Academy 1/35 M551 Sheridan By Kent Kirkpatrick

M551 Sheridan

Summarizing the kit instructions, from 12 original prototypes the M551 Sheridan finally started rolling off the assembly line in 1965. Its welded aluminum hull kept this vehicle's weight to less than 35,000 lbs. Due to the light gross vehicle weight the M551 was air-droppable by parachute. Capable of 40 mph with a range of 375 miles from its water-cooled 300 horse power V6 engine. It had a very good power-to-weight ratio. The M551 was also amphibious with its canvas flotation screens. Main armament was a 152mm gun capable of firing both conventional tank rounds and the MGM-51 Shillelagh antitank missiles. Maximum stowage for the M551 was 20 conventional rounds and 8 missiles. Its war record starts with Vietnam but includes Panama, Desert Shield and is still in service as 'opposing forces' tanks at the National Training Center.

The Kit

Academy's colorful boxart shows a Vietnam-era M551 Sheridan in US Army markings. It makes a good painting and decal reference. There are some color photos of a finished model on the sides of the box. Inside the box is a twelve-page instruction manual in Korean, Chinese, German and English. The illustrations are very well done and in logical order of assembly.
There are seventeen subassembly steps with an accessory part assembly to complete this model. Kit instructions have a symbol legend for filing, gluing, cutting, etc. to assist you through assembly. If you have trouble finding a part there is a parts location diagram page. You will find in this diagram unused parts are listed in a shaded box rather than the parts being shaded themselves. There are multiple sealed bags containing part sprues and one containing the decals. The sprues are molded in a soft bronze green styrene. There is no visible flash on any of the parts. Minor injection pin markings are mostly hidden from view after assembly or need minimal sanding to remove. Tracks are molded in a gun metal vinyl. They are thin and very well detailed. Included with the parts is fine vinyl mesh for the turret basket. My first impression is finally someone has taken the time to correctly capture the details of the unique AFV in 1/35th scale. The M551 kit has very good exterior surface detailing right down to the rivets on the upper hull. Commander, gunner and driver hatches are open if you wish to incorporate figures (not included in the kit).Steps 1-3 begin kit assembly with the one-piece lower hull detail, which even comes with the escape hatch and the suspension. Nothing complicated here to worry about. The road wheels are assembled in step 4. These are then attached to the lower hull in step 5. Next to proceed to upper hull assembly in steps 6 and 7. I suggest using a round dental bit to remove the molded headlights in parts C10 then replace with MV lenses for a more authentic look. Tracks, upper and lower hull get mated in step 8. Steps 9-16 will be the most time consuming part of this M551 kit and that the turret. That's one thing I have to say about the M551 it has a weird turret as it is not very symmetrical. Step 9 starts with the main gun and mantlet assembly. Steps 10 and 11 mate the two-piece turret with the main gun and other detail parts (search light, periscopes, hatches, etc.) Step 12 mounts the commander's hatch. In step 13 you will use the enclosed mesh to complete your turret basket. This should not be much of an issue as there are templates to help you cut out the correct sizes needed. The turret basket is then mated to the turret in step 14. Step 15 and 16 assembles the ACAV turret (with .50 caliber MG) for the commander's postion. Finally, step 17 ends the kit assembly as the turret is mated to the hull. Accessory parts include external stowage bins and jerry cans. To help you with the location of these items there is a page with two model photographs with location indicators. The decals are of high quality, printed on thin film and well done. There are paint and decal placement steps that give you the option of three Vietnam M551 Sheridans in US vehicle markings. Your primary vehicle color is olive drab as were pretty what other US Army vehicles of that era.

Conclusion

This is a vast improvement over the old injection mold of the M551. Academy has really shown an improvement in their quality. This is evident in their recent releases of armor kits. I definitely give this kit two thumbs up for subject detail and accuracy. I highly recommend this to builders of Vietnam-era AFVs. Virtually no flash or sink marks on the parts. I would like to thank MRC for the review kit.