SPA Modeler

I'm currently reading Panzer Killers and am inspired to build an M4A3 (75)W Sherman kit.

With that being said, I'm hoping Carlos, Tojo, or any tank expert would steer me in the right direction of my planned build.

Having spent a bit of time researching the differences between a Sherman M4A3 (76)W and M4A3 (75)W thinking it's the hull differences but it's not. The differences is the turrent size - smaller in the 75, larger in the 76. Therefore, supposedly the 75mm gun was more powerful. Finding the 75mm metal barrel is not an issue.

Figuring out which Sherman M43A kit with smaller turrent is my issue. Any help would be appreciated.

For a 1/35 M4A3 75mm(w), there are multiple kits available. Off the top of my head they come from Tamiya, Italeri, Dragon, Tasca/Asuka, Academy, and probably a few more companies that I forgot. The 76mm and 75mm wet stowage tanks shared an identical hull, aside from the ammunition racks. There were some 75mm turrets that were upgunned to 76mm guns but those were primary postwar and sent to friendly countries under postwar Military Assistance Programs. The 76mm turret was originally designed for the never produced T23 medium tank, but shared the same size turret ring as the M4 Sherman, so it was an expedient way to improve the M4’s anti tank capabilities. The 76mm gun with late war “hypershot” ammunition would prove far superior to the 75mm gun for armor piercing, but the original M3 75mm gun fired a larger High Explosive round at medium velocity, so was superior in the infantry support role. M4A3 large hatch Sherman’s were also armed with 105mm howitzers (assault gun, usually one per company or one platoon per tank battalion) and as the basis for the uparmored “Jumbo” Sherman.
If you get the older Tamiya M4A3 75(w) kit, DO NOT USE the external armor plates used over the sponson ammo racks that come in the kit. Those were only used on the large hatch M4A2 Shermans, which are visually nearly identical, and retained the older dry stowage ammo racks on the hull sponsons. Wet stowage Shermans moved the ammo racks from off of the sponsons to the hull floor.

Exactly. Researching Maurice Rose’s Sherman was a M4A3 (75) W (from my findings) did support infantry and he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division “Spearhead”.

Forgive me but I’m lost with the term wet stowage. I’ve heard the term but never had a clue what it meant.



The other Sherman M4A3 (76) W I chose for Sam Hogan’s Sherman who is known to fly the Texas flag is this kit.




For the Maurice Rose Sherman, theTamiya Sherman kit I find on Scalehobbyist is this. I looked in scalemates instruction guide, it does not include any armor plates.



Or I can use this one…

https://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagorie ... =5,6&sc=35

BlackSheep214 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 04, 2026 5:00 pm Exactly. Researching Maurice Rose’s Sherman was a M4A3 (75) W (from my findings) did support infantry and he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division “Spearhead”.

Forgive me but I’m lost with the term wet stowage. I’ve heard the term but never had a clue what it meant.

Wet stowage and dry stowage refers to the hull ammunition racks. Dry stowage was the original small hatch hull type, ammunition in open racks, placed on the hull sponsons over the tracks. This does not include the ready racks in the turret. Wet stowage was changing the ammo racks position off of the sponson positions, placing them onto the hull floor below the turret in armored bins that had a glycol mix filled jacket, so that in theory any penetration of the bins would result in the glycol mix snuffing out or at least delaying any secondary ammunition fires. The ready racks in the turret did not have the glycol wet stowage jackets.