40 M3A1 Stuart light tanks delivered in 1944-1945. In the years following the Second World War and the Korean War, obsolete armored vehicles which were no longer deemed as required for the current situation of the US military were given as military aid to US allies, particularly in Latin America. It was in this context that Uruguay would receive 17 M24 Chaffee light tanks and 12 M4A3E8 Sherman medium tanks in 1957-1958 from American surplus stock.
Deliveries were completed on September 30th, 1958. This was part of the American Military Assistance Program (MAP), under which the US provided military equipment to aligned nations within the context of the Cold War. These tanks did not come from the mainland US but were instead delivered from US Army stocks in Japan and Korea. A considerable number of spare parts were likely delivered along with these, too, as well as in the coming years. Along with the Chaffees and Shermans, Uruguay furthermore received a single Sherman-based M74 Armored Recovery Vehicle.
By the time of the Korean War, the M4 series had evolved into its final form, often referred to as the M4A3E8, and this was the Sherman version that was also delivered to Uruguay. To the Marines in Korea, they were known as the “Old Reliables”. Entering service late in the Second World War, this model featured an improved Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension (HVSS) that replaced the iconic Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS) of earlier models. This suspension allowed for a wider track, improving grip and lower ground pressure on softer ground.
Propulsion was provided by the Ford GAA all-aluminum 32-valve DOHC 60-degree, 500 hp, V8 gasoline/petrol engine. This could propel the tank to a top speed of 40 – 48 km/h (25 – 30 mph). Armor on the vehicle was up to 76 mm (3 in) thick. The tank had a crew of five, consisting of a commander, driver, co-driver/bow machine gunner, gunner, and loader.
Even though a large number of newer 90mm gun armed M26 Pershings and M46 Pattons were dispatched to the Korean Peninsula, multiple variants of the HVSS Sherman were also used in the Korean War. These included the regular M4A3(76)W HVSS, which was armed with the 76mm Tank Gun M1A1 or M1A2, the M4A3(105) HVSS, armed with the 105mm Howitzer M4, and finally, the POA-CWS-H5, a specialist version armed with both a 105mm Howitzer and a coaxial flamethrower.
The ex-American tanks were delivered to Uruguay’s Batallón de Infantería Nº 13 (13th Infantry Battalion), founded in 1904, and with the arrival of the new equipment at the Durazno Arsenal in central Uruguay the regiment was aptly renamed Batallón de Infantería Blindado Nº 13 (13th Armored Infantry Battalion). The tanks formed two Compañías Blindada de Tanques (Armored Tanks Companies), formally created on 12 July 1958. In each company, two tanks formed a command section while the remaining were divided into platoons of five. Each platoon was coded with an individual color and the command tanks received colored shields as background to their tactical codes. Additionally, the command tanks received individual names, beginning with letters corresponding to their respective commanded platoons, e. g. “Ceasar” for one of the 3rd platoon’s commanding M4s, which carried the tactical code "2" on a green background, the 3rd platoon’s color.
The tanks were delivered in a unicolor camouflage, likely U.S. Army olive drab. They received prominent Uruguayan army roundels on the turret flanks, comprising a blue roundel in the center, circled by white and then further circled by blue again, with a red bar going through the roundel diagonally. Later, likely in the 1960s, the tanks were given a disruptive four-color scheme, comprising medium green, dark green, tan and a dark brown bordering on black.
The first months of the new tanks’ service were marked by several instances of ceremonial use in foreign presidential visits to Uruguay, during which the tanks would perform a parade in the streets of Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital – often in the company of the vintage M3A1 Stuarts which were still retained in service by this point for training.
The 1960s were a decade of turmoil in Uruguay, with an economic crisis caused by struggling Uruguayan exports causing significant unrest and political uproar. This led to the rise of an armed revolutionary left-wing movement known as the Tupamaros or MLN-T (Movimiento de Liberación Nacional-Tupamaros, Tupamaros National Liberation Movement) which would progressively grow more violent. In 1968, the Uruguayan president, Jorge Pachero, declared a state of emergency that would see the military largely deployed in the streets. The following president, Juan María Bordaberry, would continue authoritarian policies and suspend civil liberties. In June 1973, he dissolved the Uruguayan congress and became a de facto dictator sponsored by the Uruguayan military.
