Sheridan in Veitnam

[digger303]

Yes I know this is a gulf war kit, but also included in it are all the items needed to create a Veitnam version except for the decals. I have a friend willing to part with a complete set for one vehicle.




It might be noted that these tracks are not quite correct. They should have little molded in rubber blocks in the indents. I'm not sure what to do about that I'm not wanting to spend twice as much on a set of fruils as what the kit cost and even though its a ok kit it's not that worthy.

I should also say here that I did intend to build a Ontos and was totally looking forward to that, but Aust Post lost it. I have no idea how they succeeded in that It was perfectly well labeled and addressed. They also managed to lose a little package of Quinta decals which is still being investigated the Ontos they have washed their collective hands of.
So the Sheridan is a last minute substitute

The obligatory short cut and paste history of the Sheridan.

It was trialed here in Australia, but deemed to be inadequate for our needs due to a few short comings.

1.The Sheridan was a more stable vehicle during amphibious operation compared to the M113, but required the vehicle commander to guide the driver as the clear panels in the bow plane were usually under water or so damaged the driver could not see safely.

2.The M81 152 mm Gun/ Launcher, capable of firing missiles as well as conventional ammunition, was not a success. Both conventional ammunition and missiles were fired during trials, the most serious defect being in the combustible case of the conventional round. Although the case was supposed to be completely combustible, the breech scavenging system did not completely remove debris, which often fell into the turret upon breech opening. Personnel involved in the trials indicated that this was a major problem. Because of the possibility of these hot debris falling into the turret where large calibre rounds with combustible cases were stored, only one live round at a time was allowed in the vehicle. In addition the obscuration produced when such a large calibre round was fired, and the lack of a range finder, limited the effective range to somewhere around 600 metres.

Sometime in early 1969, the 2 vehicles were returned to the US workshops in Japan for rebuild. It was thought that they were then redeployed to Veitnam.

It was also a tank like the M113 constructed from aluminum so didn't have a lot of armor capability against anything bigger than a pop gun.

WIKIPEDIA SAY'S
The M551 "Sheridan" AR/AAV (Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle) was a light tank developed by the United States and named after General Philip Sheridan, of American Civil War fame. It was designed to be landed by parachute and to swim across rivers. It was armed with the technically advanced but troublesome M81/M81 Modified/M81E1 152mm gun/launcher, which fired both conventional ammunition and the MGM-51 Shillelagh guided anti-tank missile.

The M551 Sheridan entered service with the United States Army in 1967. At the urging of General Creighton Abrams, the U.S. Commander, Military Assistance Command Vietnam, at the time, the M551 was rushed into combat service in South Vietnam in January 1969. In April and August 1969, M551s were deployed to units in Europe and South Korea, respectively.[3] Now retired from service, it saw extensive combat in the Vietnam War, and limited service in Operation Just Cause in Panama, and the Persian Gulf War in Kuwait.[3]

The Army sought to replace the Sheridan with the M8 Armored Gun System, but this was canceled in 1996, late in its development. The Sheridan was retired without a replacement in 1996.[4]

A large bulk of Sheridans were retained in service at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California and as Armor Officer Basic training at Armor Training Center, then located at Fort Knox, Kentucky. They worked as simulated Soviet armored opposition force (OPFOR) to train U.S. military units on simulated tank on tank armored combat to test on combat effectiveness in a desert environment. They were finally retired from the NTC in 2003.[5]

[Garion77]

You seem more in your element with armor my friend
this will be nice to follow ! hope to learn a few things along the way to start an amor build one day...have a few in my stash...not sure they are all good kits though ; and a lot are pretty old.

[digger303]

You seem more in your element with armor my friend
this will be nice to follow ! hope to learn a few things along the way to start an amor build one day...have a few in my stash...not sure they are all good kits though ; and a lot are pretty old.

Thanks Francis and yes I was hanging out to build some armor again. Not sure that you'll learn much from me there's 9 or 10 more talent and experienced guys than me here. Quite liking the Pfalz build so I'll be doing more of these WW1 subjects I think. The rigging has me temporarily stumped.
A lot of older kits are still pretty good. I'm not a big fan of vinyl wheels or tracks having had them fail on me or shrink. I believe some will even eat your plastic on the old old kits. Plus flash and mold line clean up can be a bugger.

