Manufacturer: Tamiya, imported by Tamiya America, 2 Orion, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4200, 800-826-4922
www.tamiyausa.comKit: No. 56014
Scale: 1/16
Price: $875
Comments: Motorized remote-controlled tank model, 351 injection-molded parts, 153 metal parts, 31 rubber parts, along with 4 motors, 2 digital control units, a speaker, LEDs and fiber optics, electronic gear, fasteners, and decals
Pros: WOW factor; impressive operation and sound; good detail; not difficult to assemble
Cons: More complicated than a typical plastic kit; need to purchase radio-control unit separately
When I described Tamiya's updated 1/16 scale M4 Sherman kit for News & Products (November 2001 FSM) and FineScale Modeler's website (www.finescale.com), I noted that I could already picture one built and painted in an olive drab/black camouflage scheme. It looked pretty good in my mind, and I looked forward to starting on the model. Now that I've finished building it, I can honestly say that it looks even better than I pictured, and that's not because of any great talent or heroic modifications on my part. Instead, it looks good because, while it isn't all-new, it remains a well-engineered kit and it builds into an impressive model. Despite being an uncommon version, the M4 has the distinctive chunky look that says "Sherman."
The kit represents a late M4 (welded 47-degree hull, air-cooled radial engine) with a 105mm howitzer and horizontal volute spring suspension (HVSS). The Detroit Tank Arsenal produced 841 of them in late 1944 and early 1945.
The kit features a stamped metal chassis and well-cast metal suspension. The tracks represent the metal, double-pin T80 style. The upper hull, turret, gun, and details are injection-molded styrene plastic. The kit includes one figure and details for two U.S. Army tanks in the ETO (including the subject I chose, from the 9th Armored), one U.S. Army tank from the Pacific Theater, and one Free French.
Though parts of the kit date back to the early 1970s, it's an enjoyable model to assemble. Most parts fit well, and the dimensions I checked were correct for 1/16 scale. Because it has a true working suspension (and shows how the HVSS works, which references never could explain), the first several steps are time-consuming, though not difficult.
I paused from assembling the suspension to paint the lower hull with the suspension and return roller mounts attached, and painted the wheels and return rollers separately. Most of the wheels use separate rubber tires, which greatly simplifies painting. The only fussy step is assembling the shock absorbers, which have two metal tubes and one styrene detail. I wasn't confident that glue would suffice to hold the plastic part to the metal tube when the assembly would be subject to movement, so I used a small soldering iron to melt the pin holding the piece to the shock tubes. Also, if you're going for total accuracy, the screws holding the suspension together should be replaced with bolts; I didn't bother.
From this point I did not deviate from the instructions, other than to paint some parts before assembly. The guards protecting the lights are over scale.
The turret is a multi-piece assembly: top, bottom, plus the side shell-ejection port. It required some filling and sanding to achieve smoothly contoured joints.
This release of the kit includes several new sprues of parts, including ammunition boxes and other hull details plus a terrific .50-caliber machine gun that's a kit in itself. It features a removable ammunition box plus a movable receiver cover, ammunition tray cover, and mount, and goes together very well.
I finished the tank using Tamiya paints Ð primer and TS-5 spray lacquer on the metal parts, and XF62 olive drab on the plastic. The black camouflage is flat black with a bit of white added, and the weathering is a combination of airbrushed dirt colors, a wash of Turpenoid and burnt umber oil paint, and chalks.
The kit comes with an updated array of components for operation, including motors to propel the tank, a motor to rotate the turret, and a motor to elevate the gun. It also includes a digital control unit, a digital sound unit, lights for the hull machine gun, main gun, and head and tail lights. If you wish to operate the tank, you need to purchase a 4-channel ground-frequency radio transmitter and receiver and a 7.2v battery pack.
Tamiya's old/new 1/16 Sherman kit is a pleasure to assemble and builds into a fine model of one of history's great AFVs. I spent approximately 100 hours building mine, but the time passed pleasantly. With enough patience and time, even modeling novices should have no problems assembling one.