During this time, the Tupamaros fought in an urban guerilla war against the Uruguayan military. The Uruguayan tanks, especially the compact M24s, were regularly employed in the streets as a show of force, being a very intimidating presence to potential insurgents. For this mission, a few M4s and M24s, primarily command tanks, were outfitted with locally developed hydraulic dozer blades. These were detachable, though, and the tanks should retain the installations for the rest of their career.
By mid-1972, the Tupamaros had largely been defeated, killed, captured, or forced into exile, as many other Uruguayans had been. The Uruguayan dictatorship would maintain itself all the way to 1985 however, engaging in repressive policies which, while often overshadowed by some employed by other regimes, such as Augusto Pinochet’s Chile, would see many Uruguayans exiled, and many assassinations performed against political opponents, even though most of which took place outside of Uruguay’s borders. The M4s and M24s would continue to regularly be used for intimidation purposes during this era, though Uruguay would also purchase more modern tanks in 1982, including twenty-two M41 Walker Bulldog light tanks from Belgium. These didn’t replace the vintage WWII vehicles, though.
In 1984, elections were finally held, seeing Uruguay return to civilian rule from this point onward. Though amnesty for human rights abusers would be declared, Uruguay would move back towards being one of the more democratic and stable countries in South America in the next decades, which would culminate in a former Tupamaros, who had spent fifteen years in prison, José Mujica, being elected president in 2009.
At the same time as Uruguay was transitioning back to democracy, the M4s and M24s the country had now operated for about thirty years were becoming increasingly obsolete. The tanks’ engines were worn out after 30 years of constant use and useful ammunition for the M4s 76 mm gun was not available anymore. Funds for new/more modern tanks were not available at that time, therefore, it was decided to modernize the powerplants and drivetrains of the tanks and outfit the Shermans with a modern, bigger main gun.
For this purpose, the Brazilian company Bernardini was contracted. The Bernardini S/A Industria e Comercio (Bernardini Industrial and Commerce Company), based at São Paulo, was originally a safe manufacturer which operated from 1912, but during its later years it branched out into vehicle production, too, and created several conversions and indigenous tanks for the Brazilian Army.
Bernardini outfitted the light M24s with a Saab-Scania DN11 220-230 hp engine, a Swedish industrial truck engine manufactured in Brazil. This was a commercially available engine for which parts could be very easily sourced, and it was coupled with a new GAV 762 automatic gearbox. Mounting these totally different engines called for considerable modifications, including a completely new raised engine deck with integrated coolers.
The Shermans received new Continental AOS-895-3 six-cylinder air-cooled petrol engines, which had been procured together with the Belgian M41s as part of a spares deal and directly delivered to Brazil for the conversions. This engine delivered 500 bhp (370 kW), the same as the former Ford GAA V8, but provided more torque, was lighter and more compact, and had a considerably lower fuel consumption. It was coupled with a new gearbox, an Allison CD-500-3, with 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse.
For the planned armament upgrade, the modern 90 mm Cockerill Mk. 7 gun was chosen, another item procured from Belgium. Weighing less than ¾ of a ton and with a length of 4.365 m, the 90 mm Cockerill operated at a pressure of just 310 MPa and produced a recoil stroke of only 350 to 370 mm. Ammunition for the Cockerill gun was made by MECAR (another Belgian arms company) and included a potent Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot – Tracer (APFSDS-T) round with a muzzle velocity of 1,500 m/s, able to defeat even heavy targets. Furthermore, there were High Explosive Plastic rounds (HEP) to defeat bunkers, structures, light armor and also for indirect fire use, smoke, canister, High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), and training rounds.
However, the plan to simply exchange the old 76 mm gun in the original M4A3 turret turned out to be impossible, so that Bernardini offered to adapt one of the company’s own turret designs, a cast turret for an upgrade for the indigenous CCL X1A2 “Carcará” tank that never materialized due to low Brazilian funds, to the M4’s very similar hull. The Uruguayan government agreed and the deal for the conversion of all M4s left in service was closed in late 1982. Some sources refer to this modernization as having occurred in 1983, while some others mention 1987.
