Paul Heiser has been making HO scale models since the mid-1980s. His first model I got was a White Scout Car, but since then he has made hundreds of different World War Two vehicles.
His greatest achievement has been his Sherman tank collection.
Paul made three different Sherman tanks as all plastic models. The master kit was made by him, and the molds were made in Taiwan along with thousands of the plastic model kits of Sherman tanks. He also made this parts sprue that is included with each Sherman tank model kit, and with some of his other American vehicles as well.
It is typical that Heiser Models have components of both plastic and resin in varying amounts. Many of the resin models have extra parts, as seen in the photo above. The duplicate parts are there because sometimes the parts can be broken when trying to remove the flash from them. The extra hatches are intended to be used if the hatches are supposed to be in the "open" position.
The small white lines in the photo above are plastic detail parts. Paul frequently includes metal or plastic bits for added details. This set includes two different versions of the cargo storage rack for the Sherman tank hull. Paul makes at least three variations of that piece that seem to be randomly included in each resin model kit.
This M4A2 Sherman tank is all plastic and the detail parts are all plastic as well. One of the interesting things is that the kit includes both detail parts but also alternate parts. The kit comes with two different gun mantlets, this one is the early version and there is also a wider mid-war version. Sherman tanks in the WWII American Army were only replaced when they were worn out or destroyed in combat, so early war versions soldiered on until the end of the war. Damaged tanks were also re-manufactured and sent out to fight again, so a variety of unusual combination of old and new parts was not uncommon.
This Sherman tank hull is a complex casting and a great credit to the casting skill of Paul Heiser. It also makes for a model that is easy to assemble and durable for wargame use. By mixing and matching different Heiser Sherman tank parts it is possible to make at least 24 different versions of that famous tank.
Thanks for reading.
See more content on my blog daily here:
Bunker Talk blog
https://bunkermeister.blogspot.com/
Leave a comment on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/569594850065455
Or on MeWe:
https://mewe.com/join/fidelismodelshoscalemilitarymodelsgroup
Mike Bunkermeister Creek