Dear friends,

I just bought an overly-priced 1970s old kit reissued with 2009 price - REVELL Sherman M4A3 Calliope rocket launcher. I heard it is the old mold from italeri. I simply couldn't resist it as I always thought it was a classic must have for so many years

I have heard some gross in accuracies and not so good reviews on its "rocking" suspensions and tracks.

How to make this kit better and more accurate, what parts should I change or kit bash (with other shermans like tamiya or dragon).

Cheers
Musicwerks

The Italeri M4A3 Sherman calliope kit was issued in 1996. The hull of the Sherman was from the early 1980s and first showed up on their M4A1/M32 TRV/M7 Priest/Kangaroo. The upper hull is from the M4A2 Jumbo/M36B1 Jackson kit from 1988. The turret was actually new for 1996 along with the calliope launcher.

The old Monogram Calliope from the 1960s was based on an early M4A1(76).

Italeri's chassis and lower hull are based on their 1979 M4A1 kit moldings. The suspension should be cemented in place so it doesn't pull up at the front and rear when you install the tracks. The turret needs a layer of cast-in armor added to the right front corner. Italeri's M4A3 upper hull is okay, though the welds are recessed instead of proud, and the engine grills don't have enough slats (so they could be molded hollow). Like kits of the period, all periscopes are molded closed with no periscope installed in the underside if you pose them open. There are no casting numbers anywhere. Steve Zaloga's book on Modelling the M4 Sherman Tank 75mm shows how to improve it.
A better choice for the hull would be the Dragon M4A3 Premium edition, which you could mate with a corrected Italeri turret, or just use the entire kit of the new Normandy Sherman. Concord has just published another Zaloga book, "US Armored Funnies," that covers the rocket launching tanks.

Somehing to consider is that whatever you paid for the kit is probably about what you would pay for the Velinden Calliope conversion, if you can find it, so you could just use the Calliope parts on a better kit and junk the rest!

Hi Gerald,

How about any academy- any kits I can mate the T-34 rocket barrels with to make a "better" calliope kit?

When it comes to Sherman, I am new and clueless....

Cheers
Musicwerks

[quote]
Italeri's chassis and lower hull are based on their 1979 M4A1 kit moldings. The suspension should be cemented in place so it doesn't pull up at the front and rear when you install the tracks. The turret needs a layer oif cast in armor added to the right front corner. Italeri's M4A3 upper hull is okay, though the welds are recessed instead of proud, and the engine grills don't have enough slats (so they could be molded hollow). Like kits of the period, all periscopes are molded closed with no periscope installed in the underside if you pose them open. There are no casting numbers anywhere. Steve Zaloga's book on Modelling the M4 Sherman Tank 75mm shows how to improve it.
A better choice for the hull would be the Dragon M4A3 Premium edition, which you could mate with a corrected Italeri turret, or just use the entire kit of the new Normandy Sherman. Concord has just published another Zaloga book, "US Armored Funnies," that covers the rocket launching tanks.

Not every type of Sherman mounted the calliope. Your best bet would be to find a photo of the vehicle you want to replicate and purchase the better Sherman kit of that type. Sherman kits now run the gambit of $100 to $20, so it depends on how nice of a Sherman do you want to convert into a Calliope.

I built this kit in the mid-late 90's sometime OOB and quite frankly I liked it a lot. It went together pretty easy and looks like a Sherman when done. I'm sure the rivet counters can and will criticize it to death as they always do but I'd build another one if given the chance.