The M6 37mm GMC (also called the "Fargo") was one of the US Army's first tank destroyers, and saw action in Tunisia in 1943. It was a total failure, being undergunned and underarmored (and is really more a "softskin" than an AFV). Many of these vehicles were re-converted back to unarmed weapons carriers after the Africa campaign. The crew has tried to blend the vehicle in with the Tunisian landscape by applying mud to the vehicle over the olive drab paint.
This is an old ESCI kit. Lately ITALERI has re-released the Dodge W51 weapons carrier version, so we might see this kit re-issued as well. The modifications I made was adding a windshield out of clear plastic, windshield wipers, some string as a tow cable, and I reduced the chassis' clearance over the wheels by about 1mm (a common criticism of this kit was that it rode too high off the wheels). Further modifications could be adding lots of stowage slung to the gun shield, and replacing the crew with better sculpted figures.
Developed from theT41 and T47 HMCs (Howitzer Motor Carriage) the M8 HMC
was based on the M5 Stuart Chassis. It carried an M1A1 75mm pack howitzer
with 40 degrees elevation and 20 degrees depression and 46 rounds of ammo.
1,778 vehicles were built by Cadillac and saw action in Northwest Europe
and Italy.
RAFM produces this 25mm metal kit, which actually scales out nicely to 1/76. The model is a bit crude (the guide teeth on the inside of the tracks are poorly detailed, and you can see where my drybrushing has highlit some molding seams...) as it is primarily designed for wargaming, but some extra detailling can make this a nice display model. The figure is actually an Atlantic US Marine.
This is an example of "kit-bashing", i.e. combining parts from two different kits to create a new model
I used the chassis of an M4A3 Sherman tank (manufactured by ESCI) and the turret of an M36B2 gun motor carriage (from FUJIMI). The resulting vehicle is the M36B1, of which only 187 were produced in 1944. I had to file down the fume evacuator near the muzzle brake, as these were only fitted on M36B2s used after WWII.
This is one way to generate a model of a lesser known vehicle, and often reflects the manner in which new vehicles were produced, for example by placing newly designed turrets onto existing chassis designs.
The Gun Motor Carriage M18 was one of the finest tank destroyers of WWII,
being the fastest fully tracked AFV of that period. Known as the "Hellcat"
it saw action on the western and Italian fronts. Hit and run tactics allowed
units equipped with this vehicle to achieve a high kill ratio.
CRUSADER MODELS produced this resin 1/76 scale model. I added the figures, MG, cable, fenders and decals.
Serving as the backbone of American Tank Destroyer units, the M10 saw service on all fronts, first put into action in Tunesia in 1943. It was one of the few allied vehicles on the Western Front that could cope with the German Panther tank. This model is made from a FUJIMI M36 Jackson chassis with a CRUSADER MODELS turret (with the late version "duckbill" counterweights).
I had to make three major modifications: first, the bow MG had to be removed; the model is simply incorrect in adding it (neither the M10 nor the Jackson had one!). Second, I filed down the applique armor bolts (which were merely little nubs) and replaced them with scratchbuilt units. Third, I replaced the Fujimi roadwheels (which were a bit small) with Airfix Sherman wheels (Matchbox Firefly wheels would also do). Other than that, I loaded the tank up with stowage, which was not uncommon for TDs in action.