Introduction

The M7 Priest in US service can be seen in wartime photos piled high with all sorts of military gear on it’s glacis and rear deck. This set from Resicast will provide enough stowage for two different vehicles.

Review

As you can see from the photo, the set comes in a strong cardboard box packed to the top with stowage items. It contains 30 light cream colored resin parts in 4 zip lock bags. Also included is a double sided A4 instruction sheet showing placement of the stowage as well as a key to what each part depicts.

The set contains the following:

• Rear stowage block A, this is built up of 105mm ammo boxes, various tarps it has a rail around the rear with Musette bags hanging from it.

• Rear stowage block B, is a different configuration of 105 ammo crates and tarps.

• Front stowage – a tarp covered bundle lashed down with rope. This has the imprint of the three piece transmission on the back of it for ease of fit.

• A bundle of wood.

• Rear right stowage a tarp topped crate to be used with rear stowage

• A loosely tied and rolled camo net

• Rear right stowage a crate topped with two tarps (To be used with Rear stowage block B)

• 4 separate different rolled tarpaulins.

• 3 C ration boxes

• Small grouser box for front left filled with a tarpaulin.

• Large grouser box for front left filled with various items

• 2 different folded tarpaulins

• 6 cardboard ammo tubes.

• 2 rolls of barbed wire

• A tied bag

• 2 Tanker helmets.

• A large box tied with rope


The casting is excellent and I could find no sink marks or air bubbles. The detail is nice and crisp especially on the rolls of barbed wire and camo net.

Again in this set Resicast have been clever with their casting technique. There is only a small resin casting plug to be removed from even the largest bundles thus taking one of the major chores in modelling away. These stubs can be easily removed with a sharp razor saw.
It would be nice to have painting instructions for items like the 105 crates or the C ration boxes but a little research by the modeler should solve that. I'm also surprised that there are no Jerry cans included.

Conclusion

This is “US Priest Stowage set no. 1”, but apart from the tanker helmets and the Musette bags on Rear Stowage Block A, there’s nothing that would look out of place on a commonwealth vehicle. Although the kit in the instructions and on the box top is the Academy Priest I can’t see any problem fitting most of this stowage to the Italeri kit.