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Products mentioned in this Article
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Tank Destroyer Platoon (Plastic) (UBX49)
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Tank Destroyer Platoon (UBX49) includes four plastic M10/M36 Tank Destroyers sprues, four plastic crew sprues & Decal sheet.
The M10 3” GMC (gun motor carriage) tank destroyer was developed to handle medium and heavy German tanks. It was the first destroyer to incorporate a turret, which housed the 3” anti-tank gun, the best in the US arsenal at the time.
This product is no longer currently available for sale...
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The Battle of the Bulge In December 1944 the German forces were supposed to be on the back foot, so their desperate push in the Ardennes took the Allies by surprise. Desperate defence by the American and British Commonwealth forces gradually turned to counterattack as they fought to erase the 'Bulge'.
Learn more about The Battle of the Bulge here...
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The M10 soldiered on from the North African campaign to the end of the war. During that time crews made some field modifications to improve some of the vehicle’s major weaknesses, such as the open fighting compartment and the thin frontal armour, with overhead protection and improvised armour using sandbags. The M10s typically served infantry divisions, offering their guns to blast German pillboxes when not otherwise engaged with enemy tanks. Designed by Will Jayne Painted by Aaron Mathie |
The M10 Tank Destroyer in Flames Of War |
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Armour |
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Name |
Mobility |
Front |
Side |
Top |
Notes |
Weapon |
Range |
ROF |
Anti-tank |
Firepower |
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M10 3in GMC (late) |
Standard Tank |
4 |
2 |
0 |
.50 cal AA MG. |
M7 3in gun (late) |
32"/80cm |
2 |
13 |
3+ |
Slow traverse. |
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You may notice that the M10 GMC (late) as featured in The Battle of the Bulge, has Anti-tank 13 – 1 better than the earlier M10 GMC, as featured in Overlord. This is because of improvements in ammunition for the M7 3in gun, so the models are physically exactly the same, and this box set is equally appropriate for your Normandy army. |
Slow Traverse Most tanks were either fitted with power traverse or had turrets that were light enough to be quickly swung by hand. Some designs suffered from heavy turrets lacking power traverse. Tanks with slow traverse add +1 to the score required to hit when shooting any turret-mounted weapon except an AA MG at targets that are entirely behind a line drawn across the front of the tank’s turret before they rotate their turret to face the target. |
The M10 GMC was also supplied to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease programme. In Flames Of War, Soviet armies from Red Bear can field M10s in a Tank Killer Company. |
The British M10C 17pdr SP |
The British also received a large number of M10s through Lend-Lease. They fitted the tank destroyer with a more powerful 17pdr anti-tank gun. This upgunned M10 variant is often referred to as the 'Achilles', but this seems to have been a post-war nickname; at the time it simply called the M10C 17pdr SP. |
The M10C 17 pdr SP in Flames Of War |
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Armour |
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Name |
Mobility |
Front |
Side |
Top |
Notes |
Weapon |
Range |
ROF |
Anti-tank |
Firepower |
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M10C 17 pdr SP |
Standard Tank |
4 |
2 |
0 |
.50 cal AA MG. |
OQF 17 pdr gun (late) |
32"/80cm |
2 |
15 |
3+ |
No HE, Slow traverse. |
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The M36 Tank Destroyer |
The US home front converted over 1300 M10A1 chassis (based on the M4A3 Sherman chassis) and designated the new vehicle as the M36 90mm GMC. This tank destroyer quickly took on the nickname Jackson among the troops. The M36s came into their own during the Ardennes fighting, where they were able to trade shots with the feared Panther tank from the front. |
The M36 Tank Destroyer in Flames Of War |
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Armour |
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Name |
Mobility |
Front |
Side |
Top |
Notes |
Weapon |
Range |
ROF |
Anti-tank |
Firepower |
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M36 90mm GMC |
Standard Tank |
4 |
2 |
0 |
.50 cal AA MG, Detroit's finest. |
M3 90mm gun |
32"/80cm |
2 |
14 |
3+ |
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Detroit’s Finest The Ford V8 engine improved the performance of the M4A3 series of tanks. Its power gave them a good top speed, while its robustness and reliability allowed them to take advantage of this without worrying about breaking down. Tanks that use the Detroit’s Finest special rule have a Movement Distance of 14”/35cm on Roads or Cross-country Terrain. |
The Contents of the Tank Destroyer Platoon Box Set |
Contact the customer service team at [email protected] if you have any issues with any of the components. |
Tank Destroyer Sprue (x4) |
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Crew Sprue (x4) |
Decal Sheet (x1) |
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Assembling the Tank Destroyer Platoon |
Assembling the Hull |
Step 1. Begin by attaching the upper hull section to the lower hull. |
Step 2. Next, attach the rounded hull front section to the front of the hull. |
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Tip: Although regular Hobby Glue can be used to assemble plastic vehicles, we recommend that you use good quality plastic cement instead. It gives the strongest bond when gluing plastic to plastic. |
Step 3. Attach the rear exhaust plate to the lower hull, making sure it is aligned neatly with the bottom of the hull. |
Step 4. Now attach the rear plate with tools in the space at the rear of the upper hull. Try to apply a thin line of glue evenly along the edge of the part, and it should slide neatly into place. |
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Step 5. Next, attach the tracks to the lower hull. The tracks are keyed to correspond with a particular side of the hull: two pegs on the left and three on the right. This ensures correct orientation of the tracks. |
Below: The completed hull. |
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Tip: Some modellers find it easier to paint the tracks separately and attach them later. Whichever method you prefer is fine. |
Identifying the parts
There are three different gun mantlets on the sprue, as well as three different gun breech assembly parts. Make sure you use the correct one for each gun - they are identified on the left, using the same colour code as on the back of the box:
- Blue: M10 GMC
- Red: M10C 17 pdr
- Green: M36 'Jackson'
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Assembling the M10 Gun Motor Carriage Turret
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Step 1. After selecting the right parts, attach the gun breech assembly to the turret bottom. |
Step 2. Next, attach the turret top to the turret bottom. |
Step 3. Glue the gun mantlet in place on the front of the turret. |
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Which counterweight? |
Due to the size and weight of the M7 3in gun that armed the M10 GMC, a counterweight was needed at the rear of the turret.
