Introduction

Back in July 2010 I brought you a review of the new Sherman M4A4 Interior Set from Resicast, reviewed here:

M4A4 Interior Review

At the time I mentioned that the company had several other ‘interior’ projects in the pipe line, one of which was a Basic Drivers Interior for M4 Shermans. This is a look at set No 35.2329, a basic drivers position. It is just that, a basic detail set for all M4’s. Based on the Tasca M4A4 and M4A1 interior sets by Resicast, the set offers a basic drivers interior.

As there are many versions of the Sherman, this set is not correct for all M4’s but it will nicely fill the interior of any plastic or resin kit and does provide you with seats, steering and gear mechanisms that were common to most Shermans.

The set was mastered by Graham Sellar, and thanks are given in the instructions to Carlos Darcy and Adrian Barrell.

So let have a look at what you get.

The Set

The set comes packed in the standard sturdy and professional Resicast small box. The cover depicts several pictures of the set and the manufacturers details. Inside are 4 zip plastic bags containing the kit parts, all wrapped in bubble wrap for extra protection.

The parts are cast in a light grey resin and were free from any damage. The casting, as one would expect from Resicast, is excellent with the parts having good sharp detail.

The box also contains a 12 page set of instructions, complete with parts listing, clear assembly instructions and examples of part placement for an M4A4 and an M4A1, together with some equipment drawings and reference pictures.

The parts themselves consist of:

1 x Transmission housing
1 x Drivers floor
1 x Co-drivers floor
1 x Escape hatch mechanism
1 x Dashboard
3 x Breather
1 x Stowage Box
1 x Extinguisher hand
1 x Tray
1 x Accelerator Pedal
1 x Clutch Pedal
1 x .30 cal ammo stowage
1 x 30 rd floor stowage
1 x Dashboard M4A1
1 x Front left ammo rack
1 x Front right stowage
1 x Drive shaft
1 x Gear box
1 x Steering
1 x Arm
1 x Arm right
2 x Link (2 2)
1 x Steering lever (1 1)
1 x Brake lever
1 x Gear lever
2 x Seat support
1 x Spare periscope
2 x Frame leg
2 x Frame
1 x Left from ammo box M4A1
1 x Right 57mm ammo bin M4A1
1 x Front Stowage box M4A1
1 x Turret basket – see note below

So you should have in this set a lot of the basic parts needed to fill up the front interior of your Sherman. Obviously check your references for layout against Mk, but most of these parts were common across many, but not all, Shermans.

The Turret basket mentioned above is part X and is only a blanking plate to go at the back of the drivers’ position to block further view when looking through the open hatches.

Conclusion

This is an excellently cast and well produced detail set. You would need to check your references against Mk of tank, but if you are looking for a basic drivers interior, but don’t want to go the whole hog and super detail everything inside, then this should suit your needs well.

Leaving the hatches open on a Sherman has always created problems, you have a super model and then a big empty gap where the missing interior bits should be. This set offers an alternative to modellers and might well be a very good beginners kit for some extra detailing if you’ve thought about this but been frightened off by the look and work needed for a full interior.

You’ll need a sharp razor saw, but overall the clean up should be minimal. Depending on your choice of Sherman kit maker (Tasca, DML, Italeri etc) you may have to make some adjustments to the parts for a good fit, but this is probably as close as it gets to one size fits almost all.

There is, for some odd reason, a great satisfaction in knowing the interior is there, even when you only see a partial bit of it. The viewers eye is drawn into the vehicle basically because, I suppose, we are a bit nosey, but they do add so much to a build. That of course is just a personal perspective.