United States tanks and other armored fighting vehicles in World War II have always been some of the most popular subjects for scale modelers, and hundreds of kits have been and are currently manufactured. Now, renowned modeler and AFV expert, Steven J. Zaloga, presents the definitive guide to modeling these famous fighting vehicles. Based around four building projects, Zaloga presents all the techniques necessary to get a great finish on a model, including super-detailing, correcting a flawed kit, building a resin model, scratch building, and painting and markings. These step-by-step guides is enhanced by numerous photographs specially shot form Steven's personal collection of US WWII armor, which looks at the vehicles with a modeler's eye and aid in obtaining the most realistic results on a finished project.

• Hundreds of photos, including many never published before with riveting accounts of armored warfare in World War II • Compares the Sherman to other tanks, including the Panther and Tiger • Author is a world-renowned expert on the Sherman tank and American armor Some tank crews referred to the American M4 Sherman tank as a "death trap." Others, like Gen. George Patton, believed that the Sherman helped win World War II. So which was it: death trap or war winner? Armor expert Steven Zaloga answers that question by recounting the Sherman's combat history. Focusing on Northwest Europe (but also including a chapter on the Pacific), Zaloga follows the Sherman into action on D-Day, among the Normandy hedgerows, during Patton's race across France, in the great tank battle at Arracourt in September 1944, at the Battle of the Bulge, across the Rhine, and in the Ruhr pocket in 1945.

A survey of the different types of tanks used by armored battalions in the United States Army during World War II.

Aimed at military model makers and wargamers who are interested in the armoured fighting vehicles of the United States as used throughout World War II, this book follows on from Modelling British World War II Armoured Vehicles by the same author. The book places its emphasis on US Army and US Marine Corps AFVs modelled mainly in 1/72 and 1/48 scales, in a deliberate departure from the more popular 1/35 scale, to encourage and inspire model makers who are new to or less familiar with these scales. Illustrated with over 270 colour photos this book features every major US AFV used in World War II, with many models shown in various stages of construction and paintings. It presents step-by-step guides demonstrating the painting techniques appropriate for different scales and includes an additional section showing how to paint wargames models. There is also a review of how the USA developed tanks and other armoured vehicles from the interwar period through to the end of World War II. This fascinating story will help model makers and wargamers give the vehicles they build an historical context.

During World War II, the US Marine Corps formed six tank battalions that battled through the harsh conditions of the Pacific Theatre. Using the same basic tanks as the US Army, notably the M3 and M5A1 light tanks and the M4 Sherman medium tank, the marines made both technical and tactical innovations to make them more effective in the fight against the Japanese. Deep wading equipment, flamethrower tanks, and even wooden armor all became part of the Marine arsenal. This book examines the tactics and technology that made the US Marine Corps tank service unique in the annals of warfare.

Between the two World Wars, the US contributed significantly to the development of the tank, a weapon invented by the British and the French seeking a way to break through the lines of German trenches. From the employment of the French Renault FT and British Mark V during their involvement in World War I, the US branched out with their own indigenous designs including the M1 Cavalry Car and the M2 Light and Medium tanks, the precursors to the Stuart and Grant tanks of World War II. Tank designers in this period faced unique challenges and so the story of early American armour is littered with failures amongst the successes. Featuring previously unpublished photos and fully illustrated throughout, Early American Armor (1): Tanks 1916–40 is essential reading for anyone interested in American armour, or in the development of tank design.

This book equips the beginner and intermediate modellers with the techniques required to successfully complete a figure from start to finish, and provides clear and easy-to-follow instructions on how to select, prepare, assemble, modify and paint realistic figures. It also offers a round-up of the range of figures available, a discussion of scale and how to work in differing scales as well as detailing the tools and materials you will need to get going. Modelling expert Mark Bannerman then provides an insight into construction and painting techniques, in clear, step-by-step tutorials that will increase confidence and develop better technique. Covering the four most-modelled historical periods (Medieval, Napoleonic, the American Civil War and the World Wars), this book is the comprehensive guide to figure modelling.