Introduction

The Sherman was the workhorse of the Allies during WWII and all sub variants carried the 75mm M3 main gun at some point. There were two versions; the early version, with flared out muzzle for added strength and the later more common version as seen in this simple update from RB Models from Poland.

Review

This set is as simple as replacement barrels get, consisting of one turned aluminium barrel in a small plastic bag. There are no instructions and no indication for which kit it is meant for. The barrel is almost exactly 49mm long, which is exactly the length of the barrel in 1/35 scale from the gun mantlet to the muzzle (see Lion Marc barrel review on PMMS here). On the gun breech end there is a 9mm long and 2mm diameter attachment pin. The muzzle features subtle rifling for a much enhanced look over any plastic part.

At the time of this review I have 75mm Sherman turrets from Tamiya, DML (Kit No. 6441, Composite Hull Sherman PTO) and Formations. The barrel is clearly intended for the Tamiya kit as those have the barrel in a similar layout with only the portion outside the gun mantlet in the appropriate thickness. Accordingly, no alteration is needed to fit the RB Models barrel to the Tamiya kit.

To fit the barrel to the DML kit there is some modification necessary which can probably be limited to enlarging the attachment hole in Part B15. For those who want a somewhat more sturdy attachment I would recommend adding a shim of about 4mm length from plastic tube of about 4.5mm diameter. This will allow you to glue the gun in place inside the mantlet.

Unfortunately, I fitted a second barrel to the Formations turret before I made this review. I attached it similar to the way I would attach it to the DML kit by adding a shim from plastic tube.

Conclusion

A very simple and effective update primarily intended for Tamiya’s Shermans that can be fitted to any 75mm Sherman (and probably also the M3 Lee/Grant) with a little more work. Highly recommended!