Russ Amott reviews DML's M4 DV Sherman.



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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

I'm wondering about the turret on this kit.

I am currently working on Dragon's M4A1 DV kit and the turret is among the worst I've ever seen! The joint between the upper and lower pieces for the rear third of the turrret is about a quarter inch above the the welded seam of the real thing. They molded the real seam where it belongs, but the glued joint of the kit parts is impossible to get rid of!!! The texture of the armor surface is only there below the seam on the lower section so you get this smooth area between the glued joint and the molded weld seam. What's even worse - the pieces actually tilt slightly inward at the joint! I've added putty and smoothed the area at least three times (much to the harm of the molded weld seam, I can assure you) and I can still the glued joint area. I just know the paint ain't gonna helps things. The rest of the kit is very nice, but that turret just ruins the whole thing. Since the real M4 turret was actually 2 castings welded together, one would think they could have molded the kit parts just the same way (something Tamiya has done successfully for years).

I'm wondering if I could buy that M4 DV kit and steal the turret in an attempt to rescue my M4A1. Is the glued joint of the upper and lower parts at the weld or decidedly above it across the bustle?

~Randy

Randy, it is probably the same turret in both sets, coming from the M4 Normandy kit, and was also present in the M4 Composite. I did a dry fit of the turret in the M4 DV and it is pretty much the same as what you described. I believe this stems from Dragon molding both the high and low bustle turrets to fit the same turret ring, which they did in the M4 composite, where they supplied both the high and low bustle turret uppers but only one lower.

If the turret is really messed up you can contact Dragon Care by e-mail and explain to them the problem. If it is a molding problem or kit issue that you were unable to fix, they will replace the part for free.

The other option I can see at this point would be to work the area over until it is smooth, then add a weld seam, perhaps with stretched sprue, and then texture. If you post this question in the main forum there are plenty of folks who will provide other, probably better options.

Bummer. Thanks for the info, Russ. At least I won't blow more money on an early M4 from Dragon.

Thanks for the review Russ.

Hi Randy, only fix I can suggest is either Mr Surfacr and some plastic rod to reinstate the weld seem, or some glue and a stubby brush to rough up the seem and again some rod for the weld seem.

Al

Thanks for the suggestion, Al. I will give that a try as I love the rest of the kit and have always wanted to build the earliest Sherman with the M3 suspension and direct vision. I would like to try to save this model, I'm just disappointed that so much extra effort is needed to rescue a "Smart Kit" from its own difficiency. Thanks again,
~Randy

Bill, I'm sorry I forgot. Thank you for helping get this review up. Randy, good luck with the turret. Maybe post a photo of what you have now for a few more hints. It may not be so bad. Alan, thanks for the comments.

Excellent review, Russ. Now get busy on that build, LOL!