M551 Sheridan (VUSBX06)

M551 Sheridan (VUSBX06) includes three individually sculpted M551 Sheridan, five crew figures, one decal sheet & six rare earth magnets. The M551 Sheridan was developed as an amphibious cavalry tank or air-landing tank capable of tackling Soviet tanks. As a result its main armament was an anti-tank missile launcher that could also fire conventional shells. Getting this complex weapon system to work delayed the introduction of the Sheridan, but it finally reached Vietnam in 1968. Once there, its crews liked its firepower, speed, and ability to cross flooded rice paddies, but missed the thick armour of the much heavier M48 and its ability to smash its way through thick jungle. Check out the M551 Sheridan in the online store here...

Tour Of Duty The Vietnam War defined a generation, whether it was through service in Vietnam or opposition to the war. The war in Vietnam remains one the bloodiest wars since the Second World War. Learn more about Tour Of Duty here...

The M551 Sheridan was made of light aluminium alloys, like the M113, giving it considerable mobility. It combined this with the punch of a 152mm gun capable of firing ‘beehive’ canister rounds. Designed by Tim Adcock. Painted by Mark Hazell.

The M551 Sheridan
The M551 Sheridan in Flames Of War
Armour     Name Mobility Front Side Top Equipment and Notes Weapon Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower   M551 Sheridan Light Tank 4 2 1 .50 cal Cupola MG, Co-ax MG, Infrared Searchlight, Amphibious, Unreliable, Wide tracks. M81 152mm gun 16"/40cm 1 16 1+ Beehive, Breakthrough Gun, Stabiliser. MGM51 Shilleagh missle 40"/100cm 1 16 1+ Missle, Awkward layout, Minimum range 16"/40cm.

Amphibious Amphibious vehicles are designed to swim, carrying their passengers across rivers or lakes. Amphibious vehicles treat all Impassable water terrain as Difficult Going instead of Impassable. If Passengers are forced to Dismount for any reason while in Impassable water, they drown and count as Destroyed.

Wide Tracks Some excellent tank designs have successfully utilised wider tracks, allowing them to cross almost any terrain. If a vehicle with Wide Tracks becomes Bogged Down while attempting to cross Rough Terrain, roll again. On a roll of 4+ the vehicle immediately frees itself and continues moving.

Infrared Searchlights Tank searchlights operate in either the infrared or white light spectrum, making them very useful in night combats. A platoon with Infrared Searchlights rolls two dice and takes the best result when rolling on the Night Visibility Table (see page 272 of the rulebook). Vehicles with Infrared Searchlights do not need to re-roll Bogging Checks when crossing Rough Terrain at Night. Tanks using Infrared Searchlights do not count as Concealed by either night or terrain when shot at by other tanks equipped with Infrared Searchlights, even if the other tanks do not use their searchlights. The platoon may illuminate the platoon they are firing at with their white-light searchlights, allowing other platoons to shoot at that platoon as if they had rolled a 6 on the Night Visibility Table. If they illuminate the target, the platoon using the searchlights does not count as Concealed by either night or terrain.

Unreliable Whether poorly designed, unsuitable for the conditions, or requiring more maintenance than current supply considerations will allow, these vehicles have a significant chance of breakdown when pushed too hard. If an Unreliable vehicle attempts to move At the Double, roll a die. On a roll of 1 the vehicle becomes Bogged Down.
Beehive Ammunition A vital round for tanks and artillery in Vietnam was the devastating, ‘beehive’ canister round, named for the sound of more than a thousand pellets whizzing past. A gun equipped with Beehive ammunition may fire this instead of normal ammunition. A tank firing Beehive ammunition with its main gun can still fire its machine-guns as it would if the main gun fired any other sort of ammunition. In addition, it can fire any Cupola MG when firing Beehive ammunition as no sophisticated aiming is needed. Beehive ammunition has the characteristics listed below. Unlike normal ammunition, the ROF of Beehive is not reduced when the firing team moves or is Pinned Down. Instead it suffers a +1 penalty on its To Hit rolls. Name Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower Firing Beehive 8"/20cm 5 1 6

No Saves from Big Guns Some weapons are just so powerful that there is no chance of surviving a hit from them. These heavy guns are often mounted in tanks and self-propelled guns designed to break through enemy defensive lines. Infantry teams, Gun teams, Passengers, and Unarmoured vehicles automatically fail their Saves when hit by a Breakthrough Gun or a Bunker Buster. This does not apply to Artillery Bombardments.

Stabilisers A stabiliser is a device fitted to the tank’s gun that keeps it level so the gunner can stay on target while moving. A moving tank fitted with a Stabiliser can fire a main gun with ROF 2 or more at its full ROF, but adds a penalty of +1 to the score to hit. If the main gun has ROF 1, it ignores the normal +1 penalty to hit when moving instead. Before shooting, a tank can choose not to use its Stabiliser and fire at the normal rate. Tanks firing Beehive ammunition cannot use Stabilisers.

