1:16 US ARMY - Tank Sherman M4A3E8, 'Lucky Eight'

Sherman M4A3E8 decals in 1:16 scale – the vehicle Lucky Eight

A set of decals for a large-scale model of the American Sherman medium tank in the M4A3E8 version. It is an accessory for a finished model, not a kit or a spare part. The markings are tied to a particular US Army vehicle that carried the nickname Lucky Eight.

The real subject

The M4A3E8 was a late development version of the Sherman, known among modelers and crews by the nickname Easy Eight. Against the earlier Shermans it was given HVSS (horizontal volute spring suspension) with wider tracks, which improved the ride and lowered the ground pressure, and a 76 mm gun in a turret of balanced shape. The version served at the close of the Second World War and again in the Korean War, which makes it one of the most frequently built American tanks of all.

How to work with the decals

• Apply them over gloss clear so that the carrier film does not leave a visible outline.
• Place the lettering on the hull according to period photographs, not only according to the drawing from the kit.
• A softener helps the decal follow the welds, the rivets and the cast shapes of the hull front.
• Once it is dry, seal it with clear and only then apply dust, mud and scratches.

Who the set is for

The set is meant for modelers who build the Sherman M4A3E8 in 1:16 scale – a static model or a radio-controlled machine alike – and want to build it as a particular historical vehicle instead of a general treatment. In the large scale the lettering and the numbers are easy to read, so the set comes into play in a diorama scene as well, where the tank stands in the foreground.