Well I have checked the armor forum about Sherman who right now has the best OOB Sherman plus adding the AFV tracks.
Jeff
Thanks

This depends on what version of a Sherman, (remember, these are out-of-box opinions)
M4 early=Tamiya
M4A1 75mm=DML
M4A1 76mm=Italeri
M4A2=? not a true one out there Italeri USMC M4A2
M4A3 75mm=Tamiya (new)
M4A3E8=DML
M4A4=DML
Firefly=DML
M50/M51=I don't know here, could be the Academy or the DML, haven't seen them side by side to compare.

I've got both, go with Academy!

going to get the New sherman either DML or Tamiya one with 105MM
thanks guys
Jeff

Jeff--I am building the Tamiya 105 kit. Superb. I have the AFV track system which will also go on her. For my money, the kit is the way to go.
DJ

Thanks DJ will get one which set of AFV are you using.
Jeff

I must stand in general agreement with Sabot and DJ. As I have several of these kits and have started tinkering with them, I'll add a few comments.
1. DML's HVSS suspension is a real pain in the butt, and its attachment to the hull is very weak. I've put my Easy Eight side because I'm so pissed at it right now.
2. DML's Firefly is a good place to start, but has lots of problems out of the box and these are shared with the M4A4 and Israeli M50 kits which use the same hull. This would take volumes, so PM me if you want the gory details. And the gun is too short, no fix but Jordi Rubio and that is worth doing.
3. Tamiya kits just click together wonderfully. However they have issues, as they say. First, the sponsons are hollow so an open hull or turret hatch reveals the top of the treads. Easy to fix with .040 styrene, just infuriating in a $40 model. Second, the cast steel road wheels have no back detail. See previous statement. Third, on the M4 Early the rear hull plate doesn't go up far enough leaving another gap. See previous statement...HTH,
Greg

I have to agree with Bob. In my opinion I believe, though not as popular
as some other manufacture, I think Academy Models are the closest
& most accurate model's out on the market. And I own a lot of Tamiya stuff.
.....Also I believe that if your willing enough, you can buy any model out
there and turn it into to something awesome & accurate.
- ralph

Right you are, gentlemen! Academy gets short shrift in my opinion. Yes, they make mistakes--the totally wrong main gun stowage on the Achilles, for example. But I am pleased with the dimensional accuracy and kit engineering of the ones I currently have: Achilles, M12, and M51. While I think Tamiya is certainly top-drawer, you also pay for that and the Academy kits are generally much cheaper. Tamiya also has taken some short-cuts that are in my view inexusable--the hollow sponsons I've railed against. But Academy is getting better, and both Tamiya and DML will have to respond to that. So much the better for us. Personally, I can't wait for their M36 and I must also grab an M10 one of these days. I just wish they'd really go on the offensive and put out a really good M4A2 which NOBODY does right. Give me an M40, too, and a new-tool M7 Priest, and a Ram Kangaroo, and a Sexton with CDP track, and...and ...and SPPPPZZZZZZTTTTSSSSZZZZTTT!!!!.

Too much drool on the keyboard! :-)

Greg

I just have too much biased against Academy. This is because all of their early stuff was Tamiya copies, right down to the decals. That always annoyed me. I have picked up several of their newer, all-original kits and so far those are very nice (Hummers for one). It still irritates me that they still have some of their old Tamiya copies on the shelves with updated boxes.

True enough, Rob; caveat emptor as they say. But I must also state that Tamiya is hardly without its failings. They too have made some really poor kits, some of which are still paraded around: Their Panther A, M10, M36, and M4A3E2 come to mind. The last one especially, as it is the most recent and should have been better researched. Academy is merely doing what the Koreans have long done in any industrial endeavour: First copy the Japanese at a lower price, then keep customers coming back with the improved quality that eventually comes from a steady revenue stream. Hyundai is an excellent example in the auto realm. The cars are MUCH better than when they first appeared in the mid-1980s. And coming from the likes of me, who keenly observes the auto scene and is a devoted Mercedes-Benz owner, that should be considered high praise indeed....
Greg

I just finished a Tamiya M4A3- Nice kit, but missing periscope parts.

Well, Nick, periscopes are hard to find in MOST Sherman kits. It's annoying, but Verlinden makes a pack of a dozen of them for about $8. Stock up...

Greg

Thanks for the info. Next Sherman I build I'll be sure to pick some up.

JUST BRING ON THAT ACADEMY M36 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-ralph