2008 FOV Image Collection

Your forum dedicated to 1/32nd and smaller plastic and metal figures and vehicles.
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Re: US Armament Industry

Post by uksubs » Sun Oct 14, 2007 11:49 am

lightning2000 wrote:Hi,
Much is made about the US armaments industry outpacing that of the Axis powers but I have to tell you that if it werent for the British, I'm not so sure our equipment would have been as useful on the battlefield as some people say. The British had to modify the M3 Lee and turn it into the M3 Grant before it could serve any useful purpose. The same goes for the M4 Sherman, when they upgunned it to the Firefly. Then, of course, it was the marriage of the British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine with the P-51 Mustang airframe that turned it into a legendary fighter. Lastly, the British provided us with their knowledge of radar as part of the early Lend-Lease agreement with Britain in return for all those obsolete destroyers. Makes you wonder how far we really would have gotten had it not been for their assistance.

Good post m8
Ive been to Omaha beach & seen the sacrifice the young Americans made & a lot of them were bomber crews
I just think it would be nice to see a 1/32 scale Cromwell , or Comet instead of Tigers , tigers

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Re: New FoV in '08 lineup ( ? )

Post by MG-42 » Sun Oct 14, 2007 12:37 pm

MG-42 wrote:

* Question :
................... Will the # 85701 KT w/ Porsche turret / and # 85210 , 251 Hanomag / PAK 40 combo , ( pictured ) be introduced in 1:32nd. scale ? *


>>> Hello ,.. nobody has answered my question yet.

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* In memory of ram04 - 7/15/12 *

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Post by Col.Pickle » Sun Oct 14, 2007 12:51 pm

yes! Finally a US truck! Thank you god! :D
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MG

Post by lightning2000 » Sun Oct 14, 2007 1:16 pm

Hello MG,
The Unimax SKUs that start with "85" represent 1:72 scale armament. It looks like they are also adding more of the Battle Extreme sets, which couples a vehicle with figs to make it a more deluxe set.

Dont forget that alot more stuff will be announced in February at Toy Fair. I also think they may be adding some more product after that, so they dont put all their eggs in one basket by announcing everything at once. I think its a good strategy cause it adds a bit of mystery to the line, something of great importance as more and more players enter the fray...

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Re: MG

Post by MG-42 » Sun Oct 14, 2007 1:56 pm

lightning2000 wrote:Hello MG,
The Unimax SKUs that start with "85" represent 1:72 scale armament. It looks like they are also adding more of the Battle Extreme sets, which couples a vehicle with figs to make it a more deluxe set.

Dont forget that alot more stuff will be announced in February at Toy Fair. I also think they may be adding some more product after that, so they dont put all their eggs in one basket by announcing everything at once. I think its a good strategy cause it adds a bit of mystery to the line, something of great importance as more and more players enter the fray...

Lightning2000
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>>> Thanks Lightning2000 ! *

....... * Bummer ! * :roll: * 1:72nd. , eh ! ... Figures ! * :(


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Post by ostketten » Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:26 pm

The M3 Lee would be a great candidate for a Lend-Lease repaint, as well. Look at this sloganed-up beauty:
Agree... this would be an important addition for collectors. In actual use, the Russians were less than ecstatic about the Lee, which was basically obsolete by the time we started shipping them to the Soviet Union. They were however, VERY fond of Spam. :lol: :lol: I remember reading somewhere that one of the more significant items the Soviets received as part of lend lease was... of all things... field telephone wire.. :? seems we supplied them with enough of the stuff to circle the globe like three times. :shock: :shock:
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Post by Rowsdower » Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:46 pm

One thing that I would love to see, a Korean war era Pershing and T-34. There were quite a few changes made to both tanks by then but it could still easily be done.

