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Armor/AFV: Allied - WWII
Armor and ground forces of the Allied forces during World War II.
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m4a4 sherman dragon kit
calvin_ng
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United States
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Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 08:09 AM UTC
is the dragon m4a4 sherman kit in 1/35 scale any good ??? its the one with the chinese markings on the box cover
ALBOWIE
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New South Wales, Australia
Joined: February 28, 2006
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Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 09:53 AM UTC

Quoted Text

is the dragon m4a4 sherman kit in 1/35 scale any good ??? its the one with the chinese markings on the box cover

Not really, it was one of their first 35th WW2 Kits and it really shows it. It has issues with the lower hull length which are not all that easy to fix (I believe these were rectified in the later releases but you can't be sure). It also has issues with the turret with the faint outline of the Firefly loaders hatch still present and the Mantlet & Rotor sitting too high in the face of the turret.
Add to that the mind boggling task of those individual tracks, hollow backed roadwheels and Idlers and it really isn't worth it.
If you want a good M4A4 then I suggest getting the Tasca Firefly and either buying an Afternmarket turret or swapping for one.
Cheers
Al
calvin_ng
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Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 10:21 AM UTC
so uhhh where can i get markings for chinese provincial tank divisions??? thanks in advance calvin
p.s would the IC firefly from dragon be anygood its the one with the composite hull
SSGToms
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Connecticut, United States
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Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 11:33 AM UTC
The composite hull is a IC, which is an M4 composite.
jjumbo
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: August 27, 2006
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Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 12:09 PM UTC

Quoted Text

is the dragon m4a4 sherman kit in 1/35 scale any good ??? its the one with the chinese markings on the box cover


Hey Calvin,
The Tasca Firefly is excellent but the price is about double that of the Dragon kits
Dragon's Sherman VC Firefly kits # 6031 & # 6121 and their M4A4 kits # 6031 & # 6041 have their faults.
The lower hulls are too long, the VVSS suspension is inaccurate, the turret has some issues and there's a number of other things wrong with them.
They can be made into reasonably accurrate M4A4's with a lot of TLC and a bit of AM parts.
Dragon's newer Sherman VC Firefly kit # 6182 has a more accurate lower hull and VVSS suspension but still has some faults.
Dragon's Sherman IC hybrid/composite hulled Firefly kit # 9037 also has it's fault but can be built into a reasonably accurate model with some TLC.
If you're not too concerned with accuracy, Dragon older kits aren't too bad.
Cheers

jjumbo
GeraldOwens
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Florida, United States
Joined: March 30, 2006
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Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 08:33 PM UTC

Quoted Text

is the dragon m4a4 sherman kit in 1/35 scale any good ??? its the one with the chinese markings on the box cover

It's been revised a couple of times. Originally, the lower hull was too long, and had to be sawn off even with the rear edge of the belly inspection plate before gluing the rear panel in place. And originally, the turret had the opening for the gun mount set too high, and the shape of the turret base beneath the bustle was off as well. The suspension was the upswept roller bracket type, which only started to become available in the months after M4A4 production ceased. These problems were corrected gradually in two subsequent re-releases of the Sherman VC Firefly kit (which is based on the M4A4), which now has new suspension with horizontal return roller brackets, and a corrected lower hull and turret shell.
The M4A4 kit was finally rereleased in Europe not too long ago, and the revised parts were reportedly included, but there's no telling what parts are in any given box, as the stock number and box art appear to be unchanged.
jimbrae
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Provincia de Lugo, Spain / Espaņa
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Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 08:53 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The Tasca Firefly is excellent but the price is about double that of the Dragon kits


Well, not exactly. DML are now running around the $40 range, Tasca a little above $50. Pat McGrath was looking at HLJ's website and the price differential between the DML DV M4a1 and the Tasca one is only $7.50...

Added to that are the AM additions which will be needed and the Tasca one (which DOESN'T need AM for hull or suspension) although WILL require the replacement turret. Swings and Roundabouts really...
jjumbo
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British Columbia, Canada
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Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 07:29 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

The Tasca Firefly is excellent but the price is about double that of the Dragon kits


Well, not exactly. DML are now running around the $40 range, Tasca a little above $50. Pat McGrath was looking at HLJ's website and the price differential between the DML DV M4a1 and the Tasca one is only $7.50...

Added to that are the AM additions which will be needed and the Tasca one (which DOESN'T need AM for hull or suspension) although WILL require the replacement turret. Swings and Roundabouts really...


Hey Jim,
Unfortunately, here in the Great White North, Tasca kits sell for almost double what Dragon kits do.
Shipping costs are probably the culprit as most of my LHS get their kits from the U.S. and Tasca is kind of a boutique kit here in my neck of the woods.
With the Canadian $ going up and down of late, getting stuff shipped from overseas like HLJ would be costly.
Tasca's Sherman VC Firefly goes for $89.99 CAD at my LHS while the Dragon's equivalent sells for $49.99 CAD.
I'm certain that Tasca's and Dragon's DV versions of the Sherman M4A1 will probably sell in the same range.
IIRC, Calvin has a small budget and Dragon's prices would seem to be more appealing than Tasca's
Cheers

jjumbo
TDFreak
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California, United States
Joined: May 19, 2010
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Posted: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 - 05:41 PM UTC
So.....The Tasca Firefly with the new DEF Models M50 turret would be a good match?
pseudorealityx
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Georgia, United States
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Posted: Thursday, June 21, 2012 - 12:08 AM UTC

Quoted Text

So.....The Tasca Firefly with the new DEF Models M50 turret would be a good match?


First off, this thread is 4 years old...

Next, check here for a discussion about M50's:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47209/thread/1340153936/M50+Sherman
TDFreak
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California, United States
Joined: May 19, 2010
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Posted: Thursday, June 21, 2012 - 09:00 AM UTC
I realize the age of the thread. The Missing Lynx thread is what brought me here. Just trying to get as much info as possible. IDF AFV a little confusing at times. Sorry, didn't mean to bother you.
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