The new Bernardini turret resembled the earlier Sherman turret, but it was overall larger and featured a long, characteristic jutty as a counterweight for the bigger and longer gun. It also offered ample space for a radio set and ammunition. The turret had a maximum armor strength of 114 mm (4.5 in) at the front, instead of the former 76 mm (3 in); traverse was full 360° (manual and electric-hydraulic) at a rate of 36°/sec. The turret’s higher overall weight was compensated for by the relatively light gun and the lighter engine – even though this raised the tank’s center of gravity and somewhat reduced its handling quality. The commander and gunner sat in the turret on the right side, with the commander provided with a domed U.S.-style cupola. The gunner did not have a hatch and was seated forward of the commander. A loading assistant was placed on the left side of the gun, with a separate hatch that was also used to board the tank by the crew and to load ammunition. A tool storage box was normally mounted externally on the rear of the already long bustle, and smoke grenade launchers could be mounted on each side of the turret – even though this never happened, and Uruguay apparently never procured such devices. A large radio antenna was mounted to the turret roof and at the rear of the jutty, command tanks had a second antenna for a dedicated inter-tank communication radio set next to the cupola.
The 90 mm Cockerill Mk. 7 gun had a rifled L/52 barrel and was outfitted with a light T-shaped muzzle brake and a smoke ejector. The secondary armament was changed to two 7.62 mm Browning M1919 machine guns (which were able to fire 7.62×51 mm NATO standard ammunition), one coaxial with the main gun and the other in the hull. A manually operated 12.7 mm Browning M2HB machine gun was mounted in an anti-aircraft position on the turret roof, in front of the commander cupola. A total of 55 rounds for the 90 mm gun were carried, plus 4,750 rounds for the 7.62 mm machine guns and 600 rounds for the 12.7 mm gun. This ammunition was mostly stored in the hull, the turret jutty held a new ammunition-ready rack with 11 rounds.
At some point following their modernization, during the late Eighties, all Uruguayan tanks were given a new, more subdued camouflage scheme, vaguely resembling the American woodland scheme, consisting of a very dark brown/black, light brown, and dark green. The prominent roundel was removed, too, an the vehicles’ tactical code was now either retained in a dark color on the turret side or completely omitted.
The 1990s saw the 13th Armored Infantry Battalion receive a fleet of fifteen BVP-1s purchased from the Czech Republic; ten more were delivered in 1996, with a further five in 1998, plus three vehicles for spare parts in 1999. These more modern infantry fighting vehicles would be operated alongside the M4s and M24s within the battalion’s fleet during the coming decades. Other purchases from the 1990s included, for example, Tiran-5Sh main battle tanks (revamped captured T-55s from Israel) and 2S1 self-propelled artillery pieces.
Uruguay retired its M4 fleet around 2012, but the light M24s soldiered on until 2019, when the last WWII type in Uruguayan service was eventually sorted out, after a long process that was delayed by a lack of an export permission for M41s as replacement from the United States for no less than six years.
Specifications:
Crew: Five (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/hull machine gun operator)
Weight: 33.7 tons combat loaded
Length: 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in) hull only
8.21 m (26 ft 10 1/2 in) overall with gun forward
Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) hull only
Height: 3,45 m (11 ft 3 3/4 in) w/o AA machine gun
Tread: 89 in
Ground clearance: 17 in (0.43 m)
Fire Height: 90 in (2.29 m)
Suspension: Horizontal volute spring
Fuel capacity: 168 gallons 80 Octane gasoline
Armor:
0.5 – 4.5 in (13 – 114 mm)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 30 mph (48 km/h) in a dash
26 mph (42 km/h) sustained on road
Operational range: 120 mi (193 km) on roads
Maximum grade: 60 percent
Maximum trench: 7.5 feet
Maximum vertical Wall: 24 inches
Maximum fording depth: 36 inches
Minimum turning circle: (diameter) 62 feet
Power/weight: 13.5 hp/ton
Ground pressure: Zero penetration 11.0 psi
Engine & transmission:
Continental AOS-895-3 six-cylinder air-cooled petrol engine with 500 bhp (370 kW),
coupled with an Allison CD-500-3 gearbox with 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse
Armament:
1× 90 mm (L/52) Cockerill Mk. 7 gun with 55 rounds
2× 7.62 mm Browning M1919 machine guns with a total of 4,750 rounds,
one co-axial with the main gun, another in the front glacis plate
1× 12.7 mm Browning M2HB anti-aircraft machine gun on the commander cupola with 600 rounds
The kit and its assembly:
This whiffy M4 Sherman was inspired by two things: one was that I have so far never built a fictional M4 before, despite the type’s large number in WWII and thereafter. And I had a surplus turret from a Japanese 1:72 Type 61 tank (Trumpeter kit) in the donor bank, which frequently grinned at me – but I never had a proper idea how to use it.
