Thursday, 2 October 2025

Battlefield 3D Sherman Crab

More fun stuff for the Allies! was vaguely thinking about D-Day scenarios and Funnies and thought I should beef up my collection of armoured engineering vehicles. I was buying a load of stuff from Battlefield 3D anyway, and they have all sorts of things in their huge US range so.....


I ended up with this completely impractical Sherman Crab!


Now this is the sort of model which in 20mm would be a fiendishly complex kit with a million parts. But not this resin 3D print, which has precisely two parts. A turret and a hull, the latter has all the mineclearing gubbins moulded on.

I had seriously thought about converting one of my spare Shermans into one of these, but this is just so much easier, if less satisfying.


This is a slightly cruder model than some of the B3D offerings as you can see from the engine deck, but the mine gear, pistons etc are very finely printed.

It sits very nicely though and looks just like the great hunk of metal it is.


It just got painted plain OD, and I added allied stars as none of these were sent to Russia. I puzzled a bit over which bits of the mine clearing gear to paint and in the end I did the piston shafts and drive shaft as oily metal. The actual rotating shaft I did OD but the mine chains are bare metal with a  liberal applications of mud and a wash. The whole thing got a lot of dust drybrushed onto it, particularly around the front, but t doesn't show up too well in the photos.

This one is a bit of indulgence, rather like the armoured bulldozer I got last year, but I have got a few scenarios in mind where it might get used. I'm sure you can never have too many armoured engineering vehicles.

 

8 comments:

  1. Fine looking vehicle, as engineering vehicles usually are. The occasional indulgence to add this to your collection, is good , and I approve. Not that you need my approval.

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    1. Thanks Ashley. I like the look of the engineering vehicles, but they take up so much space! I based my Crocodile trailer separately so I could use it as a gun tank, and I've vaguely thought about making some mine roller bases to go in front of T34s.

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  2. Very workmanlike Martin. The thing about tackling operational games is the need for lots of odd vehicles, if only in small quantities.
    Neil

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    1. Thanks Neil. Odd vehicles in small quantities is what I like. I actually thinned out my 15mm Sherman and Panzer IV collection a couple of years ago as I had far too many 'ordinary' tanks. I'll save the massed tank battles for 6mm.

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  3. Replies
    1. Thank you. I'm very glad it wasn't a kit I had to stick together, although I'm perhaps a bit disappointed in myself that I didn't just convert a standard Sherman. Getting lazy in my old age.

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  4. I like it and look forward to seeing it on the tabletop!

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    1. Thank you. Given my planned programme of games, it might be a while before it appears.

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