The resin mantlet is the correct dimensions in width and height as well as the barrel being the correct length with fine rifling included in the drilled out muzzle which is quite noticeable with the larger calibre gun.
Quality of the resin casting is excellent without any blemishes and only very small remnants of the casting blocks remaining on my parts with the resin mantlet being a direct reproduction of the Tamiya M4 105mm (kit #35251) mantlet including the same small casting numbers as on the Tamiya part.
The gun mounting is also a reproduction of the Tamiya part but the front curve for the mantlet has been simplified from the kit part and the back of the mantlet has also been filled in to conform to the gun mounting. The only other alterations from the Tamiya parts is a slight roughing of the cast effect when seen from some angles and the neck of the gun collar is slightly thicker than on the Tamiya part which has a bearing on fitting the metal barrel as we will see below.
Actual wheels
Comparing the mantlet to that in the three kits, it is better proportioned than the undersized mantlet in the Dragon kit and has better detail that the plain Academy mantlet but offers no additional detail over the Tamiya mantlet being the same part but in resin.
And so to seeing how the gun mounting fits to the respective kits, on the Academy kit there is a very small gap along the top of the gun mounting to be attended too but other than that the fit is better to the Academy kit than the other two.
and Trumpeter (right) tread pattern and tyre widths.
Test fitting the gun mounting to the Dragon kit turret sees an almost impossible fit with large gaps above and below the mounting and clearly some major work will be needed to fit the resin mounting to the Dragon turret. Also fitting the resin mantlet only t
Recommended only just 6/10
See the Sherman Subjects page for other Sherman kit/accessory reviews.
Thanks to me Credit Card and for
the review set.