Also give me my damn Churchill already! It's huge and ugly and had tons of variants! Throw in a Char B as well! 8)
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Post by Fox Tare-28 » Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:54 pm

ostketten wrote:
Agree... this would be an important addition for collectors. In actual use, the Russians were less than ecstatic about the Lee, which was basically obsolete by the time we started shipping them to the Soviet Union. They were however, VERY fond of Spam. :lol: :lol: I remember reading somewhere that one of the more significant items the Soviets received as part of lend lease was... of all things... field telephone wire.. :? seems we supplied them with enough of the stuff to circle the globe like three times. :shock: :shock:


Well the Russian electronics industry was, for lack of a better word, craptacular. Hence the need for imported radios and field communications.

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Post by binder001 » Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:31 am

[quote="Rowsdower"]One thing that I would love to see, a Korean war era Pershing and T-34. There were quite a few changes made to both tanks by then but it could still easily be done.

OK, the M26 got a phone box on the right rear fender, and some fender braces. Not much of a change. Some of the M26s in RoK rode on rubber track instead of the WW2 steel track and some didn't have the rack on the turret side for the driver's foul weather hoods.

Gary

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Re: US Armament Industry

Post by demonclaw » Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:45 pm

lightning2000 wrote:Hi,
Much is made about the US armaments industry outpacing that of the Axis powers but I have to tell you that if it werent for the British, I'm not so sure our equipment would have been as useful on the battlefield as some people say. The British had to modify the M3 Lee and turn it into the M3 Grant before it could serve any useful purpose. The same goes for the M4 Sherman, when they upgunned it to the Firefly. Then, of course, it was the marriage of the British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine with the P-51 Mustang airframe that turned it into a legendary fighter. Lastly, the British provided us with their knowledge of radar as part of the early Lend-Lease agreement with Britain in return for all those obsolete destroyers. Makes you wonder how far we really would have gotten had it not been for their assistance.

As far as a Russian M3 Lee goes, you can always strip off the present set of decals and apply Russkie emblems. As a stand alone product, I'm not sure how a Soviet modified M3 Lee would do at the retail level, wedding Russian logos with a poorly performing vehicle.

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The Grant was just a small modification to the Lee and didn't really improve it that much . And back in 1942 when UK received their first Shermans for the Africa campaign it was the best tanks they had , so the stuff USA sent then was some of the best equipment at the time . You should also remember that the later modified Sherman tanks was only used by UK which only had 1 army in France (compared to the 3 US ones) , so they didn't play any big part in the final outcome .

You also seem to forget that USA had tons of up gunned and modified tanks themself like the Jackson and Wolverine tank destroyer , the "Easy Eight" Sherman that was all around better tank than the Pz IV , and the T34 (Calliope) mounted Sherman

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US Armament

Post by lightning2000 » Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:08 pm

Hi,
I'm not forgetting anything. Frankly, the Sherman was a pile of junk by the time we landed at Normandy in June 1944. It never stood a chance against the heavy and medium tanks the Germans were fielding. The Jackson and Wolverine were completely different vehicles from the Sherman. They were designed as "tank destroyers" not tanks, since the US Army still ascribed to the noton that tanks were designed to support the infantry and tank destroyers were intended to go toe-to-toe with the German tanks. Tell that to a US tanker crew meandering down a narrow country lane with a Panther at the other end training its gun on the tank! :shock:

Our leaders even decided to tell our tanker crews little about what they would face on the battlefield even after they had first hand knowledge passed along to them by our Allies and other US units. If it werent for our ground support aircraft, carpet bombing, German logistical issues, and the weight in the numbers favoring a battle of attrition, our units would have had a tough campaign through northwestern Europe. We even had to rush the Pershing into battle as another stopgap against some of the heavier German vehicles still appearing on the battlfield.

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Post by Hanomag » Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:23 pm

May I recommend the book "Death Traps"? It's a good read about the Sherman in battle. The US had some great innovative ideas in some things...but lacked in others. The same goes for the British and the German..etc etc. I wouldn't say anybody's tank was all around better.

