I ordered Academy's M10 Gun Motor Carriage in 1/35 from squadron.com and yesterday, when I received the new catalog, I noticed there's an M10 Achilles. Is the only difference that the Achilles was a British AFV? Did I not purchase a definitive Tank Destroyer?

Also, for anyone who has built one: are these kits as good as they look on the ads on the back of FSM?

TIA...Kevin

Indeed you did purchace a definitive TD...Englands version of the U.S. built M10.
The main difference is the Brits replaced the 3" gun with their Mk V 17 pounder.

Yes it builds into a very nice model.

You can go here for a quick overview of the kit:

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2001/october/first-looks/acad_m10.htm

I have both of the Academy m10 kits! (Got one for my bday last week!)

They are numbered 1392 and 1393 in Academy's range, I think.

They are both really nice kits. I've drooled over the box contents a lot. Plenty of extra parts, different transmission housings, lots of internal detail (more needed I'm sure!), and the only big difference is that the Achilles has the better gun (the 17lber as opposed to the US 3" gun). The Brits/Commonwealth used M10s with 3" guns in Italy and NWEurope, but later versions of the M10 in service with them had the 17 pounder. This was a much more effective gun, and the M10c is an M10 with that gun. I gather Achilles is a postwar term for these beasts, and there has been endless debate on that topic elsewhere.

The Academy Achilles needs some adjustment, because I believe the British tool stowage pattern is not correctly represented. AFVInteriors have the stowage diagrams in their archive. Not a big deal to fix.

On Missing Links there was lots of debate about whether the AFV Club or Academy M10 was better. I think it's a no decision, with each kit having strengths and weaknesses. I like opening the boxes and imagining the completed vehicles in all cases!! Maybe I'll get one of them done after we move!

Cheers

You guys need to learn how to win these kits. Nothing beats an AFV M10 for the cost of a $1 raffle ticket. Does the Academy kit come with a roof?

I agree - and I think the Academy kit looks better than the build-up on the back of FSM Magazine.

Gunnie

Hmmm, is winning something learned? A class on ambiguity. How come my high school never taught it? Or did you learn that in thte Army? lol

Nope, not a one has come with the roof. Maybe Academy's M36 will provide a roof in the kit. Than again, with a company like Verlinden, I'm surprised they didn't make a roof with their update kits.

AFV Club (Kit #35S07, M10 TD-Wolverines) is the late production version of the M10, and includes a resin hedgrow cutter and the roof for the fighting compartment.

Ahhh haaa, the one kit I don't have! Figures! Thanks Arengca!

And it goes together very nicely too. I am really enjoying that build.

I'll pitch in with a hypothesis here, just so we all have more options to consider when mixing and matching: My gut tells me that Academy will produce not a basic M36 But the M36B2. This one has the later gun with muzzle brake (and sometimes bore evacuator), turrret top armor, and lower side fenders cut down for duckbill tracks. Why this version? We supplied a bunch of them to South Korea to equip their armored forces during the Korean War, so it is a hometown favorite. Not quite the ticket for WW2, but backdating shouldn't be too hard. That's assuming I'm right, which is always doubtful...either way, I'll pick one up to go with my Achilles. Ya know, it's a pity nobody ever retrofitted the HVSS suspension on one of those babies---sure would look cool!
Greg