M18 Hellcat US Army Tank

This kit yells out detail me!! And away I went with all out effort and detailing sets that I could find as well as mixed and matched figures that were placed close enough to make a realistic tight fit, I'd say you had to be a short guy to crew this cat! The machine guns, tripods, and ammo were all from the Academy U.S. Army Machine Set, another great set that I have many of and detailing every US Army model. I used the decals from various sets, finishing off the famous Kilroy as this was a favorite trick painting of the GIs. An outstanding kit that deserves detailing and lots of weathering as with all of my models.

I have been building armor kits for forty years. IPMS Nationals trophy winner, etc. While I have real hopes of finishing this M18, it has been one of the most frustrating builds I ever encountered. The instructions are frequently vague about the location of parts. Once one figures out where a part goes, good luck with the fit. Some parts (see the E sprue) are mislabeled. I used the rubber tracks, having let the sprocket and rear drive wheels dry tight overnight...and watched in horror as the left track ripped a wheel and part of the chassis off the model. That was repaired, as were other bad surprises. Even if they are crude and simplistic, even the first armor kits from Tamiya were carefully engineered for accurate and failsafe assembly and things fit as they should. I will complete this thing, right down to the awful decal film, but feel that the demands of fixing this mess with stretched sprue and stuff from the junkbox should have been unnecessary.

Wow. WOW!!! This kit, man! Its so good. First of all, there is a full interior, which is totally cool. It is a detailed one, too. Second of all, there is a whole sprue for ad-ons like gas tanks, and gear and bags, etc. The whole kit is awesome, and is a fun build. I would recommend being a somewhat experienced modeler to get this, because there is some challenging parts to build (the turret interior)