I think you are both right.


Anyhow...read the book...it's great, albeit a little depressing.

-Hanomag

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Arab-Israeli Wars

Post by lightning2000 » Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:02 pm

True enough, but these were different circumstances than those faced in France. First, they were fighting against Russian tanks, not the German tanks I was referring to. Second, the distance to target was flat and for the most part unimpeded, particularly in the Sinai. European terrain, particularly in France, favored the defender. Third, the Israelis have become masters at armored warfare while I dare say the Arabs are still learning.

Because we entered the armored warfare game late as compared with other nations, we had to make up this lag with quantity over quality. This was compounded by the fact that other nations (France, Poland, England, Canada, etc.) were unable to produce tanks in substantial quantities to offset the Axis advantages, so here again, we had to go with numerical superiority and supply these nations with what were by 1944, inferior machines.

I think there's a sentimental attachment to the Sherman since it became synonymous with the war-winning goals espoused by the the Allies. That doesnt, however, mean it was the optimal vehicle for the job at hand. When it takes four Shermans to kill a lone Tiger, you may win the battle but try telling that to the three tank crews that were lost to take down that German cat.

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Post by Rowsdower » Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:02 pm

schizuki wrote:The Israelis put high-velocity 75mm and 105mm guns in those "crappy" Shermans and beat the hell out of Soviet-made Arab tanks.
Interesting WIKI read here. They used these beasts until the 70's! :shock: Beautiful tanks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Sherman
Last edited by Rowsdower on Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Rowsdower » Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:06 pm

binder001 wrote:OK, the M26 got a phone box on the right rear fender, and some fender braces. Not much of a change. Some of the M26s in RoK rode on rubber track instead of the WW2 steel track and some didn't have the rack on the turret side for the driver's foul weather hoods.

Gary
Hmm, ok well forget I said that. :P
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Re: US Armament

Post by demonclaw » Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:59 pm

lightning2000 wrote:Hi,
I'm not forgetting anything. Frankly,
Yes you did, you said that the US equipment was only made useful thanks to the british which was quite absurd as showed you
the Sherman was a pile of junk by the time we landed at Normandy in June 1944. It never stood a chance against the heavy and medium tanks the Germans were fielding.
And so were the german tanks back in 40-41 compared to the allied ones but that didn't stop em from taking France and almost reaching Moscow , just because a tank is inferior to the enemy's doesn't mean it's useless . The Sherman had two strengths which was its speed and reliability which was just what the Allies needed for the Normandy breakthrough and the encirclement at Falaise , just like the blitzkrieg the allied air superiority limited the enemy's movement allowing the tanks to penetrate fast and deep . I must also say that the USM4A1(76)W Sherman with a 76mm gun was available at the Normandy so they actually already had a tank that could take on the German ones , but being produced across the Atlantic meant that they didn't come in any significant number until late 1944 .
The Jackson and Wolverine were completely different vehicles from the Sherman. They were designed as "tank destroyers" not tanks, since the US Army still ascribed to the noton that tanks were designed to support the infantry and tank destroyers were intended to go toe-to-toe with the German tanks. Tell that to a US tanker crew meandering down a narrow country lane with a Panther at the other end training its gun on the tank! :shock:
The firefly was also a tank-destroyer and it was a modefied Sherman just like the Wolverine and the Jackson . The reason why I brought it up was to prove that the Americans also had modified tanks
Our leaders even decided to tell our tanker crews little about what they would face on the battlefield even after they had first hand knowledge passed along to them by our Allies and other US units. If it werent for our ground support aircraft, carpet bombing, German logistical issues, and the weight in the numbers favoring a battle of attrition, our units would have had a tough campaign through northwestern Europe. We even had to rush the Pershing into battle as another stopgap against some of the heavier German vehicles still appearing on the battlfield.
Thats completely wrong , the allied commanders did pass the information about the new german tanks to the crews as one can see in old manuals , they even made some very gloomy casualty prediction because of em (that thankfully didn't come true) . And the air superiority was the same reason why the blitzkrieg was such a success and Guderian also said that any armored offensive required air superiority . So air support was not just something that gave a helping had to the ground forces it was a neccessarity for any offensive by both sides . And they definitely didn't rush the Pershing to Europe since it actually saw limited production because they wanted to see its battleworthiness first , which was the reason why only 20 was sent during january 1945