Missile The M551 Sheridan was designed to fire the MGM51 Shillelagh anti-tank guided missile, and would have been issued this missile in Vietnam if North Vietnamese tanks had been encountered in significant numbers. MGM51 Shillelagh missiles cannot be fired while moving, and cannot hit any target within 16”/40cm. The missile does not suffer the +1 penalty To Hit when shooting at platoons with all visible teams more than 16”/40cm away. Teams more than 16”/40cm away do not add +1 to their Armour Save. However, due to the launch signature, the firing team can not count as Concealed.

Awkward Layout Some tank designs have such an awkward internal layout that it is difficult for the crew to fire on the move. In the Archer, for example, the gun recoils into the driver’s position, requiring them to vacate before firing. Tank teams cannot shoot any weapons with Awkward Layout in their own Shooting Step if they move in the Movement Step. They may still shoot at Aircraft in the enemy’s Shooting Step (see page 181 of the rulebook).

Contents of the M551 Sheridan Box Set

Contact the customer service team at [email protected] if you have any issues with any of the components.

Description of Components

a. 6x Rare earth magnets. b. 1x .50 cal MG gunner vehicle commander figure. c. 2x Vehicle commander figures with arms by side. d. 1x Vehicle commander figures talking on radio. e. 3x Hatch sprues. f. 3x Smoke discharger sprues. g. 3x .50 cal MGs. h. 3x .50 cal MG gun shields.

i. 3x Bird-cage armour. j. 3x Closed commander's hatches. k. 3x Open commander's hatches. l. 1x M81 152mm gun with covered Infrared Searchlight. m. 1x M81 152mm gun with no Infrared Searchlight. n. 3x M81 152mm gun with uncovered Infrared Searchlight. o. 3x Right-hand side tracks. p. 3x Left-hand side tracks.

The Resin Hulls & Turrets Description of Components a. 1x Resin hull & turret types A. b. 1x Resin hull & turret types B. c. 1x Resin hull & turret types C.

M551 Sheridan Decal Sheet Also included in the M551 Sheridan box set is one Sheridan tank decal sheet. Left: An example of the M551 Sheridan decal sheet included in the box set.

Assembling The M551 Sheridan
Step 1. Begin assembly by attaching the tracks to the hull of the M551 Sheridan. Note: Each track has been keyed to correspond with a particular side of the hull; this aids in ensuring the correct orientation of the tracks when assembling the miniature.
Below: The correct alignment for the left-hand side track.	Below: The correct alignment for the right-hand side track.	Below: The left-hand side track attached to the hull.
Tip: When referring to left or right-hand side in regards to a Flames Of War miniature, the orientation is determined as if looking at the vehicle from the rear.

Below: The right-hand side track attached to the hull.	Step 2. Attach the driver's vision hatch to the front of the M551 Sheridan.	Below: The driver's hatch vision correctly attached to the front of the M551 Sheridan.

Step 3. Next, attach the M81 152mm gun to the front of the turret.	Below: The M81 152mm gun correctly attached to the front of the M551 Sheridan turret.	Step 4. The smoke dischargers attached to the underside of the M551 Sheridan turret. Each side has been keyed to corresponding part. The right-hand side can be seen below.

Below: The left-hand side smoke discharger recess.	Below: The corresponding left and right-hand side smoke dischargers keyed to match the turret.

Below: The smoke dischargers correctly attached to the M551 Sheridan turret.	Step 5. Next, attach the loader's hatch to the top of the turret.	Below: The loader's hatch attached to the top of the turret.

Step 6. Time to begin assemble of the commander's hatch. Begin by attaching the .50 cal MG to the mount located at the front of the hatch. See the examples below.		Step 7. Next, attach the gun shield to the front of the .50 cal MG.

Below: The gun shield attached to the .50 cal MG.	Step 8. Finally, attach the bird-cage armour to the rear of the commander's hatch.	Below: The fully-assembled commander's hatch complete with bird-cage armour.

Step 9. Next, attach the fully-assembled commander's hatch to the top of the M551 Sheridan turret.		Below: With the commander's turret in place, the M551 Sheridan is ready for the painting table.

Adding A Vehicle Commander

Step 1. To add a vehicle commander, use the open commander's hatch rather than the closed commander's hatch.	Step 2. Assemble the commander's hatch as seen in the steps above.	Step 3. Attach a vehicle commander figure to the inside of the open hatch.

Step 4. Next, attach the fully-assembled commander's hatch complete with vehicle commander to the top of the M551 Sheridan turret.		Below: With the commander's turret in place complete with vehicle commander; the M551 Sheridan is ready for the painting table.

Adding Rare Earth Magnets

Simply glue a rare earth magnet into the recess in the hull and to the bottom of the turret and you have a safe and secure way of attaching the turret to the hull. Read Chris' guide to Rare Earth Magnets here for more tips and tricks...

US Vehicle Painting Guide