Rob, from the original post here, M4 18T cargo tractor. I went to the Modelcraft link located on this site. Is that the one you were talking about? I looked it over as best I could ( the pic is a little small), but I did not notice a spade on the front of the vehicle and the running gear looks like from an M8 or M5. Is that the one?
Anyway, I just ordered it for my M59 Longtom. It looks cooler than Academy's M35 Prime mover. In fact, I seem to like the strange or unique vehicles.

The Modelcraft kit is the M8 cargo tractor. It has the spade in the front, Sherman HVSS suspension and a cargo compartment in the back much like a deuce & a half (bed & rails). The M5 tractor has no cargo compartment and the suspension looks like it originated from a US light tank. Hasegawa sells a 1/72 scale one labeled as a "High Speed Tractor".

This Life-Like kit includes the 1/40th scale version of the M5:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1684717774

Rob, maybe I'm confused here, but a side by side comparison of the one from Modelcraft and the one whose link you provided are the same. If anything, the running gear maybe different, but the bodies are the same. Maybe I'm missing something here.

Here's a better picture of it:

http://www.members.aol.com/rgronovius/m4.jpg

The M5 is much smaller with no cargo compartment and the M8 is more of a tracked cargo carrier (has a cargo bed). The the M5 is used to only tow arty, the M8 can pull arty and ammo.

Ken's right, Modelcraft does market both the M4-18T tractor and the M8-A1 cargo tractor. I want the M8-A1, have a set of DML's M4A3E8 HVSS that survived my last move, although the tank did not.

(short story, big box of spray paint was dropped into and on top of carefully packed Sherman and both crammed into a bigger box)

Magic! I actually created a "Kit Box Covers" album in reference. Might be cool for some of the older, off-the-market kits.

Jim

Good idea. I have many older kits, many 1/48 Aurora armor kits, and of course, many current kits.

Amazing that this kit has spurred a thread that runs 4 pages!

The thread might have been so long had I known that Modelcraft had the same mold as the Nitto or Revell or Bluetank. It's funny how the molds jump around manufactures who than produce a slightly different photo to confuse people like me.
But hey, it was a learning experience for me.
PS: Who originally "made" the mold? Nitto?

That's hard to say, Nitto made a habit of "borrowing" other manufacturer's kit designs. They made a line out of copying Monogram's 1/35 scale armor and then adding motorization to the kit. They also copied Monogram's 1/48 scale Me-262, Spitfire and Aurora's P-38. There are probably more, but those are the ones I am certain about.

P.S. we all learn something new each day

Hey Rob! I found em! All the way back to the beginning of this thread. Tips on building the darn thing. I sent an e-mail to you with the links. I hope you get them. If not, please fell free to e-mail me back and I will fix.
Good luck, Ken

just to add another piece to this threat..
my 2 nitto m18 come in a box from a company named INCOME , Made in Taiwan!
They used the original Nitto box art, and the kits
lower body still shows the Nitto stamp..
I bought them in czech republic for about
7,50.-$us each.

there are rumours that afv-club will release a new
tooled kit this year...but I hear this story now since december 2000...

werner

Rob, or anyone else for that matter, did you happen to see the PBS show "Battlefield"? Some cool footage of an the M4 pulling the 155mm. I got it on tape and will have to look at it again. Hey, maybe I can catch some stills of it for reference!