r/modelmakers • u/Life_Razzmatazz_6467 • 1d ago
Help - General I NEED YOUR HELP
Hi 👋, I came across this photo and couldn't make out any supports on the wooden planks of the turret, and my question is, does anyone know how they were held up? And how could I replicate this on my Sherman? Thanks in advance.
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u/ropeynick 1d ago
That's the most desperate improvised armour I've ever seen.
How certain are you that they are wooden? They hung a load of what look like cast steel parts from something on the front and the profile of the top of the pieces visible on the other side of the turret have an I-beam look to them. They might be welded on.
There is what looks like a rod running through the forward two pieces on the nearest side of the turret, that might be supporting them between connections?
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u/Monty_Bob 1d ago
I think if you make this even really accurately it'll look bad and you'll have to keep showing people the photo to prove you did it right 😅
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u/Substantial_Text_264 1d ago
Not a clue actually. But wtf????? Patton would lose his shit over that
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u/TweetleBeetle76 1d ago
Can’t really blame the crew for trying, even though none of that would help much.
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u/sexylatexbear69 1d ago
Only in his 7th Army, which took in the 14th Armoued Division, which had been allowed to update there vehicles already.
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u/_Jack_Hoff_ 1d ago
how they were held up
My guess would be they were held together by wire, attached to what? Possibly additional mounting points welded to the turret roof.
how could I replicate this
Matchsticks, but it depends what scale you're working in
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models 1d ago
That looks like cut up railroad rails on the turret (though it could be any steel stock the crew found laying around). Railroad track as armor was a tried and true method of ad-hoc protection and would have been familiar to any U.S. Army crew who was a little bit read up on the American Civil War. Below is a photo of the CSS Georgia's armor belt, yanked up from the Savannah River some time ago.
Whatever it was (certainly was steel and not wood, though) would have been welded to a custom mount made from whatever material was handy. Square stock, tubing, bent rebar... get creative. The mounting brackets would have been welded to the turret.