[aur0ra145]

Cool history, I had no idea it was a dual launcher/gun tube. Also, in service until 2003?! That's insane. I'm looking forward to seeing this build, should be a fun one!

[digger303]

Cool history, I had no idea it was a dual launcher/gun tube. Also, in service until 2003?! That's insane. I'm looking forward to seeing this build, should be a fun one!

I wonder what they meant by troublesome weapon system.....blow them selves up by hot debri falling out the breech or the missile not going where it was supposed to.
You would have thought they would have been able to fix that.

[RangerNeil]

Cool history, I had no idea it was a dual launcher/gun tube. Also, in service until 2003?! That's insane. I'm looking forward to seeing this build, should be a fun one!

I wonder what they meant by troublesome weapon system.....blow them selves up by hot debri falling out the breech or the missile not going where it was supposed to.
You would have thought they would have been able to fix that.

I remember talking to a US tankie out in Germany and the Sheridan coming up in the conversation. According to him the US also had issues with the main weapon. As the article points out the breech scavenger wasn't always entirely successful in removing the residual and - more importantly - burning remains of the cartridges so when the gunner opened the breech to reload the still-burning remnants fell out. Usually onto the store of cartridges located below and behind the breech. According to him they had one or two near-misses before crews started making "field mods" to reduce the problem. Amazing how this hobby can trigger long forgotten memories.

Kit itself looks good from the photos and will be an interesting one to follow!

[DRUMS01]

The missile system and thin armor did not prove well for the vehicle either. I believe only a couple or hand full of the missiles were ever fired in combat. As a light recon vehicle to support infantry it stood up well. The the gun proved an effective anti-personnel weapon when used with either the M657 HE shell or the M625 canister round, which used thousands of flechettes as projectiles.

DRUMS01 / Ben

[digger303]

The missile system and thin armor did not prove well for the vehicle either. I believe only a couple or hand full of the missiles were ever fired in combat. As a light recon vehicle to support infantry it stood up well. The the gun proved an effective anti-personnel weapon when used with either the M657 HE shell or the M625 canister round, which used thousands of flechettes as projectiles.

DRUMS01 / Ben

Cool history, I had no idea it was a dual launcher/gun tube. Also, in service until 2003?! That's insane. I'm looking forward to seeing this build, should be a fun one!

I wonder what they meant by troublesome weapon system.....blow them selves up by hot debri falling out the breech or the missile not going where it was supposed to.
You would have thought they would have been able to fix that.

I remember talking to a US tankie out in Germany and the Sheridan coming up in the conversation. According to him the US also had issues with the main weapon. As the article points out the breech scavenger wasn't always entirely successful in removing the residual and - more importantly - burning remains of the cartridges so when the gunner opened the breech to reload the still-burning remnants fell out. Usually onto the store of cartridges located below and behind the breech. According to him they had one or two near-misses before crews started making "field mods" to reduce the problem. Amazing how this hobby can trigger long forgotten memories.

Kit itself looks good from the photos and will be an interesting one to follow!

Good to know guys. Its always better too hear the stories than dry reports that many didn't really want to write.

[digger303]

The last couple of nights in front of the telly I've done this. It isn't a lot, but looks ok except the black extra thin really shows up.
All the wheels are done, lower hull and half the turret.



Cheers guys

[Tomcat64]

I missed this one sneaking in - will be interesting to see how it compares to the Tamiya kit, but definitely good to see you back in more familiar territory

[digger303]

I missed this one sneaking in - will be interesting to see how it compares to the Tamiya kit, but definitely good to see you back in more familiar territory

It is a bit of a relief to be back with a tank in front of me....sorry for almost sneaking it in

Well It's all most built just a few bits deliberately left off until My Passion models Pe set arrives.


I went with the old school wire screens for the turret rack. I must say I had a bit of a time trying to get it stuck to the plastic. Ca peeled off even after cleaning the plastic, so I went with Delux Materials Plastic Magic and this worked reasonably well but I don't think it will be that strong a bond so I'll have to be extra careful not to press on it.


Then a top view to show how I slop the glue around with abandonment. That black cement is both good and embarrassing....


Guess that means back to Pfalz for now....

