M6A2E1 – The Mutant 1/35 Scalemodel

~ Sebastianul

by JandersUF

This is a kit-bashed 1/35 scale model of the M6A2-E1, which was a prototype heavy tank build by the US towards the end of WW2. It used the hull of the failed M6 Heavy tank, and a novel turret holding a massive 105mm gun.

The feeling was that this heavy assault tank would be useful against the German uber-tanks in the late war period. However it… just wasn’t needed once it was trialed in late ’44. The turret was used as a test bed for the T29 Heavy tank project.

The 105mm was markedly more powerful than anything the allies had in service in Europe, where most Shermans mounted 75 or 76mm guns.

My what a big gun you have…

So unlike so many “paper panzer” models, this is a model of a real tank. That being said, I took liberties with the turret configuration– the prototype turret had multiple “show stopping” issues, so I used a T29E1 turret which has a lot of similarities to the prototype, with a few improvements (a big one is that the commander’s position was moved to allow the loader to be able to… load the gun).

The best angle of this beast– the bizarre running gear and vertical side skirts, ridiculous dual .50 cal forward hull machine guns, and the massive turret and mantlet.

The proportions of the thing are just hyperbolic

It really looks like a video game tank. And honestly, the only reason people hear about this thing is the popularity of World of Tanks and War Thunder.

Combine one crummy kit with one average kit, and you get one awesome tank!

Here you can see a diagram comparing the non-functional prototype turret and the eventual T29 turret… you can see the evolution of the design.

My paint and weathering spirit animal… a dirty Sherman.

The M6 kit was… less than stellar. But the slab-like sides make a nice canvas for weathering

Worn OD, Faded black camouflage patches, some deep scratches, and layers of dust, sand and dirt.

The kit tracks are actually not correct width, but there also aren’t any good aftermarket options for this niche kit… so we make do 🙂

Detail shot of the side skits and their worn wet sand and dirt deposits.

The turret on the left is the loader; the rear is the commander. The real M6A2E1 had them stacked together on the left, and they apparently fouled each other inside the turret.

Dragon disappoints a lot with this kit. I CANNOT recommend the M6 to you.

Hobbyboss is much better, but made some odd unforced errors… for example they forgot the texture on the underside of the turret, but had texture on all other parts of the turret. The real thing looked VERY roughly cast.

Sometimes its hard to choose the right OD for the job. Thanks for looking! If you enjoyed, follow me @scalemodeldoc on instagram.

10 thoughts on “M6A2E1 – The Mutant 1/35 Scalemodel”

  2. As a model builder myself, I find this to be an extraordinary effort. Top notch on all of little things (mainly weathering), and the subject matter. I would have preferred the tested turret, as incorrectly laid out as it was, since it was real and actual to the test hull. Taking nothing away from the overall model, truly superb skills. Kudos.

    1. Ah mostly I meant the dragon rendition of the suspension in this kit. They engineered it with minimally sized pins holding each bogie to its Paige, then once you have them all line down up you try and apply the outer armor skirt to hold them ALL in place at once. Just a bear to get them aligned.

      But the suspension itself is an odd duct, look at the under side… there were 4 inner and 4 outer bogies each with two wheels. Can’t imagine field repairs on this layout would be fun.

      1. actually, field repairs were quite “easy” (not on the M6 because it did not see combat but on the VVSS/HVSS suspension types), especially compared to others from the time, as The_Chieftain and other sources have pointed out they had spares, if the repair was done back at the camp they would simply replace the entire bogie, by doing that the mechanics could repair the damaged one while the tank was already operational and sent to the battlefield
        also, I know I have read/watched how much time it would take for a trained crew to disassemble and repair it on the field, I can’t remember if it was around 2 hours or less, either way it was faster than you would think, as for the M6 they would naturally have the extra work of removing the exterior armor plate

        1. …. and the outer bogie to get to the inner bogie. That was more my point. Having a second inner set of bogies doubles the trouble. 🙂

          1. I think we are talking about something slightly different, although the ones on the M6 are slightly different, as compared to the ones from the M4, it is still a single bogie, what you probably mean is the wheels

            bogie from a M4
            http://www.theshermantank.com/wp-content/uploads/HVSS-assembly-7067331-front-and-side-views-1600×1002.png

            bogie from a M6
            http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/pics/m6bogie.jpg

            instruction on how to remove and replace the inner wheel of the bogie without needing to remove the whole assembly (with photos)
            http://www.lonesentry.com/blog/m4-horizontal-volute-suspension.html

            like I wrote beforem, they can remove the entire thing if the damage is too severe, the photos from the instructions that there’s only a few bolts holding it together to the tank, if you unscrew them you can take the whole thing out because that suspension system is independent from the rest of the tank
            http://www.lonesentry.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/hvss-spring-jack-figure-3.jpg

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