M4A3 Sherman 75mm Tank

Recently got back to the hobby Step away from cars for a moment and built this one. The first Tamiya i ever built was the motorized easy8 Sherman. I thought it was great until i bought the M3 Lee and M3 Stuart. Wow what a difference in detail especially for kits back in those days (the 70s). Then i bought this kit and though i had built other Shermans from other companies thru the years where the details really improved immensely, this kit STILL wowed me so many extra parts (which is nice because i'm basically starting all over again collecting Sherman spare parts). It does have its cons but, to me they aren't a big deal, since the two major ones are fixable. These are: The Classy Peg and Caballero Decal aren't mirror images of the left and right so. you have one correct side and one wrong side. the fix, don't use them or make your own corrected ones (you'll find how to's on youtube for making decals). The second (which is common for Tamiya armor, is no sponson. I have no clue why, even through all these years, they continue to do this? Don't they know you can see thru the tracks to the other side? I'm sure a lot of modelers have asked them about it. But, again no big deal. Just buy styrene sheets and make your own, besides it might give you ideas to scratch build an interior i'm not too nit-picky about other details you may find in books about a fresh factory built Sherman since in combat (i'm a US Army veteran), maintenance crews will use any good parts available from a disabled Sherman and one might have actually existed in the field but was destroyed. Also, factories will use older parts when they run out of the newer ones. Again this happens in the field so, it wouldn't a surprise to see a Sherman with different sets of road wheels on a bogie. This i think adds interest in a model (which again would happen in real life). so just enjoy your build and don't be afraid to be creative, especially with this Tamiya kit

The tank is easy to build. Even beginners won't have too many problems when building this. It can be hand painted , but I airbrushed it anyways. If you hand paint, the tank will still look good, but it might look more weathered. The figures are nice, and are basically highly detailed toy soldiers. They will take time to paint, so I usually don't paint them :P

If you've read and of my reviews you would know I love Tamiya models. They're well manufactured, the instructions are easy to follow, and you don't have to be a master modeler to get a good end result. This model went together well and had a ton of accessories to add to an already cool model. It also gives you three infantry guys and a tanker to finish of the model. This kit is a very good value and is perfect for a new modeler to start on.