M4A3 (76mm) Sherman Platoon (UBX27)

M4A3 (76mm) Sherman Platoon (UBX27) includes five M4A3 (76mm) Sherman tanks, one Tank Commander sprue, two Tank Stowage sprues, five Plastic Sherman sprues, one Decal sheet & ten Rare-earth magnets. The M4A3 (76mm) married the new M4A3 hull with the 76mm gun, making for a fast, hard-hitting tank. This gave US tank crews a definite edge over German medium tanks, as well as giving Panther and Tiger crews something to truly fear. Check out the M4A3 (76mm) Sherman Platoon in the online store here...

Blood, Guts, & Glory It’s September 1944 and the Allies have stormed across France all along the front lines from Belgium to the French region of the Lorraine. Blood, Guts, & Glory covers the tanks battles in the Lorraine between September 1944 and January 1945. Learn more about Blood, Guts, & Glory here...

Like the other late M4A3 models, the M4A3 (76mm) tank by its steep front armour plating and crew hatches. Of course the 76mm gun is another dead give-away, but once again the turret was redesigned and the loader’s hatch was made into a single-piece oval hatch. The M4A3 (76mm) came into service along side the M4A3 (late) models in September, 1944. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Mark Hazell

The M4A3 (76mm) Sherman in Flames Of War

Armour      Name  Mobility  Front  Side  Top  Equipment and Notes  Weapon  Range  ROF  Anti-tank  Firepower  M4A3 (76mm) Sherman Standard Tank 7 4 1 Co-ax MG, Hull MG, .50 cal AA MG, Protected ammo, Tank telephone. M1 76mm gun (late) 32"/80cm  2  13 3+  Stabiliser.

Stabilisers A stabiliser is a device fitted to the tank’s gun that keeps it level when the tank is moving. US tanks are the first in the world to be equipped with gyrostabilisers as standard. With the assistance of the gyrostabiliser, the gunner can stay on target while the tank is moving. A moving tank fitted with a Stabiliser can fire its main gun at its full ROF, but adds a penalty of +1 to the score needed to hit. Before shooting, a tank can choose not to use its Stabiliser and fire at the normal rate if that would give it a better chance.

Protected Ammo Many tanks are destroyed not by the enemy shell but by their own ammunition being hit by white-hot fragments of armour and exploding. The chances of this were minimised by providing a safe place for stowing ammunition within the vehicle such as an armoured compartment or inside a water-filled jacket. If forced to bail out, crews of tanks with protected ammunition are far more confident when it comes to remounting their vehicle quickly. Tanks with Protected Ammo re-roll all failed Motivation Tests to Remount Bailed Out vehicles in the Starting Step (see page 102 of the main rulebook).

Tank Telephones By the end of 1944, most Sherman tanks working with infantry had been fitted with field telephones on the rear to allow the infantry to point out targets to the tanks. If a Tank team with Tank Telephone and an adjacent Infantry team did not move in the Movement Step, and the Infantry team is not Pinned Down, the Infantry team can use the Eyes and Ears rule (see page 195 of the rulebook) to Reveal one Gone to Ground enemy team to that Tank team as if the Infantry team was a Recce team. If other tanks in the platoon fire, they must either have their own Infantry team pointing out the target or continue to treat the target as Gone to Ground.

The M4A3 (76mm) Sherman Platoon on the Move

The Contents of the M4A3 (76mm) Sherman Platoon Box Set

Contact the customer service team at customerservice@battlefront.co.nz if you have any issues with any of the components.

Description of Components

a. 1x Sherman stowage sprue #1. b. 1x Sherman stowage sprue #2. c. 1x US decal sheet. d. 5x Plastic Sherman sprue.e. 1x Hull MG sprue.

f. 1x Tank commander sprue. g. 5x M4A3 resin turrets. h. 5x M4A3 resin hulls. i. 10x Rare-earth magnets.

The Plastic Sherman Sprue The parts of the plastic Sherman sprue that are used when assembling the M4A3 (76mm) Sherman are highlighted in green. Right: The highlighted parts of the plastic Sherman sprue used in the construction the M4A3 (76mm) Sherman.

The Sherman Stowage

Learn how to use the Sherman Stowage Sprues here...	Learn how to paint the Sherman Stowage Sprues here...

Battlefront TV Basic Decal Guide Blake demonstrates the basics of applying decals. Below: The decal sheet shown at 150%.

Assembling the M4A3 (76mm) Sherman

Step 1. Begin assembly by attaching the tracks to the hull of the M4A3 Sherman. Note: Each track has a number of lugs on the back that corresponds with the recesses in the hull to aid in correct orientation.

Below: The correct alignment for the left-hand side track.	Below: The correct alignment for the right-hand side track.	Below: The left-hand side track attached to the hull.

Below: The right-hand side track attached to the hull.	Optional Step 2. To add the hull MG, snip off the ball mount from the metal MG using a pair of hobby cutters.

Step 3. Attach the hull MG to the hull.	Step 4. Next, add the 76mm main gun.	Step 5. Attach the loader's hatch to the top of the turret.

Step 6. Followed by the commander's hatch.	Step 7. Next, add the .50 cal AA MG.	Step 8. With the .50 cal AA MG in place, the M4A3 (76mm) Sherman is now ready for painting.

Adding a Tank Commander

Step 1. Attach the Commander's hatch as shown in the example below.	Step 2. Attach the Tank Commander figure of choice in the now open commander's hatch.

Adding Magnets

Evan has created a recess for a rare earth magnet in the hull of the M4A3 (76mm) Sherman. Read Chris' guide to Rare Earth Magnets here for more tips and tricks...

Below: The magnet recess complete with magnet.	Below: Simply glue a rare earth magent to the bottom of the turret and you have a safe and secure way of attaching the turret to the hull.