Sherman crews took their protection into their own hands. Knowing their armor could be defeated by a Panther's gun, a Tiger's, or an infantryman's Panzerfaust, they piled on whatever might help: sandbags lashed to the hull, spare track links bolted across the front, logs, and sometimes poured concrete — all meant to set off a shaped charge before it reached the steel. Ordnance officers grumbled that the extra weight strained the engine and suspension, and the real benefit was debated, but a tank crew facing German armor took every edge it could get. This M4A3, marked to the 9th Armored Division's 14th Tank Battalion, rolled into Germany in 1945 with the stowage and kit of a crew that had learned its trade the hard way.

The model carries the 75mm gun, the .50 cal "Ma Deuce," antenna, a crew figure, removable rear stowage and scale rope, in the markings of Co. A. Its 14th Tank Battalion took the Remagen bridge alongside the division's armored infantry — reunite them in a Rhine-crossing diorama with the 9th Armored M3A1 Half-track, run it beside the 6th Armored Sherman, and crew it from the Tankers and Accessories Set.

W. Britain model 25208. 1/30 scale, matte finish. Six-piece set — one M4A3(75) Sherman with a crew figure, removable rear stowage, a .50 cal machine gun, antenna, and a length of scale rope. Boxed.