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Tanks

Post by lightning2000 » Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:09 am

Friend, I didnt say the Sherman was useless, I said it was a pile of junk. It helps to read someone's comments before you attempt to take a stand. I also take it, you've never seen any of the documentaries on the Military Channel or History Channel that back up what I'm saying about the Sherman. It had a low velocity gun, went up in flames within seconds of being hit, had poor armor, and had a high silhouette. About the only thing it could do well was move at high speed and traverse its gun faster than some of the German heavies. You're going to dispute all of that when virtually any tanker would have rather served in a Panther or Tiger instead of a Sherman?

My original comment was that alot of our so-called first line equipment had to be improved by the British to make it more battleworthy. You're going off on a million tangents explaining why the Sherman wasnt a bad tank. The Israelis had no choice but to use the Shermans since they had few options early on. Making huge quantities of an item doesnt necessarily guarantee its success. We won because we used combined arms better than the Germans later in the war, had complete air supremacy, better logistical system and virtually more of everything as compared with the Axis. Dont confuse all of that with the supposed success of the Sherman on the battlefield.

Oh, and I also forgot how it took the British to perfect the Corsair during landings on carriers before our own forces could use them effectively. Much is written about how the British owe alot to the US for what they did in the war. The same holds true of the US owing alot to the British for making our equipment more capable under wartime operations.

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Post by Tshintl » Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:18 am

I would never ever use the History Channel as a source to go off of. There have been many a hole poked into some of the things they have said over the years. I personally would stick to some of the experts in a specific field to go off of, the History Channel not being one of them.

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Post by ostketten » Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:23 am

Both you guys have made some valid points. I've seen debates like this rage on for weeks at some of the other military forums I hang out at, and there are arguments both for and against the Sherman, and IMHO the truth lies somewhere in the middle of the arguments both pro and con. In the final analysis and in the context of it's intended purpose there is little doubt that the Sherman was an effective weapon, in spite of it's many flaws and shortcomings, and when you attempt to gauge a particular weapon systems worth, I think it's imperative that it be done In Toto, that is to say in it's entirety, and in this respect the Sherman is generally considered to have been a success.
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Post by rose4472g » Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:54 am

Tshintl wrote:I would never ever use the History Channel as a source to go off of. There have been many a hole poked into some of the things they have said over the years. I personally would stick to some of the experts in a specific field to go off of, the History Channel not being one of them.



In fact in one program, in which the Tiger and Sherman were compared "head to head" the History Channel declared the Sherman the winner! :lol: :lol: In spite of the fact that the asked several Sherman crewmembers what they would have prefered to ride, they all said Tigers of course. I once watched an rerun of the above show whitch was followed immediately by "The Best Ten Tanks of All Time" (or somthing near that) Sherman rated 10, Tiger rated 3. Back to back contridiction. Their, hour long, "History of the Tank" was so bad I got into an email war with someone representing the History Channel who flat out told me they were not concerned with accuracy! They felt their audiences didn't require it :? HChannel? watch it with the sound off :lol:
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Post by lightning2000 » Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:03 am

In regard to the program you mentioned, the actual conclusion should have stated a platoon of Shermans won against a Tiger, not a singular vehicle as some people seem to think.

I think that there were plenty of instance where a lone Sherman got the drop on a German tank too, such as Wittmann's final battle. Its important to consider all of the circumstances that go into an engagement before annointing one vehicle as the better of two similar weapons systems.

