I just picked this kit up today for a song and a dance. I can't seem to locate any reviews for it...yet.

Does anyone have any words, good or bad regarding this kit?

Oh boy - ducking for cover. You might draw out the rabid Shermanaholics!

Gunnie

For the above mentioned, I found out that Fine Scale Modeler did a review or whatever on this kit in their January 1994 issue. Page 13. Anyone still have this issue around that would care to give it a glancing over to tell me what they say?

Ahhhh..."NUTS" to the rivit counters...not interested in all that jazz. Just a simple "that kit sucks" or "It's not so bad" will suffice

I thought it was okay - and liked the build-ups of the models I've seen. Some purists feel the turret itself is undersized - not wide enough - and recommend thickening the armor all around to make up for it. There are replacement turrets available, but none have really made that dramatic of an impact on me when I looked at them as compared to the kit parts.

Gunnie

The biggest problem with that kit is the trannsmission cover Tamiya didn't make it thick enough Tank Workshop makes a great thicker replacement for it VLS has them www.modelmecca.com

Heck Ken, straight OOB with little more than the sponsons boxed over it still "looks" like a Jumbo to me. I may have an old AEF Designs Jumbo turret somewhere.

Ken,
I just dug out the January, 1994 issue on FSM,,,sorry nothing, nada.
Did you get this info from their website? Is an index of past articles, etc available there?

Ron, hmmm. Yes, I got that off their site. Says in volume 12...as I scroll down that page, it lists the M4A3E2 Jumbo under the heading: Details/accessories. Is there anything there on that bit of the model?
BTW, my mistake, it's page 16.

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/FSMindex/94N-Z.html

Here AMPS's thumbnail description of the M4A3E2 Jumbo: "U.S. M4A3E2 Jumbo (two figures) -- Very poor. Turret is totally the wrong shape! Other parts are ""stick on"" over a normal M4A3 kit, and once again, double the cost of the early kit. The Tank Workshop makes an accurate turret and hull for this model."

go to www.amps-armor.org for info on armor kits.

OUCH!!
Well at $10.63, I hardly sang nor danced for the kit. Tank Workshop's parts may have some merit here than. Hmmm, $27 to fix it...hmmm. We'll see.

Just build it OOB and put it on the shelf with the others. This is one of the reasons why I hesitate to send people to sites where they count rivets. It will steer them clear of a perfectably buildable kit. Good practice kit for someone not familiar with conversion, which this kit basically is, a conversion of the M4A3 into a "Jumbo-looking" tank.

Ken,
The article is for 1/72 conversions to the Esci kit. Nothing about Tamiya's 1/35.

Oh well, Ron...thanks for taking the time to look for me.

Rob, thanks too...I will build OOB...and leave at that. :-)