This changed when I combined both, and the idea of a post-WWII M4 conversion/modernization was born, inspired by the successful Israeli M50/51 upgrades. I also settled for an M4A3E8 chassis, because I wanted a relatively modern Sherman with a welded hull and the new running gear as the basis – and the choice fell on the respective Hasegawa kit (which has its fundamental scale and proportions flaws, but it was cheap and readily available). Using an alternative Trumpeter kit might have been a better choice from a detail point of view, but I think that the Hasegawa kit’s weaknesses are negligible – and this here is whifworld, after all.
The next conceptual problem arose quickly, though: who’d be the operator of this tank? A natural choice was Japan’s JGSDF, because they received M4A3E8s from the USA (the Hasegawa kit even provides decals for such a vehicle), and the Type 61 was its successor. But the Sherman was not very popular in Japan – it was quite big, with logistics problems (tunnel sizes, train transport), and the interior was not suited to the smaller Japanese crews. The JGSDF was quite happy to get rid of the vintage Shermans.
The IDF was another candidate, but the M50/51s were “already there”. After long further research I went across Middle and South America. Chile, for instance, operated a highly modified M4A3E8 upgrade with a 60 mm high-velocity gun called “M-60”. And Paraguay decided to re-activate its M3 and M4 fleet in 2014, even though only for training purposes.
I eventually settled for a small and rather exotic operator: Uruguay! I found a very good article about the M24 Chaffee’s active duty in this country, which lasted from 1958 until 2019(!), and these Chaffees underwent massive conversions and upgrades during their long career – and some M4s would be a nice and plausible company. Another selling point was that the Uruguayan Army’s roundel was easy to replicate, and, as a bonus, the M24s carried a very attractive camouflage early in their career.
With this concept, the build was straightforward: The M4A3E8 was basically built OOB, it went together with no trouble, even though its details appear rather clumsy and almost toylike these days. A good thing about the kit is, though, that you can paint the small road wheels separately, while the HVSS suspension can be attached to the hull. This makes painting quite easy and convenient.
Trumpeter’s Type 61 turret was another matter, though, because its fit was rather dubious and called for some PSR. Furthermore, it was incomplete: some small parts of it had already been used in other projects, so that I had to improvise.
First, I had to create an adapter so that it could be combined with the Sherman hull – it was created from styrene sheet and profiles, together with a “floor” for the turret with 0.5 mm sheet. But now the turret can be mounted into the original opening, and it fits like a glove into the intended space. Even the low deflector walls that protect its base fit snuggly around it, it’s a very natural combo (at least on the Hasegawa hull!).
Biggest problem was the missing original commander cupola. The spare box did not yield a proper replacement, so I ordered M48/M60 cupolas from Bulgaria-based OKB Grigorovich – very crisp stuff, the set comes with four pieces and the cupolas are even made from clear resin so that the periscopes have a natural look on the model. As a lucky coincidence, the cupola’s diameter perfectly matched the respective hole in the turret, so that the implant looks very natural. Because the cupola came with a separate hatch, I fixed it in an open position and added a crew figure from the Hasegawa Sherman.
The dozer blade was a late addition, inspired by equipment carried by some real Uruguayan M24s. However, in this case the device was scratched from the remains of a dozer blade from a WWII Bergehetzer. Hydraulic rams to lift it and some hoses were scratched from steel wire and various bits and pieces. Improvised, but it looks the part, and it’s a nice detail that fits well into the model’s real world historic background.
