# 1/35 CDP tracks for M4A1 Grizzly



## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

I have a Tamiya M4 and a Verlinden M4A1 resin hull and I'd like to build it as a Canadian license-built M4A1 known as a Grizzly. unfortunately, I need a set of Canadian Dry Pin (CDP) tracks which were used with this Sherman variant. These are rubberless tracks and look quite different from other Sherman tracks. Does anyone know if these are available as aftermarket accessories? I know that some Dragon kits (i.e. the Sexton) come with these tracks.

Thanks for any help.


----------



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

You do need the matching sprockets for the CDP tracks. They are different from regular Sherman sprockets. I don't know of any aftermarket sprockets, but Panda has tracks http://shermantracks.com/catalog/canadian_dry_pin.html

There are other differences between an M4A1 and a Grizzly. Be advised that the Tamiya suspension is of a very late type and should probably be replaced with an earlier type as well with straight return roller arms not the late raised ones. They are wrong in the M4 kit even for an M4.


----------



## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Turns out none of the Grizzlies built saw combat, so I'll just do up an M4A1 (my favourite Sherman) in Canadian Service. However, I did find a set of CDP tracks with sprockets as an aftermarket set for the Sexton.


----------



## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Yeah, I favor the cast hulls too! Like the composite hulls also. Prefer these two over the welded ones.

Good luck with your project. Just remember...pictures, pictures, pictures, we wanna see pictures!!

Carl-


----------



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Aside from the US style tracks, Tamiya's 1/48 M4A1 has a lot of Grizzly features like the groove across the rear hull overhang.

Yup, the Canadian built Grizzly tanks saw no action. Their main claim today is maquerading as Shermans in war movies as there are a number around in running order. Still, they are an interesting and important variant. I'm surprised Dragon hasn't reboxed their M4A1 with the CDP tracks from their Sexton and a couple new parts to make a Grizzly.


----------



## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

At the same time I also got a Dragon Sherman Mk Ic Firefly with the composite hull. Very nice kit, with lots of spare parts for other variants. One of the nifty parts not used on the Firefly which will definitely get used on another project is a bunch of tie-down loops - very useful. I love Fireflies - I also have the Tamiya (ex-Tasca) Sherman MkVc Firefly. that's a nice kit as well. The best thing about my Dragon purchase was the price. Normally this kit would sell for $55-65.00 CDN, and I got it for $35.00 CDN. My kinda bargain, as I'm on a fixed income. Luckily I had just got $30.00 for my birthday.:tongue:


----------



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

New TMD sells nice, inexpensive sets of resin tie downs. They have assorted German, US, Russian, etc.. 

For the Firefly the Tasca kit is the way to go. Some of the Dragon ones are very ill fitting.


----------



## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

I've started working on my M4A1, combining Tamiya's M4 kit with the Verlinden hull. Since the resin hull conversion set is actually meant to convert the Tamiya M4A3, I having to do some minor massaging of the parts to get it to fit. It's coming along nicely, but the Verlinden resin is that salt-water taffy coloured stuff that smells of kerosene when sanded. Not as bad as the Herb Deeks stuff which smells if you even scratch it with a fingernail, but still... Why don't these manufacturers use nice odour-free polyurethane resin instead of the smelly stuff?

The Tamiya kit is vintage 1997. I would have thought that all kit makers would have stopped doing kits with no base-plates in the hull sides by then. It's not a great deal of effort to cut some .040" styrene to fill in the gaping holes over the tracks, but for the prices they charge I shouldn't bloody well have to. Still, the M4A1 is my favourite Sherman, so here goes...


----------



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Tamiya is notorious for not having the hull sponsons enclosed. They are, however, in their newest kits like the M4A3E8 and Panther A

I have their M4 to build... man that kit is rough. Tamiya totally screwed the pooch on that one. Your approach takes care of some of the fixes, in that Tamiya fitted the drivers hoods and front antenna socket from an M4A2 onto the M4 hull (they are different) and provided their leftover late type VVSS suspension out of their M4A3 kit (with hollow wheels). For most M4A1s you will need new mid type suspension with the straight return roller arms and usually spoked roadwheels.


----------



## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Well, it appears the Dragon Firefly I have has as an unused part the suspension bogies you specify as well as the later ones, so I'm covered there... I wish model companies would get their shit together as regards major flaws like open sponsons.


----------



## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

As I said earlier, the sponson problem was dirt simple to fix. I laid a 75mm by 12mm strip of styrene over the hull bottom crosswise for supports, then laid in a 14mm wide strip of .020" styrene in as a sponson floor. Gap filling with Aves, and voila!


----------



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

You can buy resin sponson inserts and the templates to cut them out are online. 

Most companies now have enclosed sponsons. I wouldn't really call it a flaw if its invisible. Just an annoyance. But then those Tamiya Shermans use parts that date back to the 1970s. They are some of the older Tamiya tooling still in use and not on par with their new stuff by a long shot. IIRC also the suspensio n mounts on the lower hull are higher on one side than the other and not symmetrical.


----------



## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

The M4 hull I used had a raised date of 1997 on the plastic, so I doubt it dates back to the 1970's. I simply used the dimensions of the opening to cut the sponson floors. Templates are unnecessary.


----------



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

It dates back that far. The M4 kit is just their old M4A3 kit from the 70s with MINOR updates to the chassis to allow for the use of the ill-fitting three piece transmission housing I did not say the whole kit dated back to the 70s, but the chassis and suspension has its roots in the old "Classy Peg" M4A3 kit. Tamiya also revised that kit in the 90s with a new turret but they screwed that up as they gave the 75mm turret the larger oval loader's hatch used on the later 76mm turret. I guess they assumed the oval loader's hatch was the same, but it is not. The original kit had the hatch molded shut. When they reissued the kit, they added an open hatch, but made it the wrong size. The same basic kit is also sold as a 105mm howitzer Sherman and both reissues have new soldier figures added. 

A lot of M4A1s will have bolted lower hulls too so make sure your upper hull (Pacific, Baldwin etc) matches the chassis. The Tamiya kit is of a welded type. I forget what makers used welded chassis and what ones used bolted, but its probably on the Sherman minutia web site.


----------

