The best reference for a modeler is to be able to see the actual vehicle you are building, either through historical photos, technical manuals, or present-day photos of restored vehicles. There are a few things to remember, however:

• If the vehicle has been restored, any new paint or replacement parts may not be 100% accurate.
  
  
• If it hasn’t been restored, there may still be significant changes depending on the history of the particular vehicle. Following WWII, many American AFVs were sold or given to the armies of other nations, which made their own modifications. Even WWII equipment that saw use by the US in Korea may have been modified yet presented as being a WWII relic.
  
  
• As historical photos will attest, there were countless official and unofficial field modifications made to vehicles during the war. Maintenance pools and crews would use whatever materials were at hand to improve stowage capabilities. Halftracks and reconnaissance jeeps in particular had improvised baskets and shelves to stow equipment. Shermans were seen with a variety of bars welded to turrets so crew could hang their gear.
  

The links below will take you to some photos I’ve shot at military expositions at Fort Snelling in Minneapolis, Minnesota; at a Veteran’s Day parade in St. Paul, Minnesota; the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky; and the Victory Museum in Auburn, Indiana. There are also contributions from fellow modelers Kurt Laughlin, Mike Powell, Michael Bedard, Scott Taylor, Derek Brown and Matt Riesmeyer.

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Tracked Vehicles

Wheeled Vehicles

Towed Artillery and Anti-tank Guns

NOTE: All rights to the contemporary photos on this site are held by their respective owners (photographer and/or modeler). These photos are provided as a service to modelers for their private use. Manufacturers may use them as reference sources without the consent of the photographer, but it is requested that the photographer be informed of such use and given credit as a reference source in any listing of of the manufacturer's references, as on instruction sheets. Manufacturers may not use these photos for illustration purposes, including, but not limited to,instruction sheets, box art (whether as a photograph or as the basis of an artistic rendering), or in any form of advertising or promotion without the expressed consent of the copyright owner. Any questions about this policy may be referred to the Webmaster (see Feedback page).