Painting and markings:
The camouflage is based on a single-color picture I was able to find of a Uruguayan M24 wearing it, providing a guesstimate basis for the four tones, and a profile drawing of the same vehicle, just from the other side. I settled upon Humbrol 63, 75, and mix of 150 with 63 and 10 with 85 for the respective tan (which appears very yellow-ish), dark green, light green and the very dark brown tone. The pattern is a free interpretation of what could be discerned on the reference material, with guesstimates for front, back and upper surfaces. As it is a retrofitted piece, the dozer shield became all dark green.
The model then received an overall washing with a highly thinned mix of black and dark brown acrylic artist paint. The vinyl tracks were painted, too, with a mix of grey, red brown and iron, all acrylic paints, too, that do not interact chemically with the soft vinyl in the long run.
Markings are minimal; the Uruguayan Army roundel is an Argentinian cocarde from an Airfix Skyhawk (and a bit pale) with a separate red decal stripe placed over it – unfortunately it’s a bit obscured by the handles running along the turret. The tactical code number came from an Israeli tank, and it had to be placed quite high because of the handles/rails.
Uruguayan tanks from the Eighties and earlier seem to have carried additional registration numbers, too, and I gave the Sherman the fictional code "A 247" on the glacis plate and its flanks. The nickname "Caesar" is a personal twist.
Dry-brushing with earth brown to further emphasize edges and details followed. Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic vanish (Italeri) overall, and some very light extra dry-brushing with silver and light grey was done to simulate flaked paint, esp. on the dozer blade. Dirt and rust residues were added here and there. After final assembly (the vinyl tracks refused to stick to the road wheels!), the lower areas of the model were powdered with mineral pigments to simulate dust.
All in all, this fictional Uruguayan Sherman update looks very natural and convincing. The Type 61 turret matched the M4A3E8 hull in an almost unnatural fashion, and the dozer blade adds a certain twist to the tank, even though this detail is rooted in Uruguay’s tank operations history. The disruptive “tiger stripes” paint scheme is also very attractive, and together with the unusual roundels the whole thing has a very exotic look – but it’s not unbelievable. :D
In downtown Muskegon, Michigan, on April 13th, 2019, an office building (erected 1960) at the northeast corner of Spring Street and East Apple Avenue (Michigan Highway M-46).
-----------------------
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names terms:
• Muskegon (7016055)
• Muskegon (county) (1002700)
Art & Architecture Thesaurus terms:
• blank walls (300002474)
• brick (clay material) (300010463)
• brick red (color) (300311462)
• gray (color) (300130811)
• mansard roofs (300002155)
• Mid-Century Modernist (300343610)
• office buildings (300007043)
• shingle (300014898)
• sidewalks (300003893)
• spring (season) (300133097)
• streets (300008247)
• utility poles (300006446)
• wood (plant material) (300011914)
Wikidata items:
• 13 April 2019 (Q57350030)
• 1960 in architecture (Q2812256)
• 1960s in architecture (Q11185676)
• April 13 (Q2498)
• April 2019 (Q47087596)
• Grand Rapids-Kentwood-Muskegon, MI Combined Statistical Area (Q108423802)
• M-46 (Q2353099)
• ornamental tree (Q33249028)
• Treaty of Washington (Q2518969)
• West Michigan (Q3358100)
• wood shingle (Q199388)
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
• Brick walls (sh85016796)
• Office buildings—Michigan (sh2008002547)
West City Limits on M46
34 units. Always open. Free TV - Complimentary Continental Breakfast. Tubs - Showers. Conference & Display Room & Bridal Suite. Electric & Gas Heat.
William & Leona Staples - Owners & Operators.
AAA Approved.
G. O'Neil
S-57894
CAPA-007076
The western evening sky from the Gippsland Coast of Victoria, Australia on March 31, 2017. The latitude is 37° South.
