Introduction

'Well here comes another Sherman' I said to myself with a sigh when I recieved this kit for me to review. However my state of mind rapidly changed once I opened the box to see some newly tooled parts. And remembering that the previous Shermans from Dragon are excellent kits I decided to take a closer look.

Contents of the kit

• 4 sprues in grey plastic
• 1 lower hull in a separate plastic bag
• 1 upper hull in a separate plastic bag
• 1 set of DS tracks
• 1 fret of photoetched parts
• 1 sheet of decals printed by Cartograf
• 1 construction manual

The plastic parts

The parts are up to the usual Dragon standard with nice and crisp details on all the parts. The level of detail has to be seen to be believed and some parts are so small that it's amazing that they can be done in plastic. There are some newly tooled parts in this kit. First up is the upper hull which is said to be more correct than previous versions. It also includes wonderful little weld seams that are very well rendered. Another new item is the transmission cover that seem to be more detailed. The sandshields also look very good.

As ususal I must nag a little about the tools still being moulded on to the upper hull. Dragon has the capacity and the technology to do them as separate parts. I would love to have a set of separate tools included so I could have the option of cutting the fixed ones off and replacing them with the loose ones.

The photoetch

The PE is a standard set with the inclusion of some Mk.III parts like the stowage rack. Other nice details are the periscope guards and some handles for the stowagebox at the rear of the turret.

The tracks

The tracks in this kit are from a new tooling which should resemble the T54E-1 tracks and from what I can see they are a very good match and very crisp and clean.

The decals

The decals are very nicely printed and with vibrant colours and gives us a choice between three different markings all belonging to the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry operating in Syria 1943.

The instruction manual

The manual is very good with clear pictures and the painting guide is very nice too.

Conclusion

This kit really made me interested in building a Sherman again. It's an interesting subject and the quality of the kit will make it a beautiful representation of an exciting vehicle.