Italeri 1/35th M4A3 76mm Sherman
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Background
 The
Sherman family of tanks are amongst the most famous tanks of World War
II. The initial M4A3s were produced in 1943 with a 75mm gun however combat
experience and testing resulted in much needed modifications to the tank
which included up-gunning to a 76mm gun, the introduction of ‘wet’
ammunition stowage and larger hatches for the driver and assistant driver.
The introduction of the 76mm gun allowed the Sherman to take on the German
Panthers and Tigers with some degree of success. A total of 1400 M4A3
(76) were built. No other version was produced in these numbers.
The Kit
 The
Italeri version of this tank comes on three olive drab sprues with about
100 pieces as well as black vinyl tracks. The pieces are well defined
and attached minimally attached to the sprues which should make detaching
them easier. Details are principally exterior with limited interior parts.
The exception is the main gun which has some detail to include a breech
guard. The only means to see this would be thru the turret hatches and
this would be limited at best and would amplify the total lack of detail
within the hull and turret. Not certain if it is worth the effort. Aside
from the normal tank tools, the kit provides an fuel can and one bed roll.
For a tank that had a crew of 5, one bedroll would seem a bit out of place.
The kit does come with one crew member who is nicely detailed and is armed
with a Thompson submachine gun and would provide a degree of scale. The
instructions are contained in a double sided 4 page foldout. Instructions
are well laid out and easily read. The instructions include 6 different
variations for finishing the model, ranging across all theater the M4A3
served in. The decals are as wide ranging as the paint schemes to include
markings used by the Free French Forces.
 Conclusion
The kit is well put together and should provide the average modeler
a good candidate for an out-of-the-box build. The addition of soldiers
personal items would go a great way to improve the realism of any build.
I would like to thank Matt Bittner and Internet Modeler for providing
the opportunity for this review and the subsequent build.
Thanks also to Testors for the review sample. |
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