The location is the West Cape of Cape Conran, looking west to the waxing crescent Moon above the Pleiades and below the Hyades in Taurus. At centre is Orion, upside down compared to the northern hemisphere view. The bright star at top centre is Sirius in Canis Major. Procyon is at right. Mars is just above the clouds at lower left.
The Milky Way runs vertically from Taurus (below) to Canis Major (at top). Several star clusters are visible along the Milky Way, including M41, M46, & M47.
This is a stack of 8 15- and 30-second exposures, mean combined to smooth noise, for the ground, and one 15-second exposure for the sky. All at f/2.5 with the Rokinon 14mm lens wide open, and Canon 6D at ISO 3200. An additional 2-second exposure was blended in for the Earthlit Moon to prevent it from being overexposed too much. A Soft Glow effect from ADP Panel+ adds the softer effect to the ground.
There is also another planetary nebula down the left side named PN G231.4+04.3
6x5min subs for each colour,
Atik 383L+ mono camera,
Baader 1.25in LRGB filters,
TS filter drawer,
skywatcher 8in f5 reflector,
Celestron CGE mount guided,
Baader MPCC,
Stacked in DSS and processed in PixInsight.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
Towards the end of WWII, the Swedish Army's main tank was the Stridsvagen 42. It was a medium tank, modern in design and it was also well protected and mobile. It fielded a 75 mm L/34 gun, the first of its size in a Swedish tank and entered service with the Swedish army in November 1941. As a neutral nation in World War II Sweden did not engage in combat; thus its tanks had no battlefield record. Between April 1943 to January 1945, 282 Strv 42s were delivered.
After WWII, the Strv 42 was kept in service, but it was soon clear that it would not have enough firepower to defend Sweden against heavier tanks. The benchmark was the Soviet T-34/85 and the Soviet Union regarded as a major threat in the context of the rising tensions between Eastern and Western Blocs after WWII. The smoldering Korean conflict stirred this fear even more. The Soviet threat seemed even more real to Sweden, which - although still neutral - tightened its relations with the West and NATO, even though the country never joined the Atlantic organization.
This neutrality was especially hard to maintain with such proximity to the USSR borders, especially in the Baltic. In fact it would have been nearly impossible to Sweden to not take sides in case of an open war between the two super powers due to this strategic and geographic position.
The Swedish military was therefore more cautious to elaborate on scenarios of a Soviet invasion to model its combined ground, air and naval assets, even though this position was more nuanced on the political side and these realist ties were maintained on a high secrecy level.
Anyway, the armed forces needed modernization and therefore the Swedish Army decided in 1948 to develop and introduce a modernized or even new battle tank, which primarily incorporated a heavier cannon than the Strv 42, coupled with a more effective armor and high mobility.
In 1949 the Swedish government was secretly provided with the option of purchasing the American M46 Patton, but this offer was rejected as the tank was, with more than 45 tons, considered to be too heavy and too bulky for the local terrain and the Swedish Army’s tactical requirements. The same argument also initially turned down an offer for the British Centurion tank during that time. Consequently, the decision was made in the same year to develop a whole new tank around the Swedish Army's specifications.
The original requirements were:
- In order to effectively use a small number of tanks to cover up a large area, the size and weight of the tank had to be light enough for trains or special trucks to carry and to move on soggy ground.
- Due to the above target, the weight of the armor was limited around 25 tons, yet as heavily armored as possible.
- Main cannon had to be bigger than 75mm.
The Strv 42's chassis turned out to be too narrow for a bigger turret that could accommodate the bigger gun, a crew (of three) and a decent ammunition store.
Its armor concept with many vertical surfaces was also outdated, so that the development of a totally new chassis was started.
The new vehicle was aptly designated Strv 50.
The weight was the main concern since if this first constraint was met, the tank could also be transported by a specially modified truck through most major highways. The second constraint couldn't be met due to the mock up development team finding out that the armor would be too thin to protect the vehicle, even if anything was done to slope the surfaces and increase the armor’s effectiveness. As a result, the armor weight constraint was raised to 35 tons for a while.
However, this weight penalty led to delays in the production of the planned Volvo diesel engine, because the tank did not have enough power to attain good mobility with the overall weight raised by 40%.
