Eduard 1/72nd Sherman M4A3 (76)W By Bill Powers

The Kit

The Sherman tank went through many evolutions of its major components: hull, differential/transmission cover, bogie assemblies, turret, gun and engine. Understanding all these variations should qualify as a doctoral thesis! The big scale kits have made most variations available for modelers. Unfortunately in 1/72 scale, we've only had three quality readily available injection molded kits: Revell and Italeri, both representing early Shermans with cast, rounded hulls and then Hasegawa representing the last version with welded hull and a different suspension system.

Now Eduard has released the welded hull, steeper glacis, 76 mm gun turret and Ford engine version called the M4A3 (76) (photo #1).

The kit comes in a top opening box with a sturdy bottom and flimsy top. Inside are individually packaged sprues, an exquisite photoetch fret and colorful decals for two tanks (not American) that will send you rushing to the reference books to check on their accuracy and the spares box for replacements! The instruction sheet is very well done like their aircraft models, using blue to indicate where pieces should attach. The kit shares the same tracks and running gear sprues as the Extratech Achilles and M10.

What a kit! If you can build this kit with all its detail you will have an absolutely incredible model! Eduard has provided everything needed in either tiny plastic pieces or the absolutely incredible photoetch fret. The tools are not molded to the hull! Hurrah!

If you don't like photoetch, then tune this part out. There are 57 pieces on the fret! Ten pieces for the .50 cal alone! All the straps to hold things to the tank have buckles!!!! Those guards over the periscopes are beautifully done! The engine hatch doors are supplied and you can see through the grille! (photo #2) Eduard has done pieces I don't see on other aftermarket photoetch sets. But most are very, very small and delicate - I've seen pictures of Extratech's photoetch and Eduard's is far superior!

For those who don't like Photo etch, take heart, some small pieces are duplicated in plastic, such as the numerous lifting eyes, but I don't see the light guards in plastic.

I immediately grabbed the Italeri/ESCI kit to make comparisons with the Eduard kit (see comparison photo).

I first noticed the Eduard molding is not as crisp as the Italeri. The drive sprocket by Eduard, while nicely done, doesn't have the same detail, depth or crispness as Italeri. (photo #3).

The Eduard kit has more pieces and requires more assembly than the Italeri kit. For example, the Eduard requires 8 pieces for the bogie assembly and the Italeri only 4! (photo #4) You will be assembling very small pieces without the aid of locator pins. Assembling one bogie was not as difficult as anticipated, but required much cleaning up of mold seams and the photo shows the parts are not lined up perfectly. Getting the wheels level and all touching the track may be difficult. Both kits have wheels of the same diameter. Eduard's bogie is more accurate in shape but the Italeri's is more detailed and crisp in molding. (photo #5) The assembled Eduard bogie is much thicker and bulkier with wider wheels than Italeri's. (photo #6).

Italeri has molded the axles for drive sprocket and idler wheels as a part of the hull. Eduard requires the modeler to glue these axle pieces to the hull…potential fit problem? The Eduard design of the axles will result in glue joints not as strong as the Italeri. (photo # 8).

The tracks are link and length with the steel chevron on the rubber pad (that's what it looks like). The Eduard track is slightly wider than Italeri and slightly less detailed. (photo #5) I always have problems removing the Italeri tracks from the sprue, especially the individual tracks, the small protrusions break off. But the attachment of the sprue to the track on the Eduard kit is better, so I don't anticipate that problem.

The Eduard kit is far superior to the Hasegawa and Revell offering.

As a bonus, there are extra pieces on the sprue not needed for this model. Enough wheels to replace all those oversized wheels on the Revell kit using the five open spoke wheel (photo #6)! There is also a three piece "nose" as an extra on the sprue, but it lacks the final drive covers that were a prominent part of the three piece nose, (Modeling Guide to the Sherman Tank, Final Drive Housing).

With all this detail there are some things missing: the telephone box (some Sherman's didn't have), cleaning rods, welded holder for the tow cable and a tow cable! I was very disappointed with the rear air deflector. It is not as nicely molded as the Hasegawa version!

Building the kit will be straightforward, but "the devil's in the detail"! This is a pricy kit, more than double the Revell and Italeri. The value is in the incredible detail provided, both plastic and photoetch. Caveat Emptor…the detail will require a steady hand and some time. But the results will be spectacular!

Thanks to Eduard for this kit.