Armourfast M10's pt1

As I am sure many of you have already heard, the US theory on armoured platoons during WW2  was that tanks (like the Sherman and Lee) had the role of supporting infantry (against other infantry, destroying pillboxes, buildings, etc.). They were not made to take on other tanks. That job was given to tank destroyer support squadron's, who had tanks given special ammunition made to better pierce armour, and extra speed and mobility, to get around the the enemy easier.

Now, after that short history lesson, onto the models. I was planning my US armoured support, and saw that I needed some M10's to take on some of the heavier German tanks. Armourfast seem to be the only plastic company to sell them, so I had no choice.

They went together well enough, but one major problem I (and many others) have with them is that they have a floor in the turret, with no detail whatsoever. Usually it comes without a breech for the gun, but strangely, I found two added loose in the box. It must have been something they added on after many years of complaints.                                                                                              

                              

My solution was to cut the floor *rather crudely* to make a single strip of plastic for the floor, getting rid of most of it, but still making it possible to use (without getting things too complicating). If any of you are looking into superdetailing one like this, I found a great thread a while back: 

http://www.militarymodelling.com/forums/postings.asp?th=20107&p=1

As you can see in the example above, the pieces do not go together as well they should. I am really glad the breech came with the kit, that way I don't have to make a new one. The crew figures will block out the strip of plastic used as the joint, therefore it will give off the illusion that there is no floor (at the same level as the turret). The shells are simply the ends of toothpicks.

They look a little bare, but I bet some Shellcrates and Jerrycans will make it look more living. These things would make a big project if one was looking into superdetailing them. But left as they are, they are definetly not display models, but cheep scale representations with plenty of room for improvement. 

I will look into getting a more Brown/Drab Spray for these, and the Us Armour I will be receiving soon enough.

Thanks for reading!