The Strv 50 was of conventional layout, with a central turret and the engine located at the rear of the hull. The tank had a crew of four: a commander, driver, gunner and loader. A co-driver/radio operator who'd potentially operate a bow machine gun was omitted in order to save weight and internal space.
The hull was welded steel, with a cast steel turret. The maximum armor thickness was 64 mm.
The driver sat at the front right of the hull, with a hatch immediately above him, and three vision periscopes covering the forward arc. To the drivers left was the transmission, which could easily be accessed for servicing by removing a large panel on the front of the hull.
The track was driven from the front and had six rubber road wheels on each side along with three return rollers - inspired by American designs like the M24 or M26. The suspension was a torsion bar system with the first, second and sixth road wheel fitted with hydraulic shock absorbers.
The commander and gunner sat in the turret, with the commander on the right side provided with a large domed cupola with a hatch on the rear of it. The cupola had four vision blocks and a one-meter base stereoscopic rangefinder with x7 magnification. A further 8 mm machine gun could be mounted on the cupola for manual anti-aircraft use.
The gunner did not have a separate hatch and was seated in front of the commander. The gunner had a x6 magnification periscope, as well as a x6 magnification sight. The loader was provided with a hatch.
The main gun was the British 20 pounder cannon with 84 millimeter (3.3 in) caliber, outfitted with a horizontal sliding breach block and a 4.60 m (15 ft) barrel, 55 calibers in length. This weapon's APCBC projectile had a muzzle velocity of 1,020 meters per second and could penetrate 21 cm (8.3 in) of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA), and the alternative armor-piercing discarding sabot projectile even had a muzzle velocity of 1,465 m/s (4,810 ft/s) and could penetrate 30 cm (12 in) of RHA.
The 20-pounder could also fire high-explosive and canister shot. Storage was provided for 18 rounds in the bustle at the rear of the tank, with additional rounds being distributed in various positions inside the tank for a total of 58 rounds.
In the Strv 50 the gun was fitted with a muzzle brake that diverted firing gases sideways and reduced the amount of dust kicked up by firing. The main gun was not stabilized, so firing on the move was impractical, and the vehicle was not fitted with an NBC protection system or deep wading equipment. Three smoke grenade launchers were mounted on each side of the turret.
The tank was originally to be powered by a the proven VL 420 engine from the post-war 42 versions, but the increased total weight called for a more powerful engine. The result was a 570 horsepower Volvo VL 570 turbocharged V-8 engine. The engine was mounted at the rear of the hull and exhausting through pipes on either side of the rear of the hull. It was coupled with a manual electromagnetic ZF 6-speed transmission system.
Tests in 1952 and 1953 were successful, even though the prototypes had to be powered by the old VL 420 engine, the VL 570 only became available towards the end of the trials.
Nevertheless, the tank's modern suspension and good handling were major improvements compared to the 42, as well as the much more effective armor. In December 1953 the Strv 50 was cleared for production and the delivery of the first tanks started in late 1954. In service, the Strv 50 started to replace the WWII 42 in the heavy tank companies of the armored brigades.
However, just as production was turning up, the Soviet T-54/55 appeared on the scene and rendered the Strv 50 in its intended role as a main battle tank almost obsolete. The 20 pounder cannon was still adequate, but the rather lightly armored Strv 50 would not have been a true adversary for the new generation of Soviet tanks - a more heavily armored MBT was needed for the Swedish Army.
Since the Strv 50 did not offer the potential for an effective upgrade towards what was needed, the Swedish government eventually ordered the British Centurion tank as Stridsvagn 81. In consequence, the Strv 50 was relegated to reconnaissance and infantry support roles (much like the light American M41 Walker Bulldog tank) and the planned production of 250 vehicles was drastically cut back to just 80 which were delivered until 1959.
In the 1960s the Swedish ground forces could count on a small, well-equipped professional core and a large conscript army. However, many tanks and armored cars still dated back then from WW2. Some, like the Terrängbil 42D troop transport, were maintained into service until the 1990s while other old models were recycled or modernized. Even the Strv 42 soldiered on and was finally updated in 1958 to the Stridsvagn 74 standard as a supplement to the newly bought Stridsvagn 101 (a more modern Centurion variant with a 105 mm L7 cannon).