[Quax]

wow that really came together quickly, I couldn't use the black cement as all my kits would look pre primed....

certainly looks good though and its interesting that the rear bin is a different shape from the Tamiya one.

Paul

[digger303]

wow that really came together quickly, I couldn't use the black cement as all my kits would look pre primed....

certainly looks good though and its interesting that the rear bin is a different shape from the Tamiya one.

Paul

Yeas it didn't take long and the rear bin I'm told is the right one for Vietnam by a friend who has VN as his centre of interest. The kit came with another rear bin which is for the gulf war.

My PE arrived today so I'm back building here again adding as much PE tonight as my eye's will allow.
Ready set Go..



Under construction

Completed the front anti rocket grenade shield which wasn't fitted to every Sheridan and that's all I did today

[Tomcat64]

Nice start on the PE - that mesh will definitely add detail

[BigWall]

Nice looking PE net and good soldering!

[digger303]

Nice looking PE net and good soldering!

Nice start on the PE - that mesh will definitely add detail

Thanks guys.
Those ceramic tweezers while not top quality certainly change the dynamics or sticking 3 pieces together in close proximity to each other without the heat causing the one just soldered to fall off.
The mesh being pe is easy to deform as it would bush bashing, but not too flimsy either.

[digger303]

Hi Guys.
It was like this

and now it's like this

I messed up and sprayed the green first so I attempted to airbrush my wheels free hand being a bit lazy, but no matter how careful I try to be there is always that one spot where the hand to eye coordination fails.

So I went back and did it the proper way with a stencil.
It's not really noticeable ,but I did spray this a darker green then went back over with a more faded OD. Didn't really work that well while lightning it some the mottled effect is too restrained to almost non existent. Probably because I was greedy in trying to achieve 2 outcomes in the one operation. I might add some light yellow green colour to the aqua gloss in a very light mix....just a few drops.
cheers one and all.

[DRUMS01]

Are you going to keep this one color (green) or are you going to make it a three tone Vietnam period camouflage?

The lighter shade of OD will most likely not be an issue if your going to dirty the drive line in the powder like red clay of the Vietnam area, right?

Will there be stowage and personnel on the vehicle too?

[digger303]

Are you going to keep this one color (green) or are you going to make it a three tone Vietnam period camouflage?

The lighter shade of OD will most likely not be an issue if your going to dirty the drive line in the powder like red clay of the Vietnam area, right?

Will there be stowage and personnel on the vehicle too?

Just a dirty green I think and yes I do have a little stowage to add, ammo, jerry cans, tarps and if I can get it some fencing. As it was used at times to keep the cong from crawling in at night.
I've got some red dust and mud to add too. Tracks are almost complete even though they aren't accurate ( missing the rubber pads ) and I'm waiting for my decals to arrive. I'll move on and paint the stowage and details soon. I don't have any figures for this so it's all buttoned up.
Thanks for taking a look.

[Tomcat64]

The paintwork looks nice and smooth to me in those photos mate

The additional stowage will properly bring it all to life

[digger303]

The paintwork looks nice and smooth to me in those photos mate

The additional stowage will properly bring it all to life

Thanks Neil.

[BigWall]

It's coming along nicely Digger

[MrBowcat]

I'd managed to miss this build up to now so just caught up. Nice work Digger, the PE soldering is particularly impressive (mainly 'cos I'm crap at soldering).

[WordenB]

Looking really good, I also noticed how lovely and smooth your paint finish is. Looking forward to the next installment!

[digger303]

It's coming along nicely Digger

Thank you.

I'd managed to miss this build up to now so just caught up. Nice work Digger, the PE soldering is particularly impressive (mainly 'cos I'm crap at soldering).

Thanks BC. Soldering the wire mesh was the hardest bit trying to get enough heat in the job without causing a melt down.

Looking really good, I also noticed how lovely and smooth your paint finish is. Looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you, I can't really put that down to any expertise I have. Mr Hobby leveling thinner and a airbrush that atomizes the paint evenly must take the credit there I think.

I've not got a lot worth posting atm. I've added some mud and dried mud to the lower hull and wheels. Honestly not sure it looks right an d that applies to hull paint/ fading/weathering too. Plus I'm got some stowage to work on to and when that is done I'll post another pic.
Thanks for taking a interest guys.

