First off, the box art and build up photos supplied by Asuka make the kit look toy-like. Only having one marking option may also turn some modelers off of the subject. The kit subject is a Pullman Standard built M4 with the 54 degree hull, round single piece transmission cover, applique armor and late D50878 turret with the low bustle, cast cheek armor and no pistol port, split commander's hatch and no loaders hatch.
Markings are for "Fay", an "F" company tank from the 66th tank regiment, 2nd armored division US, which landed at Normandy on June 9, 1944. This information is from the box art. I have searched all over the internet and can only find photos of "Fury" from the 2nd AD. I did, however, find this nice photos of tanks from the 754th tank battalion at Bougainville. The tanks were received in a batch in March 1944, and rushed into battle on the 12th of that month when the Japanese launched a counter attack.
http://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/tanks/m4-sherman-tank/37-infantry-division-m4-shermans-platoon-in-column-in-bougainville-jungle-1944/
I'm not expert enough to pick out other tanks and determine clearly if they are Pullman Standard or ALCO.
The kit looks very nice in the box, but did not include the M2 .50 cal MG. I was able to contact Asuka and they have informed me a replacement will be sent.
The quality of the kit parts looks excellent overall though there is quite a bit of flash on many of the small parts and a surprising number of sink marks. Most won't be seen but a few are noticeable. Also, there are very fine machining marks visible on many of the parts from the mold. This leaves a very fine lined pattern on some parts.
Construction begins with the drive sprocket and idler, transmission housing and bogie assemblies. There are casting numbers on the bogies but none on the transmission.
The transmission includes the top and bottom bolt strips and the bolt strip along the side of the hull, which is nice to see.
The bogies can be built with some rubber type inserts that allow the VVSS suspension to articulate and compress. You cut three small pieces out and place them inside the bogie unit and the compression spring unit can move up and down in a groove. The material is fairly soft and my concern is that over time it would compress on its own and the suspension would flatten out. The included option is a plastic insert that holds everything in place. Not indicated in the instructions is that there are three different pieces that will allow you to show the suspension at different degrees of compression. I opted to go for this route, selecting option B.
The road wheels needed to be sanded down to remove the heavy mold seam and even out the tire. The area at the mold seam was somewhat sunken on two of the wheels and required a little more sanding to get it even. Once everything was assembled the suspension was still poseable but didn't compress.
The offset skid is missing one bolt on the inside front that can be sourced from the early type skid also offered in the kit. There are small rivets that can be placed around the rim of the road wheel for enhanced accuracy but I can't see the parts that well.
Next up is assembly of the lower hull. It comes as multiple parts and is a perfect setup for an interior kit that I hope will one day be offered in plastic.
I then skipped over a couple of steps and added the upper hull to the lower. For me it is easier to add the big parts and then do the small parts as I don't knock them off as often. Once the hull sections were together I went about adding the details.
The little white tabs on the rear are styrene stock to fill two small holes not used for this version. As I looked over the kit I could see more clearly some of the sink marks and how visible they would be.
When I went to add the applique armor for the hoods I discovered that I was supposed to have drilled out two small holes in front of each hood to place the armor plates. This was not indicated in the instructions. Going off of photos I placed them as best I could. I will need to add the weld lines.
One little note. The hull MG is a full piece and is moveable. Of all the Sherman kits I have built, only the Italeri had this feature, while almost every German tank has a fully detailed gun.
Next I added the round air cleaners called out for in the instructions. They require some cleanup as the two halves didn't mate perfectly. There are four tie rods included. I lost two to the carpet, but only two are visible unless you look really closely, so I wasn't too worried. I then added the plates for the engine deck. The plastic is quite hard, but reacts quickly to Tamiya thin cement. Even a tiny amount looks like a major spill on the plastic.
The etch mesh insert for the air intake attaches to the cover, which is then placed on the hull. Other items like vent covers and fuel lids, lifting rings and shackle mounts have been put on as well.
There are casting numbers on the hoods which look very nice. The hatches can be posed open or closed. As there is no interior detail and I don't have figures for the driver and co driver, I closed them up. You can choose between clear and solid green plastic periscopes. I went with the clear. The spring attachment is indicated with a full scale drawing on the instructions and there are good photos of the real thing at Sherman minutia for reference. There is a periscope cover but not the wire brush guard.
That is as far as I have made it for now. Tonight I will finish off the main details on the hull and complete the turret. Even with the extra parts in the suspension there aren't a lot of parts to this kit, and the build is going very quickly.
If you have tips or suggestions, or a photo of "Fay", please post them. Thanks.