The Strv 50 served on until 1984, when it was phased out together with the Strv 74 and superseded by the Strv 103, the famous and unique, turret-less Swedish “S” tank.
Specifications:
Crew Four (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Weight 35 tonnes
Length 6.03 metres (23 ft in) (hull only)
8,36 metres (27 ft 5 in) with gun forward
Width 2,95 metres (9 ft 6 in)
Height 2.49 metres (8 ft 1 1/2 in) w/o AA machine gun
Suspension: torsion-bar
Ground clearance: 495 to 510 mm (1 ft 7.5 in to 1 ft 8.1 in)
Fuel capacity: 820 l (180 imp gal; 220 US gal)
Armor:
10–64 mm (0.8 – 2.5 in)
Performance:
Speed:
- Maximum, road: 46 km/h (28.5 mph)
- Sustained, road: 40 km/h (25 mph)
- Cross country: 15 to 25 km/h (9.3 to 15.5 mph)
Operational range: 200 km (125 mi)
Power/weight: 17.14 hp/t
Engine:
VL 570 turbocharged V-8 diesel engine with 570 PS (420 kW)
Transmission:
ZF electromagnetic (6 forward and 2 reverse)
Armament:
1× 90 mm kanon strv 50 L55 with 58 rounds
1× co-axial 8mm ksp m/39 strv machine gun with 3.000 rounds
Optional, but rarely used, another 8mm ksp m/39 strv machine gun anti aircraft machine gun
The kit and its assembly:
Another entry for the “Cold War” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com, and, as a shocker, it’s not a fictional aircraft but a tank! I came across Sweden as an operator because the country tested some German tanks (bought from France) after WWII, including the Panzer V ‘Panther’. While I considered a Swedish Army Panther I eventually went for an indigenous design for the late 50ies – the Strv 50 was born.
The basis is a JGSDF Type 61 tank (Trumpeter kit), more or less the whole body and chassis were taken over. The turret is different/new, a mix of a late WWII M4 Sherman (‘Jumbo’) turret from Wee Friends (resin and white metal) coupled with a white metal gun barrel and some implants from the Type 61 tank like the commander’s cupola or the gun mantle.
The result is a rather generic tank with some retro appeal – like a big brother to the M24 Chaffee or M41 Walker Bulldog, or like a dramatically modernized M4 Sherman?
Painting and markings:
Benchmark were pictures of Swedish post-WWII 42 tanks, painted in a disruptive 3 color scheme of grayish green, black and a light, reddish tan. I used FS 34096, RAL 7021 and French Earth Brown (all Modelmaster enamels) as basic tones. In order to give the vehicle a post WWII look I painted the small wheel hub covers in bright red – a decorative detail inspired by British Army vehicles.
Later the surface received a dark brown wash and some dry-brushing with ochre and grey. After decals were applied (all from the scarp box: the Swedish flags come from a H0 scale Roco Minitanks UN units sheet, the numbers are actually German WWII font), the kits was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.
Finally, the tank was treated with grey and brown artist pigments, simulating dust especially around the lower chassis.
Many stars form in clusters. Galactic or open star clusters are relatively young swarms of bright stars born together near the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy. Separated by about a degree on the sky, two nice examples are M46 (lower left) 5,400 light-years in the distance and M47 (upper right) only 1,600 light-years away toward the nautical constellation Puppis. Around 300 million years young, M46 contains a few hundred stars in a region about 30 light-years across. Aged 80 million years, M47 is a smaller but looser cluster of about 50 stars spanning 10 light-years. But this portrait of stellar youth also contains an ancient interloper. The small, colorful patch of glowing gas in M46 is actually the planetary nebula NGC 2438 - the final phase in the life of a sun-like star billions of years old. NGC 2438 is estimated to be only 3,000 light-years distant and likely represents a foreground object, only by chance appearing along our line of sight to youthful M46.
DSLR data provided by Astropix.
Canon T5i
AT65Q f/6.5
7 Subs @ 360 sec / ISO 800
5 Darks
Pixinsight 1.8 / Adobe Lightroom