introduction

The recent release of the M3 Lee from Academy has led to a plethora of releases from different aftermarket companies intended to upgrade or convert the kit. This one from Trakz is just a straightforward replacement turret.............I think! But hey! It's Allied! Hence a Preview not a Review! I'll just describe what you get......

quick look

What you get is four finely cast resin parts, the largest of which is a complete, solid turret. The commander's hatch is hollow to a degree, so at least should you wish to you can have a half figure in it, but otherwise it's a solid casting. It displays some really lovely looking cast texture all over, which is something you don't get on the Academy turret, and about the only thing I might not like should I be using it, is the fact that the mantlet is cast integrally, which means of course, you have absolutely no choice at which angle the main gun is depicted at.

The cupola itself, which is a separate casting, is also cast extremely well, but again, the .30 Cal mount is cast integrally and so sets the angle at which the gun can be shown. Both of these parts will need their bases sanded smooth as there is about 4mm of resin residue that needs to be removed. The side persicope cover are two hinged on this one, as opposed to the single hinged covers on the Academy turret.

The commander's hatch has nice detail.............on the outside that is. Inside there is only more residue that needs to be sanded down, so if you were to leave it open then be prepared to detail the inside of the hatch yourself from scratch. The last part merely consists of a small cylinder about 13mm long, attached to a small pouring block which is easily removed.

conclusion

Excellent set from Trakz that is a vast improvement over the kit part. Although my one reservation is that hatch lid............it really should have been detailed both sides! Keep an eye out for a full build using this set coming soon.