[Garion77]

Nice progress my friend ! It's true ! the paint looks a really, really smooth ! Really great job on that !

[digger303]

Nice progress my friend ! It's true ! the paint looks a really, really smooth ! Really great job on that !

Thank you....shame about the rest of the build .....

[digger303]

Making progress on the build, but My mate has been a bit slow off the mark then he got crook. So I'm stalled waiting for the decals to arrive. I got a little frustrated waiting for them and I was in the groove doing the weathering and I should have stopped at the lower hull however in my eagerness it crept up the sides and as I used the permanent fixing agent it can't be removed now I waited too long. So the up shot is the decals are going over the top and will have to be blended in.



I still have the stowage and the MG to fit, but again I'll wait until the decals are here.

everyone

edit.
OOP'S ......I didn't notice the turret wasn't sitting down proper.....

[Tomcat64]

Nice work on weathering up the running gear - I think it looks with the grime up onto the hull sides and hopefully you can reblend it once the decals are on.

Looking good mate - especially with the turret jacked up for extra range

[Donkeywalloper]

Oh my, what a master-class in Armour building.
Its a beautiful build and haven't built a Sheridan, but they are very modern and Sci-Fi in looks.
Sorry to hear about Postal problems, seems this is Global and not just our dear old Rubbish Royal Mail.

DW

[BigWall]

the lower hull is looking great Digger! You got the weathering to just the right level I believe.

[digger303]

Nice work on weathering up the running gear - I think it looks with the grime up onto the hull sides and hopefully you can reblend it once the decals are on.

Looking good mate - especially with the turret jacked up for extra range

Yep a field modification

Oh my, what a master-class in Armour building.
Its a beautiful build and haven't built a Sheridan, but they are very modern and Sci-Fi in looks.
Sorry to hear about Postal problems, seems this is Global and not just our dear old Rubbish Royal Mail.

DW

Thank you kindly.
Your postal service is a something ours should aspire too a real shining light. Been a age now, over a year and they are still running the old unexpected number of parcels is resulting in a slow down of deliveries excuse. It's now taking 14 days just to complete the last leg of a delivery...standard post. I think they might be trying to make people go express, but still be slow. Squeezing a few more dollars out of everyone.

the lower hull is looking great Digger! You got the weathering to just the right level I believe.

Thank you, I need to work on my paint fading skills with the oil dot technique on the upper hull, but I'm too chicken to try it just yet. I'm just not sure on how to proceed with that.

[BigWall]

Thank you, I need to work on my paint fading skills with the oil dot technique on the upper hull, but I'm too chicken to try it just yet. I'm just not sure on how to proceed with that.

Grab an old model and go to town. Lighter colors/more paint = more faded. Fade evenly/fade randomly. Totally up to what looks right to you. Oils are so easy to adjust and remove once down. I'm starting to use them for more and more things.

[digger303]

Thank you, I need to work on my paint fading skills with the oil dot technique on the upper hull, but I'm too chicken to try it just yet. I'm just not sure on how to proceed with that.

Grab an old model and go to town. Lighter colors/more paint = more faded. Fade evenly/fade randomly. Totally up to what looks right to you. Oils are so easy to adjust and remove once down. I'm starting to use them for more and more things.

I took your advice , but didn't go too heavy. Stuffed up at first and turned it into a wash. With some restraint I got this effect.


I then went on and tried to add a light dust over the top. My camera had a hissy fit then and decided everything should be more brown and the green washed out.

AS you can see I've added the stowage, painted the fire handle , lights, added the MG, added the viewing port in the bow wave deflector . My decals will be posted tomorrow and I might get them by Friday if I'm lucky then all I have to do is apply the matte varnish and I'm done.

M551 service life was pretty dismal. It's shells were prone to splitting in half during firing spilling propellant into the combat cabin causing fires and in Vietnam the M551 Sheridan proved invaluable as its light weight allowed it to traverse mud better than most vehicles but suffered from a low rate of fire in combat. This resulted in the M551 Sheridan spending much of its time as a tow truck pulling heavier vehicles out of the mud as the tropical humidity tended to short circuit its electrical firing system.
Not a very successful outcome at all. Bit of a lemon you might say.
However.