Two wedge-shaped counterweights were attached to the turret to provide balance. Later production runs of the M10 had a better-designed 'duck-bill' counterweight (so named because in profile it looked a bit like an upside-down duck's bill) which better balanced the gun, as well as increasing space in the fighting compartment. The 'duck-bill' counterweight began to be introduced as early as June 1943, but both shapes of counterweight would still have been common throughout the war, so you can really feel free to use whichever design you prefer. It would even be conceivable for units to have a mix of different counterweights.
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Step 4. Once you have chosen which counterweight you want to use, glue it in place at the rear of the turret. |
Below: The 'duck-bill' counterweight in position. |
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Either shape of counterweight is valid for the British M10C, as both turret variants were up-gunned with the 17 pdr. |
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Step 4. Glue the gun into the hole in the mantlet.
Note: For the standard US M10, make sure you use the M7 3in gun (highlighted in blue on the left).
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Step 5. Glue the .50-cal AA MG into the mounting hole at the rear of the fighting compartment. There are two MG's on the sprue; the M10 uses the one without a post. |
Step 6. Finally, glue the turret plug into the space under the turret. It plugs into the hole in the hull, allowing the turret to turn towards the target when your M10 shoots. |
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Assembling the M36 Jackson Turret
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Step 1. Attach the gun breech assembly to the turret bottom. |
Note: the gun breech part for the M36's 90mm gun has a square-shaped key, so it will only fit into the correct turret. |
Step 2. Next, attach the turret top to the turret bottom. |
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Step 3. Glue the gun mantlet in place on the front of the turret. |
Step 4. Glue the gun into the hole in the mantlet. Note, the M36's 90mm gun has a semi-circular key to help with correct placement.
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Note: All the parts are included to assemble both turrets, including two turret pegs, so you can assemble two turrets for each vehicle, and choose whether to field a platoon of M10s or M36s depending on your army list. |
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You can add crew to the turret if you like – choose any three crew from the crew sprue. You may find it easier to paint the crew separately before gluing them in place. |
British and Soviet crew sprues are available from the online store: |
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British Crew Sprue (BSO194)... |
Soviet Crew Sprue (BSO194)... |
Improvised armoured roof (optional)
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Due to its open turret design, the M10 was vulnerable to small arms fire when called upon to provide infantry support. To remedy this problem, an improvised armoured roof was created to help keep the crew safe from incoming fire.
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You can choose to upgrade all M10 3in GMC (late) tank destroyers with Top Armour 1 for +5 points per tank.
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The larger of the two armoured roof pieces is for the M10 turret with the later 'duck-bill' counterweight.
Note: The design of the roof armour covered the mounting point for the .50-cal AA MG. However, crews would still retain the inside the vehicle, so it can still be used in games if you choose to add the roof armour upgrade.
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Note: The armoured roof was a modification carried out by US units; it is not available in British or Soviet lists.
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The M36 can also have an improvised armoured roof added. The smaller of the two pieces fits the M36.
Right: The M36 with the improvised armoured roof fitted.
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The racks on either side of the hull are for carrying track grousers, which could be fitted to the tracks to increase traction in loose or boggy terrain.
You can leave the racks empty if you like, or you can add a slightly different arrangement of grousers to each vehicle, make each one unique.
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Some optional stowage items are included on the sprue to let you further customise your tank destroyers if you want to: a fuel can, spare track link, spare wheel and an ammunition crate.
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Below: The completed M10 3in GMC (late).
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Last Updated On Monday, February 25, 2019
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