Academy 1/35 scale M36 Jackson gun motor carriage

Kit: No. 1395
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Academy, imported by Model Rectifier Corp., 80 Newfield Ave., P.O. Box 6312, Edison, NJ 08818, 732-225-2100,
http://modelrectifier.com
Price: $45
Comments: Injection-molded, 560 parts (2 vinyl), decals
Pros: Most accurate M36 to date, good interior, good fit, optional road wheels, transmission housings, main-gun muzzles, and glacis plates
Cons: Outline of rear hull not accurate

The M36 gun motor carriage (GMC) was famous for being the only U.S. armored vehicle produced in numbers that had a chance of destroying the German Tiger and Panther tanks. The M36 had a long service career after World War II, and many were given to nations under the U.S. Military Assistance Plan. The last vehicles were active in the Balkan conflicts during the 1990s.

Academy's new M36 Jackson should not be confused with that company's earlier M36, itself a copy of Tamiya's poor over-scale effort from the 1970s. This new one completes Academy's trilogy of U.S. tank destroyer kits (the M18 Hellcat, followed by a family of M10s), and is essentially a combination of its M10 kit with a new turret and several new part sprues. Options include three 90mm gun configurations, two transmission housings, and two hull glacis versions. Also provided are two accessory sprues with numerous extra parts such as gas cans, machine guns, packs, tools, spare wheels, and boxes. No figures are included.

I started by building the bogies and wheels. You have several road-wheel choices: spoked, solid, and a couple of the solid-dished type. Check your references for which type to use. Some vehicles had a mix of different kinds of wheels. Academy's Sherman-type suspension is accurate, arguably the best available in any model.

Following the instruction sequence I built the transmission, driving, and fighting compartments. All went together precisely and without problems.

Academy has included the ammo-stowage tube set from its M10 kit. I doubt that it's correct for the larger rounds of the 90mm gun. Consequently, the ammo-stowage rack in the lower hull is probably not represented correctly, although I couldn't find a good reference for this. The kit includes a new back chassis plate to accommodate the engine variation of the M36 (Ford gasoline engine versus the M10's GMC twin diesels). It also features separate hull hatches so you can see all those interior parts you added!

Prior to installing the top hull to the chassis, you have to choose which glacis plate to use. One option includes the rare bow machine-gun mount. I used the standard plain glacis plate for my Indochina version. This was contrary to the instructions, as I couldn't verify this configuration against period photos in my references.

The assembled hull top fit well on the chassis, and at this point I added the engine exhaust deflector, another post-war modification.

Next was the turret assembly. The turret interior, particularly the gunner's station, is well-detailed. Academy provides the turret bustle ready-ammo racks, but there are no rounds to fill them. The turret top and bottom went together smoothly.

There are three options for the M3 90mm gun: the first WWII version with no muzzle brake, a later WWII-style muzzle, and a post-war version with a bore evacuator and small muzzle brake.

The kit includes the interesting post-war armored turret cover and I decided this was the version for me. In photos, the cover appears to have two separate hatches at the back. The kit part has only one large hatch, and it went on perfectly.

The tracks are given as single-piece vinyl components and represent the early style T-51 plain-block type. Photos of WWII M36s show this version, but post-war vehicles would most likely use a cleated style. Several different aftermarket companies offer cleated tracks.

I painted my Jackson with various Gunze Sangyo acrylics. The decals allow four different vehicles to be modeled, two U.S. WWII, one French Indochina, and one in Korean service. They went on fine with a little setting solution.

There is no reference book available devoted to the M36, but I found U.S. Army M36 technical manuals available on CDs from Easy 1 Productions (e-mail Mike Powell at mpowell@chartermi.net). I also studied U.S. Tank Destroyers in Combat 1941-1945 by Steven Zaloga. The model matches the references in most cases, but in side profile, the hull looks foreshortened at the rear. The hull back plate does not slope forward enough (it should be at 30 degrees from vertical ).

I completed my M36 in 20 hours. The internal detail and options made it an enjoyable project. Despite the large number of parts, it went together easily, and modelers of all skill levels will be able to build it. Here's your chance to put a good M36 in your collection!
- Jim Zeske