M-551 Sheridan

[lawman56]

 

Bear with me, I'm still learning this picture posting system, so the occasional "faux pas" may show up.

 

Anyway, this is a diorama titled, "Calm Before The Storm", and depicts a Sheridan crew the day before Desert Storm kicked off, chatting while waiting for the word to move into Iraq. I built this for the Command Sergeant Major of the 73rd Cav Regiment. The unit traces it's lineage from WWII through Korea and up until the mid 90's when the Sheridan was phased out and the unit deactivated. Approximately 7-8 years ago, they were reactivated, but traded in their armor for up-armored Humm-Vees. He was hosting a Regimental re-union and commissioned me to build this, along with my Cassino diorama, (which I'll post at a later time).

 

I added tons of PE and scratchbuilt details, to include the intercom cords for the helmets, straps for stowage, and rifle slings.

 

 

Here's a frontal view allowing a better view of the crew. They're all wearing 82nd Airborne Division patches, as 3/73 Cav would actually toss the Sheridans out of aircraft and pray the chutes opened! The gun tube says 'Desert Lizard', as that was the CSM's vehicle in Desert Storm. I hand painted the desert camo pattern, using my own Desert Storm uniform as a guide, (yes, I still have my service uniforms in a closet). The sand came from my grandsons sandbox.

[lawman56]

And feel free to ask me anything at all about my techniques, tools, aftermarket, etc... I love to share my knowledge and learn new tricks!

[lawman56]

Stikpusher, they're wearing coveralls, very similar to mechanic coveralls. According to a friend from 3/73 Abn Cav, they had the option of normal duty uniform or coveralls. Most chose coveralls since tanks can get pretty greasy.