What would be the best kit , manufacture , early , mid , late M7 to build off of to replicate a British , Indian Priest in Burma service ?
I have a couple of kits , Dragon , Italeri , maybe some more but I have to root around in the stash to see for sure.

i would imagine the dragon ! did the British version use the same gun as the US did ?

Dragon Early. Three piece transmission housing.

And all Priests had the 105. There is a similar vehicle armed with a 25 pdr. called the Sexton.

The gun was the same. Some British versions had UK radio equipment installed on the wall in lieu of the additional shells. I would imagine the Burma campaign would have mid or late versions but not quite sure. There are some films and photos of the operations around Rangoon; maybe they will be of value. The Italeri kit is very old and Academy's is a bit of a mish mash. Dragon is the best choice but I think they only make an early and mid version.

Thanks a lot guys , I was thinking mid , late myself , just got the Takom late Lee and want to use a Brit , Indian 14th army M7 to accompany it . I've seen a lot of ref Burma M7's but they are covered in gear .

Considering that mid to late Lee's were in Burma and updated Grant's (Sherman bits used to replace as needed, plus new exhaust and air cleaners) --- and that early M7 were to be found in still in service in various places until the 1960s -- (US national guard had them until 1962 some still in early configuration)

Early, mid or late doesn't matter. Ones with M3 suspensions and three piece transmission housings were still used long after any supposed expiration date. They'd get new bits like superstructure panels, air cleaners and road wheels. But, they were still used.

Armored vehicles do not have expiration dates. They're updated and refurbished and still used.

Italeri's kit depicts a very late production vehicle, and very few made it into the field, simply because attrition rates for artillery units were much lower than the losses in tank battalions. Also, the British had decided to favor the Canadian-built Sexton during the final year of the war, and late M7's were simply not requested.

Any of the M7 kits except the Italeri one. The DML Early or Mid would be the best choice for a 14th Army Priest in Burma. Almost all of the images I have seen show 3 piece transmission and M4 Suspension. This article may be of use as it has some good pictures: http://www.fireandfury.com/painting/burmaarmypaintingguide.pdf
Al

Thanks guys you've been a big help !!
Al thanks for the link this goes a long way for unit id etc