"After Vietnam, the U.S. Army had large numbers of Sheridan light tanks available that only airborne units wanted. There were proposals to scrap the M551 Sheridan program but cooler heads prevailed and in 1980, the bulk of the M551 Sheridan light tanks were sent to the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California. The NTC was tasked with providing realistic ground training to U.S. Military units that involved simulated tank on tank armored combat in a desert environment. This was an early recognition that many of the U.S. Military’s future battles would be in the Middle East. The M551 Sheridan was an ideal vehicle to form the nucleus of the Soviet opposition force (OPFOR) and early exercises had the Sheridan’s operating in conjunction with local infantry from Army and United States Marine Corps units to test the combat effectiveness of U.S. and NATO Military units from around the world.

One of the early changes made to the M551 Sheridan was to make the tanks look more like the Soviet made equipment that the U.S. Military would encounter in the Middle East. Some of these changes were as simple as replacing the 152mm main gun with a fake barrel to make the vehicle look like a Soviet BMP-1. But other changes were as radical as adding fiberglass body panels so that a Sheridan light tank looked like a Soviet T-72 main battle tank. Each tank was equipped with sensors to pick up laser signals indicating if the vehicle had been hit by a simulated round. A red light on the tank would light up to indicate a kill.
The combination of highly experienced Sheridan tank crews with infantry that practiced a radical form of combined arms maneuver warfare shocked many of the early units that went to the National Training Center. Exercises would be repeated until the visiting unit could master the OPFOR and this highly realistic training did much to prepare the U.S. Military for the 1991 Gulf War. The Soldiers and Marines who went to Kuwait and then into Iraq found themselves fighting an enemy less capable than the one they had been fighting in the Mojave desert for the previous decade.

The M551 Sheridan was retired in 2003 from the NTC, but it did get it’s day in the sun. During the 1991 Gulf War, there was concern that the Iraqi Republican Guard would cross the border into Saudi Arabia. This led to a hasty deployment of U.S. Army airborne forces with their Sheridan light tanks which then deployed along the border. The reality was that the M551 Sheridan wouldn’t have fared well against an Iraqi T-72, but that was something the Iraqi Army didn’t know. The sudden appearance of large numbers of American Sheridan light tanks along the Saudi Arabian border was enough to cause the Iraqi Army to pause and gave the Allied coalition enough time to mass sufficient forces in Saudi Arabia to prevent an invasion. For the second time in its career, the M551 Sheridan proved its worth by never firing a shot in anger."

Interesting history.

[BigWall]

It looks great Digger! I'm looking forward to seeing it wrapped up.

[digger303]

It looks great Digger! I'm looking forward to seeing it wrapped up.

Thanks I also forgot because I had put it away for safety the mesh screen has to go on too, work of but a minute.

[Quax]

its all come together rather nicely, I think the fading looks the part!

Paul

[digger303]

its all come together rather nicely, I think the fading looks the part!

Paul

Thanks Paul.

Just a minor update, but it in my mind ads another dimension to the kit. A field modification to cope with shoulder mounted missiles fitted with H.E.A.T warheads.

[BigWall]

Definitely an addition that adds a lot to the kit. It's really looking nice!

[Tomcat64]

Really nice work mate - I switched to oils for weathering a couple of years ago after chatting to Stokesy about it; it's definitely opened up a whole new world of possibilities. I still end up turning them into washes if I'm too heavy handed though so lots to learn!

Anyways enough rambling - I think you've turned out a great result with the weathering and the screen on the front looks really cool

[digger303]

Definitely an addition that adds a lot to the kit. It's really looking nice!

Thank you BW it might not be historically accurate for this particular tank, but it was used at that time in that war. The same can be said for the little fences that were used to guard against the vc sneaking in at night and laying charges under the armor.

Really nice work mate - I switched to oils for weathering a couple of years ago after chatting to Stokesy about it; it's definitely opened up a whole new world of possibilities. I still end up turning them into washes if I'm too heavy handed though so lots to learn!

Anyways enough rambling - I think you've turned out a great result with the weathering and the screen on the front looks really cool

Thanks TC .

My latest addition put together today is these star posts and fence


Getting so close to hanging up the spurs on this one....in a good way

[digger303]

Thanking you all for following along.The completed build shots can be found here.
viewtopic.php?f=753&t=30135