Juniors Shermans

Bill Jrs, Custom Models www.bjr-cmm.com brand new Sherman tanks.

These are HO 1/87th scale late WWII American tanks in resin. They are easy to build and the turrets rotate and the guns go up and down.

Item #031- M4A1 76mm (w)
Item #032- M4A1 76mm (w) w/T-48 Tracks
Item #033- M4A3 76mm (w)
Item #034- M4A3 76mm (w) w/T-48 Tracks

Coming soon are two new items; a Ford V3000/G.198 3ton Cargo and Ford V3000/G.198 3ton Cargo with Field Kitchen Unit. All good stuff from Bill Jr.

Resin Models By Bill, Jr.

At the beginning of World War Two the US Army had only 10,000 vehicles of all kinds. By the end of the world war they had a bewildering variety of different motor vehicles. This one is the T-17 unarmored halftrack, made by Autocar. It was very similar to the armored halftracks in US Army service. Few if any of these vehicles were shipped overseas for US Army use, but they were supplied to the USSR.

The unarmored halftrack concept was intended to be used as a truck in cross country transport, but with the halftrack back end it had better cross country and mud, sand, snow performance than most trucks. The US Army 6x6 truck was so good that the need for the halftrack was not considered great enough to warrant sending them overseas. They were used in the US for training and other purposes, since armor was not necessary.

All the vehicles in the photos session are from Bill, Jr.s' Custom Military Models. They are handmade resin models in HO 1/87th scale. This truck is designed for towing heavy trailers by the US Army in WWII. The U7144T was used to tow 10 ton trailers.

The M10 and M36 series of tank destroyers was very popular in WWII with the US Army. Their reliability, good speed and hard hitting guns were well liked. Their only problem was the hull armor was not very thick. As a shortage of hulls developed the Sherman tank hull was substituted for a while. This was the result, the M36B1.

The M36B1 with a late mid production M4A3 Sherman medium tank. This was one of the most common Sherman tanks used in WWII after Normandy by the US Army. These tanks were all on my workbench today. You can get them on line from Bill, Jr. He accepts Pay Pal and USPS money orders. Each item is produced individually in resin.

http://www.leoradio.net/bjcmm/

Sherman

Bill Jr.s Custom Military Models has just released a few new WWII era US Army vehicles.

This pre-production kit is their latest, an M4A3 late / mid-production version. The front end is wrong and Bill is going to replace it with the correct one in production models.

As you can see it is highly detailed and very nice. I like that big flat front end!

There are only a few parts, all resin and easy to build. Left and right side tracks, hull, turret, gun and hatch. Very quick build. Note the phone box on the back.

This Sherman was a very important tank in Europe after D-Day. I may need to get a lot of these! Bill Jr. has also updated his website and it is so much better now. Model is HO 1/87th scale and will fit perfectly with Roco Minitanks and Paul Heiser Models.

Bill Jrs New Website

http://www.leoradio.net/bjcmm/

Bill Jr's Custom Military Models has moved to a new and much improved website. BJCMM makes a small but growing line of WWII era military vehicles and accessories. They are all resin and in HO 1/87th scale. They blend in well with the popular range of Roco Minitanks, Paul Heiser Models and Fidelis Models.

The website is now set up to allow you to order products direct from Bill Jr. Yes, Bill Jr. is an actual person and he will cast up your order right away if he is out of stock on an item. He often upgrades his models as he gains experience and technique.

I have featured some of his kits on this site and a few more of his models are on the way. When I get them I will post photos of them. Resin models are not difficult to build, they cut and sand just like styrene. They can be glued using expoxy or superglue type glues. They should be washed with soap and warm water and then can be painted like any model kit. I have many hundreds of them in my collection and they fill up many of the gaps in the Roco line. Check them out!

Bill Jr's 247

At long last the assembled photos of Bill Jr's Custom Military Models German WWII Sd.Kfz. 247 kit. I worked on this model off and on for several weeks. It is HO scale, 1/87th, made in resin.

The model goes together okay, the top and bottom hull parts don't fit perfectly but with a little fooling around they matched up well. I put it together with 5 minute epoxy glue. It has good gap filling properties and when dried can be sanded, cut and painted like the resin.

The command car is painted in Tamiya German Panzer Grey, and I overall brushed it with Rustall. Decals are from some old Fujimi kit from the spares box. Only a few of these were made and they were used as high level command vehicles. I got one for my SS Panzer Korps HQ. A good kit, I like it!