For instance, the King Tiger proved itself more troublseome than it was worth in the Battle of the Bulge, where it was slow, relegated to roads, and suffered from supply issues throughout the battle. Now, if it were a flat battlefield, under perfect conditions and in a one-to-one setting, then the King Tiger might have faired better against a lighter and more lightly armed Sherman.

The probelm too is that many people feel they can judge a Sherman vs. a German late war tank in the same context as say a Spitfire vs. a Bf 109 during the Battle of Britain. In ground warfare, there are far more variables to consider than in a pure air-to-air engagement.

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Post by ostketten » Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:13 am

Now, if it were a flat battlefield, under perfect conditions and in a one-to-one setting, then the King Tiger might have faired better against a lighter and more lightly armed Sherman.
That is precisely the great caveat about war.... the belligerents rarely, if ever, get to pick and choose the venue and conditions for battle, it's the big "equalizer" of warfare, and has been throughout history.
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Re: Tanks

Post by demonclaw » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:17 am

lightning2000 wrote:Friend, I didnt say the Sherman was useless, I said it was a pile of junk. It helps to read someone's comments before you attempt to take a stand.
"Pile of Junk" is usually a term used for useless stuff , so you should have writen something else if like "inferior" or "outdated"

I also take it, you've never seen any of the documentaries on the Military Channel or History Channel that back up what I'm saying about the Sherman. It had a low velocity gun, went up in flames within seconds of being hit, had poor armor, and had a high silhouette. About the only thing it could do well was move at high speed and traverse its gun faster than some of the German heavies. You're going to dispute all of that when virtually any tanker would have rather served in a Panther or Tiger instead of a Sherman?
I never argued that the Sherman was equal to the Tiger or Panther but it was still very useful in the hand of a skilled commander . And you seem to ignore that the allies improved the armor and the gun on many shermans so that it could take on the german zoo (tigers, panthers , elephants get it ) . The big disadvantage the western allies had was that most of the equipment came from across the Atlantic so it would always take a long time before the new tanks arrived , so it was the slow transportation that kept most of the Sherman's outdated not the design . And the last comment is kind of ignorant since any tanker would prefer something better , I bet most of the german tanker would rather have a JS-2 . But all sides used mostly medium tanks so its that what we have to compare and the later Sherman was better than any german medium tank .


My original comment was that alot of our so-called first line equipment had to be improved by the British to make it more battleworthy.
And I wrote that the US did improve their tanks on their own , what the British did was improve the tanks they used not the US ones .

You're going off on a million tangents explaining why the Sherman wasnt a bad tank. The Israelis had no choice but to use the Shermans since they had few options early on. Making huge quantities of an item doesnt necessarily guarantee its success. We won because we used combined arms better than the Germans later in the war, had complete air supremacy, better logistical system and virtually more of everything as compared with the Axis. Dont confuse all of that with the supposed success of the Sherman on the battlefield.
And to take advantage of all those things you need a fast and reliable tank which the Sherman was , do I still have to remind you that the germans mostly used Panzer III's against t-34's and kV1's in 41 . If the allies had relied on more heavy tanks for the sacrifice of maneuverability and speed they might not have been so successfully in the Normandy campaign (the Churchill is a good example of that ) ,so the Sherman was a good tank in the role it played for the allies .

Oh, and I also forgot how it took the British to perfect the Corsair during landings on carriers before our own forces could use them effectively. Much is written about how the British owe alot to the US for what they did in the war. The same holds true of the US owing alot to the British for making our equipment more capable under wartime operations.
Thats true but the main reason USA didn't rush it was because the Hellcat was smaller (more planes on a carrier) , more reliable ,cheaper (you could get 5 hellcats for 3 Corsairs ) and more than capable to take on any japanese plane . Making the Corsair able to land on carriers is still a very good accomplishment but it didn't really affect anything until USA started to invade the Japanese islands

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