Armored Car and Supplies

http://www.leoradio.net/bjcmm/

Bill Jr. is up to his old tricks again with more great models in HO scale, 1/87. This time it is a Sd.Kfz. 247 armored car. This early war vehicle is seldom seen in photos and has never been done in HO before.





























This kit is a real quick build for an HO resin model. Essentially you trim the minimal flash, glue top to bottom, stick the wheels on the axles and you are done. This is an open top armored car and has a rather nice molded on interior.




























Next item from Bill Jr. is essential. Munitions crates. Can't fire all those tanks and artillery without the ammo and here it is. These are well done crates and should fill the backs of his Studebaker trucks to rush ammo to the troops at the front. You can't have too many crates. I like to build them into truck loads. I take a sheet of styrene plastic and cut it to fit the truck bodies of my cargo vehicles. Then I glue the cargo boxes to the plastic and instant load. When placed in the back of a truck they look great, and when placed on the wargame table side to side they make a fantastic ammo and supply dump. Highly recommended.

Studebaker Information

Bill Jr. is up to his old tricks again and now he is just about done with a whole string of Studebaker trucks in HO scale, 1/87 resin models.





















He has been making the Studebaker US-6- U3, U4 & U5. So far the only one that he is not going to be releasing just yet is the U5 Fueler, due to issues he is still trying to work out with the bed itself, but he is working on it.

The way his kits are going to be set-up, each kit with the exception of the U5 Fueler & U6 Semi Tractor, will be 1 kit per bag, with the option of making either the U1 or U2 in the SWB Kit or the U3 or U4 in the LWB Kit. Each kit will be $12.00 USD, plus $5.00 S&H. Check out his webstore,

http://www.leoradio.net/bjcmm/

These large sturdy trucks were very important to the Soviet Army in the Second World War, they got thousands of them from the USA. The US also used a small number of them in CONUS.

Studebaker Trucks

Bill, Jr has just finished his Studebaker resin models in 1/87th scale and they are ready for shipment! They are good stuff and important for anyone who wants to do WWII Soviet Army.

There are 5 versions available for sale. Cargo trucks, Lend Lease and American, and tractors. All Studebaker kits are $12.00 USD payable through Pay-Pal, and Bill, Jr can accept credit card payments that way, or USPS Money Orders, which you can down load his order sheet from off his Web Store.

http://www.leoradio.net/bjcmm

Sdkfz 247 UPDATE!

This is a prototype model of an HO scale SdKfz 247 six wheel World War Two German armored car. These pre-war vehicles were limited production and are lightly armored. Most were used as command and reconnaissance vehicles.




















This is the first time I have ever seen this vehicle in 1/87th scale. Bill, Jr. has not started production yet, but they should be available soon. I have not seen the actual kit yet, but the prototype looks good so far. Bill is quick, he did this in only a few days. Thanks Bill, Jr. for the photos.

Bill Jr's Custom Military Models
150 Pine Lane
Odenville, AL 35120

205-467-6442
fax 205-467-7814

da_ghost_8152@yahoo.com

Sdkfz 247 only $10 each. Contact Bill, Jr. for full details, payment information and shipping. Also ask for his full product listing.

ARVs Fetch AFVs

The M-32 series of Armored Recovery vehicles were used by the US Army in the Second World War. These were modified tanks that were used as tow trucks and cranes to retrieve or repair damaged armored vehicles. In my wargame rules, we use these vehicles to help crews repaired damaged tracks, and to recover vehicles with damage that is too sever for the crew to repair. It takes a crew four turns to repair a track, but the ARV allows this to be completed in only two turns. Any damaged tank can be repaired at a depot. Tanks that explode when hit or that are burned are not considered repairable. My ruleset shows when a tank is hit if it will burn or if it will explode. ARVs also have a tactical advantage. Many wargames fight over bridges or in built up urban areas. Often damaged vehicles will block the bridge or block roads. This can be a terrible problem for the attacker, and the ARV can be used to move these damaged vehicles out of the way. It only takes one soldier moving from the front of the ARV dragging the tow cable, and then moving to the damaged vehicle. The ARV can then coil up the cable and drag the damaged tank away. Usually a mortar or artillery smoke barrage will be laid in the area to help disguise the work of the ARV. The models in the photo are new 1/87th scale resin kits from Bill Jr. Models. These kits are so new, there are not examples yet painted nor can they be purchased. These are pre-production samples and will be part of a range of WWII American and German vehicles by Bill Jr. Models. I have seen their SDKFZ 222 German Armored Car and it is also very nice. It is a durable, detailed and easy to assemble wargame kit. The range includes other kits, and I will have more details as they are released.